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

la9ers

Just sold my rti 12's and looking into getting a set of lsi’s. I came across a set of lsi's with center that are two years old and wondering if the warranty is transferable or pay extra 200.00 for brand new set from sound distributors. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

markmarc

nhhiep:
Take a step back and review all the good advice you've been given. You have already made one good decision in forgetting about floors ganders.
1. Your space/setup is too small and cramped to get the desired sound you want, you need think outside the box on your layout. If this is your bedroom consider putting your mattress up on a 5ft platform with a seating area below.

2. Listening to 192 mp3 rips is akin to watching a Blu-Ray movie on a 13inch black and white tv. Re-rip your collection into lossless and relax, you'll start hearing details in the music you never knew existed.

3. If you keep the LSi9's (which it sounds like you are planning), you need to get them out from the wall and away from your sitting position. Otherwise, go smaller, H9 made a good suggestion with the RTi25, they were the best of the Rti bookshelf speakers IMHO. Otherwise, the LSi7 or the Totem Mites would work well. But with any you will need to give yourself some distance.

4. If you can't change room layout and the speakers must stay where they are now sell everything and get into headgear. You'll never find the happiness you crave sticking with speakers.

Best of luck

3.

nhhiep

Last weekend, I stepped way back in time and bought SDA 1C for $200 on CL. Even with 1 dead tweeter, they sound way fuller with super wide soundstage than LSi9s. Today, I order 4 new RD0194 tweeters for another $200. Now, I don't know what to do with the Lsi9s because I don't see myself using them again. Yes, the 1Cs sound that good

The sound from 1Cs is what I was hoping to get if I were to get the Lsi15s; full wide sound. Now my next quest is seeking for 1C's bigger brother. After trying SDA effect, going back to Lsi series looks like a stepback.

DMara

I don't think your amp choice, either the AVR or the HK, will be ideal to help the LSi15 shine, so you should stop talking trash about the LSi set and stick with your SDA.
Personally, I drove my LSi speakers with either of my Parasound Halo A51 or W4S ST-1000 and have been very satisfied with their performance.

nhhiep

are you saying that 300 WPC with +-100 amps isn't good enough for Lsi15 or any Polk speakers for that matter?

I am not talking trash about Polk or Lsi, it's just that I don't think it deserves the "top of the line" title

Lietuvis91

nhhiep wrote: »

are you saying that 300 WPC with +-100 amps isn't good enough for Lsi15 or any Polk speakers for that matter?

I am not talking trash about Polk or Lsi, it's just that I don't think it deserves the "top of the line" title

HAHA! You're funny... how can you compare a SDA 1C to an lsi9...?! The SDA 1C is like 10 times the size, and has more drivers, so it is going to have a much wider sound stage than an lsi9, they are two different animals entirely, with completely different intended purposes.

It is clear that for your listening style the SDA is the right choice.

The LSI is for those that can appreciate the finess with which the sound is delilvered, like enjoying a fine wine. It is not for loud, mind crushing sound, while you're throwing back a bud.

SDA vs LSI is like Monster Truck vs Rolls Royce. The ROLLS isn't terribly exciting, runs only on premium and requires super expensive oil and tires, but boy is it comfy!

I feel like newbs lately have been buying LSI's for the wrong reasons(like... it was ON SALE!), then they don't hear what they expect and conclude that the speaker sucks, lol! This is why we always recommend you audition the speaker with your own music before buying, so that you get one that makes sense for your listening style... :rolleyes:

DMara

nhhiep wrote: »

are you saying that 300 WPC with +-100 amps isn't good enough for Lsi15 or any Polk speakers for that matter?

I am not talking trash about Polk or Lsi, it's just that I don't think it deserves the "top of the line" title

I'm saying looking at numbers only won't help. For example, originally I ran the LSi set (2 LSi15's + 1 LSiC + 2 LSi F/X's) with a Emotiva XPA-5, sound output was very detailed, but when playing at close to reference volume: higher octaves turned into shrieking which wored my ears out soon. With such a fine amp as the Parasound Halo A51, the warm tone and true continuous power were able to get rid of that issue. So, when pairing the LSi15 speakers with an amp appropriately, you will have a chance to appriciate its quality, not just throwing them into what you already got and then complaining that they weren't any good. Your other devices need to accomodate them, not the other way around.

Lietuvis91

DMara wrote: »

...when pairing the LSi15 speakers with an amp appropriately, you will have a chance to appriciate its quality, not just throwing them into what you already got and then complaining that they weren't any good. Your other devices need to accomodate them, not the other way around.

Good point, and good post! This is why I like to call LSI's "high maintenance", because they are pretty picky about gear quality. High end speakers command high end gear, you gotta pay to play, or stay out of the game.

EndersShadow

Lietuvis91 wrote: »

I feel like newbs lately have been buying LSI's for the wrong reasons(like... it was ON SALE!), then they don't hear what they expect and conclude that the speaker sucks, lol!

But then see they sell them at even lower prices just to get rid of em..... and folks like me buy them up.....

So please dont stop my stream of LSi speakers........ I only want like 2 more sets of 7's (future heights and surround rears) lol.......

P.S. this is partial jest, while I would love to go own 2 more pair, I have neither the amplification nor the approval of the wife to do so......... and the approval part is much harder to get

brianle

I'm one of the newbs ... lol. Not audio newbs but Polk LSi 9 newbs. Yes, I bought them based on the price and reviews without hearing them first. And yes, I'm selling them because I don't have proper amplification and I don't like the colored sound. I have the LSi9 and LSi C if anyone is interested. I have excellent feedback on Audiogon.

HHStuart

nhhiep wrote: »

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.

You don't seem to understand that sound waves bounce off of things. The sound waves will bounce off all surfaces and hit each other. In this closed in space you will get reinforcement of some waves and canceling of others. There is no way to get full range sound except as a cacophony. For a simple sound tone of 80 hz you will get multiple frequencies in your set up.