Another LSiM 705 Review
DarqueKnight
Posts: 6,765
Introduction
Figure 1. Such Good Sound! The LSiM 705s were outstanding performers in both music and movies.
I discussed the 705's performance with movies in another thread. The electronics and cables used for this two channel music evaluation were:
Bryston BDP-1 digital player with external Samsung EVO 840 500 GB solid state drive.
Sony TA-E9000ES preamp/processor with integrated DAC, ver. 2.01
Adcom GFA-5500 power amp (200 wpc 8 ohms)
PS Audio P10 AC regenerator for all electronics
PS Audio AC-5 power cord for AC regenerator
PS Audio Statement SC power cords for all electronics
Signal Cable BNC-RCA digital coaxial cable, 6 feet
Monster Cable Z2 Reference speaker cables, 15 feet/side
Monster Cable Z100i interconnects, 1 meter
Isoclean audio grade fuses for power amp
HiFi Tuning Supreme audio grade fuse for AC regenerator
HiFi Tuning Silver Star audio grade for digital player
PS Audio Soloist SE in-wall passive power conditioner
Dedicated 20 amp AC circuit
Setup
The inner edges of the 705s are 7'-3" apart and each speaker outer rear corner is 12" from the rear wall. Neither speaker is close to a corner. The listener's ears are 12' from the front plane of the speakers. A center line through each speaker forms an isosceles triangle with a base length of 8.5' and sides of 14.5'. The center lines of the speakers cross at a point 1'-10' behind the listener's ears. The center line of each speaker forms an angle of 75 degrees with the triangle base. The ceiling is 12' and there are no room treatments.
Tweaks
Figure 2. The only change/upgrade was replacing the stock jumpers with homemade jumpers made from AudioQuest Go-4 speaker wire and AudioQuest BFA gold plated bananas. The stock jumpers are very good, but the AQ jumpers provided a small improvement in clarity and detail.
Packaging
The 705s arrived via UPS with no cosmetic damage, therefore the packaging, although it was a "suicide trip", did its job. In fairness, it must be noted that the packaging is designed for pallet shipping with a freight carrier and for truck delivery from store to customer. It is not designed for the rough and tumble world of package acrobatics that large, heavy items are subjected to by the likes of UPS. I could probably reuse the packaging, if it is carefully glued and taped back together.
The 705's double-wall corrugated shipping cartons were very thin and very soft. The form-fitting Styrofoam blocks were soft and spongy. In contrast, the LSi15's double-wall corrugated shipping cartons were very thick and very stiff. The LSi15's Styrofoam blocks were very thick, rigid and brick-like.
The magnetically attached grilles each had a bow that had to be gently straightened out. I did not experience any issues with the grilles falling off, even while playing bass heavy music.
Figure 3. The designated right speaker after unboxing.
Figure 4. The designated right speaker's Styrofoam packing.
Figure 5. The designated left speaker's Styrofoam packing.
Midwoofer Replacement
The 5-1/4" RD5569 midwoofer of the right speaker made a buzzing noise when low bass notes were played. Swapping these drivers between the left and right speakers confirmed that it was the right driver. I sent an email to Polk's customer service requesting a replacement driver. After no response for two days, I called CS on Thursday and was told that they hadn't gotten back to me because they were swamped. The agent entered my order and the replacement driver shipped the following Tuesday. I received it Friday of that week.
Figure 6. Phase and frequency response of defective right RD5569 driver, measured with Dayton Audio Test System Version 2.
Figure 7. Phase and frequency response of left RD5569 driver, measured with Dayton Audio Test System Version 2.
Figure 8. Phase and frequency response of replacement right RD5569 driver, measured with Dayton Audio Test System Version 2.
Good Looks And Convenience
I was impressed with the fit, finish, and styling of the LSiM series when I saw them during Polkfest 2012. Upon inspecting mine, I could not find any cosmetic flaw at all, not even under the speakers. The fit and finish was what I was accustomed to seeing on much more expensive speakers. Polk is "American HiFi", but I don't think they could have offered this level of cabinetry at this price point with domestic production.
Figure 9. The dark, rich, and mysterious finish of "Midnight Mahogany".
Figure 10. All drivers have a rubber bezel that conceals the screws and, I assume, provides some anti-diffraction benefit.
Figure 11. Rubber bezel removed from 5-1/4 mid woofer.
Figure 11. Spikes adjustable from the top are a fantastic convenience feature.
Figure 1. Such Good Sound! The LSiM 705s were outstanding performers in both music and movies.
I discussed the 705's performance with movies in another thread. The electronics and cables used for this two channel music evaluation were:
Bryston BDP-1 digital player with external Samsung EVO 840 500 GB solid state drive.
Sony TA-E9000ES preamp/processor with integrated DAC, ver. 2.01
Adcom GFA-5500 power amp (200 wpc 8 ohms)
PS Audio P10 AC regenerator for all electronics
PS Audio AC-5 power cord for AC regenerator
PS Audio Statement SC power cords for all electronics
Signal Cable BNC-RCA digital coaxial cable, 6 feet
Monster Cable Z2 Reference speaker cables, 15 feet/side
Monster Cable Z100i interconnects, 1 meter
Isoclean audio grade fuses for power amp
HiFi Tuning Supreme audio grade fuse for AC regenerator
HiFi Tuning Silver Star audio grade for digital player
PS Audio Soloist SE in-wall passive power conditioner
Dedicated 20 amp AC circuit
Setup
The inner edges of the 705s are 7'-3" apart and each speaker outer rear corner is 12" from the rear wall. Neither speaker is close to a corner. The listener's ears are 12' from the front plane of the speakers. A center line through each speaker forms an isosceles triangle with a base length of 8.5' and sides of 14.5'. The center lines of the speakers cross at a point 1'-10' behind the listener's ears. The center line of each speaker forms an angle of 75 degrees with the triangle base. The ceiling is 12' and there are no room treatments.
Tweaks
Figure 2. The only change/upgrade was replacing the stock jumpers with homemade jumpers made from AudioQuest Go-4 speaker wire and AudioQuest BFA gold plated bananas. The stock jumpers are very good, but the AQ jumpers provided a small improvement in clarity and detail.
Packaging
The 705s arrived via UPS with no cosmetic damage, therefore the packaging, although it was a "suicide trip", did its job. In fairness, it must be noted that the packaging is designed for pallet shipping with a freight carrier and for truck delivery from store to customer. It is not designed for the rough and tumble world of package acrobatics that large, heavy items are subjected to by the likes of UPS. I could probably reuse the packaging, if it is carefully glued and taped back together.
The 705's double-wall corrugated shipping cartons were very thin and very soft. The form-fitting Styrofoam blocks were soft and spongy. In contrast, the LSi15's double-wall corrugated shipping cartons were very thick and very stiff. The LSi15's Styrofoam blocks were very thick, rigid and brick-like.
The magnetically attached grilles each had a bow that had to be gently straightened out. I did not experience any issues with the grilles falling off, even while playing bass heavy music.
Figure 3. The designated right speaker after unboxing.
Figure 4. The designated right speaker's Styrofoam packing.
Figure 5. The designated left speaker's Styrofoam packing.
Midwoofer Replacement
The 5-1/4" RD5569 midwoofer of the right speaker made a buzzing noise when low bass notes were played. Swapping these drivers between the left and right speakers confirmed that it was the right driver. I sent an email to Polk's customer service requesting a replacement driver. After no response for two days, I called CS on Thursday and was told that they hadn't gotten back to me because they were swamped. The agent entered my order and the replacement driver shipped the following Tuesday. I received it Friday of that week.
Figure 6. Phase and frequency response of defective right RD5569 driver, measured with Dayton Audio Test System Version 2.
Figure 7. Phase and frequency response of left RD5569 driver, measured with Dayton Audio Test System Version 2.
Figure 8. Phase and frequency response of replacement right RD5569 driver, measured with Dayton Audio Test System Version 2.
Good Looks And Convenience
I was impressed with the fit, finish, and styling of the LSiM series when I saw them during Polkfest 2012. Upon inspecting mine, I could not find any cosmetic flaw at all, not even under the speakers. The fit and finish was what I was accustomed to seeing on much more expensive speakers. Polk is "American HiFi", but I don't think they could have offered this level of cabinetry at this price point with domestic production.
Figure 9. The dark, rich, and mysterious finish of "Midnight Mahogany".
Figure 10. All drivers have a rubber bezel that conceals the screws and, I assume, provides some anti-diffraction benefit.
Figure 11. Rubber bezel removed from 5-1/4 mid woofer.
Figure 11. Spikes adjustable from the top are a fantastic convenience feature.
Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
Comments
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The Sound
The 705s were compared to the SDA SRSs that were the home theater system's front speakers, and to the LSi15s that were the home theater system's surround speakers.
Figure 12. For a long time, I enjoyed the huge front stage provided by the SDA SRSs. However, I came to a point where I didn't particularly like the aesthetics of a room full of tower speakers. I actually had wanted to downsize the home theater speakers for a long time.
Figure 13. I lived with the LSi15s in front for a while to assure myself that I could accept and live with the smaller front stage size.
Figure 14. I was actually hoping there wouldn't be enough difference between the LSi15s and the LSiM 705s in home theater applications. I was looking to save a few bucks and keep the LSi15s in front and send the 705s back. It didn't work out that way. The LSi15s brought a knife to a gun fight...and these are LSi15s with modified crossovers.
Prior to critical listening sessions, the 705s were played in movie duty for 127 hours and then for an additional 124 hours in two channel music duty. the sound stage extended to the outer edges of the speakers, to the wall two feet behind the plane of the speakers, and from 2 to 4 feet in front of the speakers depending on the source material. Sound stage height was from the top of the speakers to a foot above the speakers, depending on the source material.
I was most impressed with the bass: tight, deep, articulate, detailed, and fast. With the exception of modded SDAs, I'd never heard bass this good from a Polk speaker. Tactile sensation and image weight were very good for a speaker of this size. The images within the sound stage were much heavier and three dimensional that those generated by the LSi15, which retailed for nearly half the price.
During the two channel mode break in period, I was constantly drawn back into the media room to listen. In the future, when I am more dedicated to audio than I am now, I will roll the 705s into my two channel system and see what they sound like with really nice gear.
References:
http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/176162/downsizing-home-theater-5-1-to-3-1/p1Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
Dude I so wanted years ago to demo the damn series. I got to demo the Bookshelf models and I was pretty impressed with the overall performance.
I didn't think they where as good as my Def Tech Mythos ST's but thats such an un fair compare. I wanted to get my hands on some floor standers as I really liked the design. I was in the program when they where being designed years ago so I felt some kind of way even before they came out.
I wish someone had a Demo program for them but with the likes of that packaging you got there I would not feel safe they would make it around a Polk demo without being destroyed.
Polk needs to use higher quality packaging materials as that crap can result in shipping damages.
Either way I so just want to sit down and listen to pair.
Love your review here man as always you do a great job. Thanks man.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
O and by the way Go 4 is awesome speaker cable, love it. I use Rocket 44 for my entire rig including the surround speakers. Love that wire as well.
I went die hard audioquest years ago and don't use anything else anymore. I find their products to be the very best in the business at any price bar none.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
What are you using as a crossover point to your sub? I still have a ways to go to break mine in but currently crossing them over at 60 Hz to my SVS 20-39 PC. I didn't care for the bass response using pure direct but that may improve with additional hours on them.
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80 Hz for movies. I do not use the sub for two channel music.Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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Good review Ray, makes me want a pair of 705Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
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Just curious if you still have these and your experiences. Wondering if you left them without any sort of room correction or used the Audyssey route? Thanks!
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Just curious if you still have these and your experiences. Wondering if you left them without any sort of room correction or used the Audyssey route? Thanks!
Yes I still have the 705s...in storage. I upgraded to the 707s. I used the Yamaha CX-A5100 pre/pro's room correction program.
I compared my 707s to the 705s here:
https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/182984/how-my-lsim-707s-sound-to-me-a-reviewProud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
Yeah he's not giving up the 705's anytime soon. I already hinted at that move.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
DarqueKnight wrote: »Just curious if you still have these and your experiences. Wondering if you left them without any sort of room correction or used the Audyssey route? Thanks!
Yes I still have the 705s...in storage. I upgraded to the 707s. I used the Yamaha CX-A5100 pre/pro's room correction program.
I compared my 707s to the 705s here:
https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/182984/how-my-lsim-707s-sound-to-me-a-review
Thank you the 705 have been my entry into hi-fi. My room and my wife would not accommodate anything larger
But it's good to know the option is there someday. -
am trying to get
1.LSiM 705
Mid-Woofer
Part number: RD5569
2.LSiM 703
Woofer
Part number: RD6578
to replace with my torn speakers .if there can i pay and be shipped to dubai by address
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As my hearing ability is slowing being lost. I have my center (LSIC) +8db. I still have the 15,s and am happy with them. Spending large amounts of money to go up the food chain may be a " fool's quest".Emotiva XPA5, Sony ES 5300,: Lsi 15,s LSIC, Monitor 70,s, ( side surrounds) FXI 3,s, (rear surrounds)Micropro4000, Velodyne DEQ 10, Sony 55inchXBR 930D Sony BDP 790 Bedroom rig SonyES 3200 RTIA1,s CSIA4 FXI3,s polk PSW 10 SONY 34inch XBR960:cool:SONY BDP550
