Going to try LSi9

erniejade

I am currently using a set of Legacy Focus in a 11x12 room. The room is way too small for me to get them to sound right. I am going to try a set of Polk LSI9. I am not getting rid of the Legacy, I am just going to move them till I have my other room back in a few years.

Why go with the LSI9 when there is so many choices out there? The Legacy are more fwd sounding speaker when you sit 4-4.5 feet in front of them. While they are not bad for near field, I can get the right bass out of them in that room no matter where I put them plus, they can fatigue a bit after kicking them at higher volume since they are so close. I did not have any fatigue when I had them in the other room but, till I have it back, they are stuck in a 11x12 room. I figured 1. Go with a bookshelf type speaker or monitor. 2. Go with something clear but, not too bright. If I flip the room around, I can get them 5 .5 feet from the couch 4-5 feet wide. When I tried the legacy on that wall I lost all bass. The side of the room they are on now opens up to the hall. If I have the speakers rear facing that opening, I lose all bass so they had to be on the other side of the wall. And the other wall opens up to the garage so I have to make sure they can clear the door. With the sub, I figure as long as I can get the imaging right, I have no problems flipping the room back so I can get them a little further away from where I sit and, putting the sub to where I know it will sound right is nothing.

I have a velodyne spl1200 that I can hook them to. My question is, should I keep the lsi9 at full range and set the velodyne to 40 hz since the LSI go down to about that? OR, should I hook up an electronic crossover and cross them at 60-80 hz. I worry about speaker damage with heavy bass at loud volume like pink Floyd welcome to the machine beginning has popped a few speakers in my past or the drum kick from Fleetwood Mac the chain from the live cd The Dance has also popped a few speakers. If I do keep them at full range, should I be worried about damaging the woofers or phase cancellation?

I know, long story for a simple question. I know going from the legacy to the LSI9 I must be crazy but, when you have a small room, and you cant get a 3 12” woofer speaker to sound right or get bass like you did when they were in a 28’ room, you have to look at other options.

I read the LSI need some power and dip below 4 ohm. I will be running them on the McIntosh 402 so they will be fed well.

nhhiep

I used the lsi9 set as computer speaker before and really like it. my ears were around 3ft from the speakers.
I ran it fullrange and cross as 40hz. both sound great.

you will like it. that warm sound.

lsi7s will work too, if you have a sub. I like the lsi9s more because I have the option to run it fullrange when I didn't have space for a sub.

erniejade

I have the 9's coming actually. I didnt realize the 7's were cleaner? The amp is a 110 lb 400 watt per beast. I do hae the velodyne. I thought it would be easier to maybe get the imaging right and put the sub where I know it will carry in the room.

I do prefer a warmer but clean sound. Amp is McIntosh MC402, Tube cayin sacd, Tube AR sp16 preamp.

audiocr381ve

erniejade wrote: »

I have the 9's coming actually. I didnt realize the 7's were cleaner? The amp is a 110 lb 400 watt per beast. I do hae the velodyne. I thought it would be easier to maybe get the imaging right and put the sub where I know it will carry in the room.

I do prefer a warmer but clean sound. Amp is McIntosh MC402, Tube cayin sacd, Tube AR sp16 preamp.

You'll dig on the 9's. I wish I wouldn't have gotten rid of mine. They will never fatigue, are laid back, but still have all that yummy detail. They also kick out a solid amount of bass. I had a similar size room at one point.

With your amp being plenty, I wouldn't worry about adding the electronic x-over to the chain. Just cross over the sub to where it sounds right in your room and you'll be good to go.

erniejade

Thanks, so I shouldnt need to worry about hurting them with too much pass or juice with bass heavy music or phase issues at full range as long as i have the crossover set to where the paper spec's end? Just making sure. I have always had floor standing speakers. Eeven in the HT they are rti12's with the elite sc27 crossing them at 80 so, just wanted to make sure.

erniejade

BTW I have to say this, way too many freakin stand choices!

rooftop59

What I love about the old LSi series is that they are very well built for the street price which good quality cabinets and drivers (again for the price) and although they are laid back and not forward, the are very detailed and dynamic as hell. With good power like you have, I think that you will hurt your eats LONG before you hurt those speakers. I even ran the LSi7s full range near field with a little 80wpc NAD integrated and they sounded wonderful, they were just way too big for my desk...and I really like bass, and nearfield I rarely thought I really needed a sub.

erniejade

Thanks for the 411. Even though i feel like I am nuts or going backwards from the Legacy to the LSI9, but I think I am doing whats right for the room. So thanks all for not saying i'm nuts for for even thinking about this type of a move.

rooftop, the little NAD's way underrated! I had a 35 or 40 WPC reveiver from them a long time ago and that thing could drive my old JBL L150's to decent levels without any issues.

Mikey081057

erniejade wrote: »

Thanks for the 411. Even though i feel like I am nuts or going backwards from the Legacy to the LSI9, but I think I am doing whats right for the room. So thanks all for not saying i'm nuts for for even thinking about this type of a move.

rooftop, the little NAD's way underrated! I had a 35 or 40 WPC reveiver from them a long time ago and that thing could drive my old JBL L150's to decent levels without any issues.

The LSIM 703's are much easier to drive with a tube amp, and sound much better all around than the LSi 9's.

Just my 2 cents...

pyrocyborg

Mikey081057 wrote: »

The LSIM 703's are much easier to drive with a tube amp, and sound much better all around than the LSi 9's.

Just my 2 cents...

For at least twice the price...

I loved my LSi7 in a smallish room like yours. Subwoofer is mandatory with a pair of LSi7 while you could run the LSi9 without (even if it's better with a subwoofer). As you already have a subwoofer, I would say the LSi7 could do great. Some people find the LSi7 to be more musical than a stock LSi9 in a smaller room or for near field listening. It's also easier on your amp as it rarely goes under 4 ohm while a LSi9 could dip near 2 ohm sometimes (if I remember well).

rooftop59

pyrocyborg wrote: »

It's also easier on your amp as it rarely goes under 4 ohm while a LSi9 could dip near 2 ohm sometimes (if I remember well).

That is correct according to the bench measurements of several publications, but with his amp I really don't think that power is a concern:eek::cool:

erniejade

If i stay in this small room then the LSIM 703 or if I had the $, I heard the Joseph Audio pulsar and they sounded fantastic but $$$$$$$. This is just to try it out and see if it helps get me back to the sound I like. When I had the basement, I had Carver Amazing for classical and jazz, sda 1.2 for rock and pop. The Legacy replaced them. The Carver Amazing, talk about one hard speaker to drive. Mine were the original not the plats.

From what I read, I think this is a good place to start or at least to know if this is the route I am going to stick with as long as I am in the small room. I have been reading a lot of people even in larger rooms prefer this type of setup because its easier to place the subs for bass vs a single tower for imaging and bass at the same time.

Again, I have always had floor standing speakers so i guess this might start the wrabbit whole into bookeis.

Mikey081057

erniejade wrote: »

If i stay in this small room then the LSIM 703 or if I had the $, I heard the Joseph Audio pulsar and they sounded fantastic but $$$$$$$. This is just to try it out and see if it helps get me back to the sound I like. When I had the basement, I had Carver Amazing for classical and jazz, sda 1.2 for rock and pop. The Legacy replaced them. The Carver Amazing, talk about one hard speaker to drive. Mine were the original not the plats.

From what I read, I think this is a good place to start or at least to know if this is the route I am going to stick with as long as I am in the small room. I have been reading a lot of people even in larger rooms prefer this type of setup because its easier to place the subs for bass vs a single tower for imaging and bass at the same time.

Again, I have always had floor standing speakers so i guess this might start the wrabbit whole into bookeis.

So neither the 9's or the M's can fit on a shelf.... and by the time you put a nice set of stands under them you can have a set of 15's

D_M

Good point Mike. PlaneoleDave has a set in the for sale section that he has listed for $575 or best offer. From his posting, he is willing to accept $400.

erniejade

DSkip wrote: »

The 15's won't work in a 10x11 room. I can all but guarantee you that.

Right otherwise, not to sound like I am downing a polk product becasue I do love polk products, my legacy focus is a few steps above the 15's in my opinion and I would still be using them. I also still have a set of SDA 2.3! They get completley lost in that small room ( not in a good way lost LOL ) that is why I wanted to try a bookie and something that won't be harsh from 5 feet when I kick it up. Most of my listening isnt that loud but, you all have to admit, sometimes you just want to kick that bass up (sub) and jam. When you have a 185 lb speaker and your near field, it's not aways the best situation LoL.

Besides that, because of how the walls are and one going to the garage, one going to the hallway, with floor standing speakers I have tried in the room ( JM Lab 815, Vandersteen 2 and 3, Polk 2.3, Def tech 20 with crossovers done by trey, polk rti12) I can get 1 of 2 things right. 1 imaging, or 2 bass but, not at the same time. If i get the bass right, the speakers are 3 feet between them and I am just shy of 4 feet in front of them. On the other wall I can get the imaging and I can put about 5-6 feet between them and I am about 5-5.5 feet away but then 0 bass. So, this way, i can put the sub where i know I will get bass, and the 9's where I think they will image right.

Now, because they are much smaller, where I couldnt get bass because of what I think is standing waves, when I try them where i would get better imaging or being able to spread them out a little, they might actually have more bass vs the 3 12" woofers in the legacy because the room is too small and the bass waves are I think cancelling themselves out. I think they hit that back wall and because there is no room here comes the next bass wave out of the speaker so it kind of phases it out. Or at least that is what I think is happening. I am still going to put bass traps in the corner, that is on the plan as well as something behind the couch since i am inches away from the back wall. Now, I could be wrong in my thinking. One thing I have learned with audio over the years ( im 46) is you NEVER stop learing about it. Different rooms and room acoustics can make or break a speaker. What works in one room or one speaker doesn't for another. If my room had a valted celing, I bet that would make a huge difference but, it doesnt so its basically a cube. I even tried it with the speakers on 2 different walls firing into the corner. When i did that, the OTHER corner you got thumped out of but, the corner where I had the speakers facing, verry little bass. So, I figured since I am going to be in this room for at least 3 more years, bookies, and room treatments are in order.


Sorry for my long theory here. Again, I could be way off on my thinking but, as we all know in this hobby, there is only 1 way of knowing and that is to try it out.

Dskip, I haven't heard of Blowtorch speakers? I did a quick google search and didn't come up with anything outside of actual blow torches.

erniejade

Thanks for the 411. Last year, or the year before, we have a local place called Holm Audio that had the Pulsar on display. I was shocked on how they sounded but with a 7k pricetag to go with it! When I heard them, I was not missing a subwoofer. For their size, or the room they were in or setup, the bass was fast and tight like my old JM labs but, the top was smooth and just right.

Evolution Acoustics MMMicro One is a darn good looking speaker! I did a quick search on them. I have heard the bigger B&W's but not the small ones. I will also check out the PM1. At the price point, if they sound like you say they do, on the used market it is definately within range.

With the McIntosh MC402 I am not worried about power or a 2 ohm load. Although when i had the sunfire sig 625X2 running the amazing originals, I didnt worry either LOL. I learned my lesson on the stability of amps when I smoked my old integra trying to run the amazings!

erniejade

Evolution Acoustics MMMicro One is darn near impossible to find used!

deronb1

PM 1 is an incredible speaker, but it is quite expensive. 2800 new, and there dont seem to many on the used market. When you do find a par, they are still over 2k. I would suggest a used pair of Dynaudio Excite 12s. Prob get a pair for around 6 or seven bills.

steveinaz

The Lsi9's sound surprisingly BIG. Nice speaker, but they do like lots of power.