Compare some Polk Speakers
Comments
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Actually, they use completely different radial ring tweeters. The TL3 uses a 3/4" one while the 703s use a 1" which has a MUCH higher frequency "ceiling" by 9khz.
That of course is not to say the TL3 tweeter is a slouch by any means but they are indeed different tweeters.
Thanks for the clarification. -
BTW. How does the TL3 compare to the NHT Super Zero 2 speaker? That one was one that was recommended to me because it too is wall mountable and is apparently a steal at the price.
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BTW. How does the TL3 compare to the NHT Super Zero 2 speaker? That one was one that was recommended to me because it too is wall mountable and is apparently a steal at the price.
Will62...I'm selling my lsim703 speakers if your interested. They are only 5 months old, and in perfect and I mean perfect condition.
I am only selling because I have upgraded to the Lsim 707 :biggrin: -
Pm me if your interested. I will give you a good price/deal
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I've had no experience with lsim polks but for the speakers I do have experience with I'd say you don't want rti's for 2 channel.About 45 minutes is all I can take and then the anamated highs play me out.Some people like it/can take it.Not me.I'd like to try lsim's but they aren't available at a decent price in my neck of the woods.That they are in your's I'd try them.
Mike -
WESTORTHE3RD wrote: »I've had no experience with lsim polks but for the speakers I do have experience with I'd say you don't want rti's for 2 channel.About 45 minutes is all I can take and then the anamated highs play me out.Some people like it/can take it.Not me.I'd like to try lsim's but they aren't available at a decent price in my neck of the woods.That they are in your's I'd try them.
Mike
The local retailers in my region don't carry the LSIM speakers yet. I am going to listen to the RTIA series though but if the high end is harsh like you say it is, then I won't buy them. My tube amp may smooth out the high end enough to avoid the issue of listener fatigue. But if the speakers sound like Klipsch brand speakers I will avoid them. -
robert0507 wrote: »Pm me if your interested. I will give you a good price/deal
You might not want to get them because of the stability issue, but price is no longer a problem.
BTW, the 703 shouldn't even be in the same discussion as the other speakers mentioned.Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden -
I just found the following information while searching the net and it appears to be quite relevant for choosing the right speaker for a tube type amp.
"If one plans to pair a speaker with tubes, one has to make sure that the phase angle is resistive i.e. zero or inductive i.e. positive. Capacitive or negative phase angles are hard for a tube amplifier to work with."
With this in mind, does anyone know where I can find this information for each Polk speaker that interests me? -
I think you're starting to overthink this Will.
Not in my eyes. Certain speaker designs don't work well with the tubes. More evidence:
http://www.stereophile.com/content/are-bampw-speakers-happy-tube-amp-and-preamp-1
And the fact that I own $2,000 Castle Conway 3 speakers that sounded great with a Cambridge Audio amp but terrible with the tube amp is sufficient evidence to do more research into the design of a speaker. -
I should add the following. I listened to dozens of speakers over a nine year period in an effort to replace the Klipsch Heresy's that I initially purchased. The sound was too harsh for my ears. I have sensitive ears for high end listening (just took an audio test and I can still hear sounds well above 20 khz) and need the right kind of speaker that won't offer listening fatigue. I bought the Mirage OM 10's and still have them and plan to keep them for my main system.
Now that I am shopping for a second pair of speakers for the same amp I don't want to run into the problem that I have with the Castle speakers. Clearly the design is not compatible with a tube amp. I make decisions based upon facts and logic, not my "feelings" or appearances of a product. -
I should add the following. I listened to dozens of speakers over a nine year period in an effort to replace the Klipsch Heresy's that I initially purchased. The sound was too harsh for my ears. I have sensitive ears for high end listening (just took an audio test and I can still hear sounds well above 20 khz) and need the right kind of speaker that won't offer listening fatigue. I bought the Mirage OM 10's and still have them and plan to keep them for my main system.
Now that I am shopping for a second pair of speakers for the same amp I don't want to run into the problem that I have with the Castle speakers. Clearly the design is not compatible with a tube amp. I make decisions based upon facts and logic, not my "feelings" or appearances of a product.
Well, you can do all the research you want, but it will still come down to auditioning speakers before buying them if you are that concerned about not making more mistakes.
Everyone is an expert on the internet for recommendations, and links to designs and articles will only get you so far.
But - you already know that, right?
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
Erik Tracy wrote: »Well, you can do all the research you want, but it will still come down to auditioning speakers before buying them if you are that concerned about not making more mistakes.
Everyone is an expert on the internet for recommendations, and links to designs and articles will only get you so far.
But - you already know that, right?
Very true. Auditioning them with my amp is the key here since a solid state amp will have different tonal qualities. Putting together a short list right now to try them out over the next few weeks. -
There is a pair of LSi7s on the Polk ebay site for $400 for the pair.
Since I'm an internet expert - this is what I would recommend
And they can be wall mounted...cuz I did:
http://erikt.cts.com/Pictures/hometheater/LSi7-wallmount.JPG
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
I'd argue that those Castle speakers are likely fine performers on tube amps, but might not mesh well with your specific amp. It could be that your tubes just don't sound good and rolling some better tubes in will end your speaker hunt. What tubes are you using with it? I apologize if you already covered this.
The best thing you can do is take the amp with you if you want to audition speakers. I've called a few boutique shops (got my Usher's shortly after and never followed through) and they're definitely fine with this. I don't judge speakers on design, I judge them on performance. With that said, I do rule out horns almost immediately because I've never heard one at any level that tickled my fancy. I also rule out electrostats like Martin Logan due to design. It's not so much the design as it is the upkeep there though. I guess you could sum that up to driver technology and not overall design, but whatever.
As stated previously, the LSiM's sound right up your alley if you continue shopping for speakers.
We are in complete agreement here. Tubes were rolled. JAN 5670 now. Far better sounding than the 3N that came with the amp. I just have to see if I can spend the money on the 703. Probably could in a few months but I don't want to wait that long to buy a speaker since I cannot use my OM 10's right now due to a certain pet wanting to get at them. Until I get into my house (in an apartment for a while) and can build a pet free room for that system, I have to find something that will be more pet friendly to use in my living room. -
Erik Tracy wrote: »There is a pair of LSi7s on the Polk ebay site for $400 for the pair.
Since I'm an internet expert - this is what I would recommend
And they can be wall mounted...cuz I did:
http://erikt.cts.com/Pictures/hometheater/LSi7-wallmount.JPG
I found these as well. Look like a good speaker. But they are listed as 4 ohm. I would have to touch base with Tech Support at Polk to see if they will work well with the 8 ohm Qinpu. Both my friends said 4 ohm is not a wise choice for long term listening with my amp. Might overheat. I can get by with the lower impedance rating with 6 or 8 ohm speakers but not a 4 ohm speaker. -
Well - if that is the case, then you may be back to considering the RTiA3 since you are after a good high end.
I had both the RTiA3 and the LSi7s in my house at the same time - I am probably one of three people on the planet that preferred the RTiA3 over the LSi7 based on my musical and listening volume preferences and enjoyed the RTiA3 'sparkle' up top :cheesygrin:
Definitely easy to drive and with a low powered tube amp - might be a nice pairing.
And, yes, they can be wall mounted...cuz I did:
http://erikt.cts.com/Pictures/hometheater/home-theater-valor.JPG
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
I should add the following. I listened to dozens of speakers over a nine year period in an effort to replace the Klipsch Heresy's that I initially purchased. The sound was too harsh for my ears. I have sensitive ears for high end listening (just took an audio test and I can still hear sounds well above 20 khz) and need the right kind of speaker that won't offer listening fatigue. I bought the Mirage OM 10's and still have them and plan to keep them for my main system.
Now that I am shopping for a second pair of speakers for the same amp I don't want to run into the problem that I have with the Castle speakers. Clearly the design is not compatible with a tube amp. I make decisions based upon facts and logic, not my "feelings" or appearances of a product.
Sound and Vision did a comparison of bookshelf speakers that appears in the latest copy of the magazine and can be found online. The speaker they said was dialed down on the top end compared to the rest was the axiom m-3.Most all of their non "audiofile" jdges liked the a1's high end but the editor admitted for some music it wasn't going to be right. -
WESTORTHE3RD wrote: »Sound and Vision did a comparison of bookshelf speakers that appears in the latest copy of the magazine and can be found online. The speaker they said was dialed down on the top end compared to the rest was the axiom m-3.Most all of their non "audiofile" jdges liked the a1's high end but the editor admitted for some music it wasn't going to be right.
The Monitor Audio BX1 sounds like the best of the bunch for my taste followed by the Polk RTI A1. The tubes may tame the brighter high end a bit which would suit me fine. I don't like Klipsch speakers because they are too bright sounding and even harsh at times. -
It's been suggested here many times that the LSi7 acts like a 6 ohm speaker. The LSi7 might be worth looking at. I've owned a pair and they were nice, just not my cup of tea.
What do you dislike about them? If they act like a 6 ohm then it should be able to work with the amp I have. -
Erik Tracy wrote: »Well - if that is the case, then you may be back to considering the RTiA3 since you are after a good high end.
I had both the RTiA3 and the LSi7s in my house at the same time - I am probably one of three people on the planet that preferred the RTiA3 over the LSi7 based on my musical and listening volume preferences and enjoyed the RTiA3 'sparkle' up top :cheesygrin:
Definitely easy to drive and with a low powered tube amp - might be a nice pairing.
And, yes, they can be wall mounted...cuz I did:
http://erikt.cts.com/Pictures/hometheater/home-theater-valor.JPG
I plan to listen to the RTI A3 and A1 at a local dealer within the next week or two. Nobody around here has the LSIM line yet and probably won't for a while. I've read a few reviews by people that use both of these Polk speakers with the Qinpu amps and they are quite pleased with the sound. -
I'll be taking delivery on a custom built tube amp based on the Dynaco ST-70 design. The amp I will be getting has basically been upgraded to put out 60 watts of Class A power per channel as opposed to the original 35. Virtually ever component has been upgraded and improved upon. I've had my LSiM703's for about 3 weeks now and I believe these had been broken in by listening to a wide range of music at varying volume levels. Unfortunately all I had as a power source is a Sony STR DN1030 reciever.The only music I haven't played through these speakers are rap and death metal. I don't think the tube amp will let me play those types of music either. I've heard that if you try to put a Korn or Anthrax CD on it it spits the CD out flinging it across he room with enough force to penetrate drywall and wedge it in about half the full CD diameter.
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I think the LSiM703's will sound awesome with the tube amp I'll be getting next week.
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I think the LSiM703's will sound awesome with the tube amp I'll be getting next week.
Let us know how this turns out.
