LSiM 705s & PSW1000 opinions?

BelFast

New here, as I've been out of forums for probably a decade, as Facebook had overtaken for it's compact convenience(which I recently sacrificed, due to too much sensitivity and drama).

That being said, and I'll apologize in advance, if I've overlooked any past answers but, I had recently purchased a pair of LSiM 705s.

When I picked them up, they were auditioned on an Outlaw AVR, and they honestly didn't seem very loud to me, and lacked bottom end. Also, still trying to determine a minor low volume tweeter distortion(which could've been the source there, or Pantera, obvious reasoning). Then I brought them home, I hooked them up to my Denon AVR-790, and they were significantly louder! The bass made me question if my PSW1000 was on with them(which is was not). I've not had much time to really listen to them to confirm whether the distortion is still there, on my setup.

I did decide to upgrade my AVR this past week, to a Denon AVR-X4400H(which I am still waiting for it to arrive).

So, my question is this, as I had read that these are power hungry, is an amplifier really necessary for these speakers? I mainly use my setup for movies. I run off Audessey, then go back and adjust everything to small, and 80hz across the board.

I was looking at a Crown XLS 1502, or Emotiva BasX A-300 as an option, which would suit these speakers best, if so?
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I apologize for this being lengthy.

Onto the PSW1000.. I have one, which performs excellent, and decided to source a second one. One popped up on Ebay, and I bought it, which it did not survive the travel(via UPS). It was obviously dropped, and though it's aesthetically displeasing, it could potentially still be used, if only it would power on. It does have the labeled BASH amp(same as my good one).

I checked the fuse, and removed the amplifier to test voltage after the switch, which it had 120v coming from the switch. Beyond that though, is out of the my knowledge. The power indicator on the front, does not light up either.

I have read that people have had dead PSW1000s, or returned them due to a safety recall, and that fixing these amps are not an easy task. Does anyone know exactly what craps out in the amplifier? Visually, nothing appears bad, nor does anything smell burnt.

Again, sorry for the long post, especially if these topics have been discussed and answered already.

txcoastal1

Hello Belfast
First off congrats on the 705's. Nice speaker, and no they are not hard to drive and your 4400 with sub should be fine.

If you are primarily a movie watcher, when budget allows, upgrade your sub to a nice SVS...preferably a 2000 series or higher. If you do have a problem with the 1000 it will be in the plate amp. Not sure if schematics have been posted here yet.

I guess until then you'll be shopping around for the LSiM 706 center.

Stick around one may pop up in flea market here. Post up in our "The Clubhouse" section. Say hello, kick your feet back and welcome to club Polk.

One more thing, if you do add an amp, please don't add a "pro" amp like Crown

msg

Don't apologize for long posts. You really must've spent way too much time on the Facingbook. It's not a crime to be able to write.

Welcome to the forum.

Running them small for "HT first" listeming, eh, that slackens your options.

If you said music first, I'd say look for a musical amp.

Not sure how much difference you're going to notice running them small crossed at 80Hz. Full range would be a different story.

Some people here like Outlaw amps for budget music systems. That's amps, not AVRs. There are others, too, if you're open to buying used.

Emlyn

I recommend an Outlaw 5000x five channel amp if running more speakers than the 705s with the receiver.

On the broken subwoofer I would ask the seller to file a damage claim and get a refund on it.

BelFast

I appreciate the fast responses, and the welcome!

I suppose, I was just under the impression that they required more power than the AVR could produce. A couple things I had read, seemed odd, as one was about 705s shortening the life of the AVR, and the 705s becoming damaged, being underpowered.

I will admit, I'm no audiophile, by no means. Though, I do enjoy quality sound, and good music/theatrics. I've always liked Polk Audio though, and had owned the RM7500 setup for the last decade, with Yamaha NS-A200XT towers. It was all well taken care of, and served me well over the years. The time came to just try something new. Originally, I wanted the LSi15s, as I liked those aesthetically but, I could not pass on the price for the 705s, and they're quite elegant, which is quite nice.

As for the amp, the Emotiva is where I'm leaning, as I've always felt "it's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it".

With the 1000, I have one, that works excellent. Wanted to add the second to the front, to make it look more proportionate(and wanted to perhaps repair the second one). Unfortunately, I don't not have a dedicated theater room, and my living room is poorly designed, so I've made due.

I am, however, purchasing a mint SVS PB-4000 from my brother at the end of summer, once he's upgraded his subwoofer setup(he's going two 18s). I'm debating on placing that in the room next to this one, due to its size and after hearing it, I don't think I'd lose anything not having it right in front of me.

I did upgrade the center to the CS20 recently as well, which bummed me when the cherry didn't match the rest. So, I may have to change that, at a later date. I am currently using the RM75s for rears(from the RM7500 series), which I feel compelled to go with the LSif/x.


And I'm embarrassed to say, I did spend a fair amount on Facebook, as I was quite active in hobby grade RC groups, 3D print groups and some automotive and benchtop CNC machine pages. Oh, and the marketplace was a good pastime. I've had a lot going on! Haha

By full range, I assume you mean like as if it were in 2ch stereo?

When I ran the Audessey, I was speaking to my brother afterwards and he'd actually suggested switching everything to small, and the 80hz. I read on the Polk specs for the 705s that the AVR setting should be at 40Hz?

BelFast

Emlyn, I appreciate the recommendation. As for the sub, I was refunded, fortunately, and I'm hoping the seller took up a claim.

Sad part is, even with the new CS20 I purchased, it arrived damaged as well. On the plus side, it wasn't terrible, and the seller refunded that too. I felt bad and sent half the sale price back, as it wasn't entirely their fault, aside from poor packing.

Worst part is, both speakers were shipped via UPS, and both having been damaged, is just bad on their part. The sub though, was certainly a two party fault too, as I informed the seller of my center channel dilemma and asked that it be well packed. Wrapped in a thin blanket inside a box with zero foam or additional writing, expressing "Handle With Care" on all sides, seemed quite negligent.

BelFast

Here are a few photos too.

txcoastal1

Full Range would be the same as setting to "large" vs "small". If you're going to get the SVS PB-4000 then you will have no worries even with only using the 4400 AVR

Of course adding an amp like the outlaw or any 2-channel amp for just the front 705's everything else could run on the 4400 all the way up to 7.4.2 atmos

Let me give you some examples
Here is a pic from the debut Lone Star Audio Fest show for the Polk 705's in 2012 and the thread associated to the debut.
I actually still own the Unison Simply Italy amp that was used in the pic. It's a 12watt integrated, attached it the link thread from a decade ago this month....time flies when you're having fun




https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/128877/lsaf-lone-star-audio-fest-2012-may-4-6/p2

BelFast

Looks like a very nice setup! Time certainly passes far faster than it seems, cause 2012 seems like yesterday! I've never been to an event like that before. However, I was fortunate enough to have the guy who I purchased these 705s from, to demo his SDS SRS's, and he played Time(Pink Floyd), and WOW, what an extraordinary experience!

I've never used an amp before, so I'm not sure what to expect with adding one, tbh. Would the effect be a drastic change? Denon claims the 4400 to be 125watts? My current AVR is rated at 90wpc, which I think sounds decent. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't kinda stoked to hear the difference in just the AVR upgrade.

Emlyn

I've found it's best to just stick with an 80 Hz crossover point for home theater. Setting the crossover too low doesn't make proper use of the low bass output of the subwoofer or pair of subwoofers. It can also leave a gap in the sound.

The Denon 4400 is a nice receiver. As with all receivers though the power output specs are for marketing. The receiver is likely to produce a bit more than 125 watts per channel in stereo only mode. The problem comes in when people are using seven or nine speakers. The single power supply can only do so much. In effect the receiver may only be able to put 80 watts or less into the main speakers when it's running a full home theater system. If the main speakers don't get enough power when the receiver is turned up too high it's usually the tweeters that burn out first.

Separate amps are designed to run their full output level to all channels.

BelFast

Late follow up, and appreciate the info!

Got the x4400h in and hooked up. Certainly an improvement to my old 790(which always served me well), especially being able to clearly read the display from my seating. I did order a pair of the 702 f/x from Adorama to try out. Unfortunately, they were listed having damage, so I'll see how bad they are, to decide whether to make due, or return them.

I think I may just go with the Emotiva BasX A-300, as a lady nearby is selling one(mint), for $300. Figured I'd try that out as well.

I did notice, in 2ch, volume up a bit, the AVR was running a bit on the warm side(not scorching by any means), so I may add an Aircom T9 fan, to help with that.