LSI9 questions

Braddles63

So i have wanted a pair of LSI9's for a long time and finally got a pair a month ago. I have replaces the caps and resistors with Sonicaps and mills. The only one i left was the 260uf.

Well after 3 weeks of solid running 15 hours a day I'm a little disappointed. They are very dynamic and smooth but Compared to my stock SDA CRS+ the 9's sound rather flat in the top end and are trying way too hard to produce more bass than they should. Especially with bass heavy music. I have had them 2.5' out into the room to try and tame the base down which works to some extent but the balance seems to favour the bottom end too much. Good with 70's & 80's music but anything with heavier or complex bass passages they start to trip over themselves a bit and the bass lacks some definition.

Im running a Yamaha A700 amp which has around 160wpc into 4 ohms. Room is 14' x 10'. I have them on on 26" lead shot filled stands. The same ones i use for my SDA CRS+.

So if i spend the money on replacing the 260uf cap will this improve the bass quality?
Will more power improve any or all of the above?
Or should i just cut my losses and realise that they will not be as good as the CRS's no matter what i do?

Cheers.

erniejade

Are you running any tone or loudness controls?

K_M

The Lsi9 are very highly regarded sound wise.

You have changed from a much older speaker that had a far different tonal balance, to something newer that you are not used to at all.

You said they sound "Flat" on the top end.

Meaning flat as in neutral and balanced or flat as in the CRS have a treble peak, that is not present in the Lsi9 and you are familiar with that sound, so therefore it sounds "Wrong"?

Are you using tone controls? Loudness contour, equalization?

From your description, It seems you became used to one speaker, and changing to a new sound, whether more neutral and accurate or not, find it hard to accept the new sound.

K_M

Placement matters a lot also.
Many variables.
The lsi9 has a bit too much bass in the 100-220hz range.

http://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_9_3/polk-lsi9-speakers-9-2002.html

Some like that sound, some do not.

Also, a bit apples/oranges comparison, as one has (2) 6.5" woofers, in a box over twice the size as the other having (2) 5.25" woofers.

The CRS by default will have better deeper bass for sure, but its abilities are better midrange and treble quality and resolution. Assuming something is not amiss.

Braddles63

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I have the amp on full direct so all tone controls are bypassed.

I tried to correct with bass control but the amp sounds better on direct.

Don't really agree about the apples and oranges. They are both stand mounts. Very different tech I concede.
If anything the smaller lsi9 sounds more bass heavy. Even when placed further out into the room.

I probably shouldn't have mentioned the SDA's. I have many other speakers through here in recent years, Polks and other brands, so my thoughts on the LSI9's are not just compared to the SDA's.

Its not that I don't like them. I'm just looking for some advice weather I can make some changed that will make me like them more.

11tsteve

I have fully modded crossovers in my Lsi9, and if you go to film caps replacing the the 260uF, it is a real treat cramming it in there. I have 2 130uF, and built the mid/high sections off of the rear plate, and had to run hookup wire to separate board with those caps.
My room is currently awful. That being said, I run a sub in my system, and as the Lsi9 burned in, I found myself gradually turning down, eliminating the sub. I occasionally still use it, crossed over as low as it will go, as I find the Lsi9 bass to be fairly well controlled in the lower frequencies.

pkquat

Are you saying mid and treble became softer once you rebuilt the crossover?

This may be sacrilege but you might try some light foam in or around the rear and / or front ports. You might also try heavier or a more sound dampening foam or heavy cloth near the sides of the rear port and move them back closer the rear the wall.

Braddles63

One of the caps I the tweeter circuit was bad when I bought them so I rebuilt them straight away.
I'm going to take them over to a mates place who has some more powerful amps and see what that brings. If I think it's worth it I will see if I can borrow one to try at home.

tonyb

The LSI 9's are by design a tad bit heavier on the bottom end. You need an amp with some current behind them though, that Yammie seems a bit light in the shoes.

At the end of the day, you just may not prefer them, no shame in that either.

K_M

Braddles63 wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I have the amp on full direct so all tone controls are bypassed.

I tried to correct with bass control but the amp sounds better on direct.

Its not that I don't like them. I'm just looking for some advice weather I can make some changed that will make me like them more.

Okay forgetting about the comparison to the older SDA speaker.

Do you have them equal distances from the back and side walls?

You mentioned 2.5 feet out. What distance from the side walls?
I know with mine, when they were close to the side AND back walls about 3 feet both ways, they were quite upper bass heavy and did not sound great.

Finally I moved them to another room, where they were about 2.5-3ft from the back wall, but about 5 foot from the side walls and they went from okay to great sounding.

It's tough to determine without hearing in person, but the combination of the built in bass boost in the 100-220 Range combined with being somewhat or close to a corner, will amplify this range even more and make them sound muddy and heavy.

We had a similar problem with our Lsi15.

It seems Polk Voiced the Lsi series to boost that bass range intentionally.

Of course if you move them out too far, you lose the deep bass, but get rid of the muddy bass sound.

The way ours sounded best honestly was dialing in about 2-2.5db of bass cut at 160hz on an amp that has that capability, combined with the spacing further from the side walls.

There may be literally no perfect solution to this, but experiment with placement.

Braddles63

Thanks again people.

I have tried shifting them around. 2.5 feet from the back wall and 3 plus feet from side walls. Tried them closer together and further apart. Out into the room is better for sure but not always practical.

I know the use of black hole is common in vintage speakers but has anyone tried it in the lsi's?

K_M

Braddles63 wrote: »

Thanks again people.

I have tried shifting them around. 2.5 feet from the back wall and 3 plus feet from side walls. Tried them closer together and further apart. Out into the room is better for sure but not always practical.

I know the use of black hole is common in vintage speakers but has anyone tried it in the lsi's?

Honestly while many think they are a great small speaker and they have received very good reviews, perhaps they are just not your cup of tea.

Not all speakers are for everyone.

I like mine a lot, but only after I equalized them a bit, to remove the mid bass bump they have built in.

Moving them out more from walls will do this to some extent, but will also lose the deep bass and so on.

Not sure cabinet treatments, are going to truly solve the issue.
The speaker intentionally has about a 3db or so boost to the Mid bass range from about 100-220hz. The crossover could be changed completely to do this, but it is directly a result of having one woofer only play up to about 200hz to purposely create that type of bass sound.

erniejade

When I had the 9's, I did not block the hole but, give it a shot.
Lots of speakers now come with plugs actually.