LSiM vs. Legend...

New24k
New24k Posts: 74
in Speakers
For those of you who have owned/auditioned/heard/etc. both the LSiM line and the Legend line...

Which, in your opinion, would be better for music, movies, and both music and movies.

My guess would be LSiM...

Your thoughts?

Thanks!
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Comments

  • New24k
    New24k Posts: 74
    Here's a first!

    No one has an opinion... :)
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,949
    New24k wrote: »
    For those of you who have owned/auditioned/heard/etc. both the LSiM line and the Legend line...

    Maybe nobody here has lived with both extensively and can therefore meet your criteria.
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,949
    Instead of LSiM vs Legend maybe just tell us more about your existing setup, goals, listening preferences, room size, etc. You might not want to close yourself into selecting between just two lines from Polk.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,646
    Read the L200 demo review thread.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,015
    I have both 703’s and L200’s. Like F1 says, lots has been written. Bottom line for me, LSiM very good speakers. The Adorama sales made the LSiM the best bang for the buck out there. The Legend is the logical extension of a long development of Polk heritage. The Legends have a better top end. The LSiM had such a good bottom end I can’t say the Legend are “better” on the bottom end but they are also surprisingly good for their size. The 703’s are 3-ways and the L200’s are 2-ways. Usually I prefer the 3-way but Polk did an excellent job with the 2-way Legends. I’ve used them both for music and HT and they are excellent for both but of course they won’t sound as well with less than good kit. With top shelf gear they can really shine. Obviously, if you can find the LSiM on sale it wouldn’t make sense to pay full price or slightly reduced price for the Legend. Too bad the 75 percent off sales are gone for the LSiM’s. Neither one is bright like some of the previous Polks that were more HT oriented. In my opinion, both are good for both music and HT but like I said with average gear they aren’t going to blow your sack back. They are made for top shelf gear.
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  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 8,121
    New24k wrote: »
    Here's a first!

    No one has an opinion... :)

    https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/188179/polk-l200-speaker-demo-reviews/p1

    And yes, I would encourage you the same as @Clipdat. So many option out there at these price points, no need for brand loyalty lol...
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
    Game Room 5.1.4:     Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra
    Bedroom 2.1     Harmon Kardon HK3490; Bluesounds Node N130; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
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  • Hansvelton
    Hansvelton Posts: 151
    Wow, I am behind the times guys!

    I am still living with Lsi9s and an Lsic and Sub.

    Have heard the Lsim703 and while a great speaker, did not feel the need to purchase them. Although that may change in the somewhat near future.
    Looking at the Lsim703 to replace Lsi9s.

    But see it as somewhat of a side move, not a huge improvement. I feel the mids were a bit smoother with it, but still not some world changing move.
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  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,015
    I also have the LSi-9’s and like I said in my opinion Polk has made improvements with each iteration from the LSi to the LSiM to the Legend. LSi-9 are excellent speakers, so are the LSi-7’s which are arguably better than the 9’s with a sub. The LSiM 703 in my opinion is cleaner throughout and the top end is improved. At one point I had a whole bunch of bookies come through my place and the 9’s and 703’s beat them all out, some people were shocked at what they beat out. I think the L200 is an even better top end. It kind of depends on what you can get each for, if you can get the 9’s for a bargain hop on it, if the 703’s are available for sale price grab them. When Adorama had them for $450 a pair there was nothing even close to them for that price. At this point, I would think the L200’s would be available for a significant discount pretty soon given Polk’s past practices but who knows.
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  • Gage_GR
    Gage_GR Posts: 11
    One note: the LSiMs are extremely power hungry. I wouldn’t run them off an AVR. They are a completely different speaker with 125w-200w of quality power per channel.

    Adding a power amp to my LSiM theater and listening room was the best sound quality upgrade I ever made.

    Not sure if the legends are as power hungry.
    LSiM 703s in home office. Building a home theater and looking for LSiM 706, 703, 705 and 707s right now.
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,525
    The L800s are demanding of amplification. Considerably more than the LSiM707s to sound good. The L400 center channel is about the same as the LSiM706C. It'll run off a mid-level to high-level receiver's power but needs an external amp to reach its full potential.

    Can't speak with authority on the L600s since I haven't run those but they are about the same sensitivity as the 707s.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,646
    Name any speaker that doesn't sound better powered by something other than an AVR.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • New24k
    New24k Posts: 74
    edited August 2021
    F1nut wrote: »
    Name any speaker that doesn't sound better powered by something other than an AVR.

    That wasn't the point... :)

    There are a lot of speakers that sound good with a flagship AVR - higher sensitivity (90+), higher ohm (8) rated, etc...

    The point was that these Polks are of a lower sensitivity and lower ohm and really need a dedicated amp.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,646
    New24k wrote: »
    F1nut wrote: »
    Name any speaker that doesn't sound better powered by something other than an AVR.

    That wasn't the point... :)

    There are a lot of speakers that sound good with a flagship AVR - higher sensitivity (90+), higher ohm (8) rated, etc...

    The point was that these Polks are of a lower sensitivity and lower ohm and really need a dedicated amp.

    I couldn't disagree more.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,949
    edited August 2021
    Unfortunately an AVR will never be able to have the true "grip" on a speaker that is necessary for good sound for music playback. The common problems are usually the power supply design and the amount of processing going on, even in "Pure Direct" modes, etc.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,895
    F1nut wrote: »
    Name any speaker that doesn't sound better powered by something other than an AVR.
    Clipdat wrote: »
    Unfortunately an AVR will never be able to have the true "grip" on a speaker that is necessary for good sound for music playback. The common problems are usually the power supply design and the amount of processing going on, even in "Pure Direct" modes, etc.

    Yes, sadly -- too much other cr@p stuff jammed into one box and sucking the lifeblood out of one power supply.
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,445
    F1nut wrote: »
    Name any speaker that doesn't sound better powered by something other than an AVR.

    Anything made by Soundesign in the late 1980's and earl '90's...
    :D
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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