New LSi

[Deleted User]

Yeah, I rough cut it with a jigsaw. Then I made a brace for it to lay on it's side and milled it on the cnc.

Bernal

heiney9 wrote: »

Now you're talking

H9

Hello friends,
I'm happy. Arrived my new Yamaha CVP-509.
Change my old CVP-207 by the new, with the money to upgrade my LSi
This will give time for the local distributor to obtain the new LSI-M and learn more about the new series, the Polk guys in this forum.
See you soon.


PD: comment if the new LSi-M is compatible with the current LSi

---

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)

dorokusai

shack wrote: »

Maybe you've read too much of the "If it isn't SDA it isn't a great Polk speaker" banter that goes on here from time to time.

No kidding, let it go.

dorokusai

quadzilla wrote: »

Sounds like you're just giving up then. So... can I have your stuff?

How is it giving up exactly? This isn't 1980 anymore. The in-wall loudspeaker has been a standout for me since the original introduction of the LCi and RTS series years ago. Which I'm betting some Polkies don't even know about.

Larry Chanin(Polkie) has an outstanding in-wall setup. HT isn't rocket science but it takes some solid prep, 2CH is what gets ridiculous.

skrol

The cabinet alone is truly a work of art. Just seeing the photo makes me want a set of the new towers. The entire speaker is beautiful and is really a great step out of the present trends of the present economy of skimping and where design improvements are minimal at best. I am glad to see that Polk Audio has the pride and daring to release such a no-holds-barred product.
Stan

shack

dorokusai wrote:

Larry Chanin(Polkie) has an outstanding in-wall setup. HT isn't rocket science but it takes some solid prep, 2CH is what gets ridiculous.

I thought Ted's Reel-Time-Theater was outstanding as well. It was a very early application of the LCi inwalls. Too bad you weren't able to hear it.

dorokusai

shack wrote: »

I thought Ted's Reel-Time-Theater was outstanding as well. It was a very early application of the LCi inwalls. Too bad you weren't able to hear it.

Agreed, as I've heard many comments about his setup. Knowing what was shipped down to him and the work he put into the room, I really don't have to hear it, to know it sounds good. Make sense? I'll get down there eventually. If there were rooms that stand out to me from a Polk standpoint, it would be Ted, Larry and Ricardo.

TECHNOKID

Josh wrote: »

Yes, the front baffle is 1.25" MDF. The perimeter of it is undercut so it only appears as .75" thick. The rest of it protrudes inside the cabinet. It is gloss black painted. Same finish as our MicroPro subs. The cabinets are available in cherry or black. The black is the same wood as cherry with a translucent finish. It's really cool looking...:p

Thanks for the answer on this Josh.

Can anyone answer my second question which was how can such a small RM satellite be able to go down that low withouth distorsion while using tiny drives in such small enclosures?

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

Hello,
... Here was Al's voice asking me if I wanted to get a demo on the new LSi speakers? Now that's every audiophile's dream come true, listen to Polk Audio's newest top-of-the-line speaker!
... Would Polk be able to keep everything that was excellent about the existing speaker? How were they going to treat the ring radiator tweeter? What about the transient response, were they going to be able to keep that wonderful detail and clarity? Then I thought about going to Mark Suskind's ... I knew, as project manager, he wouldn't settle for anything less than the most musical speaker he could make.
The first thing that happened was Mark (from the CP Forum) and I were brought into Polk's main conference room along with Al, Mark (Polk) and Stu Lumsden, Polk's head of all things engineering. There was one of the new LSi tower speakers cut down the middle. I've seen lots of speaker insides with lots of bracing and separate chambers for the different drivers. Classic designs from years past, like the IMF speakers from England. But, the new Polk was the most impressive I'd ever seen. The way the two bass chambers were made was cleverness personified. The mechanical design guys had out done themselves, in my opinion. Midrange chambers without parallel surfaces; true separate bass enclosures made to actually help the sound. The device that Polk calls the "engine" really lit a bulb in my head. That was exactly the right approach, build a compact core of a ring radiator tweeter and a 3.34" driver. Get them to blend perfectly, no time alignment problems, no miss-matched transient response differences. Start with a core and then add to it to build upon its strength. This was exactly the right way to think about a speaker.
After that it was time to do some listening. First off, let me tell you what is important about a speaker to me. I am very sensitive to any kind of mid range coloration. I can hear any boxiness in a speaker and it takes away from enjoying music. I like a sense of the speaker disappearing and getting out of the way, leaving a stage with people playing instruments in front of me. Do that and I'll be happy, if it looks great so much the better. If it's a big speaker, fine, I don't care. If it's a small speaker, fine I don't care. However you do it, just sound like real people and real musical instruments.
All of my worries were for naught, they had managed to advance the LSi series, keep all of the attributes and expand on them.
Mark played Jazz at the Pawnshop, my reference for live recordings. If they could make me believe I was hearing a real live group of Dixieland musicians playing in a crowded pub in Copenhagen I'd be won over. Boy, did they, there they were all those beer steins clinking together, mumbled conversations and beautiful music, reminding me why I love this recording. Then he played several recording that just amazed me, early music chamber recordings with stringed instruments being plucked. Stuff no speaker builder, in their right mind, would try. Didn't they know that speakers have an almost impossible time reproducing that kind of sound and not making it seem "hard" and "steel-like"? Things with different female singers, no box quality to the sound. Just a real live person suspended in air with a black velvet-like background. A complete freedom of any boxiness, just a beautiful voice.
I think one of the last things to be played was an orchestral recording, a Stravinsky piece. This is an acid test, like being a baseball pitcher, facing Babe Ruth when someone's just told him he's a washed-up has-been and he gets a stoney look in his eyes and throws away a half-finished hotdog with the works. You'd better have your stuff ready, my friend.
Box type speakers just can't reproduce a full orchestra, everybody knows you need a planar type speaker to do that. Right? They did it, the sound stage opened up and there was a real sounding orchestra in front of me. Tremendous dynamic range, an effortless quality (having ARC gear powering things helps) and still each instrument being clearly heard. The soundstage just kept growing, following the give and take of what the score demanded. But, the clincher was the bass transient response. That keeps sticking in my head. They reproduced the sound of the tympani perfectly, the best I'd ever heard on a recording. I don't know how they did it, but the bass quality was superb. Not overblown, not frumpy, not "bass-for-the-sake of bass", but real life, exciting bass.
These are great sounding, reasonably priced, true music lover, audiophile quality speakers, that are beautiful to look at and made to last. They will be able to tell you so much of whatever music you listen to and encourage you to hear more and more music.... You guys are in for a real treat come January.
Cheers, Ken

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

I know what you mean, sure they sound good with mega-dollar Audio Research, but how will they sound with "normal" gear. I think Stu addressed that. Mark (CP member) asked about the low impedance point of the original LSi and Stu said that the frequency vs impedance was less demanding in the new speakers. That means the amplifier won't be facing a 2.6 Ohm dip at low frequencies. That will open up quite a bit of choices for the prospective buyer. It won't cause good quality receivers to go into protection mode. However, that being said you still want a speaker that's capable of showing you all of the improvements you make as you assemble your system. The better the front end and amplifying chain the better the final sound. But, I don't believe the new speakers will require a separate amplifier to perform beautifully. Stu said that he uses a moderately priced receiver for his evaluation.
When they demonstrated the speakers they used a classic Pioneer Elite CD player, certainly a good sounding unit, but not state-of-the-art. I think their reference player was on the blink. But that didn't limit the sound quality at all, in my semi-humble opinion.
Yes, I heard the second in line of the new RM series coupled with a really good sounding sub. No problems there, Al Ballard indicated that the development team felt that the RM type speaker had been somewhat diluted over the years. I don't know how many readers remember the classic RM3000 speakers? Two, time aligned satellites with a fine sounding passive woofer. That system and the M&K satellite/woofer were the only good sounding versions of that kind of design, in my opinion. In any event Polk went back to why that older system sounded so good and developed the new version.
I knew this was going to be a good speaker, a few weeks ago my buddy Kim told me about how good they sound. You think I'm picky, he's really picky. When the demo started the receiver, powering the speakers, was set to one of the DSP modes and things sounded a little spacey. Once that was sorted out, the sound was excellent. No hint of hearing little boxes, the stiff cabinet and time alignment in the design was audible. I would have preferred them a little bit higher, but no problem. I couldn't believe that a complete surround package, excluding a sub for $495.00. I'd hate to be a competitor trying to sell the same thing for $800.00/900.00. Good luck with that!
I would love to hear the ones with the ring radiator tweeter, that should be real cool!

Thanks for this review Ken. None of us on this board have any clue yet of how the new babies can sing and it is nice to be able to rely on Mark's (Doro) comments along with your own audition experience. Looks like the futre is bright for Polk but also for its fans :cool:

Can you comment a little more on the new RMs (see my question above)?

TECHNOKID

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

Hey Josh,
It's going well, I'm a natural at it. It's exactly like having a string of never-ending Saturdays. You know what I mean. You wake up when you wake up, no alarm clock. Then mosey downstairs, the wife has already left for work (God bless her!). Then you think about what you want to do for the day. Get in some walking if it's not too hot. Check out what's happening on the Forum, put out a few fires, calm people down (kind of like those guys on Jerry Springer). Then hit the work bench, fix an amp for a friend. Maybe work on a project or two, clean the place up? ...
Ken

I think you are in paradise Ken! Just reading you reminds me of the days I was operating my repair shop. Your only boss is actually your client, you can experiment, challenge your self withouth anyone stating it isn't priority. I miss those days and IMHO you are in a much better position then I was at the time so this really ought to be paradise for you :cool:

dorokusai wrote: »

How is it giving up exactly? This isn't 1980 anymore. The in-wall loudspeaker has been a standout for me since the original introduction of the LCi and RTS series years ago. Which I'm betting some Polkies don't even know about.

Larry Chanin(Polkie) has an outstanding in-wall setup. HT isn't rocket science but it takes some solid prep, 2CH is what gets ridiculous.

Mark, I don't thik the comment is relating so much about in-ceiling but rather ref your comment that this was your last set-up? As far as I understand this would be your last HT set-up but nothing regarding 2 ch since you previously mentioned that you didn't keep stuff for that long when you spoke about you LsiM purchase (bookshelves I believe??).

I know you are busy but it would be appreciated if you could go in a little more details about your auditioning experience of the Polk babies?

cheers!
TK

[Deleted User]

Hello TK,
The secret of the RM series not producing any low bass distortion is their built-in high pass filter. Each satellite and center speaker has a well designed filter set around 120Hz to prevent them from producing any bass. Of course, this means it gets a little tricky getting the woofer properly blended. If the RMs are placed on the wall they will get some bass reinforcement so they will probably blend at 100/120Hz. If they are free standing on stands then the crossover frequency might be as high as 150/180Hz. It means changing the settings for the receiver.
What made the ones that I heard sound so much better was the use of a really good quality 1" soft dome tweeter. Polk put in the effort to get a 1" tweeter to improve transient response and open up the dispersion. Plus the shape of the front surface of the cabinet eliminates dispersion problems. Then putting pieces of steel on the inside of the cabinet lowers the natural cabinet resonance and gets rid of the "little box" syndrome.
All this for around $100.00 a box is amazing. Couple them with a nice receiver and the world of movies just got better. No excuse to not hear good sound. Heck two of them and a PSW111 and the music world just got better.
Enjoy, Ken

VSchneider

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

... You guys are in for a real treat come January.
Cheers, Ken

Ken, thank you for the excellent review! Did you think about writing for a living, maybe? Do you write already?

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

[re: retirement ] I'm a natural at it. It's exactly like having a string of never-ending Saturdays...

I didn't know you retired. I guess, I need to come here more often. Congratulations! You've been very helpful to me on more than one occasion when I needed to call the CS.

Back to the topic
LSi-M look great and quite modern (maybe that's what "M" stands for?). I would also love to hear a Blackstone TL3-based system, though. Sometimes even bookshelves are too big, and this "LSi-mini" satellite looks very interesting, indeed.

Hilbert

So what does the "M" stand for? Mellow? Magnificent? Musical?

For that matter, what do the L, the S, and the i stand for?

The pics look fabulous. Can't wait to hear them or hear more about them.

Ron Temple

Hilbert wrote: »

So what does the "M" stand for? Mellow? Magnificent? Musical?

For that matter, what do the L, the S, and the i stand for?

The pics look fabulous. Can't wait to hear them or hear more about them.

Luxury Series Improved - Mo $$$ or Mo Betta, as doro stated earlier.

TECHNOKID

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

Hello TK,
The secret of the RM series not producing any low bass distortion is their built-in high pass filter. Each satellite and center speaker has a well designed filter set around 120Hz to prevent them from producing any bass. Of course, this means it gets a little tricky getting the woofer properly blended. If the RMs are placed on the wall they will get some bass reinforcement so they will probably blend at 100/120Hz. If they are free standing on stands then the crossover frequency might be as high as 150/180Hz. It means changing the settings for the receiver.
What made the ones that I heard sound so much better was the use of a really good quality 1" soft dome tweeter. Polk put in the effort to get a 1" tweeter to improve transient response and open up the dispersion. Plus the shape of the front surface of the cabinet eliminates dispersion problems. Then putting pieces of steel on the inside of the cabinet lowers the natural cabinet resonance and gets rid of the "little box" syndrome.
All this for around $100.00 a box is amazing. Couple them with a nice receiver and the world of movies just got better. No excuse to not hear good sound. Heck two of them and a PSW111 and the music world just got better.
Enjoy, Ken

Thanks for the great response and explanation again Ken. Were you ever in a CS position ever in a former life :D After Mark's reaction and comments after auditioning them along with your own comments and explanation of the product, I am eager to look for them, touch feel and demo. I wonder if the new RMs have made it to Canada yet or when thy'll be showing up? Due to the size and the classy look I invested in the former RM series, RM10, RM20 and RM30s and was looking for the towers but never could put my hands on them. The last batch of RM products (plastic enclosures) and the VM never appealed to me but if this new RM series is that great looking and as good a performer as you and Mark attest, it might be worth to reconsider and go toward a new purchase and sell the vintage... Time will tell I guess.

Thanks again for taking the time to explain this new generation of RM

TK

Kchill

Can average Polkster walk in and hear these? I will be in town in Baltimore for a wedding this weekend. Would love to hear these on Friday!

dorokusai

Kchill wrote: »

Can average Polkster walk in and hear these? I will be in town in Baltimore for a wedding this weekend. Would love to hear these on Friday!

No. That is not suggested nor recommended.

dorokusai

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

Hello TK,
The secret of the RM series not producing any low bass distortion is their built-in high pass filter. Each satellite and center speaker has a well designed filter set around 120Hz to prevent them from producing any bass. Of course, this means it gets a little tricky getting the woofer properly blended. If the RMs are placed on the wall they will get some bass reinforcement so they will probably blend at 100/120Hz. If they are free standing on stands then the crossover frequency might be as high as 150/180Hz. It means changing the settings for the receiver.
What made the ones that I heard sound so much better was the use of a really good quality 1" soft dome tweeter. Polk put in the effort to get a 1" tweeter to improve transient response and open up the dispersion. Plus the shape of the front surface of the cabinet eliminates dispersion problems. Then putting pieces of steel on the inside of the cabinet lowers the natural cabinet resonance and gets rid of the "little box" syndrome.
All this for around $100.00 a box is amazing. Couple them with a nice receiver and the world of movies just got better. No excuse to not hear good sound. Heck two of them and a PSW111 and the music world just got better.
Enjoy, Ken

Not to mention that the time alignment design is something often overlooked by many manufacturers. You can either build it into the xover or cabinet design. I've always thought that the array option was a better idea since it forces you to look at diffraction, resonance, coloration a lot closer. Ken and I heard the mid level Blackstone and it was fantastic. It's been many years since I've heard Polk make a decent satellite monitor....FINALLY, they've raised the bar high this time.

TECHNOKID

dorokusai wrote: »

Not to mention that the time alignment design is something often overlooked by many manufacturers. You can either build it into the xover or cabinet design. I've always thought that the array option was a better idea since it forces you to look at diffraction, resonance, coloration a lot closer. Ken and I heard the mid level Blackstone and it was fantastic. It's been many years since I've heard Polk make a decent satellite monitor....FINALLY, they've raised the bar high this time.

Thanks for the extra details Mark. When you point out ''time alignment'', do you mean syncronisation-phasing of the drivers so the various sound (High mid and low) happens at the same time or do you mean something else?

dorokusai

Yes....no, not something else. Time aligned drivers.

TECHNOKID

dorokusai wrote: »

Yes....no, not something else. Time aligned drivers.

How would Polk achieve such, simple LCR phasing in the Xo?

dorokusai

Dude, read what I said again and take a peek at the docs posted in the thread. It's a physical design.

Topper

would be great if we can get some of this new tech thats been developed into a top of the line car audio speaker range to replace the SRs

ohskigod

shack wrote: »

????? Lou, the LSi series has always been a well regarded speaker both among consumers and the audio press alike. I remember reading some rave reviews for the first couple of years after they came out. Do they have some shortcomings? Sure, but I doubt there were many speakers in their price range that were better and none that I would say were "significantly" better. I think the LSi9 was the star(I really like that speaker) with the LSi7 close behind.

Maybe you've read too much of the "If it isn't SDA it isn't a great Polk speaker" banter that goes on here from time to time.

I think you hit the nail on the "if it aint SDA" front. I remember first throwing out I loved the LSi over SDA, and while many respected my opinion....some thought I was nuts.

I also concur with the bookshelves being a bigger star in that line than the towers. you looked at the towers and expected them to sound badass, but the bookshelves knocked me for a loop (particularly when I first heard the LSi7 at James (jdhdiggs) house). Credit that man with me buying a **** ton of LSi's (new and used).

In all honesty, no matter how much better the new LSi's are, I can't see me replacing my whole theater with them......frikkin ouch. I have too many other money sucking hobbies (the Mustang's future supercharger just refuses to pay for itself), however......for my future 2 channel plans? well, thats a ball that is still very much in play.

mmadden28

dorokusai wrote: »

LSiM Press Release(PDF), 9 Pages minus Cover.

I took the liberty to combine these into a single PDF-If you scan the cover I'll add that in too.

[Deleted User]

I am a little late here. I am looking forward to experiencing them. I am keeping my fingers crossed but hopefully the new line will have more choices of natural colors/wood finishes.

Face

TECHNOKID wrote: »

How would Polk achieve such, simple LCR phasing in the Xo?

I believe Doro is referring to the physical alignment of the drivers acoustic centers. It sounds better and is cheaper than adding more junk to the crossover.

Emlyn

Given that the new lines uses an updated ring radiator tweeter, and the current LSi's use the older version, would Polk recommend that the two lines are sufficiently voice matched so that it doesn't require switching all speakers over to the new line. I could see wanting to swap out an LSiC for the larger new version if getting the front mains updated to the new bigger towers, but would it be necessary to replace LSiFX surrounds in a 7.1 system? My guess is probably not because the LSiFX's are very well done big surround speakers in the current line.

TECHNOKID

Face wrote: »

I believe Doro is referring to the physical alignment of the drivers acoustic centers. It sounds better and is cheaper than adding more junk to the crossover.

Thanks, you are right. I've read the paper last night and in fact this is achieved mechanically. I am not familiar with the lense phase they are talking about (but just the word lense gives me an idea). I think that lense phase thing must be Polk proprietary, am I right? Humm, maybe I am wrong, seems Onkio sells drivers that uses that technology.....

djlogix

I like the new look. I too hope there are more color schemes / wood finishes available, but being so far out from release I'm sure they have something in store for us. I'm kind of glad I haven't jumped on my speaker upgrade yet. I saw this at AVS in the Polkie thread and damn near choked haha.

The only thing I hope for, which is completely minor and when you get closer to release. It's hard to find people that can give impressions over a broad aspect of musical pieces. I tend to find that even though some people rave about the range of a series / line / speaker with a certain kind of piece (Jazz, Classical, Sym) that doesn't necessarily translate to the music I listen to heavily. I know I know, blasphemy... but my musical diversity is so great that a speaker almost has to cover the field. Part of the reason I've stuck with the RTi line and my eventual upgrade to the RTiA line last year for my 2 channel and HT setup. I've got the dough for the LSi line, but waiting on my amplification research to come to an end and I'm glad I've waited to be perfectly honest.

So in a nutshell, while the initial impressions have me gitty with excitement, I hope to read some impressions soon of the HT performance and also over a greater range of music. Or quite possibly, I'm just too damn anxious and can't wait to demo myself if at all ever possible... because January is so damn far away. Would be an awesome birthday present however

Bernal

Hello,
In conversation yesterday with my uncle on the new line of Polk and see the images in this forum, he told me very surprised are similar to my TDL.
Have them at home and worked. The sound is very good.
It is very interesting and so I share with you.