LSi15 --> DB840 upgrade

acmf74
acmf74 Posts: 936
Doing it next weekend...

Amazon has them for 39.44 each & ships free for anyone thinking of pulling the trigger.

Comments

  • PSOVLSK
    PSOVLSK Posts: 5,021
    The upgrade isn't earth-shaking, but it's well worth doing...especially at this price.
    Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden
  • acmf74
    acmf74 Posts: 936
    edited March 2017
    Thanks.. just got a price adjustment.
  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,032
    PSOVLSK wrote: »
    The upgrade isn't earth-shaking, but it's well worth doing...especially at this price.
    Year ago I always felt this was the weakest point of the LSi-15 speakers. I never got to hear how this upgrades sounds. Can you explain your thoughts on it?
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
  • K_M
    K_M Posts: 1,627
    mantis wrote: »
    PSOVLSK wrote: »
    The upgrade isn't earth-shaking, but it's well worth doing...especially at this price.
    Year ago I always felt this was the weakest point of the LSi-15 speakers. I never got to hear how this upgrades sounds. Can you explain your thoughts on it?

    We did it on our first set of Lsi15's.
    I guess to explain it quickly, it reduces the boominess of the upper bass a decent bit.

    The rest of the bass honestly sounds pretty much identical.
    But we found with our 2nd set of Lsi15's different placement yielded a somewhat similar sound.
    Seems the Lsi15 do not like being close to corners at all. On our 2nd set, they are on a very wide wall about 7 foot from any corner and the boomy issue is totally gone.
  • mrbigbluelight
    mrbigbluelight Posts: 9,199
    There's a thread on here somewhere about this upgrade. General consensus was it was worth it, not a HUGE improvement, but really smoothed things out. I'd post a link, but I'll get lost/sidetracked, and wind up looking at cat videos (which, of course isn't a bad thing, but ....)

    One of the commenters on the Amazon page, "Faradave" posted a pic of his use of a "couple" of DB840's.

    vqlh0getf4gz.jpg

    I could be wrong (as IF !), but I think this might be drifting a little bit into the area of "Overkill".
    ..... unless you're having "The Who" stop by for a BBQ and impromptu jam session in your backyard coliseum. :D
    96 DB40's. You'd probably want to check on the noise ordinances of your HOA before proceeding.

    TL:/DR good upgrade. Post some pics when you're done. :)
    Sal Palooza
  • ZLTFUL
    ZLTFUL Posts: 5,640
    Grabbed a pair even though my LSi15s are for sale.
    "Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."

    "Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,517
    acmf74 wrote: »
    Doing it next weekend...

    Amazon has them for 39.44 each & ships free for anyone thinking of pulling the trigger.

    I'm sure you know this already, but be sure to REMOVE the stock rubber gasket around it. It doesnt fit with it, and it would look horrible if it did. Use Armacell on the inner baffle and on the back of the driver and your golden.

    I'd also rotate the sub so you are NOT using the same holes as the original drivers to ensure better grip with the screws.
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • hochpt21
    hochpt21 Posts: 5,423
    To me...it didn't necessarily add any output, but just made the speaker more coherent as a whole.

    I loved my 15's and even more after the upgrade.

    Not life changing, but well worth it.
    2 ChannelTurntable - VPI Classic 2/Ortofon 2M BlueAmplification - Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II, Parks Audio Budgie PhonoSpeakers - GoldenEar Triton 17.2 Home TheaterDenon AVR-X3300W; Rotel RMB-1066; Klipsch RP-280F's, Klipsch RP-450C, Polk FXi3's, Polk RC60i; Dual SVS PB 2000's; BenQ HT2050; Elite Screens 120"Man CaveTurntable - Pro-Ject 2.9 Wood/Grado GoldAmplification - Dared SL2000a, McCormack DNA 0.5 DeluxeCD: Cambridge AudioSpeakers - Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary; LSiM 703; SDA 2A
  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,330
    K_M wrote: »
    mantis wrote: »
    PSOVLSK wrote: »
    Seems the Lsi15 do not like being close to corners at all. On our 2nd set, they are on a very wide wall about 7 foot from any corner and the boomy issue is totally gone.

    This is very true even with the upgrade. Another things to do is seal the hole where the wires pass through to the upper section. I have heard of other Dynamatting the port tube but I haven't tried this yet.
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
  • acmf74
    acmf74 Posts: 936
    edited March 2017
    Thanks for the tips. I enjoy the lsi15s but feel the bottom end tends to loosen up a bit. This upgrade looks like it will alleviate the issue.

    How long for them to break in about?

    looking to get the LSiM 705 in the future. from what i read they seem to be heads and shoulders over the LSi15s.
  • hochpt21
    hochpt21 Posts: 5,423
    acmf74 wrote: »
    Thanks for the tips. I enjoy the lsi15s but feel the bottom end tends to loosen up a bit. This upgrade looks like it will alleviate the issue.

    How long for them to break in about?

    looking to get the LSiM 705 in the future. from what i read they seem to be heads and shoulders over the LSi15s.

    My opinion only....

    The 705 is a better speaker than the 15's.

    However, when I stepped up from the Monitor 70's to the LSi15's...I went slackjawed. I still remember the moment to this day. For weeks, I would have the feeling at work that I just couldn't wait to get home to listen to music.

    When I went from the LSi15's to the LSiM705's, I was disappointed. Not disappointed in that the 705's were a bad speaker, but in the fact that I was expecting the same jaw-dropping feeling from upgrading, which I didn't.

    So part of this is just my inexperience and expectations, and I must reiterate...THE 705 IS THE BETTER SPEAKER. Simply, I just personally wouldn't say 'head and shoulders' better. The 15 is a damn good speaker too.
    2 ChannelTurntable - VPI Classic 2/Ortofon 2M BlueAmplification - Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II, Parks Audio Budgie PhonoSpeakers - GoldenEar Triton 17.2 Home TheaterDenon AVR-X3300W; Rotel RMB-1066; Klipsch RP-280F's, Klipsch RP-450C, Polk FXi3's, Polk RC60i; Dual SVS PB 2000's; BenQ HT2050; Elite Screens 120"Man CaveTurntable - Pro-Ject 2.9 Wood/Grado GoldAmplification - Dared SL2000a, McCormack DNA 0.5 DeluxeCD: Cambridge AudioSpeakers - Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary; LSiM 703; SDA 2A
  • PSOVLSK
    PSOVLSK Posts: 5,021
    mantis wrote: »
    PSOVLSK wrote: »
    The upgrade isn't earth-shaking, but it's well worth doing...especially at this price.
    Year ago I always felt this was the weakest point of the LSi-15 speakers. I never got to hear how this upgrades sounds. Can you explain your thoughts on it?
    hochpt21 wrote: »
    To me...it didn't necessarily add any output, but just made the speaker more coherent as a whole.

    I loved my 15's and even more after the upgrade.

    Not life changing, but well worth it.

    Pretty much my thoughts, but I did feel as though there was tad more output and the bass was a bit tighter.
    Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden
  • acmf74
    acmf74 Posts: 936
    Is Armacell recommended over Moretite?
  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,517
    acmf74 wrote: »
    Is Armacell recommended over Moretite?

    Yes, more for ease of install/uninstall purposes than anything to do with sound quality, etc.
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • acmf74
    acmf74 Posts: 936
    acmf74 wrote: »
    Is Armacell recommended over Moretite?

    Yes, more for ease of install/uninstall purposes than anything to do with sound quality, etc.

    What size and length of Armacell is recommended? Thanks again.
  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,517
    acmf74 wrote: »
    acmf74 wrote: »
    Is Armacell recommended over Moretite?

    Yes, more for ease of install/uninstall purposes than anything to do with sound quality, etc.

    What size and length of Armacell is recommended? Thanks again.

    I just bought a roll of it at Home Depot and put it on the opening and the speaker and then trimmed the excess off. I'm not sure they have different widths or lengths.

    A single roll would be all you need and then some.
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • Airplay355
    Airplay355 Posts: 4,298
    You don’t need to use goo to make a new gasket. The db woofers come with a rubber gasket. Remove it and cut it in half so you have a flatter thinner gasket. You’ll also need to cut out a small portion of the gasket so that it fits in the smaller opening. I cut it once and removed the portion that overlapped. Not sure if I’m explaining wellbut I did this for both woofers and it worked or great :)
  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 9,969
    I'm going to be putting a pair of DB840's up for sale presently. If someone is interested in a pair, please PM me.