LSi-15's - Speaking of Synergy...

stretchl
stretchl Posts: 1,334
edited October 2012 in 2 Channel Audio
Get it? "speaking" ? ;)

But seriously folks...

For those of you out there who have LSi-15 speakers, what amp do you have and how do you like the combination?

The Parasound v. Adcom discussion that grew out of a For Sale thread has got me wondering about my LSi-15/GFA-555ii pairing.

As I mentioned there, sometimes the highs grate on me, though it's possibly due to my tinnitus rather than the gear.

Thanks.
“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
- Isaac Asimov
Hi-Fi
Apple Lossless --> Squeezebox Touch --> Joule Electra LA-100 Mark iii --> Odyssey Khartargo Mono Plus --> LSiM-705's
Cabling by Groneberg
Visuals
https://media.illinois.edu/journalism/ledford-charles-stretch
bit.ly/stretchonphotojournalism
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Comments

  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,965
    edited October 2012
    Adcoms were never known for their lush highs, But like everything else, try something different to see what floats your boat. Have the same infliction as you so I tend to be more drawn to warmer sounding gear.

    Have you tried anything other than the luxman in the mix ?
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
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    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • acmf74
    acmf74 Posts: 936
    edited October 2012
    I have been using the Adcom 5802 with the LSi-15s. Excellent results.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited October 2012
    Adcom and LSi's are a great match. I'm betting if you have tinnitus, that's the issue. I would also suspect your apple lossless files and the Luxman receiver you are apparently using for a pre-amp. You have other issues to consider before blaming the amplifier.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • hochpt21
    hochpt21 Posts: 5,423
    edited October 2012
    You can see what I am using in my gear. I havn't heard the 15's with anything else, so I can't compare, but the highs definitely don't grate on me. I really like what I am hearing, and from what I've read (not experienced) that may be the B & K warming it up a bit.
    2 ChannelTurntable - VPI Classic 2/Ortofon 2M BlueAmplification - Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II, Parks Audio Budgie PhonoSpeakers - GoldenEar Triton 17.2 Home TheaterDenon AVR-X3300W; Rotel RMB-1066; Klipsch RP-280F's, Klipsch RP-450C, Polk FXi3's, Polk RC60i; Dual SVS PB 2000's; BenQ HT2050; Elite Screens 120"Man CaveTurntable - Pro-Ject 2.9 Wood/Grado GoldAmplification - Dared SL2000a, McCormack DNA 0.5 DeluxeCD: Cambridge AudioSpeakers - Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary; LSiM 703; SDA 2A
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  • stretchl
    stretchl Posts: 1,334
    edited October 2012
    Ahhh... good ideas...

    Now I'm wondering about the Luxman.

    This may be a stupid question, but can I just take the pre-amp out of the equation completely and, as a test, run the DAC directly into the Adcom?

    ie -

    Squeezebox --> TubeDAC --> GFA-555ii --> LSi-15's?

    I don't want to blow something up.

    Thanks very much!
    “Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
    - Isaac Asimov
    Hi-Fi
    Apple Lossless --> Squeezebox Touch --> Joule Electra LA-100 Mark iii --> Odyssey Khartargo Mono Plus --> LSiM-705's
    Cabling by Groneberg
    Visuals
    https://media.illinois.edu/journalism/ledford-charles-stretch
    bit.ly/stretchonphotojournalism
    http://Vimeo.com/channels/stretchphoto
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    edited October 2012
    stretchl wrote: »
    Ahhh... good ideas...

    Now I'm wondering about the Luxman.

    This may be a stupid question, but can I just take the pre-amp out of the equation completely and, as a test, run the DAC directly into the Adcom?

    ie -

    Squeezebox --> TubeDAC --> GFA-555ii --> LSi-15's?

    I don't want to blow something up.

    Thanks very much!

    I believe this is possible since the Squeezebox does have a volume control. Others will chime in.
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • stretchl
    stretchl Posts: 1,334
    edited October 2012
    That's what I'm thinking too, Dan. There's also a volume control on the TubeDac.

    I'll wait for confirmation before I try it, but it should be an interesting experiment.
    “Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
    - Isaac Asimov
    Hi-Fi
    Apple Lossless --> Squeezebox Touch --> Joule Electra LA-100 Mark iii --> Odyssey Khartargo Mono Plus --> LSiM-705's
    Cabling by Groneberg
    Visuals
    https://media.illinois.edu/journalism/ledford-charles-stretch
    bit.ly/stretchonphotojournalism
    http://Vimeo.com/channels/stretchphoto
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,965
    edited October 2012
    Won't hurt to try, but my suggestion is to leave the volume control on the SB to fixed and use the volume control on the dac. Usually the volume control on devices such as a SB or Sonos are fairly noisy and very noticeable in the higher volume range.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • stretchl
    stretchl Posts: 1,334
    edited October 2012
    That's what I'm thinking too, Tony.
    “Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
    - Isaac Asimov
    Hi-Fi
    Apple Lossless --> Squeezebox Touch --> Joule Electra LA-100 Mark iii --> Odyssey Khartargo Mono Plus --> LSiM-705's
    Cabling by Groneberg
    Visuals
    https://media.illinois.edu/journalism/ledford-charles-stretch
    bit.ly/stretchonphotojournalism
    http://Vimeo.com/channels/stretchphoto
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited October 2012
    You could try it, but the results probably won't better and might be worse. You can't sub these types of things (SQB and inexpensive dac) for a good pre-amp. You can't cut corners on the pre-amp and expect it to sound good.

    Just my .02c and my experiences.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • stretchl
    stretchl Posts: 1,334
    edited October 2012
    heiney9 wrote: »
    You could try it, but the results probably won't better and might be worse. You can't sub these types of things (SQB and inexpensive dac) for a good pre-amp. You can't cut corners on the pre-amp and expect it to sound good.

    Just my .02c and my experiences.

    H9

    I don't understand.

    You're saying that a good pre-amp is better than no pre-amp?
    “Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
    - Isaac Asimov
    Hi-Fi
    Apple Lossless --> Squeezebox Touch --> Joule Electra LA-100 Mark iii --> Odyssey Khartargo Mono Plus --> LSiM-705's
    Cabling by Groneberg
    Visuals
    https://media.illinois.edu/journalism/ledford-charles-stretch
    bit.ly/stretchonphotojournalism
    http://Vimeo.com/channels/stretchphoto
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,965
    edited October 2012
    I think what Brock means in your situation, is try another pre amp. Yes a good pre amp for digital is a gimme but still won't hurt to try it the way you want to. If anything, you'll either like it/hate it, but you will appreciate better what a pre amp does for the sound.

    Never hurts to experiment.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited October 2012
    stretchl wrote: »
    I don't understand.

    You're saying that a good pre-amp is better than no pre-amp?

    In the specific cases you are talking about, yes. You are using a very inexpensive and not very well implemented digital I/C chip in the SQB to control volume. With the dac, it's an inexpensive volume control and not much care is taken to implement it, not like a really good pre-amp. I'd use the Luxman receiver before I'd use the vol control on the SQB. Always leave it at full volume to get the best performance.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter