Polk LSi15 pair on CL for $550, good deal or not?

classic carl

These are on my local CL. Is the asking price a good deal or not? They look to be in good shape. It appears that they are from 2002, according to info I found on the web. These do not have the integral sub, but a side firing 8" woofer instead.

LSi15
Make the remarkable LSi 15 the heart and soul of your high
performance stereo or multi-channel sound system. It features
all the extraordinary technologies found in the LSi25 model,
in a slightly smaller enclosure with an 8" non-powered
side-firing woofer.
Mirror-imaged pairs for tightly focused highs
and true three-dimensional imaging.
8" woofer for full-range performance from all sources.
Two 5 1/4" drivers with Aerated Polypropylene Cones
for wide response and low distortion.
Ultra high resolution Ring Radiator tweeters
for superior detail and transparency.
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
45 1/2" H X 8 5/8" W X 13" D
(115.57CM H X 21.91CM W X 33.02CM D)
OVERALL FREQUENCY RESPONSE 22HZ - 27kHZ.

I copied the CL ad text below for posterity. No affiliation.

https://erie.craigslist.org/ele/d/erie-polk-lsi-15-floor-standing-speakers/7216988866.html

Polk Lsi 15 Floor-Standing Speakers. Great condition. One speaker has an area of about two inches in length, probably a manufacturing quality control issue, where the grill cloth is not fully attached to the grill cloth frame. In my opinion, this is no take away from look or value of the speakers. Any question, please ask. Price is firm! Thanks for looking!

DaveHo

Too much. I ending up getting $440 for my absolutely mint ebony pair about a month ago. Started at $600(knew it was overpriced) and got zero interest until I dropped below $500. If the seller is really firm at that price, he'll be holding onto them for awhile.

msg

How would you be using them Carl? And what would you be powering them with?

I'm curious because I just recently rediscovered the LSi7s, and am working to integrate a couple of modest subs. Enjoying this setup for music, but have been curious about LSi9s, which is what the top section of the LSi15 looks to be.

Dave, can the LSi15 stand on their own, or do they need a sub as well? How did you run yours, and were they for music, TV or both?

DaveHo

I ran them without a sub for music, with a sub for movies/TV. You could get by without a sub for music, but the bass on the 15's is kind of bloated & thick. And that was with them several feet from any wall. Supposedly the DB840 driver swap takes care of that issue, but they are nearly impossible to find.

Before the 15s I had 9s paired with an SVS SB12 NSD sub. I would consider that combo superior to the 15s. Had 7's at one point too. They definitely needed a sub.

Now using 703's. They are better than any stock Lsi speaker IMHO. Can even get by without a sub for music. Also have 705s. They are currently in storage thanks to our young cats & claws. I think they are almost mature enough than I can break them out again. 705s best all of them.

msg

Ah, great info on the LSi9s/SVS combo, that's exactly what I was thinking, and think may be a better option for Carl than the LSi15s, for the flexibility of being able to chose the low frequency fill portion.

I agree on 703s, definitely a favorite, and very capable, but there's just something about this LSi7/Sub combo drawing me in as of late.

Carl, what do you think about large bookshelf/sub combos?

classic carl

I'm not really in the market for these. I was just curious. I just sold 2 pairs of speakers and my wife asked if that meant I was going to buy more.

I was using a pair of Paradigm Monitor 9 v1 as the fronts in my HT. I sold them and a pair of Polk Monitor 5Jr+ Series 2 a few days ago. I brought the EPI 180 pair that I restored and could not sell (no interest) up from the basement. They're sitting on top of the Polk PSW450 subs and sound pretty damn good.

We're leaving for the winter in a few weeks, so there is no need to buy speakers in the near future. Prior to using the Paradigm towers as the HT fronts, I was using a pair of Polk RT55i, but I took them to our winter residence last year and left them there.

Thanks for the comments and info.

msg

Hehe, funny, she's watching you.

I almost picked up a pair of RT55i to try a few weeks ago, but missed them. How do you like them? Are they for a combo use system?

classic carl

Here is the HT and 2 channel systems.



These were let go of last weekend.

msg

NICE!!

hochpt21

I sold my 15s with the upgraded woofers for $500 about 7 years ago.

They were the first real wow speakers on my little journey. They get you about 80% of the way to the 705’s imo.

Given the prices of the LSiM’s on sale and the secondary market, and the age of the LSi $400-$450 is probably the value buy price.

VSAT88

Just bought these for 200.00 two weeks ago. Very nice shape too.

classic carl

msg wrote: »

Hehe, funny, she's watching you.

I almost picked up a pair of RT55i to try a few weeks ago, but missed them. How do you like them? Are they for a combo use system?

I like the sound of the RT55i in the HT and by themselves. The other Polk speakers in my HT use the exact same tweeter and blue coned woofer as the RT55i and RT800i. The RT55i is basically the same as the CS400i center, except that it's orinted vertically and both woofers are at the bottom as opposed to the CS400i where the tweeter is between the woofers.

I originally had a pair of RT800i towers as my HT fronts. I liked them, but a friend liked them more and wanted to buy them about 6 years ago. I sold him those and bought the RT55i pair (on this forum) to replace them in my HT. Same drivers in both pairs, and with the low xover point set to 80hz on the subs, It was an even swap as far as I was concerned. I acquired the Paradigms in a trade a couple of years later and I would have preferred to take them to our condo in FL, but I never had enough room in the SUV, so the RT55i went south and the Paradigms replaced them in the HT until last week when I sold them. Again, another friend wanted them more than I did.

The condo system is simple, but it sounds good. It consists of a 60 wpc Yamaha RX-485 receiver that was a throw-in on a deal for other gear I found locally on CL a few years ago, the RT55i speakers, a Logitech Squeezebox, and a Topping D30 DAC. There is a cheapo Emerson DVD/CD player that was left by the previous owner, but it does have a digital out. I may connect the TV to the DAC also. My entire CD collection is ripped to my laptop in lossless format. The laptop, DAC, and Squeezebox travel back and forth with me. It's not a very big space. The Polks fill it up easily, but if I ever have the room, I'd like to bring the Polks back for the HT and take the EPI 180 pair to the condo and leave them there.

msg

Sounds like you have some good, satisfactory setups going.

VSAT88 wrote: »

Just bought these for 200.00 two weeks ago. Very nice shape too.

Woh, what a steal. Guess that's a strong second to Carl's question re: too much for the local CL ones.