Lsi9 Sound

bignorm

Can anyone described the sound of the LSi9??

Warm and laidback
or
forward and bright

Also, what exactly is the Viva ring tweet made of??
metal or fabric...

The reason I am asking is that I am looking for a very warm
laid back sound, My ears just cannot take metal tweeters in any type or fashion..

right now I have narrowed my choices to a complete LSi
system using the LSi9 as mains

Or

The Atlantic Technology system 4200
that utilizes a silk dome.

both utilize the same size drivers 5 1/4, switchable dipole/bipole surrounds and both are almost identical in price...

thanks!!

fireshoes

I would say the LSi's have a warm sound, much much warmer than the RTi series. Not sure what the exact material is that they used for the tweeter, but it is definitely not metal. The treble is completely sweet and is what makes the speaker. I also love the solid build of them. They are heavy! and of course beautiful as well.

VR3

I believe it is a fabric or a type of polymer, or both..

Whadyasay

I find the LSi9's to be very pleasant and never sibilant or overly bright. Plenty of detail, but laid-back in the right kind of way. However, this is coming from someone who had a full set of Klipsch Reference series speakers before, which were killing me with their horn-loaded titanium tweets.

Also, your electronics will have a lot to do with the overall brightness. To get the best out of the LSi's, it's a good idea to run them off a separate power amp with good power/current on tap instead of those in a receiver. They are 4 ohms, which will draw more current, and once an amp starts to strain, it can cause some harshness in the treble with any speaker. the LSi's should be a good match with many different power amps that are reasonable in price. Amps from Adcom or ATI are pushing the brighter end of the spectrum, whereas ones by Rotel or B&K are usualy warmer. Outlaw amps are great values and are bit on the brighter side.

Most importantly, you should evaluate your listening room. Is it bright? Do you have a lot of open hard floor space and/or hard walls, or large windows? These can cause unpleasant reflections in the treble area that can really drive you nuts. Anything from bookshelves to area rugs or wall hangings can help alleviate some of this.

But still, I'd first look at what kind of power you'll be giving the LSi's. I would not recommend running off of a mid-line receiver's amp unless you listen at low volume levels. If that's the case, and you don't want to get a separate power amp, maybe you'd be better off with something along the lines of the Ascend CBM-170's (incredible price for their performance).

bignorm

THANKS

My room is carpeted with alot of pictures on the wall
I will be using a NAD 925 THX amp grinding out 125 watts
per...

Early B.

Norm -- what kind of pre and source are you using? What kind of speaker cables do you have?

A single component in your chain could account for the brightness, including the cables and interconnects. The speakers, by themselves, are not contributing to your brightness problem. The Vifa ring radiator tweeter is highly regarded, partly because it is NOT bright. The Lsi9's are high quality speakers and should be paired with high quality components and cables.

Whadyasay

The NAD amp will be just fine with the LSi9's. If you were already using the NAD with your other speakers, I'm surprised you still find things too bright. Early makes a good point.

Early B.

Yeah, they're very forward. That's what I liked about them -- the artist appears to be singing to you if you're in the sweet spot. Great for female vocals. However, I'm sure it could get annoying with certain kinds of music. Never got a chance to hear them on tube gear, though.

Joey_V

9s and 7s image very well... havent heard much of the rest of the LSi series but I'm sure they are about par. Voices at center FLOAT in the center.... it's an eerie feeling sometimes!

I wouldnt consider them to be too laid back, they are a bit forward (especially at high volumes) but they are composed (although I feel the 9s are more compsoed than the 7s). Sibilance is there if the recording presents it. With good recording, my 9s sound almost angelic.

In the end, garbage in and garbage out.

bignorm

to Early B

I am using a Yammy RXV1300 as a pre-pro with audioquest
interconnects and your basic 12 gauge PartsExpress speaker
wire.....

thanks

organ

I still have my LSi9 and don't plan to let them go. With the right gear and music they can sound fantastic. But you can do much better if you listen to metal, IMO.

They're the most relaxed, warm and laid back speakers I've heard to date. Their depth and soundtaging is spectacular if set up correctly.

Maurice