LSi9 vs LSi7

cokewithvanilla

I was going to buy the 9's for my apartment when I go back to school in a few weeks, but I read a thread that said better things of the 7's than the 9's (not that I believe everything I read, but it surprised me)....

I've heard such great things about the 9's, though I've heard little of the 7's. Anyone have thoughts on this matter?

They will be powered by an adcom gfa-5800, signal cable, a random computer (hopefully digital out, I suppose that will depend on the pre).

skipf

When I was on a speaker buying trip, I was looking at some Klipsch bookshelves and the salesman showed me a set of LSi7's. They were much better than the Klipsch models I was listening to, and I was ready to jump on them. He then said "before you make up you mind, you need to hear these" and turned on the 9's. The 7's weren't even in the same ballpark. I bought the 9's. Good salesman.

Cpyder

I'm really enjoying my 9s and would recommend them to anyone. Especially for small apartment size/type rooms. They easily fill it and I've been asked several times where my sub was. (I don't have one). I'm don't think the 7s have the same bass response in comparison. There's other differences that I can't recall right now. Google Lsi7 vs Lsi9.

markmarc

If you've got good, and I mean good amplification, go with the 9's. Then save up to mod the x-overs.

madmax

I liked the 7's much better for music. They had a special quality which my 9's didn't, I think due to the simpler crossover.
madmax

cokewithvanilla

Thanks for the replies.

I listed the amplifier in the first post... I've used it on my 25's and compared it to the the 7270, I think I can tell a subtle difference.

With that amp and an equivalent pre, which speakers will (should) sound better? Modding the xo's sounds like something I would do in the future.

rooftop59

I have read that the 7s are really a 6 ohm speaker whereas the 9s are a true 4 ohm if that makes a difference. I have not heard the 9s unfortunately, but I LOVE my 7s, best speakers I have ever heard (which of course tells you that I am not the person to ask ) I don't know about your amp, but if you are worried about power and have a musical sub, go with the 7s. I wouldn't run the 7s without a sub except in a small office or dorm for background music, if you are going to use them for any gaming/music or just bass heavy music, I think you need a sub. Just my 2 cents.
Peace,
Paul

kawizx9r

Loved my 7's when I had them, they were no Magnepan's but wow did they sound gorgeous!

Other than proper amplification, I hope you're running a good pre and source...those speakers can be pretty damn detailed.

-Freddy

cokewithvanilla

Alright, well I guess I should ask this: is the second driver in the LSi9 simply a low range driver? What frequencies does it handle?

I would be using this in my small apartment for music mostly. I haven't decided on a preamp... something simple with digital, i'd imagine (any thoughts are welcome too)

Norm Apter

anonymouse wrote: »

I'm sure the 7s are easier to drive than the 9s. But the 9s with modded crossovers and proper amplification are heavenly.

What he said!

Listening to an old Grant Green jazz CD on modded 9s now and its like I've got the band in the living room.

Cpyder

cokewithvanilla wrote: »

Alright, well I guess I should ask this: is the second driver in the LSi9 simply a low range driver? What frequencies does it handle?

I would be using this in my small apartment for music mostly. I haven't decided on a preamp... something simple with digital, i'd imagine (any thoughts are welcome too)

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/lsi/specs.php#bookshelf

dhart86

I've had both speakers. I preferred the 7's for music and the 9's for HT. I should advise that when I had the 9's I was new to the hobby and didn't experiment with placement before I sold them for the 7's. At the time the 9's sounded muffled or something. I love my modded 7's for music, though

philipjr

Cpyder wrote: »

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/lsi/specs.php#bookshelf

Second mid runs 200hz and down. Other mid runs full-range. Nines are better in a room where you can pull them well away from walls and sit at least several feet back for listening position. They do put out a surprising amount of bass for their size, which makes placement more critical than with some speakers since you may have issues with reflections due to the ports being in the back...

That being said, the Nines are a much more full-sounding speaker than the Sevens, and can handle a lot more power. I have not heard that the Sevens are 6ohm - nominal is listed as 4ohm just like the Nines. The nines can even dip below that at some points, and with their hefty power requirements you definitely will want a beefy amp. No receiver I have ever seen will really cut it, 4ohm stable or not. I am running 185wrms per channel to them and most folks on here would tell you that is not even enough to get the best performance out of them...

Hope this helps. Either way, nice speakers.

philipjr

dhart86 wrote: »

I've had both speakers. I preferred the 7's for music and the 9's for HT. I should advise that when I had the 9's I was new to the hobby and didn't experiment with placement before I sold them for the 7's. At the time the 9's sounded muffled or something. I love my modded 7's for music, though

I thought the same thing when I first got my Nines a week ago. It is because the Nines put out so much more bass than the Sevens. I had to do a lot of playing around with placement to get a handle on that issue. Still working on it actually. Unless you are running them for HT I am not even sure you need a sub for them they put out so much bass for their size. I run a small MicroPro 2000 with them currently but only from 60hz on down. I wish they could somehow be designed so that the port was in front - maybe that would reduce the reflections. I know the PowerPort redirects the bass coming out of the ports outwards so it does not fire directly backwards, but I feel they sound better with a bit of toe-in so at least one side of the port will be bouncing midbass off the wall behind them if you don't pull them out as much as possible. The more the better. This is only an issue in my room at higher volumes.

dkg999

I would take the 7's integrated with a fast musical sub (think a sealed or PR type design such as the MicroPro) for a music focused system. The purity of the 2 way design coupled with a good sub is IMHO much cleaner and more focused as a music presentation than the 9's. I use 9's as my fronts in my HT and they are fantastic for that.

dondapatirc

What is the difference between a modded LSI9 and unmodded one? How different is the sound gonna change?

Could you let me know where can we get the crossovers modified??

thanks,
Don

PSOVLSK

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?134268-Polk-Audio-LSi15-Crossover-Modification-Thread

VR3 mods

dorokusai

LSi7.

Mikey081057

I have both...and both work well... the 7's though sound a little light in bass, and would need a sub.

You can get away without a sub with the 9's. My 9's do have the famous VR3 Fortress mod.