Polk LSiM 707 at Lone Star Audio Fest 2011

mrbigbluelight

Hey. Let's not forget the LSiM 707's little brother, the LSiM 705 !

.... or the LSiM Centers: 706c and 704c.

.... or the LSiM 702f/x surrounds.

Very very cool stuff. Cool technology.

Has to be some pretty exciting (and you can probably including "frightening" in that mix) times at Polk HQ right now. Kind of like having a new baby; YOU know it's cute and smart as a whip, but .... well, .....

Good idea Russman on that nap thing. You're going to need it.
Might suggest that to the mods on here, too.
Why ? Because over the next 2 months you folks are going to be swamped with a gagillion questions, thoughts, views, opinions, suggestiions, miscellaneous input, and boatloads of foofoorah (had to look up the spelling on that one :redface:) regarding these new offerings.

And that's a good thing.

Kind of like nooshinjohn's little tube thing ; if the sound is anywhere near the ballpark of the looks, it'll be a home run.

RuSsMaN

There aren't any fans. They are brand new and the cases had cutouts for fans but there are not any installed. It was prepro cutting edge for this one bro. Real 'first look' at as many things as I could gather for the meet.
Cheers
Russ

SolidSqual

RuSsMaN wrote: »

There aren't any fans. They are brand new and the cases had cutouts for fans but there are not any installed. It was prepro cutting edge for this one bro. Real 'first look' at as many things as I could gather for the meet.
Cheers
Russ

Interesting, the review online from StereoMojo had fans installed. I didn't know chip amps ran so hot. I wonder what those three stray wires in the center are as well.

inspiredsports

Beautiful!

I haven't been keeping up with the newer lines of Polk speakers and I'm really intrigued by the oval passives and want to learn more.

dorokusai

cfrizz wrote: »

Now you've got my attention! Please explain more about the TL3's & having the LSI sound. Do they require a lot of power? or could I hook them up to my little Cambridge Soundworks amplifier/subwoofer and replace the CSW satellites with the TL3's and have them sound good.

The efficiency of the TL series is:

TL1 = 89db
TL2 = 91db
TL3 = 90db

dorokusai

SolidSqual wrote: »

Interesting, the review online from StereoMojo had fans installed. I didn't know chip amps ran so hot. I wonder what those three stray wires in the center are as well.

The look like fan plugs that you would find on a computer mobo.

renowilliams

Thanks for the pictures. They really are nice looking speakers. I'm curious how much the 707's and bookshelves weigh?

cfrizz

DROOL...Oh dear, you two are making this very hard for me to resist!

Heads over to products to check them out.:eek:

RuSsMaN wrote: »

They are not the same tweeter by any means. Cathy, we ran the TL3 on a battery powered tripath amp along with the DSW440wi wireless sub and it was fan-friggin-tastic. The 440 is essential the same as your 400, just with wireless capability.

Cheers
Russ

dorokusai wrote: »

The efficiency of the TL series is:

TL1 = 89db
TL2 = 91db
TL3 = 90db

dorokusai

The entire series sounds far better than any satellite Polk has produced up until now. I've heard all three of them in house and at HQ, on multiple gear selection with no issues and always a solid demo. I prefer the LSiM based TL3 but the TL2 is also stocky, heavy and well worth the consideration sonically.

RuSsMaN

That was the prior version perhaps. They don't have fans nor do they need them. The plugs are ground wires for adding additional channels, as the amps are expandable fron 2 to 5 channels. The power transformer is located under the shelf that the independant regulators on top sit on. It's the same thing NAD and others are doing. The amps don't run hot at all. They were as cool as a cucumber all day and night while throwing a hump into the LSiM.

I'm not sitting here pulling this out of thin air. I know George personally and had these amps configured in Cali just for the show. I also have his $5000 class A amp that was driving B&W 802's at CES which will be on hand for my open house this weekend. (which does get toasty)

Cheers
Russ

SolidSqual

RuSsMaN wrote: »

That was the prior version perhaps. They don't have fans nor do they need them. The plugs are ground wires for adding additional channels, as the amps are expandable fron 2 to 5 channels. The power transformer is located under the shelf that the independant regulators on top sit on. It's the same thing NAD and others are doing. The amps don't run hot at all. They were as cool as a cucumber all day and night while throwing a hump into the LSiM.
Cheers
Russ

I'm going to check them out for sure. Thanks for the update. Care to offer a conjecture on what level of amplification these puppies compete? Are we talking Parasound Classic or higher?

SolidSqual

Hey Russ, has Polk released any word on optimal room placement? The pictures I see regularly have these speakers placed about two feet from the rear wall and tight to the side walls. Is this generally a result of room limitations or optimal placement?

dorokusai

Room placement isn't science, although it's surely thought of that way sometimes, c'mon guys. 6ft apart and 2ft from the wall(s) is the start for any loudspeaker and the rest is up to your particular enviroment.

SolidSqual

Mark, I agree. I guess I always like to hear what the manufacturer has in mind. The speakers I typically deal with as of late have minimum placement parameters . . . just interestedd in walk Polk had to say.

BeefJerky

DSkip wrote: »

Not trying to suggest these are identical to the LSi, just that they share characteristics and are a great solution if you have space/budget constraints. They definitely sound better than any satellite I've heard. I believe Danny is already intending to replace his computer speakers with the TL3's after getting is ears on them.

Okay, they may not be identical, but how would they match with the LSi series? I'm thinking of getting 4 of the TL3's to use as surrounds in my HT which has a 2xLSi7 and LSiC front stage.

BeefJerky

dorokusai wrote: »

The efficiency of the TL series is:

TL1 = 89db
TL2 = 91db
TL3 = 90db

There may be an error on Polk's web page then. For the TL2 and TL3 specs, the satellites have a different efficiency rating listed than either the center or the 5-pack do. For the TL2, the satellite is listed as 89db, while the center and 5-pack are listed as 91db. For the TL3, the satellite is listed as 88db, while the center and 5-pack are listed as 90db. Maybe you can get this info to the right people to get this fixed?

dorokusai

BeefJerky wrote: »

There may be an error on Polk's web page then. For the TL2 and TL3 specs, the satellites have a different efficiency rating listed than either the center or the 5-pack do. For the TL2, the satellite is listed as 89db, while the center and 5-pack are listed as 91db. For the TL3, the satellite is listed as 88db, while the center and 5-pack are listed as 90db. Maybe you can get this info to the right people to get this fixed?

I'm using the private sales literature for those spec's so yes, they may vary but not enough to matter in any way shape or form. The combination packs do change the sensitivity and my reference was single satellites, not the center channel or the 5pack.

Jstas

Larry Chanin wrote: »

Hi,

Please forgive what may be a naive remark, but so far all we know is that these speakers, like the previous LSi series are 4 ohm. We don't know the efficiency, recommended power handling, etc., so how does a demo without a comparision of the prior series permit us to ascertain whether it requires high-current amplifiers more than the LSi?

Larry

Holy hell, dude! What's with you? You're like a freakin' woodpecker! Cool it with the badgering about specs already. They aren't released yet but I'll bet dollars to donuts, they will be posted here as soon as the OK comes down the pike. So stop askin' everybody and their brother, you're not getting any info before it's time. Those that do know anything are sworn to secrecy anyway and they aren't going to blab to you. Especially since your keeping a running tally of the "specs" you do have here in a public place.





As far as the LSiM, it way more speaker than Polk has ever produced. The only things that can best it, IMO, are the big SDAs and not necessarily in sound quality, just shear, unadulterated output. Then again, the set we had at Lou's was a prototype and I imagine things have changed since. There was a distinctive mid-range issue and it wasn't clear where it could have be attributable to at the time. However, clarity of details, dynamic sensitivity and dynamic range, it was all there. Very capable, sharp looking speakers and I would love to put some serious power behind them.

With the build quality of just the prototypes alone, a $4K price point is a bargain. Seriously, they reminded me of Usher's Dancer series. Those towers start at $4K for a 2-way tower. A driver compliment like the 707 is $21K+ for a pair from Usher. Oh and I got to touch them too! So there! NYAH!

I'm likely going to head to CAA just to see the close-to-final version myself and see how much they have changed. Oh and probably start saving my money or seeing how many pairs of KLH 17's I have to sell to come up with the cash for 707's!

dorokusai

He's just excited John.

Larry - I thought they were in an email that was sent to me a long time ago, let me look for it.

cnh

I'm in line for a set of those KLHs John. Will be in the Pa. area end of June. Otherwise, as noted above, I agree with everything jstas says about the LSI-Ms we heard at P-Fest '10. Hell of a value. They really do look and sound like something well above their price range. But why should that surprise anyone here? That's pretty much the Polk story. Speakers for the average Joe who has more than 'average' tastes and aspirations. Best Value in Sound!

cnh

stillen

I am looking at purchasing Polk 707 two pair and matching center with SVS sub PB12

amp: Sunfire TGA-7201
preamp: Anthem D2v
speaker cable : Kimber 12tc
interconnects : Kmber 1036

this is my first HT system so I am going to do it right. :biggrin:

dorokusai

That looks like an excellent start to me.

Larry Chanin

Jstas wrote: »

Holy hell, dude! What's with you? You're like a freakin' woodpecker! Cool it with the badgering about specs already. They aren't released yet but I'll bet dollars to donuts, they will be posted here as soon as the OK comes down the pike. So stop askin' everybody and their brother, you're not getting any info before it's time. Those that do know anything are sworn to secrecy anyway and they aren't going to blab to you. Especially since your keeping a running tally of the "specs" you do have here in a public place.





As far as the LSiM, it way more speaker than Polk has ever produced. The only things that can best it, IMO, are the big SDAs and not necessarily in sound quality, just shear, unadulterated output. Then again, the set we had at Lou's was a prototype and I imagine things have changed since. There was a distinctive mid-range issue and it wasn't clear where it could have be attributable to at the time. However, clarity of details, dynamic sensitivity and dynamic range, it was all there. Very capable, sharp looking speakers and I would love to put some serious power behind them.

With the build quality of just the prototypes alone, a $4K price point is a bargain. Seriously, they reminded me of Usher's Dancer series. Those towers start at $4K for a 2-way tower. A driver compliment like the 707 is $21K+ for a pair from Usher. Oh and I got to touch them too! So there! NYAH!

I'm likely going to head to CAA just to see the close-to-final version myself and see how much they have changed. Oh and probably start saving my money or seeing how many pairs of KLH 17's I have to sell to come up with the cash for 707's!

Hi John,

Yes, Mark is correct I am excited about the advent of this new series. I have even volunteered to participate in the home demo project. So you are really preaching to a member of the choir. :biggrin:

With all due respect I believe that you have misinterpreted my previous posting. The poster expressed the opinion that the new series would require high current amplifiers more than the current LSi series. My remark wasn't aimed at nagging about the release of specs, but rather to ask how a demo would lead us to that conclusion in the absence of specs.

Larry

Larry Chanin

dorokusai wrote: »

He's just excited John.

Larry - I thought they were in an email that was sent to me a long time ago, let me look for it.

Hi Mark,

Thanks.

Yes, any long-time Polk Audio enthusiastic should be justifiably excited. :biggrin:

Larry

polkatese

Larry Chanin wrote: »

Hi John,

Yes, Mark is correct I am excited about the advent of this new series. I have even volunteered to participate in the home demo project. So you are really preaching to a member of the choir. :biggrin:

With all due respect I believe that you have misinterpreted my previous posting. The poster expressed the opinion that the new series would require high current amplifiers more than the current LSi series. My remark wasn't aimed at nagging about the release of specs, but rather to ask how a demo would lead us to that conclusion in the absence of specs.

Larry

Larry, I wasn't expressing my opinion, rather, recapping the statement that was made about needing high-current amps more than current LSi. Notice the question mark at the end of my sentence?

All is good, Bring it on the high-current amps. I am ready.

dorokusai

The new LSiM series does NOT require anything above and beyond the current 4ohm expectation of equipment needs.

dorokusai

These are the quick spec's from the actual LSiM manual. I don't feel like copying them all down from the PDF so here's what matters.

LSi707
20hz-40khz
38hz-30khz (-3db)
20-300wpc
88db Efficient

LSi705
22hz-40khz
42hz-30khz (-3db)
20-250wpc
88db Efficient

LSi703
36hz-40khz
50hz-30khz (-3db)
20-200wpc
88db Efficient

megasat16

dorokusai wrote: »

LSi707
20hz-40khz
38hz-30khz (-3db)
20-300wpc
88db Efficient

vs.

LSi25 (straight from the manual)
20Hz-27KHz
30Hz-26KHz
20-300wpc
88db Efficiency

So, it appears that the newer LSiM has better HF extension over the older LS25 with only a drawback in the lower end 30Hz region.

But anyone with the passion for the deep bass would have one or more subs in the chain so I think it doesn't matter if you are in the 2-ch or multi-channel environment.

I still use the Lsi25 with the pair of PSW1000 for the lower end.

dorokusai

Russman has some signal sweep information from Lone Star, so perhaps he'll post it later.

AsSiMiLaTeD

DSkip wrote: »

Not trying to suggest these are identical to the LSi, just that they share characteristics and are a great solution if you have space/budget constraints. They definitely sound better than any satellite I've heard. I believe Danny is already intending to replace his computer speakers with the TL3's after getting is ears on them.

Yep that's right. Once we get moved and all situated I'm gonna be replacing my Klipsch computer setup with the TL3 setup.

Maybe my expectations of a satellite speaker were just too low, but I was more surprised by the TL3 than any other speaker at the show. I'm not saying it was better, because well that's just dumb, but it shocked me mroe than any other speaker there. I went in expecting the new LSi and the Pi Speakers and the Quads and the electro-stats to all sound good, and for the most part they didn't dissapoint, but with the TL3 it's absurd how much sound you're getting for $300 for the pair.

I would need to spend more time with them on my gear, but paired with a sub I THINK I actually preferred them over all the RT series models I've owned. I emphasize the word think because I was so shocked by the fact that they didn't sound like **** that I may have been too enamored to make a sound judgement on them.

I'll know soon enough though. I tell you one thing, if Polk sold those in a Best Buy or a Fry's I'd have a pair sitting right here in front of me now because I wanted to buy them when I left the show on Saturday, but now that I have to order them I've had time to think and do the logical thing and wait until I move. So Polk if you're listening, damn you and thank you...all at once :biggrin: