Lsic vs lsi7 vs lsi9: (i will be comparing them this weekend)

whitecamaross

So i just picked up a pair of lsi15s which will be powered by the ROTEL RMB 1095. I came up on an interesting article where they tested the lsi9s (same as the lsi15s for the most part) and the results kept pointing out that THE BEST CENTER CHANNEL for the the lsi9 is a vertically placed lsi9. They believe that the lsic can sound muffled if you are sitting off to the side of it and not directly in front. They also said that if you CAN NOT place the lsi9 vertically, that a vertically place lsi7 would also work wonders. That being said, i have felt that the lsic is NOT really singing the same as the rest of my lsi set up. It sounds muddy at times. I can not really explain it.
Well, i will be doing an experiment with a few reference films that really exercise the center channel (from dusk til dawn being one of them).
Can anyone think of other movies that i can use for this experiment?

falconcry72

I've used all (3) of those as centers, and the 9 is definitely the best. In my experience, even a horizontally placed 9 is better than the C, and also better than a vertically placed 7. The 9 rules because it matches the fronts better, and it has awesome, realistic bass performance.

I use the opening monologue of The Big Lebowski to test center channels. The narrator's (Sam Elliot) voice is nice and gruff with lots of texture, but it also goes real deep and you can hear and feel where the 9 excels.

Placement is critical with LSi's, so your room/placement may yield different results... but I bet you'll be sticking with a 9...

EndersShadow

One thing to keep in mind is if you use a Auto calibration software you will need to re-run it each time you switch speakers in order to keep the comparison accurate.

falconcry72

EndersShadow wrote: »

One thing to keep in mind is if you use a Auto calibration software you will need to re-run it each time you switch speakers in order to keep the comparison accurate.

Yes. Or turn the EQ off and set the levels by ear each time you switch for a quicker A/B.

whitecamaross

falconcry72 wrote: »

Yes. Or turn the EQ off and set the levels by ear each time you switch for a quicker A/B.

i am planning on using a sound decibel meter and set them at 75 db each time..

whitecamaross

falconcry72 wrote: »

I've used all (3) of those as centers, and the 9 is definitely the best. In my experience, even a horizontally placed 9 is better than the C, and also better than a vertically placed 7. The 9 rules because it matches the fronts better, and it has awesome, realistic bass performance.

I use the opening monologue of The Big Lebowski to test center channels. The narrator's (Sam Elliot) voice is nice and gruff with lots of texture, but it also goes real deep and you can hear and feel where the 9 excels.

Placement is critical with LSi's, so your room/placement may yield different results... but I bet you'll be sticking with a 9...

question, which lsi9 did you use? the right speaker or the left one? Also, did you actually try using the lsi7 too?
the report i read claims that the results are far better when placed vertically and not horizontally.

falconcry72

whitecamaross wrote: »

question, which lsi9 did you use? the right speaker or the left one? Also, did you actually try using the lsi7 too?
the report i read claims that the results are far better when placed vertically and not horizontally.

Yes, as I said, I used all 3. Vertically is better for each individual speaker; i.e., a vertical 9 is better than a horizontal 9, and a vertical 7 is better than a horizontal 7, but, in my tests, to my ears, a horizontal 9 was still better than a vertical 7. YMMV.

I don't remember if I used right or left. Right vs. Left shouldn't matter, but what WILL make a difference is tweeter position if used horizontally... I oriented the speaker so that the tweeter was at the top.

whitecamaross

falconcry72 wrote: »

Yes, as I said, I used all 3. Vertically is better for each individual speaker; i.e., a vertical 9 is better than a horizontal 9, and a vertical 7 is better than a horizontal 7, but, in my tests, to my ears, a horizontal 9 was still better than a vertical 7. YMMV.

I don't remember if I used right or left. Right vs. Left shouldn't matter, but what WILL make a difference is tweeter position if used horizontally... I oriented the speaker so that the tweeter was at the top.

interesting.. do you think the lsi7 sounded better than the lsic?

falconcry72

whitecamaross wrote: »

interesting.. do you think the lsi7 sounded better than the lsic?

eh, they were different. You really gotta listen for yourself, in your room, on your gear.

blehmbo

So you didn't notice any difference when you were sitting off center toward the port side vs tweeter side of the vertical lsi9?

falconcry72

blehmbo wrote: »

So you didn't notice any difference when you were sitting off center toward the port side vs tweeter side of the vertical lsi9?

Unfortunately, no LSi speaker does particularly well off-axis... 9, 7, and C included. Luckily, they have many other positive attributes that make up for this downside... the 9 exhibits these positive attributes better than the 7 and the C, both as a front and as a center.