LSi9 as a center

ezc · July 2003

I have seen some custom installers here start to use the LSi9 as a center chanel speaker. I got to watch movie clips & a short demo with the LSi9 as the center. The sound was much stronger ( I guess that is the term) than the LSiC & seemed the center was more active. Any input regarding using a 9 as a center. Im sure most of us has had times when we had to turn up the vol to hear dialoug. With the 9 it seemed that the 3 front chanels were equally as strong. ( the system I got to listen to had LSi15 front mains, LSi9 center, LSifx surround & LSi9 rears). Does the center speaker need to be a specific center to hear certin sounds, or dialoug? Should the center be weaker or not as strong as the mains? or as long as its timber matched it should work? Does a center chanel speaker have anything special or built differently? Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

polkatese · July 2003

Aloha ezc,
that's is interesting! I should try that one of these days. As far as volume, I usually boost the center channel for that specific reason...what would make the 9 stronger? do you mean louder?

STUFFMD · July 2003

Makes sence....has anyone noticed the dimentions are different, the LsiC and the Lsi 9. Made a big difference to my ears. I did not like the LsiC at all thought it was weak in several areas, traded it for a Rt center, but I am getting ready to buy a pair of Lsi 9's. Obviously the cabinet dimensions make a definate difference in the sound in this case....My opionon only...but obviously to some others as well.
Stuff

ezc · July 2003

Much mahalo polkatese for your reply. I havnt been on line much recently or even watching movies. Ive been rebuilding my car & should have the project done soon! Anyway I helped calibrate the system to 85 db & we used the sencore audio meter to splice the sub in at 80. The speaker were all balanced, & the center was not so much louder but there was more information coming from them. I got to listen close to the speaker & seemed both drivers were active as to the LSiC the right driver is active & the left driver is more passive or more for just the lows. The 9 seemed that both drivers were putting out info the right or top was high & the bottem or left was lows. The sound was just more full. Ive been searching on line today & found guide to home theater did a review on the LSi9. They used 9's all the way around & gave it a great rating. I think this is somthing worth trying. My question is the design of the LSiC by Polk must have been for a reason, & I'm curious why isnt it like the 9. I would guess that its just the crossover that may be different. I didnt get a chance to have both speakers the 9 & C side by side & do a a/b test by switching speaker wires back & forth, darn I whish I could have dont that, but I do know the 9 seem to put out more info from both drivers. Any thaughts?

dcarlson · July 2003

I find my RT1000i and CS400i don't blend as much as I'd like. It sounds like the tweets are almost different. The RT1000is tweets sound more solid and the CS400i sounds hollow. I was going to post something about that. Any ideas?

Derick.

brettw22 · July 2003

I know that there have been posts in the past about this subject and the basic consensus is yes, it can (obviously) be done, but it's only drawback is the sizeable bulk difference between the 9 and the C. When the C initially came out, there were several people that complained that their center wasn't working right because of the crossover point making one driver quite a bit stronger than the other. I'd say to accomplish the stronger center goal, a 9 would be a perfectly acceptable way to go........if you can deal with the significant size difference.

GregJ60 · July 2003

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought you could only purchase the 9's in pairs since the tweeters are positioned in the cabinets for a L and R speaker.

I have a LSiC and was a little disapointed at first. It replaced a CS400. It was placed on top of my 57" RPTV angled down slightly. I then purchased a 18" Wood Technology center speaker stand. That improved the sound a lot. It seems to me the LSiC is a far more directional speaker than the CS400. With the LSiC on top of the TV, dialogue seemed to be coming from above the screen. Putting the speaker just under the screen and about 6 inches in front of the TV made it just right. So my question is. Where was the LSiC placed when you compared it to the 9 and was the 9 upright or on its side?

ezc · July 2003

The LSi9 that was laid down on its side & the installer used I think was a right side modle, beacuse the tweet was at the top. The 9 tweet was in located in the same position as my C. The 9 was positioned above the display & about the same hight as mine. The 9 was on a shelf, my LSiC sits on my 55" facing down to the listening position. Beleive me I tried all types of settings & sngles with the C & I think I got it about best I can. I cant put the C on a stand infront due to my 2 yr old son, If its where he can get to it he thinks its fair game. I was told by one of the custom installers that I know & have worked with that they can get individual speakers from polk since there more & more systems using 6.1 & needing just one additional rear speaker. I dont mind the larger size speaker the 9 is not as long but taller laying down. Does anyone know if the crossover from a LSi9 will fit into a LSiC? I know that the binding posts will be sideways but thats ok. Besides the Box size the 9 & the C uses the same drivers & tweet, I think only the crossover would be different. Id like to try that if the crossover would fit. Any info on crossover from a 9 fitting into a C is appreciated. Thanks

brettw22 · July 2003

I doubt that you'd be able to get the crossover into the C from teh 9, but then again, why would you want to? One of the reasons that you're going to get that full sound has to do with the larger cabinet in which the sound is able to build from. If you're content with a 9 up top, then I'd go with that.

As far as it making a difference between using a left or right speaker, no it wouldn't matter. The tweet is offcenter, but when the thing would be lying on it's side, you'd just make it lie on one side or the other so that the tweet is at the top of the box as it's sitting on it's side. Long as the tweet isn't low and the signal isn't going to be bouncing off the top of the set, then you're fine with either one.

VR3 · July 2003

The LSic has a difuse sound.
The woofers do not make the same sound so you can sit anywhere in the room and still get the same sound all over the room. There is an article on that somewhere on Polk Audio. I feel Polk center channels are weak in alot of areas. I really liked the CSi40 though.

danger boy · July 2003

Originally posted by dcarlson
I find my RT1000i and CS400i don't blend as much as I'd like. It sounds like the tweets are almost different. The RT1000is tweets sound more solid and the CS400i sounds hollow. I was going to post something about that. Any ideas?

Derick.

dcarlson,

i find the same thing..... the CS400i mates better with RT800i's i think. at least in my house they do. a 800i, can over power a 1000i in volume, but not bass. while the 800i's are pretty darn good in bass themselves are no slouch.

dcarlson · July 2003

I really only notice it at higher volumes.

wallstreet · July 2003

Ideally, all the speaks should be the same. The center should be no stronger or weaker than the rest of the speaks. Reality is I can't put a LS90 on top of my tv, so I have to compromise. The compromise goes into the bottom octaves, or lack thereof. My 400i at the top end matches perfectly to my 90's and fx1000's. But the 400 just can't go as low as the fronts. But, that's why we have crossovers. If your fronts are 9's then go with the 9 for the center if it's ergonomically possible.

BTW, what's everyones gripes on the Polk centers?

ezc · July 2003

I was just informed that the LSiC is a 3 way speaker thats why one driver is hardly used. One driver is for the upper mids, the seccond driver for the lows & the tweet for the highs. I guess the idea was to get more lows out of the center while being in a smaller box & to have a more defuse sound. The trade off is a slightly weaker center. Ill try a 9 later when we make another order of speakers.

wallstreet · July 2003

I only see two types of drivers, not three.

ezc · July 2003

Yes your correct there are only 2 types of speakes in the C. The crossover handles the signal & sends it to the different drivers. One driver ( right one) is the upper mids, the other driver( left one) handles the lows & the tweet takes care of the highs. Its not like a car type or tri ax speaker where there are three different size speakers. The LSi series main & tweet speakers are all the same, weather it being in a LSiC FX or 15 9 so on. The crossover handles what each speaker will play.

Lsi9 · July 2003

I have the best Center Channel Polk has ever created...the cs350-Ls

wallstreet · July 2003

Originally posted by Lsi9
I have the best Center Channel Polk has ever created...the cs350-Ls

So do I, but the 400i sounds better.

Airplay355 · July 2003

maybe having the center 400i up higher then the 1000i's is creating timbre issues? is anything else different on them...wireing, power, all that lovely ****.

VR3 · July 2003

Nah, a center will either show the weak or strong points with any setup. Timbre or not - a Center can either shame or rull a setup

DarqueKnight · July 2003

Originally posted by ezc
Does a center chanel speaker have anything special or built differently? Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

ezc,

A center channel speaker is (usually) voiced to emphasize frequencies in the vocal range.

I compared using a pair of LSi9s for center channels to using a pair of LSiCs. The LSi9s had stronger bass, but the LSiCs had more detail on movie dialog. The LSiCs also sounded "crisper" with more upper treble detail. I prefer the sound and looks of the LSiC over the LSi9 for center channel duty.

If your front speakers are properly matched to the center, then any bass deficiencies in the center should be taken care of by the fronts.

However, only your ears can determine what would be best.

ohskigod · July 2003

i use a pair of rt55's as a center (one standing and one on its side because my wife likes how it looks better :rolleyes: ) wired in a series. sounds great for movies, and doesnt match to badly with the rta-12's i use for the mains. went with this option out of pure desperation and seems to work pretty good.

ezc · July 2003

OH YA! I just got a crossover from a LSi9. Yes it fits perfectly in the LSiC! Im at work & my LSiC is on the work bench with the newly installed LSi9 Crossover. Cant wait to get home & hook up the C with the 9 crossover! Ill post my review once I get to watch a few movies! I hope to have some time tonight to watch a few clips & do a quick test! Im still working on my car & its taking up all my free time, almost ready to put the motor back together & drop the head back on. Anyone needs special tools for BMW check out sirtools.com very good quality & prices! The C & the 9 crossover is different. Size is exactly the same but the caps & resistors are not.

polkatese · July 2003

ezc,
do let us know how it sounds! I have no complain with my LSiC, but the idea of switching the crossover with the 9 is awesome. I wonder if it will alters its freq. range noticeably...the volume of LSiC enclosure differ quite a bit to the 9, so it would be interesting...

ezc · July 2003

Got to spend only about 45 min last night listening to the C with the 9 x over. There is a difference & it seemed to make my front sound stage sound more equal. All I did was re hook up the speaker ( bi wired) & put a few movies in that I have watched. I didnt check the speaker balance yet so Im not sure if it is off or not with the new x over. One thing that was noticable was while watching harry potter I kept the vol level on my receiver to 45, & I did not find my self turning the vol. up during softer dialoug scenes. I also watched Driven for a short time & I liked the output of the center w/ the 9 Xover better. again the front sound stage sounded more even & fuller. With the C X over the center seemed weaker than the front mains. I stood infront of the center & watched the drivers & listened the low driver is slightly more active with the 9 x over than the C. With the c x over the low driver seemed to be dead most of the time & only playing the very lows. with the 9 x over the low driver was more active but not overpowering. I dont know what it would sound like listening to multi chanel music, Ill try that later. So far the LSiC with a 9 x over is better to me & has a noticable difference. Once I get more time to watch movies & listen to some music Ill repost my findings. As of right now I prefer the 9 x over in the C.

LSi9 as a center

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