TONEAudio MAGAZINE LSiM 707 review

dkr919

An excellent review in the new online issue.

http://www.tonepublications.com/

F1nut

Can you post a direct link to the article or copy and paste it here?

DaveHCYJ

That?s right, Polk Audio. If we bestowed an
?extra achievement? award, the LSiM707s
would get it. These speakers push all the right
buttons for audiophiles and music lovers. Natural
timbre, wide-range frequency response, and
big dynamics add up to a winning and costconscious
combination. Those that check their
audio snobbery at the door will be rewarded.

http://www.tonepublications.com/MAGPDF/TA_041.pdf


Thats all I could find using the google machine. Is there a more detailed review?

Emlyn

Starts on page 136 here (page 68 in the pdf version):

http://www.tonepublications.com/MAGPDF/TA_042.pdf

stone of tone

It just takes a moment to load in either resolution choice. Then proceed to page 136. Nice review. Check out issue 41 too for the Torii MK 3. It takes a moment or so to load too. Cheers, Stone

DaveHCYJ

The review speaks pretty highly of the speakers.

I'm not familiar with TONEAudio. Anyone know anything about them? After reading the 707 review I flipped through the rest of the magazine and the following quote about premium USB cables caught my eye on page 193 (96 pdf).

There?s no better way to start an argument with
most audiophiles than to tell them you?ve bought
a premium USB cable. Bits are bits, and that
piece of wire won?t change a thing. Right? Wrong.
AudioQuest?s premium USB cable renders the
same improvement that a good interconnect
does in an analog setup. Overall coherence
improves, and graininess decreases, producing
a more analog sound.
AudioQuest offers a full range of premium
USB cables from $29 (Forest) to the $549
Diamond. On a modest system, even the
company?s lowest-priced cable yields easily
discernable differences between it and a
standard-issue Radio Shack cable.

To me that brings into question the credability of the whole publication, and makes me wonder about the 707 review.

Face

Tone is pretty highly regarded.

I've read elsewhere that USB cables can change the sound due to different loading(resistances) and isolating the power and signal conductors, whether the difference is better or worse is up to you.

tonyb

Have you tried different USB cables of different quality ? Dave, I would take that snipet as them just saying cables matter regardless where in the chain.

heiney9

Very nice review, concise articulate and well thought out.

Makes me want to run out and buy a pair

H9

DaveHCYJ

Face wrote: »

Tone is pretty highly regarded.

I've read elsewhere that USB cables can change the sound due to different loading(resistances) and isolating the power and signal conductors, whether the difference is better or worse is up to you.

tonyb wrote: »

Have you tried different USB cables of different quality ? Dave, I would take that snipet as them just saying cables matter regardless where in the chain.

I have not tried different USB cables. What Face says could be a good explination for the change in sound; by helping isolate components, eliminating ground loops, etc. I didn't think of that; I'm just imediately skeptical if it seems like somoene is implying a digital signal is changed by a cable.

Glad to hear Tone is well regarded; of what I read it looks well written.

markmarc

DAVEHCYJ: I appreciate your followup statement, Face said it best "I've read elsewhere that USB cables can change the sound due to different loading(resistances) and isolating the power and signal conductors, whether the difference is better or worse is up to you.", no need to add on to his concise statement. I think it's also important to consider that TONE's overall product of the year is the $895 Rega Brio integrated amp. This coming from the publisher whose reference system includes a pair of $140k speakers he owns.

I visited with TONEAudio publisher Jeff just after he returned from Polk HQ last spring, at that time he was telling me that the LSiM were pretty outrageous. At RMAF the first room he encouraged me to visit on my own was the Polk room so I could hear the LSiM 705's. Those were one of my four favorite speakers while at the show (Totem Element, Harbeth P3ESR, and Penaudio Cenya). Jeff doesn't give high praise lightly, it takes some seriously terrific performance at all price ranges to impress him. Personally, I'd love to compare them to my Verity Audio Finns.

tonyb

DaveHCYJ wrote: »

I have not tried different USB cables. I'm just imediately skeptical if it seems like somoene is implying a digital signal is changed by a cable.

Don't read too deep into it. The only way to address your concerns is to give a good cable a whirl in your system on your ears. Not much more to it than that.

falconcry72

DaveHCYJ wrote: »

I have not tried different USB cables....I'm just imediately skeptical if it seems like somoene is implying a digital signal is changed by a cable.

Have you ever tried varying quality digital cables in your system?

I've heard a difference with both Digital Coax and USB cables; the Digital Coax was more pronounced though. Don't knock it til you try it.

inspiredsports

That review makes me anxious to get my ears on a pair of LSiM 707's!

BlueFox

DaveHCYJ wrote: »

I didn't think of that; I'm just imediately skeptical if it seems like somoene is implying a digital signal is changed by a cable.

Not to get side-tracked, but as you gather experience and learn more you will realize that cables can affect digital data. While the same 1s and 0s might come out of the cable in the same order they went in, the timing can be affected, along with the rise and fall time of the signal. Certainly you have seen the photos of the input square wave that looks like a saw-tooth wave on the output. The less distortion a cable imparts on the signal, the more accurate the resulting sound.

Believe it or not, but with good gear, and good ears, you can hear the difference in the digital signal after it gets converted back to analog using different cables.

DaveHCYJ

Thanks everyone for the quick cable education. Now back on topic...

inspiredsports wrote: »

That review makes me anxious to get my ears on a pair of LSiM 707's!

This is the real question. Where can you hear these things? Have they started sending them out to distributers yet? I've recently been getting the itch to upgrade my RTi system to the old LSi's, but the more I read about the new LSi M's the more I want to check them out.

HHStuart

They mention Polk Audio Blackstone speakers under small speakers also.