System Synergy

Joe08867

The LSi's I heard were played through an older HK AVR that I can't remember the model number of. It had pretty decent power but probably not what the LSi's needed. If I were to hear them again with separate amps for fronts and rears I am sure it would be better but for normal houses where people don't get an AVR and separate amps they can be bright to my ears.

Like I said on my Exposure they sounded great but not like my SDA's.

This was not my setup by the way, it was a friends that is semi into audio and video. It was a decent setup when he was done but he didn't keep the LSi's. He went with NHT instead. I was shocked by the move myself but it works for him. I would have done more to get the best from the Polk's but it wasn't my money.

Out of all of the new speakers Polk Makes the LSiM's are by far an away the cream of the crop when done right. And like you all have said the source and what powers it can make or break a system, so maybe they aren't as forgiving as they could be.

Serendipity

Zero wrote: »

C) It sounds like you're extremely sensitive to speakers that are either voiced in an aggressive/forward manner, or exhibit spikey harmonics along the treble (as typical with most high end loudspeakers).

The most helpful post by far. Recently I decided to hold demos of my rig to others (friends, family, neighbors) and nobody said it was fatiguing. I think I am sensitive to speakers that are slightly detailed and have spiky harmonics along the treble (as you said, typical with high end loudspeakers) and hope this improves with age.

At 16 I couldn't stand being in a club or disco environment for even short periods of time, gave me headaches for days after and took a while to recover. Now I feel this has improved, but even walking into an Abercrombie!! store with their "house" music playing makes me want to leave after a short period of time.

Thanks everyone.

tonyb

There are 2 things to cure what ails you......vinyl and tubes.

Serendipity

tonyb wrote: »

There are 2 things to cure what ails you......vinyl and tubes.

Absolutely. I need a new source.

Today while messing around with my setup, I hooked up the center piece of an old boom box to the rig (headphone out) and played a few CDs. Of course, the sound quality wasn't even close to that of the Onkyo/Denon in Pure Direct Alpha 24, but to my surprise it was much more listenable!

Yes, the top end was rolled off and of course the sound quality wasn't there, but was it easier to listen to? Absolutely.

Next, hooked up the Onkyo CDP via both connections (optical and analog) to test the player vs. Denon's DACs. The player had less detail and a warmer sound, but the Denon in Alpha 24 had so much resolution it showed all the flaws of a poor recording.

I give the Denon credit though, on The Stimulators - New Years Eve on the Waterfront the Denon really shined and this is a reference recording for many (YG Acoustics used this in their demo at CES). Also, I was surprised how different the optical and analog connections sounded.

In essence, I have come to the conclusion that 'everything' matters in finding the right sound. And yes, I am saving up for a turntable. Have vinyl, but nothing to play it with!

marly421

Serendipity wrote: »

I dunno man, it seems like most of the people who bash the 901's have never heard them set up properly. We had a long discussion at PolkFest about this and either I am hearing things differently from what others have heard, or it's just a matter of personal taste.

Maybe my expectations of a speaker are different from what others want, I have heard the 901's too many times to count and overall had a positive experience with the sound signature. They seem to remove digititis and any fatigue from listening for a long time.

I had the 901 series II, brand new and really disliked them a whole bunch. 90% of the sound is/was reflective off the walls. I lived in an apartment then and they were impossible to use as allot of the 901's energy was wasted through the walls and the neighbors really hated them.

The silliness of the Boss people saying the buyer is wrong in setting them up incorrectly; is just 'BS'. Follow the manual from Boss and they still sounded bad. Just before the 901's I had a set of new Marantz Imperial 7G and they were bad but in other ways. A paper megaphone or singing at the bottom of well might cover its sound. Yuck ...to both.

I moved on to a set of Dynaco A50 speakers was happy ...at least 6 months anyway. (the other two sets were gone in less than month total)

tonyb

Serendipity wrote: »

In essence, I have come to the conclusion that 'everything' matters in finding the right sound.

All ya had to do was ask, we could have told ya that and saved you the trouble.

You don't get to that synergy your looking for without trying a few things here and there. Thats why I encourage everyone to just try different stuff in their rigs no matter how small. First and foremost, throw out any pre conceived notions about audio. You can't move forward with one hand tied behind your back.

Most in this hobby aren't looking to squeeze every last bit of detail/SQ out of their system. They just want something that sounds good, is very listenable with a variety of music, and won't cost new car kind of money. To me an overly detailed system can sound sterile, and an overly bright system sends me out of the room. I like just enough detail to hear everything, a good soundstage with highs slightly rolled off with alot of air around the notes and a solid bottom end. I also think your tastes change as you age so that may play into it as well. I also believe thats why some are so fond of the SDA's, they give everything I described. There are so many speaker makers out there today, it's pretty much impossible to not find one that your ears will like. Trick is, matching the electronics/cables. Audio is a team sport, speakers alone won't get you there.

Toolfan66

tonyb wrote: »

All ya had to do was ask, we could have told ya that and saved you the trouble.

You don't get to that synergy your looking for without trying a few things here and there. Thats why I encourage everyone to just try different stuff in their rigs no matter how small. First and foremost, throw out any pre conceived notions about audio. You can't move forward with one hand tied behind your back.

Most in this hobby aren't looking to squeeze every last bit of detail/SQ out of their system. They just want something that sounds good, is very listenable with a variety of music, and won't cost new car kind of money. To me an overly detailed system can sound sterile, and an overly bright system sends me out of the room. I like just enough detail to hear everything, a good soundstage with highs slightly rolled off with alot of air around the notes and a solid bottom end. I also think your tastes change as you age so that may play into it as well. I also believe thats why some are so fond of the SDA's, they give everything I described. There are so many speaker makers out there today, it's pretty much impossible to not find one that your ears will like. Trick is, matching the electronics/cables. Audio is a team sport, speakers alone won't get you there.

Well said, this last year I have found a few things that have changed my system, a solid rack (my first DIY rack was weak), and vibration control of your gear (spikes under my gear or vibration pads..

As far as speakers well I love my SDA's and I like the fact they are like a car that you can put performance to them, they are like a good running Chevy with a hot rodded small block that can out do most of the competition on a small budget...

Face

If you're looking for a set of speakers that won't interact with the room as much, I will be selling a 5 channel set of Tannoy speakers soon.

tonyb

Didn't you just grab those not too long ago Face ? What are you lookin' at now ?

Face

I believe I picked them up in 07 or 08. All custom speakers for me from here on in.