Iwas wondering what amp

kaiser osay

Iwas wondering if I shoud go Emotiva Xpa-5, I have an Onkyo txsr876 powering my Lsi15,LsiC, and paradigm titans, I think I want more oomph!

kaiser osay

Oh I also have MicroPro 4000

Jetmaker737

You do need more oomph! The Emo would be an OK way to go. You should research other amps before making a decision.

nooshinjohn

Emo and LSi's together... I would think that combination would be a tad on the bright side.

cfrizz

Welcome Kaiser.

That Emotiva will do a great job. You could also look at Outlaw Audio. The have the best bang for the buck new.

Check on Audiogon for used 5 channel amps by Sunfire, Parasound, B & K, Nad, Adcom, Rotel.

Get at least 200wpc @ 8ohms to ensure that your speakers get enough power to operate to their full potential.

mdaudioguy

nooshinjohn wrote: »

Emo and LSi's together... I would think that combination would be a tad on the bright side.

Are the LSis themselves considered bright? I've never thought so. I do know my Yamaha/Emo/RTi combo was well on the bright side of the spectrum.

mdaudioguy

Oh yeah, to the OP - there's a nice Adcom on sale here in the Flea Market. A better buy, IMHO, than the Emo. A quite-capable 5-channel amp, and you'd be saving $$ over a new Emo.

Here - http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102457

superjunior

no experience with the lsi's but to my ears the emo seems to be a bit on the bright side, at least with my rti's.

Bernal

+ 1 Sunfire





01) DENON AVR-4308CI: Advanced 7.1 CH/5.1+2 CH/ 3.1+2+2 CH A/V Home Theater /MultiMedia Multi-Source/Zone Receiver with Networking and WiFi/170 watts x 7 channels
02) SUNFIRE Grand Signature - Bob Carver's and SUNFIRE Cinema Grand
03) OPPO BDP-83SE Blu-ray Disc Player w/SACD & DVD-Audio
04) OPPO DV-980H 1080p Up-Converting Universal DVD Player with HDMI and 7.1CH Audio
05) DENON DVD-2500BTCI: Blu-ray Disc™ DVD/CD Digital Player/Transport
06) HITACHI P55T501. 55" HD1080 Plasma HDTV
07) POLKAUDIO LSiC (Center speaker)
08) POLKAUDIO LSi15 LEFT (Front speaker)
09) POLKAUDIO LSi15 RIGHT (Front speaker)
10) POLKAUDIO LSiC Vertically (Surround speaker)
11) POLKAUDIO LSiC Vertically (Surround speaker)
12) POLKAUDIO LSif/x LEFT (Surround back speakers)
13) POLKAUDIO LSif/x RIGHT (Surround back speakers)
14) VELODYNE OPTIMUN SERIES 12"(High Output Digital EQ SubWoofer 2400W/1200WRMS)
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=98096 (Not updated)

inspiredsports

mdaudioguy wrote: »

Oh yeah, to the OP - there's a nice Adcom on sale here in the Flea Market. A better buy, IMHO, than the Emo. A quite-capable 5-channel amp, and you'd be saving $$ over a new Emo.

Here - http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102457

This is a great reccommendation!

PSOVLSK

I have an XPA-5 that I run with an all-LSi setup and I don't consider it bright at all.

I have no trouble recommending the XPA-5, but mdaudioguy has pointed you in a very good direction.

kaiser osay

Okay, enlighten me: what do you mean " a little bright " a lot of treble, less bass,or what?. I am hoping the Onkyo reciever can allow me to tailor the sound to my liking and all, what do you guys think?

cfrizz

Yes if the treble is grating on the ear or you get tired of listening to your system because of it the tweeter is generally the problem & it is considered too bright.

The RTI series is known to be on the bright side to begin with and paired with some gear will become brighter. They are considered more of a HT speaker rather than a musical speaker. But some like them just fine for music.

The LSI series is not known to be bright, it is a very laid back natural sounding speaker.

Amplifiers are only supposed to amplify the sound that is already inherent in the speakers. So if the tweeters are bright to begin with, they will be brighter still when operating to their full potential.

Get the Emotiva if that is what you want and decide for yourself if it is too bright for your ears. Everyone hears things differently. My guess is that you will like it just fine.

Unfortunately, it is very hard to get an unbiased opinion on this forum when it comes to Emotiva gear, and a good many will steer you in another direction just on general principal.

The bottom line is that the XPA-5 WILL allow your LSI's to operate to their full potential & you can purchase it new without going bankrupt.

Face

cfrizz wrote: »

Amplifiers are only supposed to amplify the sound that is already inherent in the speakers. So if the tweeters are bright to begin with, they will be brighter still when operating to their full potential.

Any component can colour sound, including amplifiers.

helipilotdoug

+1 on the Sunfire 200X5. There are several for sale oner on Audiogon.

cfrizz

Face wrote: »

Any component can colour sound, including amplifiers.

If by color you mean accentuate/amplify even more clearly the characteristics of of the speakers then of course its colored, that is the purpose of the amplification.

But I have had 3 different SS amps and none of them changed the built in characteristics of my speakers and my music sounded the same with all of them.

But I distinctly heard differences in my music when I went to check out some Dynaudio speakers that were amplified by a tube amp. It muted somewhat the sound which I didn't like.

Face

cfrizz wrote: »

If by color you mean accentuate/amplify even more clearly the characteristics of of the speakers then of course its colored, that is the purpose of the amplification.

No, by colour I mean alter it's characteristics. For example I demoed a pair of Pass Labs Aleph 2 monoblocks and a Wyred 4 Sound amp a few days ago. The monoblocks had a looser bottom end than the W4S amp and I believe the W4S amp was a little more transparent. Meanwhile the Pass monos had a more lush midrange.

cfrizz wrote: »

But I have had 3 different SS amps and none of them changed the built in characteristics of my speakers and my music sounded the same with all of them.

No argument here, not all amps sound different.

cfrizz wrote: »

But I distinctly heard differences in my music when I went to check out some Dynaudio speakers that were amplified by a tube amp. It muted somewhat the sound which I didn't like.

Did you also hear the same speakers connected to a SS amp? Many tube amps can sound rolled off up top(muted?), but not all do. I always thought of Dynaudio as bleh anyway.

cfrizz

Face wrote: »

No, by colour I mean alter it's characteristics. For example I demoed a pair of Pass Labs Aleph 2 monoblocks and a Wyred 4 Sound amp a few days ago. The monoblocks had a looser bottom end than the W4S amp and I believe the W4S amp was a little more transparent. Meanwhile the Pass monos had a more lush midrange.

Ok I understand now.

No argument here, not all amps sound different.

Thanks, agreed.

Did you also hear the same speakers connected to a SS amp? Many tube amps can sound rolled off up top(muted?), but not all do. I always thought of Dynaudio as bleh anyway.

Yes the were originally hooked up to some mega powered SS Monoblocks I think. Then they were switched over to the tube amp & I heard the difference. I was listening to live music & it just didn't sound as live.

BaggedLancer (Mark) took me out to Goodwin High End & I had them switch it over for him to get a listen to them. He loved the not so in your face tube sound, & I didn't.:)

I loved the sound of the Dynaudio's, if I ever replace my RTA-8Ts I'm going for the Dynaudio Focus towers!

LessisNevermore

PSOVLSK wrote: »

I have an XPA-5 that I run with an all-LSi setup and I don't consider it bright at all.

Ditto this. A very good match in my room.

kaiser osay

I got the Emo XPA-5 today, I am going to wait for the X series RCA's and hook it all up I am now on six weeks vacation, so I have lot's of time, and I will let people know how I like it with the Lsi's

RelayerCR

cfrizz wrote: »

Welcome Kaiser.

That Emotiva will do a great job. You could also look at Outlaw Audio. The have the best bang for the buck new.

Check on Audiogon for used 5 channel amps by Sunfire, Parasound, B & K, Nad, Adcom, Rotel.

Get at least 200wpc @ 8ohms to ensure that your speakers get enough power to operate to their full potential.

Why 200wpc @ 8ohms?, the specs of the LSi15 is 4ohmn. Polk recomends 20-250wpc. If the speaker is rated at 4ohmn, I suppose that Polk is talking about 20-250wpc at 4ohm

¿Am I wrong? I just want to understand.

I'm using a Parasound 2125, 200wpc at 4ohm. This amp drive the LSi15 very easy, always warm, full bass, with no stress at atll. But most important, Parasound is very musical.

cfrizz

Welcome to Club Polk Relayer.

Most speakers are built for 8ohms, which are the easiest to drive, amps are usually rated with the 8ohm numbers given first and then state what it would put out when driving 4ohm speakers. The more power you give them at 8ohms is the more power that is available to them at 4ohms. It is easier to damage speakers with too little power rather than too much.

The harder the speakers are to drive, the more power you need to give them. It has been pretty much proven on here that the LSI series sound better with the more power you give them.

All speakers in general sound better with more power, and 200wpc is usually the point where a clear & distinct improvement can be heard not matter what speaker it is hooked up to.

It also allows most speakers to operate to their full potential at all times.

Parasound makes great amps I had a Parasound 1500A 205wpc amp driving my speakers & I loved it. My brother has it now driving his LSI 7s.

I'm glad to see that you are using an amp for your LSI's but I can guarantee that if you gave them more power, they would reward you with even better sound.

Enjoy your system Relayer!

RelayerCR

cfrizz wrote: »

Welcome to Club Polk Relayer.

Most speakers are built for 8ohms, which are the easiest to drive, amps are usually rated with the 8ohm numbers given first and then state what it would put out when driving 4ohm speakers. The more power you give them at 8ohms is the more power that is available to them at 4ohms. It is easier to damage speakers with too little power rather than too much.

The harder the speakers are to drive, the more power you need to give them. It has been pretty much proven on here that the LSI series sound better with the more power you give them.

All speakers in general sound better with more power, and 200wpc is usually the point where a clear & distinct improvement can be heard not matter what speaker it is hooked up to.

It also allows most speakers to operate to their full potential at all times.

Parasound makes great amps I had a Parasound 1500A 205wpc amp driving my speakers & I loved it. My brother has it now driving his LSI 7s.

I'm glad to see that you are using an amp for your LSI's but I can guarantee that if you gave them more power, they would reward you with even better sound.

Enjoy your system Relayer!

Thank you for your time and the explanations.
The Parasound 2125 has specs or 125wpc at 8ohm, 200wpc at 4ohmn

The Parasound next model is the 2250, this one deliver 250wpc at 8ohm and 400wpc at 4ohm. ¿400wpc for the LSi15 appear to be exaggerated (Polk recommends a maximum of 250wpc)?
http://www.parasound.com/nc/2250.php
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/lsi/specs.php


I do not try to argue or contradict, I just want to understand and learn more, again, thanks for the explanations

cnh

Most amps that can deliver 250 watts at 8 ohms will deliver A LOT more than that into a 4 ohm load...not sure that that's an inflated number.

Parasounds are indeed a fairly musical SS amp.

LSIs actually BENEFIT from an amp that is a tad 'brighter' because they are so laid back to begin with...look at Ben's mods for the LSI?? If you doubt that. One thing you don't want with LSIs is a laid back amp....a deadly combo!

Parasound 2xxx series are wonderful amps...you'd be happy with one....but do listen for yourself.

Good Luck and happy listening.

cnh

geebolt

I got an XPA-5 a few weeks ago and just yesterday upgraded my mains to RTI A7's from TSI500's. It sounds great! I don't notice any overly bright sound after running Audyssey from my Onkyo TX-NR807 which I'm using as a processor. I can listen for hours without fatigue which was not the case with the Onk amps.

George

cfrizz

RelayerCR wrote: »

Thank you for your time and the explanations.
The Parasound 2125 has specs or 125wpc at 8ohm, 200wpc at 4ohmn

The Parasound next model is the 2250, this one deliver 250wpc at 8ohm and 400wpc at 4ohm. ¿400wpc for the LSi15 appear to be exaggerated (Polk recommends a maximum of 250wpc)?
http://www.parasound.com/nc/2250.php
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/lsi/specs.php


I do not try to argue or contradict, I just want to understand and learn more, again, thanks for the explanations

Nothing is exagerated. All speaker companies give a range of numbers for suggested power, they can run on as little as 20wpc but they won't sound really good. And giving them 200-250wpc will ensure that they will operate to their full potential.

Having them hooked up to the Parasound 2250 would be perfect.

I have my 20 year old RTA-8T's & all of my other speakers hooked up to a Sunfire 405wpc amp and my speakers & my ears love it. When I first got them they were hooked up to a Rotel 50wpc amp. Until I got the Parasound, I never knew what kind of details I was missing in my music & movies.

The speakers only take as much power as they need at any given time to operate to their capacity.

What we are trying to tell you is that it is better to make sure that power is THERE for them to operate. But until you hear the difference for yourself, you just won't know.

Do some research on here about LSI's & power, this will give you a good indication on what it will mean to give them more.

nooshinjohn

I had a set of LSi-15's set up on a Sunfire Stereo 600/2and the LSi's handled every bit of power they were given and then some. They really do come to life with more power.

I would say that the 250wpc ratings for your LSi's could easily be doubled and the only effect on the speakers would be better sound and greater detail.

jinjuku

geebolt wrote: »

I got an XPA-5 a few weeks ago and just yesterday upgraded my mains to RTI A7's from TSI500's. It sounds great! I don't notice any overly bright sound after running Audyssey from my Onkyo TX-NR807 which I'm using as a processor. I can listen for hours without fatigue which was not the case with the Onk amps.

George

An interesting experiment would be to grab sweeps of the speakers with the Emotiva and then the Onkyo.

I would be willing to bet you would see some distortion artifacts in the tweeter range with the Onkyo and that same sweep would be smoothed out with any quality SS amp (Emo or otherwise).

That distortion would explain your listener fatigue with the Onk and not the Emotiva.

Enjoy the XPA-5 Kaiser. Its a solid amp and a solid investment. You should get years and years of reliable service out of it.

Face

LSi's sound fine on a 20 watt amp, wattage has no direct correlation with sound quality. More watts only means it can play louder.

geebolt

I would tend to agree about the higher frequency distortions. The Onk sounded good but in comparison with the Emo, the highs had a bit of an "edge" to them not present in the Emo that I didn't notice until I hooked up the Emo. Its hard to explain but thats the best I can describe it. At any rate, I can listen longer at higher volumes with the EMO than with the Onkyo.

cfrizz

If that is what you choose to believe Face that is your perogative. However, just about everyone else in this thread has stated differently. We all can't be wrong.