LSi7 Help

argylesox

Greetings!

We are currently using TSi 200's/Fronts, CS10/Center, Mirage Omni S8 and a small set of older Radio Shack Speakers for the rears for HT and general listening. Running everything through an NAD T-747 amp which is excellent.

For HT this set-up is adequate but for music listening it is not. There is no place in this city to listen to Polk speakers other than Fry Electronics and they rarely have all the speakers even wired properly, however once they did have both the LSi7's and LSi9's working and while I loved them both although I thought I liked the 7's better. They were sooooo sweet. I'm posting here to justify purchasing the LSi7's to replace my TSi200's.

Question 1: The LSi7's are 4 ohm and I haven't found anyone who could say with authority whether or not the NAD could drive them adequately. Can anyone here answer to that?

Question 2: If I bought a pair of 7's would I need an LSiC or could a 3rd LSi7 serve as a center channel? I doubt that we could continue using the CS10, correct?

We'd probably just do without the rears for the time being.

Thanks for any input.

Conradicles

argylesox wrote: »

Question 1: The LSi7's are 4 ohm and I haven't found anyone who could say with authority whether or not the NAD could drive them adequately. Can anyone here answer to that?

Question 2: If I bought a pair of 7's would I need an LSiC or could a 3rd LSi7 serve as a center channel? I doubt that we could continue using the CS10, correct?

1. The NAD will do a great job with the LSi7's.
2. You can still use your current center, but you may want to look into the LSiC as a future upgrade.

Welcome and enjoy!

cnh

Conradicles is right on! As you can see in my sig, I run LSI-7s with a 50 watt x 2 NAD and it does a wonderful job with them. Polk LSIs and NAD, are a great combo. I went through a number of other set ups until I settled on this one for the 7s and have been happy with it ever since. Your NAD, if I am not mistaken, has similar power ratings? No?

And, yes, one step at a time. First some 7s, then the center (your center will work for now).

Finally, I also prefer the 7s to the 9s. The 9s can reach lower but the 7s (if you don't have the mods to either) sound better to me in a smaller room.

Have fun!

cnh

argylesox

Thank you. I have received mixed answers to this question in the past therefore I ask it again. Sorry to do this but I hate to pop the $$$ for a set of speakers that don't work with my AVR and can't return. Have you ever used this combination? Yes, the LSiC would be a future upgrade - just too bad it doesn't seem to be available in the matching Cherry.

Conradicles wrote: »

1. The NAD will do a great job with the LSi7's.
2. You can still use your current center, but you may want to look into the LSiC as a future upgrade.

Welcome and enjoy!

cnh

You have plenty of power there. Checked the specs on your NAD. About twice mine in 2 channel and 60 watts/channel (8 ohms) x 7. Either way that's certainly enough for 7s and the center!

You're good!

See my post above.

cnh

argylesox

Oh, so great to hear. I have been "lusting" for the LSi7's for some time but had to wait until I accumulated enough green stuff. Thank you, thank you. A pair of LSi7's are going on order as soon as I log off from here. Woo-woo!

cnh wrote: »

You have plenty of power there. Checked the specs on your NAD. About twice mine in 2 channel and 60 watts/channel (8 ohms) x 7. Either way that's certainly enough for 7s and the center!

You're good!

See my post above.

cnh

EndersShadow

argylesox wrote: »

Oh, so great to hear. I have been "lusting" for the LSi7's for some time but had to wait until I accumulated enough green stuff. Thank you, thank you. A pair of LSi7's are going on order as soon as I log off from here. Woo-woo!

Make sure you order from Polks ebay site. You will score a 40% discount on a refurbished unit that is basically new. You also get a warranty and free shipping. Cant do much better than that!

agco

I was thinking of buying the t747 or the t765 and was wondering how well it worked for hdmi? I was told that when you turn these things on it takes 15 seconds and then when you change to another component it takes another 15. Im a little surprised about it for the music side thats what nad is known for which im looking for the quality in sound.

argylesox

Hi AGCO,

I might not be the best person to ask about the T747 because although I purchased one, use it and love it, I'm really, really a low tech guy when it comes to audio. The T747 was the first piece of decent audio gear I have purchased since 1971 and I bought it after reading many reviews and watched the price drop to $500.

My last experience was with a simple tuner/amp and the set up was simply to hook everything up and turn it on. AVR's have come a long way since then and I really struggled with the manual getting my unit set-up but found more than willing help on The "Official T 747 Owner's Thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1286595&page=8

The folks there are MORE THAN willing to help out with ANY question.

FYI, I'm currently running a 50" Panasonic Plasma and Samsung Blu-Ray through it using HDMI with Polk TSi 200's and a CS10 Center with two old Radio Shack speakers as rears and a Mirage Omni 8 sub. In the process of upgrading speakers to LSI7's and LSIC. I have also combined all components onto a Logitec 650 controller.

I don't have any issues with the T 747 at all besides the manual and that's mostly due to my own inexperience with audio. My Panasonic TV normally takes a fair amount of time to power although I've never timed it. I think the T 747 is ready to go before the TV so whatever delay the NAD may have is a non-issue for me. In fact one of the problems setting up the Logitec controller was that we had to add enough delay to switch all three items on (TV/Blu-Ray/AVR).

I know nothing of the NAD T765 but if I were you I would really, really check in with the NAD forum mentioned above with any/all questions you might have prior to purchase.

Good luck.

agco wrote: »

I was thinking of buying the t747 or the t765 and was wondering how well it worked for hdmi? I was told that when you turn these things on it takes 15 seconds and then when you change to another component it takes another 15. Im a little surprised about it for the music side thats what nad is known for which im looking for the quality in sound.

compgeek

Hi All,

I don't mean to hijack this thread by I had a similar question. I have been lusting after the lsi7's for awhile now and they are pretty reasonable on polk ebay. I just recently picked up the pioneer sc-37 as open box and would like to know how well the lsi7 will pair with the receiver. Also I don't have enough to get the lsic so I will be using the csi5 for now. Any help would be appreciated.

argylesox

Hey compgeek,

I want to respond to your post for two reasons. First, the reason I "lust" after the lsi7's is because I hear them a couple times in a local Fry's and after switching back and forth between the 7's and 9's enough times on at least two occasions (made the salesman crazy) I ended up feeling that I loved the 7's just a tad more. Initially the 9's blew me away but the second time I compared them the 9's sounded muffled or slightly muted for whatever reason,, but then who can tell at Fry's. Second, price plays an important part in this equation for me too and one can get the 7's for $400 manufacturer refurbished at Polk Direct or brand new for $500 on Amazon. FYI, Amazon is selling the LSiC new w/free shipping for about $10 less than Polk Direct's manufacturer refurbished

Just after ordering a pair of 7's I went to a different Fry's store where the salesman simply jacked his iPhone into an amp and ran music to the lsi7's and they sounded totally anemic. So now I'm not sure what they will sound like when I hook them up at home. NERVOUS!!! Plus I ordered the LSiC to boot.

I'm using an NAD T-747 AVR and have received assurances from people here and at NAD that the 7's will work well with it. I'll be finding out sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas when I get time to wire them up.

Anyway, I guess just hang in there and hopefully someone with more tech savvy than I will provide you with some advice on pairing the 7's with your Pioneer.

Good luck.

compgeek wrote: »

Hi All,

I don't mean to hijack this thread by I had a similar question. I have been lusting after the lsi7's for awhile now and they are pretty reasonable on polk ebay. I just recently picked up the pioneer sc-37 as open box and would like to know how well the lsi7 will pair with the receiver. Also I don't have enough to get the lsic so I will be using the csi5 for now. Any help would be appreciated.

argylesox

Hey compgeek,

I want to respond to your post for two reasons. First, the reason I "lust" after the lsi7's is because I hear them a couple times in a local Fry's and after switching back and forth between the 7's and 9's enough times on at least two occasions (made the salesman crazy) I ended up feeling that I loved the 7's just a tad more. Initially the 9's blew me away but the second time I compared them the 9's sounded muffled or slightly muted for whatever reason,, but then who can tell at Fry's. Second, price plays an important part in this equation for me too and one can get the 7's for $400 manufacturer refurbished at Polk Direct or brand new for $500 on Amazon. FYI, Amazon is selling the LSiC new w/free shipping for about $10 less than Polk Direct's manufacturer refurbished

Just after ordering a pair of 7's I went to a different Fry's store where the salesman simply jacked his iPhone into an amp and ran music to the lsi7's and they sounded totally anemic. So now I'm not sure what they will sound like when I hook them up at home. NERVOUS!!! Plus I ordered the LSiC to boot.

I'm using an NAD T-747 AVR and have received assurances from people here and at NAD that the 7's will work well with it. I'll be finding out sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas when I get time to wire them up.

Anyway, I guess just hang in there and hopefully someone with more tech savvy than I will provide you with some advice on pairing the 7's with your Pioneer.

Good luck.

compgeek wrote: »

Hi All,

I don't mean to hijack this thread by I had a similar question. I have been lusting after the lsi7's for awhile now and they are pretty reasonable on polk ebay. I just recently picked up the pioneer sc-37 as open box and would like to know how well the lsi7 will pair with the receiver. Also I don't have enough to get the lsic so I will be using the csi5 for now. Any help would be appreciated.

argylesox

We have a pair of LSi7's on order and I forgot to ask about wall mounting since that's one of the options we are considering. If we were to wall mount the 7's they would be fronts on either side of a 50" Panasonic plasma with the tweeters at ear height.

Questions:

1. Does anyone here have their LSi7's wall mounted as fronts?

2. How does it affect the sound?

Appreciate any and all feedback before we poke any holes in the wall.

chadam44

The NAD will drive the 7s nicely. As said above, look for a LSiC to replace you center and you are good to go. The 7s are definitely sweet sounding though, I regret selling my pair big time, just dont have the funds or the wife's consent to go buying more speakers.

Erik Tracy

Yup - when I had LSi7s, I had them wall mounted on either side of my 50" Plasma - a bit above ear level, but the wall mounts allowed tilting them down so the tweeters 'pointed' to ear level:


The wall mounts are B-Tech BT-77s - worked great for the LSi7s.

argylesox

chadam44 wrote: »

The NAD will drive the 7s nicely. As said above, look for a LSiC to replace you center and you are good to go. The 7s are definitely sweet sounding though, I regret selling my pair big time, just dont have the funds or the wife's consent to go buying more speakers.

Thanks so much for your reply and I understand all about the wife's consent thing. I purchased the LSi7's and am keeping them in the box for Santa to "surprise" us, AND, I bought an LSiC in a separate purchase. Wife will either be a happy camper or on the warpath - cross our fingers for me - but I will be listening to LSi's one way or another. We have a sub so that should fill the bottom end nicely as needed. Sorry you no longer have yours.

The NAD T-747 and LSi7/C set-up may be the end of our audio purchasing for a bit BUT I have always had the LSi9's in the back of my mind and if . . . if we ever went that way I have heard so much about the benefits of a separate power amp that I'd probably look for a good used 3 channel model for the front 3 (the LSi9's I believe would warrant a separate amp). I know nothing about power amps but will tap the resources of this forum for help/advice.

argylesox

Erik Tracy wrote: »

Yup - when I had LSi7s, I had them wall mounted on either side of my 50" Plasma - a bit above ear level, but the wall mounts allowed tilting them down so the tweeters 'pointed' to ear level:


The wall mounts are B-Tech BT-77s - worked great for the LSi7s.

Oh, wow, thank you. What a handsome set up you have, Erik. Very, very nice. I have read that hanging the 7's from the mount on the back of the speaker directly onto the wall produces a little boominess in the bass, but I have also read nothing but good things about the wall mounts you have. A couple questions if I may: 1) Of course you found studs for the mounts and not just sheetrock? 2) Did you additionally secure your speakers to the wall mounts with any of the brads/nails in the side or bottom? Eeuuu, I don't want to think about it, that's why I haven't looked harder at these mounts. 3) How did you run your speaker wires? 4) Are you using a separate power amp with your 7's (I can't quite make out the equipment on your shelves) and if so, what are you using?

Again, thanks. This is the first time I have seen the 7's wall mounted like this and I very much appreciate your reply.

PSOVLSK

I've used the same mounts as Erik, so I'll answer your questions as they pertain to my application.

1) I always used studs.
2) I used velco, but Blu-tak would also work.
3) I ran the wires in-wall.
4) I think I used an amp. At the time it was probably an Adcom 545. They are currently used as surrounds using an Emo XPA-5.

I'm not using the brackets anymore if you're interest in them. I'd let them go pretty cheap, but they aren't "like new."

argylesox

PSOVLSK wrote: »

I've used the same mounts as Erik, so I'll answer your questions as they pertain to my application.

1) I always used studs.
2) I used velco, but Blu-tak would also work.
3) I ran the wires in-wall.
4) I think I used an amp. At the time it was probably an Adcom 545. They are currently used as surrounds using an Emo XPA-5.

I'm not using the brackets anymore if you're interest in them. I'd let them go pretty cheap, but they aren't "like new."

Thank you. The wall brackets impress me a lot and could provide a very attractive solution vs. speaker stands. Initially our LSi'7's will be sitting on solid 26" high "cabinets." Once we unbox and break them in we'll try them up against the wall and at different positions away from the wall to see how they sound.

How do you like your Emo XPA-5? If we expand our system, say to include LSi9's, we would necessarily need to look at a separate amp and I have just begun "dream shopping" them and thought the Emo XPA-3 would do the fronts very nicely and let our NAD T747 take care of the surrounds (5.1). It's at $599 holiday special but can't spring for one just yet, plus we know nothing about separates. Have been looking at the used market just to learn and haven't seen much 3 channel if any and I don't know that a 2 channel would serve our purpose. Looking/planning is half the fun.

Thanks again.

RobertRussell

This is extraordinary information. I just bought LSi'7' two days ago. I had just installed in my home but I really don't know this technical configurations and uses of this. Thanks for this information.

Erik Tracy

argylesox wrote: »

Oh, wow, thank you. What a handsome set up you have, Erik. Very, very nice. I have read that hanging the 7's from the mount on the back of the speaker directly onto the wall produces a little boominess in the bass, but I have also read nothing but good things about the wall mounts you have. A couple questions if I may: 1) Of course you found studs for the mounts and not just sheetrock? 2) Did you additionally secure your speakers to the wall mounts with any of the brads/nails in the side or bottom? Eeuuu, I don't want to think about it, that's why I haven't looked harder at these mounts. 3) How did you run your speaker wires? 4) Are you using a separate power amp with your 7's (I can't quite make out the equipment on your shelves) and if so, what are you using?

Again, thanks. This is the first time I have seen the 7's wall mounted like this and I very much appreciate your reply.

Glad to share.

1) Yup - wall studs are the best solution for a secure mounting.
2) Good lord - no - no nails were used in securing the speakers to the mounts. Instead I used a tip from another Polkie here: zip ties that loop thru the powerport on the rear of the LSi7 and looped around the mount.
3)The original speaker wires were run in the wall - but I've since upgraded to MIT cables and unfortunately they are too large to run inwall.
4)The picture is of an older setup - but at the time the external amp was a modified Carver M-1.0t with enough clean power to go 'stupid loud'.

Yes - moving speakers closer to the front wall can result in bass re-inforcement which may be too much - but I had room constraints and mounting the speakers on the wall was a compromise from a 'perfect' configuration. But you compensate using what you can: AVR EQ and xover settings, room treatments, etc.

Enjoy the journey and sonic goodness.

argylesox

Erik Tracy wrote: »

Glad to share.

1) Yup - wall studs are the best solution for a secure mounting.
2) Good lord - no - no nails were used in securing the speakers to the mounts. Instead I used a tip from another Polkie here: zip ties that loop thru the powerport on the rear of the LSi7 and looped around the mount.
3)The original speaker wires were run in the wall - but I've since upgraded to MIT cables and unfortunately they are too large to run inwall.
4)The picture is of an older setup - but at the time the external amp was a modified Carver M-1.0t with enough clean power to go 'stupid loud'.

Yes - moving speakers closer to the front wall can result in bass re-inforcement which may be too much - but I had room constraints and mounting the speakers on the wall was a compromise from a 'perfect' configuration. But you compensate using what you can: AVR EQ and xover settings, room treatments, etc.

Enjoy the journey and sonic goodness.

Ah! Zip ties of course. Fantastic. The simplest solutions are the best. According to the posts I have read, bass-reinforcement has not been an issue with your mounts but rather with the speakers hung directly on the wall using the keyhole slot on the power port. Then again we'll test this ourselves as part of the exercise. I have a pair of RTi4's mounted on the wall on both sides of my computer monitor powered by an old Pioneer amp and the bass sounds just fine to me. Are you still running your LSi7's? Yes of course it's all about enjoying the journey and sonic goodness. Thanks again for the great photo and mounting info.

Erik Tracy

Well - I'm still on my own 'journey' and enjoying it.

I started with RTi4s in the same mounts in the pics, went to LSi7s, took a step the other way with RTiA3s (which some here will disagree with, but I preferred the RTiA3 over the LSi7s), and am currently running B&W CDM1NTs - in the same mounts. For my preferences, the B&Ws are like a combination of the best traits of the RTiA3 and the LSi7...but that is just me.

I still have a pair of RTi4s as my surrounds - great little speaker.

Once into this hobby it is hard to resist the upgrade 'bug', but it is fun and rewarding!

argylesox

Erik Tracy wrote: »

Well - I'm still on my own 'journey' and enjoying it.

I started with RTi4s in the same mounts in the pics, went to LSi7s, took a step the other way with RTiA3s (which some here will disagree with, but I preferred the RTiA3 over the LSi7s), and am currently running B&W CDM1NTs - in the same mounts. For my preferences, the B&Ws are like a combination of the best traits of the RTiA3 and the LSi7...but that is just me.

I still have a pair of RTi4s as my surrounds - great little speaker.

Once into this hobby it is hard to resist the upgrade 'bug', but it is fun and rewarding!

Understand. My audio journey has been delayed and interrupted any number of times in favor of raising kids and work - it?s still a major challenge finding the time to dedicate to it since we?re now again raising a youngster. Great audio is not an absolute requirement for Frosty the Snowman.

Yes, the RTi4?s are still selling ?NEW? at Polk ebay Direct for $150 a pair. Super deal.

Your move from LSi7?s to RTiA3?s does seem counter-intuitive in Polk?s speaker hierarchy but that?s what audio is all about = personal preference. Not to beat a dead horse but back when Fry?s had all their bookshelf and floor standing speakers in one ?listening? room there was at least a chance of auditioning a speaker. Fry?s never did have RTiA3?s wired correctly so I never had a chance to listen to two of them together. I don?t know where you live but Houston is not exactly audio central when it comes to places where one can audition many different brands of speakers. Anyway, the availability of demo models and affordability was what first brought us to Polk.

The B&W CDM1NT?s are gorgeous speakers and obviously you prefer their sound ? I have never heard them. I stopped at a Modia last year and saw some extremely beautiful floor standing speakers but backed out of the store with a touch of sticker shock. Maybe somewhere further along in our journey.

cnh

Everyone hears something different, of course.:eek: B&W bookshelves--my ears ache already! Really don't like that 'tweeter'.:frown: I also own both RTI-A3s and LSI-7s. Can't see parity there. The 7s do almost everything "better" musically. Tighter bass, smoother highs, better sound stage and imaging, etc. The difference for me has been night and day. And the NAD does a wonderful job with the 7s; sounds like it has twice its rated power!

I just don't like sizzle up top! It takes away from my appreciation of the music by drawing too much attention to itself at the expense of the rest of the frequency range. B&Ws have always seemed to run "hot" to me (at least the bookshelves). But lots of people like them. But I've heard them so many many times and I'm still trying to hear what "they" hear. To me, they're in my face too much. But they are "beloved" by many?

I find the 7s to be pretty close to the best of the previous generation of Polks (the generation before the LSI-Ms which bring something "new" and "improved" to the table). I had a chance to audition a pair of LSI-7s against some TOTL bookshelves by GamuT when I was in China, and to my surprise those lowly 7s held their own against far more 'expensive' models. When I hear people say it sounds like they have a veil over them. I just don't get it! Would they rather have ice-picks stabbing their eardrums?

That said, the new LSI-Ms do open the sound that is the LSI-7 up and bring a little more sparkle to the high end that many who like they overly bright RTi-As and B&Ws will find more acceptable and that do not offend my preference for a more laid back speaker! And that's saying something when you can have these two camps agree about a speaker!!:cheesygrin:

You'll enjoy the 7s. But I would NOT wall mount them. I've found they need a little breathing room to sound their best!

cnh

PSOVLSK

argylesox wrote: »

How do you like your Emo XPA-5?

I like it, but I'm kind of itching to try something else in the HT just for the sake of change.

argylesox

cnh wrote: »

Everyone hears something different, of course.:eek: B&W bookshelves--my ears ache already! Really don't like that 'tweeter'.:frown: I also own both RTI-A3s and LSI-7s. Can't see parity there. The 7s do almost everything "better" musically. Tighter bass, smoother highs, better sound stage and imaging, etc. The difference for me has been night and day. And the NAD does a wonderful job with the 7s; sounds like it has twice its rated power!

I just don't like sizzle up top! It takes away from my appreciation of the music by drawing too much attention to itself at the expense of the rest of the frequency range. B&Ws have always seemed to run "hot" to me (at least the bookshelves). But lots of people like them. But I've heard them so many many times and I'm still trying to hear what "they" hear. To me, they're in my face too much. But they are "beloved" by many?

I find the 7s to be pretty close to the best of the previous generation of Polks (the generation before the LSI-Ms which bring something "new" and "improved" to the table). I had a chance to audition a pair of LSI-7s against some TOTL bookshelves by GamuT when I was in China, and to my surprise those lowly 7s held their own against far more 'expensive' models. When I hear people say it sounds like they have a veil over them. I just don't get it! Would they rather have ice-picks stabbing their eardrums?

That said, the new LSI-Ms do open the sound that is the LSI-7 up and bring a little more sparkle to the high end that many who like they overly bright RTi-As and B&Ws will find more acceptable and that do not offend my preference for a more laid back speaker! And that's saying something when you can have these two camps agree about a speaker!!:cheesygrin:

You'll enjoy the 7s. But I would NOT wall mount them. I've found they need a little breathing room to sound their best!

cnh

Appreciate the feedback. It is heartening to hear that our NAD will provide enough power to make them sing - I have been very concerned about the power requirements and can't wait to hook everything up & maybe take a day off sometime after Christmas when junior is back in school and I have a full day to play. I realize that it will take a little time to break them in but once that's done we'll play a little more with placement to see what sounds best to us. Who knows, maybe we'll be ecstatic with the sound, maybe not. Tastes are so different. I watched a video on YouTube in which the owner of a gorgeous audio setup was showing off his equipment but playing head banging stuff that almost made me throw up, so there you go.

Regarding wall mounts, from a purely visual standpoint you have to admit that Erik's LSi7's in the photos above do look gorgeous. I really like the concept but if we find they sound better with more breathing space then they'll certainly get it.

Would love to audition the new LSiM's but I'd have to leave my plastic at home as they're a tad dear for us at this stage. I'm not even sure there are even any in town to listen to. I have no previous experience with Polk and was pretty much in audio limbo for the years we were raising kids. Had the decent tuner/amp/speakers which carried us through but now everything in a/v is changing and we/I have the desire for something new. Polk is one of the few brands of speakers we can find to listen to.

When I first auditioned the 7's at Fry's against the 9's I fell in love with the 9's but on subsequent trips to the store it was the 9's that sounded muffled to me a couple times, which I still don't understand. I think it was just Fry's. Until you mentioned them I wouldn't have known a GamuT if I tripped over them but I did find a set online for about $2100!!! At least I think it was a full set - maybe it was each. Doesn't matter.

Once we put some mileage on the 7's we'll check back in with a full report.

Thanks again.

argylesox

PSOVLSK wrote: »

I like it, but I'm kind of itching to try something else in the HT just for the sake of change.

Thanks. The 2 and the 5 seem to get the best reviews. We're casually looking just for future reference and find a lot of folks getting used stuff like the two channel ADCOM GFA-555. Maybe when we're ready we'll comb the used market for a 3 channel - I've heard a lot about Carver.

Erik Tracy

My configuration was done out of necessity and room layout constraints - based on where my equipment was located (and how much), the location of the HDTV - I didn't have the luxury of floor standing towers, or bookshelves on stands.

So - we all work with the constraints given us - and we choose the components we prefer and hopefully this is based on actual listening.

And what counts at the end of the day is that *you* enjoy the music - cuz that is what it is all about!

argylesox

Erik Tracy wrote: »

My configuration was done out of necessity and room layout constraints - based on where my equipment was located (and how much), the location of the HDTV - I didn't have the luxury of floor standing towers, or bookshelves on stands.

So - we all work with the constraints given us - and we choose the components we prefer and hopefully this is based on actual listening.

And what counts at the end of the day is that *you* enjoy the music - cuz that is what it is all about!

Right on, right on; space/location constraints, economic constraints, spousal/family constraints, aesthetic constraints,etc. Not all of us have to deal with all of them but many of us have to deal with at least some of them. If sound isn't an issue I would seriously consider the wall mounts you have because I simply like the concept and perhaps even place a sub under each one. Whatever we end up with we'll probably revise in time anyway. Members of this forum have provided some great feedback - it is all given consideration and is fully appreciated. Thank you.

argylesox

Greetings and solutions!

I wanted to check back in to report on the results of our upgrade to Polk LSi7/LSiC speakers for the front three in our 5.1 system running on an NAD T747. Being we’re not audiophiles or anything close to audio experts our goal to upgrade our audio system was challenging. For budgetary reasons we were hoping to run our system off our single AVR without the need for a separate amp.

Based primarily on speaker auditions we were able to get at a local Fry’s before they re-did their speaker display (it went from very poor to horrible) we decided to look hard at the Polk LSi series bookshelf speakers but the price of the LSi9’s plus the potential requirement of a separate amp to drive them pushed us past our price/performance budget window. So we decided on the LSi7’s and LSiC because we liked the sound of the LSi7’s but were skeptical about driving them at 4 ohms until we were assured by NAD and/or LSi7 using members on this forum and at least one tech at NAD that the NAD T747 could drive these speakers handily. You were right. Timing worked in our favor here as well because we were able to purchase all three Polk front speakers NIB at heavily discounted prices being that this series is being discontinued by Polk.

We already loved the NADT747 so when we first heard the LSi7’s marvelous sound right out of the box, the gain in listening experience for us was huge and from other users we expect that the LSi’s will open up even more after some period of break in. The NAD T747 handles the load just fine because the speakers sound absolutely lovely and it apparently drives the LSi speakers with the same ease that it did with our previous front three 8 ohm speakers.

For music listening I can now vouch for some reviews which I have read on these speakers in that the female voice couldn’t sound lovelier (Melody Gardot/Worrisome Heart) and instrumental jazz sounds absolutely supreme (MJQ/The Last Concert) as two examples. They also sound wonderful for home theater use. We are so looking forward to enjoying these speakers for years to come. Along with our Mirage Omni S8 subwoofer this has turned out to be an incredible sounding combination in the room we’re running it in. Our only foreseeable future next step will be to replace the existing surround speakers, Radio Shack, with Polk RTi4’s. Color us very satisfied.

Thanks again to the members who tweaked our confidence and nudged us ahead in our decision for the Polk LSi fronts. We haven’t regretted it for a moment.

Having great fun enjoying audio.

Thanks again.