LSi9 or LSiM703 Help Me Decide

mikeyb128

I have a pair of 703's in the mail. I haven't heard lsi9's, but I do have 705's and a pair of vr3 fortress modded lsi15's with db woofer upgrades. I keep the 15's in my 2 channel set up because they do everything so right, I crank the heck out of them with a serious amount of power behind them and they never show signs of distress, and they are non-fatiguing, easy to listen to for hours. To be honest I haven't found their limits yet. The 705's are beautiful to look at, they are a little more bright, better sound stage, less picky on placement, they are great speakers! sometimes it seems like the center channel is on but it isn't. But they don't seem to take the abuse as well as the 15's do. By abuse I mean cranking it. I'm sure I will be jumped on for this (like maybe you should by some klipsch speakers) but they don't seem to handle Louder volumes like the older lsi series do. But they do seem easier to drive. It's a tough call, I like them both very much, and in my opinion modded lsi series holds up very well to the newer series.

afterburnt

I want 62 GTO and I am hoping for a FF sale to get a pair of 703'2

msg

mikeyb128 wrote: »

I have a pair of 703's in the mail. I haven't heard lsi9's, but I do have 705's and a pair of vr3 fortress modded lsi15's with db woofer upgrades. I keep the 15's in my 2 channel set up because they do everything so right, I crank the heck out of them with a serious amount of power behind them and they never show signs of distress, and they are non-fatiguing, easy to listen to for hours. To be honest I haven't found their limits yet. The 705's are beautiful to look at, they are a little more bright, better sound stage, less picky on placement, they are great speakers! sometimes it seems like the center channel is on but it isn't. But they don't seem to take the abuse as well as the 15's do. By abuse I mean cranking it. I'm sure I will be jumped on for this (like maybe you should by some klipsch speakers) but they don't seem to handle Louder volumes like the older lsi series do. But they do seem easier to drive. It's a tough call, I like them both very much, and in my opinion modded lsi series holds up very well to the newer series.

Interesting. A few questions...

1. In brief, what were your impressions of the before/after mods on the LSi15's?
2. How would you rate the 705's next to stock 15's?
3. How many hours on your 705's?
4. Same gear running the 705's as the 15's, or separate system?

jimithng23

We noted earlier the 9s would be difficult for the CA-1010 to drive and as such, the 703swould be a better match.

The conversation has now expanded to include the Concertinos and the Rainmakers. Quick and easy research indicates the Rainmakers are 4ohm. Would not the same logic apply, with regards to asking more of the 1010 than it can deliver?

Upstatemax

jimithng23 wrote: »

We noted earlier the 9s would be difficult for the CA-1010 to drive and as such, the 703swould be a better match.

The conversation has now expanded to include the Concertinos and the Rainmakers. Quick and easy research indicates the Rainmakers are 4ohm. Would not the same logic apply, with regards to asking more of the 1010 than it can deliver?

From what I can find, the CA 1010 is rated @ 120w/ch @ 4ohm.

I have not found Totem speakers to be hard to drive, in my experience. IIRC, the Rainmakers are listed at 30-100w suggested to drive them.

IMO, I think they would do fine with the power that you can feed them.

tonyb

jimithng23 wrote: »

We noted earlier the 9s would be difficult for the CA-1010 to drive and as such, the 703swould be a better match.

The conversation has now expanded to include the Concertinos and the Rainmakers. Quick and easy research indicates the Rainmakers are 4ohm. Would not the same logic apply, with regards to asking more of the 1010 than it can deliver?

That's just the start.....the conversation can easily expand to hundreds of choices.

Let me ask you a question for giggles.....do you feel comfortable putting the strain of a 4 ohm speaker on a piece of gear that old ?

If yes, then don't worry about a 4 ohm bookie....floorstander may be different though. Lots depends on the impedance swings in a given speaker. Some say 4 ohm NOMINAL, which means it can go to 3 ohm, possibly 2 ohm under the right conditions. Not so sure in the old girls ability to handle that....but if the volume is kept reasonable, you may be ok.

If no, then get an 8 ohm speaker.....or plan on upgrading.

Many of us work on the theory that it's better to have the power and not need it all, than to need it and not have it.

Upstatemax

tonyb wrote: »

jimithng23 wrote: »

We noted earlier the 9s would be difficult for the CA-1010 to drive and as such, the 703swould be a better match.

The conversation has now expanded to include the Concertinos and the Rainmakers. Quick and easy research indicates the Rainmakers are 4ohm. Would not the same logic apply, with regards to asking more of the 1010 than it can deliver?

That's just the start.....the conversation can easily expand to hundreds of choices.

Let me ask you a question for giggles.....do you feel comfortable putting the strain of a 4 ohm speaker on a piece of gear that old ?

If yes, then don't worry about a 4 ohm bookie....floorstander may be different though. Lots depends on the impedance swings in a given speaker. Some say 4 ohm NOMINAL, which means it can go to 3 ohm, possibly 2 ohm under the right conditions. Not so sure in the old girls ability to handle that....but if the volume is kept reasonable, you may be ok.

If no, then get an 8 ohm speaker.....or plan on upgrading.

Many of us work on the theory that it's better to have the power and not need it all, than to need it and not have it.

It would all depend on the condition of the gear...

If it's well kept and and not abused, I don't think it would have any issue running a set of Rainmakers.

As I said before, I have not found them to be difficult to drive at all. The dealer had a smaller NAD C 316BEE integrated running them to fairly impressive levels.

jimithng23

tonyb wrote: »

jimithng23 wrote: »

Let me ask you a question for giggles.....do you feel comfortable putting the strain of a 4 ohm speaker on a piece of gear that old ?

If yes, then don't worry about a 4 ohm bookie....floorstander may be different though. Lots depends on the impedance swings in a given speaker. Some say 4 ohm NOMINAL, which means it can go to 3 ohm, possibly 2 ohm under the right conditions. Not so sure in the old girls ability to handle that....but if the volume is kept reasonable, you may be ok.

If no, then get an 8 ohm speaker.....or plan on upgrading.

Many of us work on the theory that it's better to have the power and not need it all, than to need it and not have it.

The old girl has been recapped and restored, very well I might add.








I've thought about lugging her down to the basement and see how she handles the 15s but putting a 4ohm load on her for an extended period of time is not, and has never been my intent with this piece. As pretty as she is, at some point I want her to be the center piece of a system I can show off in more of a main room of my home. You know, have a couple over for dinner, some wine, and some good tunes...IMO, she looks good enough, and sounds good enough, to deserve conversation.

msg

dang. very nice piece. walnut?
did you do the recap yo-seff?

jimithng23 wrote: »

The old girl has been recapped and restored, very well I might add.

I've thought about lugging her down to the basement and see how she handles the 15s but putting a 4ohm load on her for an extended period of time is not, and has never been my intent with this piece. As pretty as she is, at some point I want her to be the center piece of a system I can show off in more of a main room of my home. You know, have a couple over for dinner, some wine, and some good tunes...IMO, she looks good enough, and sounds good enough, to deserve conversation.

jimithng23

Yes, walnut.

No, I did not do this myself. I don't posses these Jedi skills!

Couldn't believe as I was browsing through AK a few months back, when I saw the listing and noticed the owner/restorer was 45 minutes from my front door.

Once I returned home, I unhooked the old Marantz 2270, got the Yammy connected and powered it up.... could not believe the difference in sound. The 2270 immediately went on the trading block. Ended up swapping the 2270 for an extremely nice Technics SL1200 MK2.

This hobby is something else, isn't it?

Nightfall

I have a CA-1010. It powered my 4 ohm (and 3 ohm at points) RTA-12B's just fine.

Maybe I am more careful than the average music listener with the volume dial? I don't know. Take that for what it's worth to you.

D_M

jimithng23,

Have you tried looking at elegant furniture? You know, under the guise of a spot to place an amplifier. "Honey, you are right. This audio stuff really takes away from the decor. What do you think about this piece of furniture that would conceal everything?"

msg

jimithng23 wrote: »

Yes, walnut.
No, I did not do this myself. I don't posses these Jedi skills!

Couldn't believe as I was browsing through AK a few months back, when I saw the listing and noticed the owner/restorer was 45 minutes from my front door.

Once I returned home, I unhooked the old Marantz 2270, got the Yammy connected and powered it up.... could not believe the difference in sound. The 2270 immediately went on the trading block. Ended up swapping the 2270 for an extremely nice Technics SL1200 MK2.

This hobby is something else, isn't it?

Indeed it is.

wow, that's pretty lucky! and to usurp the 2270... people love those things, so that's making bit of a statement.

Man, I just looked that thing up on Hifiengine. nice specs.
Can't remember whether the 4Ω / 8Ω thing is still a question/consideration, but here's the spec sheet in case you don't have the original, and haven't seen the numbers. looks like it does have a 4Ω rating. I don't really know what all these numbers mean, but I did notice that when I did the screen capture, the vertical dimension ended comfortably at 705. Coincidence? I think not.

jimithng23

Yep, I have the owner's manual saved here as a pdf file.

My question, or concern, however you choose to look at it, was the fact the spec sheet does not indicate a spec for 4ohm speakers while in Class A operation. This is typically how I use this amp at night relaxing after a long day at work with a glass of single malt scotch. I only flip the switch to Normal (Class A/B)and crank the volume knob a few times throughout the week -- mainly on my off days while doing stuff around the house -- and never for extended periods of time.

That said, I don't think I'm too worried about running the amp in A/B with a 4ohm speaker, while at my regular listening levels. I'd just have to pay close attention when I do decide to crank it up.

I really never expected to replace the 2270 -- it was truly a gorgeous example. However, I couldn't justify keeping it around waiting for me to build a system around it when I knew the market is currently strong on vintage Marantz gear. So I figured I could use it as trade bait for a piece I really wanted. Also, I'm sure the Yammy outshined the 2270 due to the restoration. Had the 2270 been fully restored -- it was super nice, but all original -- we may be having a different conversation altogether. Further, I have absolutely zero need for a tuner in any of my systems. So, the 2270 is out, the CA-1010 is in.

No regrets.

I keep looking at those Concertinos and I really, really like the looks of these speakers.

Nightfall

Even if it's set to Class A mode, I believe it automatically switches to B if the power demands go over 25 or so watts.

jimithng23

Nightfall wrote: »

Even if it's set to Class A mode, I believe it automatically switches to B if the power demands go over 25 or so watts.

If that is indeed the case, it has not been my experience.

The first (and only) time I pushed the amp up to the ~20 watt range I was getting some distortion in the midrange and on kick drum hits. Paused the track, lowered the volume to 0, flipped into "Normal (A/B)" and pressed play. Spun the volume knob back up and was clear as a bell.

Not sure if that's normal or not, but it's what I experience. So I know now if I'm going to listen at higher volumes to flip the switch to Normal.

All this being said, I'd likely need to keep the amp in Normal mode regardless if I go 9s, 703s, Totems, or Concertinos.