Polk Audio LSI 25

David88

Hi, my name is David and I'm new to this. I am currently debating on upgrading from my Monitor 60 HT to LSI 25s. I seen really good deals on ebay from Polk Audio. I am concerned about one main thing which is the power hungry LSI 25s (read reviews). I am currently running A yamaha rx-v1900 (http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/rx/rx-v1900_black__u/?mode=model). My main question is, will the yamaha be able to run them without struggle or basically blowing up. I tried to read as much as possible about what is needed to have these bad boys sing and mostly I get nowhere because everyone says the opposite. So I finally took the time to register and hopefully get some help. Also I am a newbie to the HIFI stuff and if needed to get a dedicated amp will this be fine? http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/amplifiers/products/xpa2 Thanks for the help!

drselect

David welcome to Club Polk.
I don't own the lsi 25's but looking at your amp , I would say it should drive them but if you want to get the most out of them you should look at getting an external amp.
drselect

rooftop59

Yes the yammie will power them without damaging anything if you are only running 2.0 and not really cranking the volume. but will you be getting the full potential from your speakers? not even close. I would definitely get an external amp if you have the coin. If you don't I would consider getting easier to drive bookies and a nice sub.

As for the emotiva that is a VERY touchy subject around here. I ahve never heard one, but it should power them just fine. i would suggest looking used at beefier adcom, parasound, rotel, etc., on the used market first. Lots of amps last forever...

Welcome and good luck!

mdaudioguy

^^^ +1 rooftop is spot on, IMO. It'll run a pair ok - not great, but ok. A full complement of LSis... no. For that you'll need external amplification.

If you're determined to go Emo, that'll do the trick. I went that route once... lesson learned. What was my lesson? $799 isn't really the bargain it seems, when you do a little research in the used market and exercise some patience. I'll put my 150W/channel Adcom against the XPA2/XPA3 combo I had... any day. At less than half the price. Consider that the original owners of many of these amps have taken exceptional care of them. Take your time, and with a little patience and luck, something nice will come your way.

tonyb

The thing is David, you can run them on that receiver and sound will come out.....but, you'd have to keep the volume lower and why buy big floorstanders without being able to use or hear 100% of what they are capable of ?

My answer is yes, you need an amp for these, and anything else in the LSI line except maybe the lsi7's. Especialy if your going to run multiple speakers off a receiver. The more speakers you run, the bigger the load on the receiver. Having the proper power if not more is a good thing for speakers, you won't hurt anything. Having less power than needed can possibly damage your speakers, receiver, or both.

tonyb

David88 wrote: »

My main question is, will the yamaha be able to run them without struggle or basically blowing up.

Shorter answer.....no.

David88

I was going to get rid of all the speakers and just run 2 ch. I am greatful for the help guys and thanks for the feedback. Ill take the advice and be patient and hunt for something good. Thanks again and Ill be back soon hopefully with the LSI's.

David88

Also any good places I should look for these amps?

chumlie

Ebay, Audiogon, Craigslist, Audioadviser. Or hang around and checkout the FS section here.

Strong Bad

David,

I'm running a set of LSi25's at home in a dedicated 2 channel rig. I'm using a Dodd ELP vacuum tube preamp and Carver m1.5t amp. You'll get some decent lower level listening with the receiver, but these things crave lots of power! In the interim, you can get by with the receiver, but in the long run you'll need that separate power amp.

No idea what your budget is for amps, but i've had my eye on something like this...

http://www.adcom-usa.com/gfa-565se-2

David88

My budget is around a grand, I know it may not be much but hopefully i can find something second hand. I was looking for a 2 channel amp but seen a Adcom GFA-7500 for 450. Should I take this deal, or search and keep waiting for a 2 ch.

EndersShadow

David, if it were me I would look at one of the other LSi offerings.

I went from Monitor 60's to LSi 15's and love it, however I already had an existing amplifier that could handle them beforehand.

If it were me I would look at LSi 9's or LSi 7's. Both of these can be found for under the cost of their larger brothers. The LSi 9's can dig deep enough you dont need a sub to start with, but the LSi 7's more definately will need a sub.

With that said at how low their purchase price is you can get a set of them, have money for a dedicated amp to drive them properly, as well as a sub to fill in the low end.

IMHO ALL of the LSi towers still need a sub to fill in the low end. Even my LSi 15's need some help down low, for me I got them due to the price (great deal from fellow forum member), otherwise I was looking at the 9's and 7's myself.

chumlie

If your going 2 channel, i would wait for something better. You can get a nice amp for that kinda dough IMO.

rooftop59

I don't know if that's a smoking deal or not but I would definitely try that before the emo. If its the one on the gon, his prices are usually very reasonable. You could easily get your money back if you decide to try something else. I would jump on it if you want to stick to surround sound. If going two channel I would look for something like a Parasound HCA 1500.

David88

yea it's the one there

EndersShadow

I also would stay away from Emotiva. A forum member named PolkFarmBoy used to be a big fan of Emotiva amps, and just switched to a different brand and was very surprised by how much better things sounded.

Emotiva is very entry level and there are many other brands that are prefered that you can find for the same price used. I am not saying Emotiva amps dont work or suck, simply they are IMHO a bit overpriced and there is better out there.

I originally was looking at Emotiva myself, but found a used Carver amp and snagged it up and never looked back.

Some brands to look at are: Parasound, Carver, Adcom, B&K, NAD. All of these amps pair VERY well with LSi's.

Also something to keep in mind is that its not all about wattage with some of these amps, some of these amps may not on paper have tons of power, but you wouldn't know if with them connected.

David88

Thanks for all the wisdom EndersShadow. I have been eyeing these LSIs for the longest, actually since a friend of mind got them when they came out. He had a nice denon receiver pushing them and sounded amazing. I noticed the sale of the LSIs and thought i can snag them. But i guess its more to it then just buying and plugging it in.

EndersShadow

David88 wrote: »

Thanks for all the wisdom EndersShadow. I have been eyeing these LSIs for the longest, actually since a friend of mind got them when they came out. He had a nice denon receiver pushing them and sounded amazing. I noticed the sale of the LSIs and thought i can snag them. But i guess its more to it then just buying and plugging it in.

Technically there isnt, however we at this site all are very OCD about steering folks to getting the most out of them. Will the LSi 25's work just normally connected to your receiver. Yes. Will it work out the best, not really. Will you be potentially disappointed, probably.

And the last thing we want is for you to be disappointed when you spend as much as you will on em when there might be some better ways to get what you want for the same price.

What I would suggest is seeing what Denon your friend has and looking at the spec's for that and see how it compares to what you have currently.

David88

EndersShadow, question, I was comparing the 15's to the 25's. I know the basic differences between them. Would it be more of a stress to the receiver to run the 15s compared to the 25's. I know the 25s have a built in amp for the sub. Naturally i would think more speakers = more stress.

cfrizz

Welcome David!

Whether you get the 15's or the 25's both will put a heavy strain on any receiver since they are 4ohm speakers, and you are correct more speakers means more stress. If you intend to add more LSI's to your system, you will need at least a 3-5 channel amp. The favored amps have already been mentioned.

I always recommend getting at least a 200wpc @ 8ohms amp, since I have learned from experience this is where most people can hear a clear and distinct improvement in clarity, separation, vocals, instruments and bass.

txcoastal1

David Welcome to the forum

I have LSi 25's in my theater which work really well, but if I didn't have a dedicated 2chnl stereo and your goal is more for music/theater, then I would go for the LSi 9's and a seperate sub. You will have better options of speaker positioning and room corrections for a better sweet spot for your music.

The best advice I can give is take your time and purchase one piece at a time and enjoy the audio bliss and up grades. You can run the LSi's on your receiver just don't run it on high. Also, take every advantage getting out and get your ears on gear so you can interpret what your reading in reviews and spec's.

Good luck

EndersShadow

David88 wrote: »

EndersShadow, question, I was comparing the 15's to the 25's. I know the basic differences between them. Would it be more of a stress to the receiver to run the 15s compared to the 25's. I know the 25s have a built in amp for the sub. Naturally i would think more speakers = more stress.

Cfrizz is correct. However if you run the sub in the LSi 25's off the LFE channel in your receiver (using a y cable and one cable per speaker) then the receiver is ONLY driving the 2 6" woofers and tweeter. Technically that should be easier to drive.

With that said however considering that you can switch out the stock LSi 15 8" sub for a better one that sounds quite a bit better I personally lean toward that way. I find most folks tend to prefer the 15's over the 25's overall, however as we keep mentioning you need a good amp to truly appreciate em.

I would honestly go with a 2.1 setup and get either the LSi 7's or 9's. Both are smaller and can be placed where you need. In addition in thinking about bass normally you want to corner load any sub to get the most out of it and obviously the LSi 15's and 25's cant be corner loaded due to their configuration.

Thats the reason most of us still run a sub, because by themselves the LSi towers will still need some help down low and so if you still need a sub regardless, why not just get smaller fronts and then get a more capable sub.

As I stated, I got a steal of a deal on the LSi 15's or I would have been looking at the 7's or 9's myself and by no means think I would have been disappointed.

I know your friend has the 25's so maybe take your receiver over to his house and see how it sounds, or see if he will bring the speakers over to your place to demo them to make sure you really like em with your gear.

David88

Thanks, I decided to get a dedicated amp, Noticed a few adcoms on ebay. I dont want to drag this on and annoy you guys about this, why would i have to power the sub on the 25's when they have one built in. Shouldn't i just power the mids and highs. I am also sticking to tower speakers because I have the space and it was love at first sight. Also the cat always sits on top of my Monitor 60s so I worry about them falling over. I am also running a PSW125 subwoofer. Again Thanks for the patience and helping me understand!

tonyb

David,
Think of the LSI25 as a speaker and subwoofer in one cabinet. The built in amplifier takes care of the lower portion, not the whole speaker. By adding an amp, your taking care of the rest of the speaker. Why ? Because it's a 4 ohm design which represents a heavy load to most receivers and they in turn cannot supply the juice needed for a 4 ohm speaker. There's more to it than that but just to give you a general jist of it.