lsi9 vs lsi7

m1aman

What will an lsi9 give me that an lsi7 won't? Is it just matter of the extra 5.25? Are the tweets and the electronics behind them the same? Thanks.

rooftop59

There are numerous threads that address this issue on the forum. If u do a search I think u will find ur answer.

EndersShadow

Most say your going to get more bass from the 9's. Thats about it.

I know lots of folks like to go w/ the 7's and then just a really nice sub to pick up the low stuff.

madmax

I like the sound of the 7's better, had both for a long time to compare. Very simple crossover may be the reason.

heiney9

The 9's have more bass, more extension, better dynamics. As to which "sounds" better, that's a subjective call. The 7's won;t match the output of the 9's in the above 3 area's. What size is your room? Is this for HT or music? What are your components? Are you running a sub? How loud will you play? What type of music if it's for music?

All these things need to be considered before choosing, as well.

It's like asking, "what's better 2wd or 4wd drive truck?", without giving any background about how/where/when you are going to use it.

H9

cnh

H9 has some good points. I've heard both and own the 7s because they are used in a smaller office room for 2 channel only where I do not engage much program material that has extended bass or requires super dynamism.

i also find that the 9s without the crossover upgrade sound a little muddy (down low at times) to me precisely because they try to handle more of that bass and the more complex crossover arrangement. But that really depends on what you're driving them with. In a local Polk get together however, the LSI-9s were able to sound 'better' than a lot of other bookshelves on more varied equipment. They actually seemed a bit less picky about the gear than more expensive rivals--which qualifies what I just said above. I assume that that also would've been true of the 7s if they were there for the demo.

But I really don't disagree with H9s assessment above. And would add, if you're going to do double duty, i.e., 2 channel and HT then the LSI-9s hands down.

cnh

heiney9

I had 9's in a medium to large room, they pressurized it well and they had good dynamics with a high current amp running them. Personally I think in stock form they sound a little bloated because they have a midbass hump that really seems to give the impression they have more bass than they actually do.

I had 7's in the same room and they were tonally more accurate in the upper midbass where vocals are, etc, but they didn't have the bass extension or pressurize the room the same as the 9's. I do slightly prefer the 7's but only in a smaller room like a bedroom, not a medium to large living room, unless you have a sub. I don't like subs, so the 7's were never a true option. I got rid of my 9's because of the bloated bass inherent to the design.

Both need high current and quality power, receivers need not apply, IMO.

H9

madmax

heiney9 wrote: »

I had 7's in the same room and they were tonally more accurate in the upper midbass where vocals are, etc, but they didn't have the bass extension or pressurize the room the same as the 9's. I do slightly prefer the 7's but only in a smaller room like a bedroom, not a medium to large living room, unless you have a sub.

I got rid of my 9's because of the bloated bass inherent to the design.

H9

I think that backs up my subjective statement.

Joe08867

I prefer the sound of the 7's for all the reasons above and overall better balance of bass and mid.

m1aman

Okay, sorry for the lack of info in my first post. Here we go.

2 channel music only
Small room
classical music with an emphasis on vocals
110 wpc into 4 ohms
no need or desire for sub

Lietuvis91

Looking at the specs
Overall Frequency Response:
LSI9s 38Hz - 27kHz
LSI7s 45Hz - 27kHz

Doesn't seem like the 9s go that much lower, but I would imagine that the extra driver provides a wider sound stage and for HT that's what it's all about.

What surprised me is polk's recommended power ranges:
Recommended Amplifier Power
LSI9s 20 - 200 w/channel
LSI7s 20 - 150 w/channel

Do the lsi9s really sound just about optimal at 200w/ch @ 4 ohms?

I will be feeding mine 315w, I'm sure that won't hurt!

TouchOfEvil

Lietuvis91 wrote: »

Looking at the specs
Overall Frequency Response:
LSI9s 38Hz - 27kHz
LSI7s 45Hz - 27kHz

Doesn't seem like the 9s go that much lower, but I would imagine that the extra driver provides a wider sound stage and for HT that's what it's all about.

What surprised me is polk's recommended power ranges:
Recommended Amplifier Power
LSI9s 20 - 200 w/channel
LSI7s 20 - 150 w/channel

Do the lsi9s really sound just about optimal at 200w/ch @ 4 ohms?

I will be feeding mine 315w, I'm sure that won't hurt!

Most of the difference will be found in the crossovers not the specs your looking at.
Also they will love the 315watts these speakers are fine with lower power but love more if you can give it.

Lietuvis91

TouchOfEvil wrote: »

Most of the difference will be found in the crossovers not the specs your looking at.
Also they will love the 315watts these speakers are fine with lower power but love more if you can give it.

Cool, sounds good, didn't think it was going to be a problem. I should probably get lsi7s for the rear as it seems my hca1000 should have no trouble pushing them at 200w/ch @ 4 ohms.

I just realized you live in Walker, I drive through there occasionally. Man... I wouldn't mind stopping in to hear your setup(s), you sure have a lot of gear!

PSOVLSK

m1aman wrote: »

Okay, sorry for the lack of info in my first post. Here we go.

2 channel music only 9's
Small room 7's
classical music with an emphasis on vocals 7's
110 wpc into 4 ohms 7's
no need or desire for sub 9's

This is a tough one for me, but I'm going to say 7's based on your criteria. You can't go wrong with either though.

Lietuvis91: I moved my 7's to surround duty when I got my 9's and I think they make a great surround speaker.

m1aman

I think I may agree with you PSOVLSK. Since I have no way to hear either of these speakers I will just have to make my best guess and then sell them if they don't work out.

markmarc

A lot of good advice and comments that I agree with from experience. Though I will say that if you get either pair used, invest in a crossover upgrade. The improvement is well-worth the financial investment.

Lietuvis91

Lots of very good input everyone, thanks!

m1aman wrote: »

I think I may agree with you PSOVLSK. Since I have no way to hear either of these speakers I will just have to make my best guess and then sell them if they don't work out.

That's the conlusion I came to bud! I will start with lsi9s, as I think the bigger sound stage will be beneficial upfront for HT purposes and get 7s as surrounds to complete my 5.1. I can always sell the lsi9s and get 7's if I like them better as fronts for some reason.

heiney9

Lietuvis91 wrote: »

Lots of very good input everyone, thanks!



That's the conlusion I came to bud! I will start with lsi9s, as I think the bigger sound stage will be beneficial upfront for HT purposes and get 7s as surrounds to complete my 5.1. I can always sell the lsi9s and get 7's if I like them better as fronts for some reason.

Just so you know the OP is using these for 2ch music in a small room, listening to Classical, on what I can assume is a receiver. So there is no front and rear option for HT.

H9

Lietuvis91

Yeah, I realize that, I was just saying that I come to the conclusion that I will have to roll the dice on one of them and later trade for the other or buy something else if the first set doesn't work out. That seems to be what he is saying also. That's all.

chadam44

I am running the 7s with a pretty similar set up for my bedroom currently, just not feeding it as much power but close. For 2 channel focusing on vocals, the 7s would be my pick. They dont pretend to try to go down low into the bass/sub frequencies but the higher range where most of your vocals are is right in their wheel house.