Lsi7 Usage

Early B.

Now that many fellas on this forum have taken advantage of the deep discounts on the Lsi7's, just wondering what you have done with them, or what your plans are for using them. Home theater, 2-channel, upgrading existing speakers, or just bought them because they were on sale but don't really have any use for them???

How do you like the sound compared to the Rti series of bookshelf speakers?

Any special tweaks you plan on making?

TheGrayGhost

I have a pair of LSi7s on the way to replace my RTi38s I'm using for the surrounds. With the addition of the 7s I'll have all LSi speakers in my home theater. I'm using LSI9s for the front and LSiC for the center.

madmax

I bought 4 of them to use as an HT. I sold the last set of 15's and 9's I had because I was more into 2 channel but figured at this price it would be worth having a HT rig. I think 4 of these, a home made Dayton DVC sub and a pieced together LSi center (had a very unpleasant trip with UPS) will make a wonderful low cost system. I just can't wait to try them out. I think I will burn them in first though. The others I had sounded like crap and I sold them before they were broken in.

BTW, anyone know if you can bi-wire the 7's ?

madmax

GregBe

The LSi7's can be bi-wired

mrmusicman

I wonder how they would sound, stacked?

VR3

Me too -- Max, try it out and let me know.

Dr. Spec

For now, I'll probably swap them out in place of the 800's and run them on stands. There won't be a timbre match, but we'll see how they sound for 2 channel after break-in. Might be a while before I even get them running.

Early B.

Dr. Spec -- I think you'll love the Lsi7's for 2-channel. I did an A/B test with my RTi70's and the Lsi7's on my 2-channel set up, and I was shocked at the results. The 7's gave my 70's a beat down. Of course the 70's had more bass, but the 7's won out with detail and greater presence. Hard to explain, but the 7's simply sounded more musical. What was really amazing was that the 70's sounded much more "laid back" than the 7's, contrary to what most people have said about the sound of the Lsi series compared to the RTi series.

Now I'm wondering what the Lsi series would sound like for HT. Damn. Now I gotta consider another upgrade. Does it ever end?

francis1967

Wouldn't two Lsi7s sound a heck of a lot better than the LsiC as a center channel setup? I am thinking for HT using a projector, considering the 7s aren't shielded. Much wider dispersion as you would have great placement options with two 7s as opposed to a single speaker, wouldn't you think? I know the the LsiC has two woofers crossedover to split the work from 2.4khz and down. Just curious if anyone has tried this?

Has anyone listened to the Kef 105.2s vs Polk old reference series?

Dr. Spec

Dr. Spec -- I think you'll love the Lsi7's for 2-channel. I did an A/B test with my RTi70's and the Lsi7's on my 2-channel set up, and I was shocked at the results. The 7's gave my 70's a beat down. Of course the 70's had more bass, but the 7's won out with detail and greater presence. Hard to explain, but the 7's simply sounded more musical. What was really amazing was that the 70's sounded much more "laid back" than the 7's, contrary to what most people have said about the sound of the Lsi series compared to the RTi series.

No surprise. I'm not expecting the 7's to lose in the SQ department against the 800's. Although I must say the 800's have been holding their own lately in critical 2-channel since I upgraded to the Outlaws.

The in-room FR of the 7's and the SVS might actually look better in the 60-200 Hz region than with the 800's. I'm getting some negative interaction between the 800's and the SVS at/near the xo that is proving difficult to tame. Should be interesting....

Sami

Originally posted by Early B.
I did an A/B test with my RTi70's and the Lsi7's on my 2-channel set up, and I was shocked at the results. The 7's gave my 70's a beat down. Of course the 70's had more bass, but the 7's won out with detail and greater presence.

I'll second that. Hard decision for me to make. To replace the 70's in HT or build a separate (surround) music setup? I might have to settle for HT setup and use it for 2ch as well. I might have 3 RTi70's for sale soon if anyone is interested...

jdhdiggs

Originally posted by francis1967
Wouldn't two Lsi7s sound a heck of a lot better than the LsiC as a center channel setup? I am thinking for HT using a projector, considering the 7s aren't shielded. Much wider dispersion as you would have great placement options with two 7s as opposed to a single speaker, wouldn't you think? I know the the LsiC has two woofers crossedover to split the work from 2.4khz and down. Just curious if anyone has tried this?

Has anyone listened to the Kef 105.2s vs Polk old reference series?

I'm using only one as a center and found it worked quite well. Now I'm putting it back in the box to do a break in comparison between the three pair in a week or so...

Sami

Anyone selling ONE LSi7? I would need one for center, otherwise I will have to settle for 5.1 and an extra LSi7 that will not be used.

jdhdiggs

Buy another pair and put two as your center...

Sami

Originally posted by jdhdiggs
Buy another pair and put two as your center...

With everyone so picky about what to use to power these speakers, wouldn't it be a bit too much to run 8 LSi7's with H/K AVR7200?

I was thinking I would keep the setup as 3 * RTi70 + 4 * LSi7 but the 7's sound so much better (with 80Hz or 100Hz crossover, too boomy below).

jdhdiggs

Are you using an equilizer? On my receiver, the LSi's are anything but boomy and I need to add some bass to fill in the sound. On the two channel rig with the passive pre, the bass is spot on... Get two more pair and replace the 70's!... If you run them in serial mode, it is an easier load on your reciever.

Sami

Already have three pairs so I would only need one more, or just buy one more pair. Too bad my co-worker decided to return his and didn't ask me first if I wanted them.

Bass on these things is too boomy for my taste, produces that dreaded plonk sound. That is why I'm thinking of adding an equalizer or just play with the crossover.

Dr. Spec

I think you'll love the Lsi7's for 2-channel. I did an A/B test with my RTi70's and the Lsi7's on my 2-channel set up, and I was shocked at the results. The 7's gave my 70's a beat down.

The 7's spanked my 800's in the first 5 seconds. A more detailed review to follow after they break in and I get my PB2-Ultra review out of the way over at HTF.

jdhdiggs

Originally posted by Dr. Spec
The 7's spanked my 800's in the first 5 seconds. A more detailed review to follow after they break in and I get my PB2-Ultra review out of the way over at HTF.

Told ya that you should have gotten two more pair...

kingkip

Yea, the 7's kicked my 70's butts in music. However, I still like the 70's for movies, I thought the effects sounded more broad and fuller.

faster100

Yes the 7's i received sound great on music, however the 70's have more shear impact for movies... The 2 channel rig they sound great on, on the rotel and adcom pre, i also did a test between the rti38's and 7's.. again the 38's had a bit more bass/impact... but the 7's came above in clearity and accuracy.. the tweeter is the better componet in these for sure.. My 2 channel rig isnt for slam and bass anyways... its for easy listening, jazz, some classic cd's i have... kenny G and such... No tuner, just a cd player, pre and rotel amp.. simple and smooth... no sub, It sounds fantastic... one of my better purchases besides my SVS

timothyj

Dr. Spec, I don't mean to rush you and I know that you are in your break-in period with the lsi 7's, but I'm eager to hear your thoughts as I have a similar set-up and have a chance to buy some 7's for about $250.

I am a conductor and vocalist, my listening tastes consist mostly of choral and chamber music - I'm hoping the 7's will give me a smoother and more natural sound on top. Also, how do the seven's work when you use them alongside the rti's in HT?

How about the lsi vs. the $550 magnaplars for classical music?

Dr. Spec

Jump all over that for $250.

Hindsight is 20/20, but I would have paid far more than $250 now that I have had time to audition the 7's.

The 7's project into the room beautifully for a small speaker. The soundstage is deep, wide, and also sometimes even projects to the sides of your head.

Imaging is more refined and focused, with better detail and a sense of air around instruments like acoustic guitar.

Vocals are more laid back than the 800's, but are also more natural sounding. The tri-lam in the 800's is a bit bright at times and this can make certain recordings sound a bit strident on certain voices. The 7's do not display that trait.

The 800's tri-lam is a very detailed tweeter, with good sound on horns and cymbals. It is occasionally sibilant, again depending on the recording. The 7's Vifa has a remarkably realistic sound on cymbals has even more focus and refinement than the tri-lam, and isn't sibilant, even on crappy recordings.

Intangibles? The 7's are very neutral, uncolored, and almost stoic in their presentation. The 800's are a more emotionally involving speaker, but they are not as accurate sounding.

I have not heard the Maggies, but there is a HUGE thread on that model over at AVS. Check it out.

With respect to timbre match, I calibrated the 7's to match the other Polk speakers in my HT system and was pleasantly surprised that the CS400i (with its tri-lam dome tweeter and also being driven by an M200) blended pretty well with the LSi7's across the front stage. Ditto for high res surround using the fx1000's (also with trim-lam tweeter) on the sides. Granted, the front stage timbre match isn't perfect, but it's very liveable for someone in transition mode from RTi to LSi.

Early B.

The 7's definitely sound much better if they're not taxed with any low frequency material. They sound flat with some recordings that have even moderate levels of bass. That's why I needed to get a subwoofer for my 2-channel system. My temporary solution is a Velodyne VX10. Ordered it today for only $115 from 6th Ave. I'll use it for a while, then get what I really want. Not sure what that is yet, but it needs to be a real small box for the living room and one that won't break the bank.

Sami

I was going to write that the 7's sounded a bit rubberish and boomy on the low end (crossover at 80Hz so not that low). 100Hz they sounded too thin so I went back to 80Hz and did another round of listening. Turned out it was more about the instruments and recordings that were causing the sound.

While Santana was a dissappointment (relatively speaking), Tina Turner and The Doors sounded like nothing before. If you're doing a/b testing with these speakers I recommend you put on 'Riders of the storm' and 'Severed garden' by The Doors.

Certainly much better than the RTi70's; cleaner, clearer. These babies like to be played LOUD. The more you crank them up, the better they sound.

(equipment used: H/K AVR7200, Denon DVD-1600, 2/5 * LSi7, SVS 16-46PCi)