LSiM 705 used purchase concerns.

rtannerm3

Hey, new here. I got in on the LSiM clearance pricing a year or two ago with a set of 702 F/X, two sets of 703 bookshelves and two 704c centers (an extra front stage just in case). Just have a 5.1 setup and it sounds very good. This winter I am building a dedicated theater room and wanted to upgrade my front stage.

I was able to snag a 706c on amazon, but the 705 is very scarce so I luckily found a used pair local to me. The guy claims to have upgraded the capacitors (as tech savvy as I am, I have never messed with upgraded crossover components). So I did some research and seems to be a legitimate upgrade even though I have no idea what he used as of now.

So I pick these speakers up this morning, 3 hour total drive, all looks good on the cabinet for the most part but I was not able to listen to them. And after paying and loading he tells me he removed all the polyfil batting in the 5x7 sub chambers! And how he explained why is what concerned me. He just didn't even seem to know why they put that in there "taking up air space" he says. Well I had my car audio days, IIRC you slow that air down and it simulates a larger cabinet. Anyway, I nodded and just hoped there was nothing about this purchase I can't easily fix as they were still expensive.

Any helpful advice, I am about to audition them. I can put them up against the 703 for reference, as well as a set of B&W 603 S3 for good measure.

I also plan to bi-amp these with an Outlaw 7125 as a single channel is actually a bit under powered even for the 703.

Thanks,

-Richard

JayCee

I owned the 705's but ended up gifting to my sister, so can't really give you any specific 705 advice. But, after the guys lack of knowledge re. polyfil I'd question the "upgrade" to the caps. Not saying he didn't have good intentions or he's deceptive but my first thought is he fried the caps and had to repair them???? I'd definitely pull the XO's and inspect. Where did you read of the "legitimate cap upgrade?" @VR3 should have insight on the internals.

Edit....welcome to Club Polk!

rtannerm3

Well to be honest, I found very little info on the LSiM in general on upgrades. Here was the only place that even talked about it.

Seems like it is just a hobby some guys like to do regardless of speaker. I will open them and check it out and report back though. I have read people saying the LSiM drivers are pretty quality stuff but to cut costs the crossover is the way to do it. One of my initial 703s had a bad driver when new. Polk sent me a pair of new 3" midrange, I open it up and find of course the wire was just disconnected. Beefy little 3" though, and good customer service.

Thanks for the welcome, and hopefully these things are okay.

JayCee

True, cap upgrades are a "thing" on this forum. LOL. My calling VR3's attention to this is because he's upgraded the LSiM series. He's not just a member of Club Polk...he's the owner....of an upgrade service. Started as a young whippersnapper on this very forum and graduated to one of two respected dudes in these parts. He's your man. Not sure if @westmassguy has done LSiM's? but another great resource/member/service provider.

Toolfan66

I am just going to say it, as soon as he told you that after you loaded them you should have unloaded them, and at the very least asked him to open them up so you can inspect the work..

I hope the best for you but this don’t sound very good..

F1nut

^ What he said ^

F1nut

I have read people saying the LSiM drivers are pretty quality stuff but to cut costs the crossover is the way to do it.

There are plenty and I mean plenty of very expensive speakers that use the same or similar crossover components as Polk does.

VR3

I don't know how I missed the tag, but the lsim crossovers are not a good start for a newbie, if he was a newbie. Very cramped board, lots of parts, et all.

Polks stock crossovers are definitely very nice for their price point and I've seen much worse on far more expensive!

msg

Do you have a return option by chance, just for peace of mind?

Sounds like this guy doesn't know what he's doing and is at best a bit sketchy, not being forthcoming from the get-go. You also don't have an original to go by for comparison. Nor do you have a reliable history of use. If it were me, I'd always be questioning whether they sound the way they should.

I hate when suckily-skilled people mod stuff and don't maintain the original parts. It's annoying. I learned long ago to pass unless the mod is really worth it and carried out by skilled hands, or easily revertable. This goes for everything, not just audio.

I'd at least try for the return before you open them. If not, then you'll have to dig in and do some work. Not a hopeless situation, just not best desired.

I understand, though, stretching or settling when opportunities for the component you're after are scarce. I learned a bit of patience the hard way through similar experience, and now my first questions are, do you have the original box, are there any mods, and is the use history known? You're not always going to get honest answers, but at the very least, you can determine a bit of character with this. I laugh a bit now now when I come across people who get annoyed at questions like this. Enthusiasts will answer openly and will understand and appreciate your due diligence, not be offended by it, because they'd do the same. These are the people you want to deal with.

rtannerm3

Thanks for all the comments! Okay so to answer a few of those questions. I do think the guy was very capable with electronics as his confidence in how he spoke was different than the whole polyfil subject, but I may change my mind when I crack them open. I doubt I have much recourse on return except I do know where the guy lives if that helps! No original boxes, no jumper wires. Cash deal, a nice round $1K!

Agreed on modding pretty much anything. I try to save all original parts, sometimes its a pain with vehicles especially. So many stock landcruiser parts in my garage!

The good news is I did get them hooked up last night and all drivers seem to work as they should, and the sub bass was extremely deep! Just a quick Hell Freezes Over listen going back an forth between the 703 and 705 was all I needed to feel okay about everything. My 14'x13'x10' ceiling room unfortunately is stained concrete floors with no furniture/rug at all as I prep for a (very) small theater room.

I bi-amped with my Outlaw 125x7 with my aging Denon X3300 and was pleasantly surprised it was able to drive them so well, but I am still leaning toward the Emotiva XPA-3.

I do agree, had I not drove all the way down there and basically on my first day off of self quarantine from Covid to load those beasts, I would have probably just said heck with it. My back still hurts!

To be honest, I figured this guy was way out of my league when it comes to sound. Lessons learned. I think yall's help and perhaps a bit more money, these things will be better than new. Will post my findings on the "upgraded caps"... We shall see

F1nut

landcruiser parts

I had a '74, modified of course. Great trucks.