Lsi15 $950 shipped. Any better speakers for same price?

nhhiep

I'm currently using Lsi9s for 2 channel music only with a Deftech SC I sub. I don't like how they blend, the Deftech is dead after 35hz and it sounds like a 1 note sub. Plus during my test, the Lsi9s is good down to 40hz without dropping volume. I am thinking of getting the Lsi15s since it's on sale for $950 now to run full range. Does it really go as low as 25hz before dropping in volume? I know Polk is very honest with the Lsi9's spec.

Also for around $1000, can we do better? I am looking for airy, warm sound full range passive towers. I am staying away from active towers because with my experience(infinity Overture) in low vol, amp kicks in and out. very distracting.

does anyone know there is a review out there that shows the curve for lsi15s?

pyrocyborg

Well, IMO, LSi are worth every penny while on clearance. Some people might not like their sound, and as you already know, they are dependant on what you drive them with (both in terms of power and system synergy).

For the same price or so, you could try to find some KEF Q series larger towers. People seem to like them. I couldn't compare them to the LSiM series, but they sure compare to LSi in term of sound quality. However, if you really like the LSi tonal balance, you can't go wrong with the LSi15.... where you could dislike the KEF Q series (I doubt it, but they may not fill your tastes).

As for the 25 Hz thing: according to specs, the LSi15 begins to drop at 30 Hz (-3dB), but it will "give up" smoothly between 25-22 Hz.

Is it possible that your blending is more like a sub issue than a speakers one?

nhhiep

I looked at the KEF Q900 and the current price is double of the lsi15. it uses a metal tweeter. does it sound bright at all? If it's anything close to Rti series, then it's a no-no for me.
Even on the Lsi9, I have to turn down the high a little because my ears are 3-4ft from the speakers.

heiney9

Since you don't like the LSi9 as evidenced by the huge thread you created, then you won't like the LSi15. At this point since you refuse to stop listening to MP3's or consider the proper gear, as has been suggested by many people in your thread. You should probably just look at a different line/brand of speakers.

I say this genuinely, because if LSi's are bright to you (and we have already given several reasons why) then it's best not be disappointed again by buying the same line of speakers you already don't care for.

H9

heiney9

Also if you are going to put the LSi 15's or any floor stander for that matter in the same location as the RTi's in your photo in the other thread, save your $950.

ravaneli

I don't know about better, but these look beautiful and are reported to sound great

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?84291-Just-switched-to-Energy-RC-70-RC-LCR-s-(my-comparisons-to-RTi-A5-CSi-A6)

someone said 800 for the pair, but didn't say where..

nhhiep

heiney9,
True, I didn't like the Lsi9s that much because when compare to the Rti12. it is not "that" much better as I hoped. Maybe a well broken-in rti12 is that musical afterall. After playing with the Denon's EQ, it's a little better now. As everyone said, the Lsi's tweeter is very laid back. That is the purpose of this thread, hoping to get a suggestion on speaker that is better than Lsi for the same money.

I really enjoy the lsi9's midbass. Is the Lsi15 sounds like Lsi9, but with more bass below 40hz? since the crossover is different.

In term of position, I plan to pull the desk out 1-2ft, so there is space for the Lsi15 on the floor in the same position as the Lsi9s.

About the Rti12's placement, I've limited space in my room and that is not where I sit when using the Rti12s. I've no complains for the Rti12 setup though. What is not in the picture is on the right side, there is a 65" Panasonic plasma, then the Rti12.

I am not sure what you meant by proper gears? Denon 3806 and HK Citation aren't good enough for Polk lsi? About the MP3 thing, I am sticking with that because I can't tell the difference between FLAC and +192kb/s MP3 files.

Tbone289

nhhiep wrote: »

About the MP3 thing, I am sticking with that because I can't tell the difference between FLAC and +192kb/s MP3 files.

If you can't tell the difference between 192kb/s mp3 and FLAC, save your money. Your current setup is probably sufficient for you. Also, floorstanders behind that desk will be very far from ideal. Why not just try another sub?

heiney9

I understand your space issues, nothing will sound good the way it's set-up, nothing. You can't have a speaker jammed into a corner and expect it to sound good. The LSi 15 have side firing woofers. On one side they fire directly into the wall on the other directly into the stand. Nothing will work in that set-up.

H9

nhhiep

The thing is I really enjoy the sound with 2 speakers on the side of the monitor, where I sit 3-4 hrs/day. it's like the sound is coming from the back of the monitor, not left or right. singers sound very real as if they're singing directly at me.

heiney9

Tbone289 wrote: »

If you can't tell the difference between 192kb/s mp3 and FLAC, save your money. Your current setup is probably sufficient for you. Also, floorstanders behind that desk will be very far from ideal. Why not just try another sub?

My bet is part of the reason he can't tell the difference is because his system is set-up horribly.

H9

halo71

Wow, you have them set up like that and don't like their sound. I surely can see why! Anyways, I agree with Tbone. Thought about trying another sub?

nhhiep

besides the KEF Q900, Energy RC-70. Both use metal tweeters, lower end of their brands. Where Lsi is the top from Polk. is there any towers out there that use softer tweeters for around $1000?

What do you guys think of ML Motion 12 for $550 shipped?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882981006

heiney9

nhhiep wrote: »

The thing is I really enjoy the sound with 2 speakers on the side of the monitor, where I sit 3-4 hrs/day. it's like the sound is coming from the back of the monitor, not left or right.

Nearfield listening has advantages, but the LSi's aren't set-up to get the best advantage. You need a much smaller, near field monitor and forget the sub in that type of listening environment.

I will make a suggestion that works for me as I have a 3rd small near field listening rig off the sitting room to my bedroom upstairs. I sit less than 2 feet away and usually listen in the dark or by the glow of some tubes. Polk Audio RT25i's are an amazing compact monitor for near field listening. Mine are soon to be modded with better caps and resistors.

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/recent/rt25i/

These are about the best sounding compact Monitors Polk made. They are better than the RT35i, RTi 28, RTi 38. They have midrange clarity to die for and since the tweeter is the older style not harsh at all and a nice amount of air. I use tubes so I can't say what they sound like with SS. A killer speaker.

This would be more suited for what you are trying to do for a desk-top system.

H9

P.s. In fact I didn't believe the hype from Stereophile around these speakers until I heard them. A homerun.

http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/417

heiney9

nhhiep wrote: »

besides the KEF Q900, Energy RC-70. Both use metal tweeters, lower end of their brands. Where Lsi is the top from Polk. is there any towers out there that use softer tweeters for around $1000?

Man you don't get it do you? Towers aren't going to work in the environment you show in your photo. $1000 or $10,000, it won't matter the space is too small for towers to sound good.

pyrocyborg

Oh I see now... You'll need more compact speakers (nothing bigger than LSi7), that are made for nearfield listening. Paired with a small quality sub (maybe sealed), it will work better than towers.

While I do not always like the way H9 answer (not that he give bads answers, quite the contrary, but he's a bit harsh sometimes... :cheesygrin:), I totally agree with him: Do not get towers in there. I'm sure you could get better neafield performances will smaller bookshelf. For the same price or less, you'll have incredible bookshelf speakers and you could buy a smaller but "better" amp for the same price you'll buy a beefier one for.

heiney9

pyrocyborg wrote: »

Oh I see now... You'll need more compact speakers (nothing bigger than LSi7), that are made for nearfield listening. Paired with a quality sub, it will work better than towers.

He actually is still fixated on putting towers in that small room as evidenced here.

besides the KEF Q900, Energy RC-70. Both use metal tweeters, lower end of their brands. Where Lsi is the top from Polk. is there any towers out there that use softer tweeters for around $1000?

cnh

I'm with Brock on this one. I don't get where you're coming from?

You have space limitations and the LSI-9s don't do it for you. Therefore, the LSi-15s won't do it either and they'll sound pretty strange in that space.

Get a set of "used" Totem Rainmakers and call it a day. If you don't like those, there's not much else to say!

Small bookshelf, lows to 50hz, good dynamics, mid-range and clean articulate space filling highs (not too bright). Small enough to "maybe" not sound like sXXt in that space?

cnh

ravaneli

why do u care if it's metal? The KEF Q900, metal (tweeter) or not, low end or not, are known to have a very true reproduction. The Energy too.

Now, I do care if they are made of wood, or vinyl, but that is for different reasons. I refuse to pay money for ugly speakers regardless of how good or cheap they are : )

nhhiep

aren't metal tweeters brighter?

michael1947

For H9. How do you get a bedroom and a sitting room in a van down by the river...must take up two parking spots.:cheesygrin:

Drenis

heiney9 wrote: »

You need a much smaller, near field monitor and forget the sub in that type of listening environment.

What's wrong with integrating a sub? I use one. Not for getting 30hz waves but to help blend well with my bookies so that I get a fuller sound. Sure I love the sound I get but I liked it THAT much more with just a little fuller sound towards the low end. trust me... I wasn't after in my chest kick drums when I set out to do my desktop setup. I like it more then my main rig. What does THAT say?

It's purely choice. Recommend instead.

heiney9

The sub he has isn't too bad and he says it sound horrible. Taking a leap here, but if it's crammed in a corner somewhere in that room, it's no wonder it sounds like a$$. Hence my recommendation to go without. I was operating on the premise it can't be set-up properly so why have one. Also very near field listening isn't really the type of listening that requires a sub.

It's more about listening to the spatial cues, soundstage, micro dynamics. Not sitting out in the room feeling the slam. Equate it to a good set of headphones and that type of listening experience, do you run a sub when listening to headphones? Atleast that's how I listen to nearfield monitors less than 2 feet away in the dark. It's quite an experience, different than sitting out in the room with lots of volume

H9

heiney9

Drenis wrote: »

I wasn't after in my chest kick drums when I set out to do my desktop setup. I like it more then my main rig. What does THAT say?

You need to get to work on your main rig

H9

nhhiep

I think you guys are confused of what I am trying to accomplish with my given space here. I am trying to get full range sound(mid 20hz-20khz) from a simple 2 channel setup. That is the reason why I was looking only at towers. I've no complains from the Lsi9 that goes down to 40hz. (Denon EQ fixes the brightness issue that I had). The Deftech SC I is only good to 35hz, so I want to put it out of the equation to simplify things. Basically, I'm looking for mid 20hz to 40hz that the Lsi9 lacks, which lead me directly to the Lsi15. hence, the question of this thread.

Tbone289

heiney9 wrote: »

These are about the best sounding compact Monitors Polk made. They are better than the RT35i, RTi 28, RTi 38. They have midrange clarity to die for and since the tweeter is the older style not harsh at all and a nice amount of air. I use tubes so I can't say what they sound like with SS. A killer speaker.

I use RT3s in my nearfield 2-channel office system for the same reasons. A natural-sounding soft dome tweeter and amazing midrange clarity. However, I do like the support that a properly set up sub gives them.

I also would highly recommend a system like this for the OP's desk setup, though I would want to be a little farther from the monitors. Maybe 4-5 feet vs. 2-3.

nhhiep, what type of music do you listen to? I'm just wondering why you need so much low-frequency output for a 2-channel rig.

EndersShadow

The 15's wont go low enough for you to not need a sub. I know

PrazVT

besides the KEF Q900, Energy RC-70. Both use metal tweeters, lower end of their brands. Where Lsi is the top from Polk. is there any towers out there that use softer tweeters for around $1000?

Have you heard either of the speakers you've mentioned up there? Or read any reviews on them? Seriously - not sure how H9 has maintained any semblance of patience through this thread.

heiney9

LSi 15's are very placement sensitive to get the proper bass response. That, IMO, is one of the shortcomings of the 15's they don't hit really low and they are a b*tch to set-up in a room to properly get the bass they do give.

You are missing our point, based on the room photo's I don't care what speakers and sub you get in there, that is not even close to an optimal room to get 20-20.

H9

pyrocyborg

Well, I think that whatever you put in there, you could get down to 20 Hz (with a sub). However, will it sound great? I don't know... it might still sound like a mono-frequency sub, expecially if it's in a corner: it emphasis the sub in term of quantity, not quality.

If you stay near your desk for hours, why not get a good headphone amp and a good pair of headphone? Sure, it doesn't have the "visceral" impact of speakers, but you could have the fidelity. To each his own I guess...

Do you have anywhere else you could put the sub which isn't a corner?

P-S: I agree about the Totem Acoustic Speakers. Great brand from Quebec (they were my second choice... not because of the SQ, but because of the higher price) :cheesygrin:

nhhiep

pyrocyborg,
The sub is currently at another corner of the room. Another place that I can put the sub is behind the amp/avr, after I pull everything out a few inches, then maybe buy stands for the Lsi9s to place them behind the table. which will gain another foot from them to my ears.

the thing is I don't think this is a good sub. Surprisingly, it doesn't go below 35hz.