Tsi 400 vs. Lsi9

Canonshooter

Hello to all, my first post here (sorry it's such a long-winded one).

Background

I've been a "stereophile" for over 35 years, one of too many expensive hobbies that I'm involved with. Some of the equipment I've used in the past included AR-11 and Magnepan speakers, Marantz 240 power amps and 7C pre-amps. My current "down-sized" system is as follows;

Denon PMA 2000IVR "ultra high current" amp
Denon DCD-815 CD player connected to Music Fidelity V-DAC via coaxial
Polk Tsi 400s
SVS 20-39PC Plus sub-woofer
A variety of resonable quality interconnects and speaker cables

As you can see, this is not an uber high-end system, but it fits my needs quite well. I've have spent some time tweaking speaker placement, furniture placement, etc. and have arrived at what I think is the optimum positioning. The room is not large and is fairly soft accoustically. The system is used primarily for 2-channel music, but also serves occassionally as the audio for a large flat screen.

Over all, I am quite pleased with the system. Even the overkill SVS sub is positioned and fine tuned to blend in with the Tsi 400s quite well. I have used the Sheffield Labs system set-up CD with test tones and a db meter to ensure the SVS sub feathers in with the Tsi 400s nicely, and then adjusted to taste from there. Compared to a PSW125 sub, I find the bass from the SVS tighter and much better defined.

Having owned some more expensive speakers in the past, I am actually quite suprised the Tsi 400s sound as nice as they do. However, I find at times that vocals can sound just a little hollow, even though the sound stage and depth are excellent. At 91db efficiency and 8-ohm load, the Denon amp powers the speakers effortlessly. I typically listen to music at around 80 db average.

I am seriously considering giving the Lsi9s a try and would place them on 24" stands. From what I have read, they are better suited for music appreciation vs. the Tsi400s and the Denon amp would obviously handle the 4-ohm load easily. So my subjective question is this - how much of a difference/improvement will I hear with the Lsi9s?

My sincere thanks in advance for your insight.

heiney9

Night and day difference.

H9

EndersShadow

heiney9 wrote: »

Night and day difference.

H9

+1. I got my ears on the 9's recently and they are stellar little speakers. Modded even more so.

teamjhertz

There is no comparison since you already have the external amplifier to drive the LSi9's

cnh

LSi-9s and don't look back! Get a nice 'used' amp for it. I think NADs and Parasounds match very nicely but others will work as well.

cnh

Canonshooter

Looks like I'll need to do this! The Denon amp is quite capable - it's a 55 pound, dual mono-block, high-current monster rated at 160 watts into 4 ohms, but typically measures well over 200 per side.

cnh

Yeah, should have read your original post better. That Denon will work. Though LSI-9 can soak up even more power than that into 4 ohms. Some here run them with 350 watts x 2 into 4 ohms and even 'more'?

But 200 watts per side would be good enough!

cnh

heiney9

That Denon is more than capable, but remember watts really don't mean squat unless you are looking for ultimate SPL. The 9's are better in every category.

They will give you very smooth, effortless and natural highs, a great 3D soundstage, better midrange clarity, more bass punch, etc. The TSI line was never designed to accel in the same area's the LSI series does. There really is no comparison.

H9

heiney9

cnh wrote: »

Yeah, should have read your original post better. That Denon will work. Though LSI-9 can soak up even more power than that into 4 ohms. Some here run them with 350 watts x 2 into 4 ohms and even 'more'?

But 200 watts per side would be good enough!

cnh

I've run them with 30wpc and never had an issue. But then the Aleph isn't your typical 30wpc amplifier either. But yes, they *can* suck power and the life of most lower-to-mid quality amplifier sections.

Canonshooter

Looks like some Tsi 400s are going on ebay, along with a PSW125 to be sold as a 3.1 package.

tonyb

Lsi 9's all day every day. Oh, and one more word for you that would expand your listening pleasure....TUBES, get some somewhere in that system and you may never leave the house again.

Canonshooter

TSi400s went on ebay and are sold.

LSi9s on order and should have them this week.

I'm now shopping for stands.

cdn5003

You will be very happy with the difference in sound from the Lsi9's. The tweeters in them are fantastic, the Tsi/Monitor line can't even compare. The details really draw you in and make listening much more engaging.

Also, the mid bass drivers are much more accurate and deliver more punch than the Tsi's. When I made the switch to Lsi9's I found integrating the subwoofer much easier because of this. Play around with the subwoofer crossover and get it dialed in with your room. The Lsi's have a surprising amount of bass so you might want the sub to be crossed over at a lower frequency than before. I like my crossover at about 50Hz with my setup and it fills in the bottom end nicely. Take your time to adjust it and enjoy the upgrade.

Canonshooter

cdn5003 wrote: »

You will be very happy with the difference in sound from the Lsi9's.

I'm looking forward to getting them!

BTW, I found them on ebay - a set of new "open box" from Acoustic Sound Design for $619 including shipping. I also ordered a set VTI VSP Series 24 stands, which look plenty sturdy to support them. After a few hours of measuring and consideration of my listening area, I decided on the 24" height.

heiney9

Nm....................

heiney9

You could have bought a refurbed pair direct from Polk for $550.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PAIR-LSi9-Cherry-Bookshelf-Loudspeakers-Polk-Audio-/360372065664?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item53e7d95580

Canonshooter

heiney9 wrote: »

You could have bought a refurbed pair direct from Polk for $550.

Yes, I saw those. It wasn't clear to me if they were used, sold & returned, etc. before being "refurbished." For the extra $69 I figured I would go with new. Plus, the refurbs have no returns and these do.

Canonshooter

Done deal;


The speakers are brand new, unused and the "open box" didn't look like it to me!

Initial impressions are very positive, very much as described in previous posts - smooth, refined and very easy to listen to. The Denon PMA 2000IVR drives them very nicely without breaking into a sweat. Amazingly, the SVS sub seems to integrate even better with the LSi9 than the TSi400, though I still need to do some final tweaking.

Thanks to all for your advice!

PSOVLSK

Nice looking setup you've got going on. Congrats. I love my 9's...and 7's...and especially my modded 15's.:biggrin:

Canonshooter

Thanks!

I am also now using 96khz/24bit FLAC files from my PC. I have a Monster USB cable going from a USB3 port to a MF V-Link, a short optical cable from the V-Link to a MF V-DAC, then a pair of short Better Cables to the Denon. Some of these files sound amazing though the LSi9s!