LSi15s versus LSi25s

aat

Hi experts,

I'm not comparing the price, I'm comparing the quality. Anyone know which one is better?

Thanks,
AAT

*Seby*-Polk-

LSi 25 is better...but NO for MSRP 2,999. For that reason, I choose the LSi 15.

McLoki

*Seby*-Polk- wrote:

LSi 25 is better...but NO for MSRP 2,999. For that reason, I choose the LSi 15.

I disagree. I found the bass in the LSi25 to be VERY difficult to tune correctly so the speaker sounded right for both music and movies. I would take 9's and a good sub anyday over the 25's. (and 15's over the 9's)

The downside is that the 15's require the most power to run correctly. (and will sound the worst of the LSi line when run from your average AVR.)

Michael

aat

Let say money is not an issue for this case . I would like to know how much different between LSi15 versus LSi25.

Thanks,
AAT

Frank Z

Let's see if we can get beyond a simple reply....

The 25's are an incredible sounding speaker. The imaging is just as detailed and precise as the 15's. For 2 channel only listening, this would be an excellent choice. The powered subs are excellent, but of course they are not going to perform as well as a dedicated stand alone sub. As a total package, they're hard to beat. If you are going to be using them in a Home Theater then the 15's, or even the 9's might be a better choice. Although the 9's go deep, they are not a full range speaker and will benefit from adding a sub into the mix. The 15's on the other hand do not need a sub to fill in the bottom end for 2 channel, they sound fantastic all by themselves. Yes there are those that will disagree and tell you that they feel the bass in the 15's is weak or that they don't sound good without a sub. Some of these concerns can be easily addressed by toying with placement within the room and proper amplification. I doubt seriously that there are any two people that have identical rooms, so of course we are all going to experience differences even with identical speakers. Keep in mind that the only opinion that matters is yours. Audition both the 15's and the 25's, in your own home if possible, and let your ears decide for you.

aaharvel

the lsi15 has a passive 8".
the lsi25 has a powered 10".

both models will react differently depending on your room situation and power setup. Price issue or no price issue.

take them both home and experiment.
and oh be prepared to like the 9's over both of them.

pmckeealaska

I auditioned both the 15's and the 25's, knowing I would be using my speakers for both music and HT. Again, just one man's opinion here, but I found the 25's to be superior to the 15's and am totally happy with them in an HT mode. If anything, somtimes the subwoofers tend to be a little much to handle. The 25's are simply the best speaker for the price I have ever heard. I wouldn't trade them for the 15's......

aat

My room size is 20x20x7.5. I had a pair of LSi15s before and it sounds great but not exactly what I wanted. I'm in the process of getting a pair of LSi25s and hopefully it does the trick.

Thanks,
AAT

maxima

If you already have a good sub, I see no reason to go the Lsi 25 route. I have two CS Ultras which in my opnion made Lsi 15 the way to go for me.

McLoki

aat wrote:

I had a pair of LSi15s before and it sounds great but not exactly what I wanted.

I defer to my previous statement.....

McLoki wrote:

The downside is that the 15's require the most power to run correctly. (and will sound the worst of the LSi line when run from your average AVR.)

Michael

aat

I had Denon AVR-3805. I'm going to get Denon AVR-4306 with LSi25s and hope that would sound better.

Airplay355

spend the extra cashyou are spending on the lsi25's on a freakin amp

Frank Z

Airplay355 wrote:

spend the extra cashyou are spending on the lsi25's on a freakin amp

I keep reading about these but I'll be damned if I can find a source for 'em. Where do you guys get your Freakin Amps from?

McLoki

Frank Z wrote:

I keep reading about these but I'll be damned if I can find a source for 'em. Where do you guys get your Freakin Amps from?

I got mine off of audiogon. A Freakin great deal on my Freakin monster of an amp....

Michael

eugene65

I like the lis15's over the 25's and ended up buying the 15's. The drivers on the 15's seemed smoother over the freq range. and worked better with eachother. i.e.more of an musical type sound.. The 25's just sounded like a subwoofer was turned on.... and If I want that... I will..ummm turn my subwoofer on.. I didnt even try the 9's... I like the tower look, and they do not req stands.

organ

Another thing that didn't come up is where the subs are crossed. The 15's cross over at 150Hz which I think is strange but I'm sure Polk knows what they're doing. The 25's cross at 80Hz. I'd rather take the 25's if I had to pick but damn they're expensive.

cfrizz

Welcome AAT. Before you spend all of that additional money on the 25's, & another receiver, you really should get a separate amplifier to run the 15's. The Denon is the weak link here. However, since it has preouts you can get separate amplification for it. It will make all the difference in the world.

Do not get one that is less than 200 wpc @ 8ohms. Do a search on LSI's & receivers. You will learn a lot.

organ

Agreed. The receiver is the weak link. What you can do is first find a used 2ch amp around $150 to $200 and use it for the LSi. Yes even a 100w/ch will work better than the amp sections in your receiver. Then, when you're ready to have a full blown LSi system, use that amp for the rears and get the best amp you can for the mains.

scottyf

If you aren't getting enough bass out of the LSi15's then get a better amp/preamp combo. Something in your system is deficient. In my room the bass was over-ripe until I pulled those babies a bit more than 3ft into the room and moved my listening position 3ft off the back wall.

fireshoes

I prefer the sound of the LSi25's when cost is not factored in, and I also agree that adding an amp to the system would make a bigger difference than the speaker upgrade.

mantis

I perfer the Lsi25's but I'm not a fan of powered towers. I don't like the 25's due to the fact you have to plug them into the wall and have speaker cables/Lfe cables all running them. I hate all the extra wire. but if none of thats a factor to you(I had powered towers before and hated all that) then the 25's are the better sounding choice.
The Lsi15's are almost as good. But they lsi25's are a bit smoother and dig deeper. the bass is way better.

Good luck with your sppeaker choice. As mentioned above, don't cheap out on what you run them with. They require alot of clean high current power in order to sound there best. Forget about trying to run them with a tipical receiver.

Dan

reeltrouble1

Buy both, see simple.

Nobody here can tell what your going to like, just what they like. Which is fine. Its what we do. I would buy the 25's but I am very strange, you would have these very cool high powered subs in your speaks. Besides sounding good, audio must be cool, especially speakers, see the round holes have drivers in them which you have to pump to make sound come out of them that is pleasing to the ear. So powered drivers, more power, power is a good thing. Sound familiar??? Stand alone Subs are for HT or bookshelfs.

I would buy the 15's beacuse you would have these great sounding speakers for very little relative dough which look great, sound great and do the same thing except no powered driver for the woof. So you need an amp with more flow, juice, current, to make them sing. Either way you win.

See buy them both!!!!

RT1

Mrtaz

I have two LSi25s that I use for the front and six LSi15s that I use for Surround A,B and Surround Back plus one LSiC for the center and a PSW1000 for my Sub. At first I had 15s for the main speakers. I like the difference the 25s made. A Denon AVR5805 reciever powers them. My system is setup as a 9.1. Any suggestions or comments on getting the most from this system is welcomed.

Frank Z

Placement, calibration with an SPL meter, and better amplification than you're getting from your receiver.

Mrtaz

The reciever puts out 170 watts in each of the 10 channels @8 ohms into a 4 ohm rated speaker. I don't think the speakers can handle the full available power now with the exception of the 25s.

Early B.

Mrtaz -- what everyone is telling you is that watts on a receiver are essentially meaningless. If you want better performance from your speakers, get a freakin' amp.

Dennis Gardner

Mrtaz wrote:

Any suggestions or comments on getting the most from this system is welcomed.

Unless your 15s are hung from the ceiling, you aren't getting them above the ear level as sides and surrounds are meant to be. I see it as Frank does that your over speakered and underpowered when using the LSi 15 in the numbers you have with any receiver.

With that said, I'm sure your room is small enough to not reach the limits of either your electronics or your speakers or you wouldn't have posted with the statements you have so far. Too many around here have driven their receivers into shutdown with far fewer LSis than you have.

Frank Z

Your 15's are rated at 20-250WPC. They'll suck the life right out of your receiver if you give them the chance. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knockin' your gear, but the LSi line can and will demand better and cleaner power than your receiver will ever be capable of delivering.

FWIW, I've pushed mine well beyond the 250watt mark and they handled the additional power without breaking a sweat.

McLoki

Mrtaz wrote:

The reciever puts out 170 watts in each of the 10 channels @8 ohms into a 4 ohm rated speaker. I don't think the speakers can handle the full available power now with the exception of the 25s.

Page 20 of your manual on the AVR. (under Speaker Impedance)

The first bullet point: Speakers with an impedance of 6 to 16 ohms can be connected.

Second Bullet Point: The protector circuit may be activated if the set is played for long periods of time at high volumes when speakers with an impedance lower than the specified impedance are connected.

Translation - get an amp. (in your case, a few of them)

I cannot help but think you speaker setup is overkill, but I sure wish I had the opportunity to listen to it at least once....

remember, we are not knocking your setup - you asked what you could do to improve the sound. Get a decent 2 channel amp (at least 200 watts/channel (although high current capability is even more important)), hook it up - and report back if we were wrong or not....

Wow - all you need is a decent sub (if movies are your bag) and amp and you would have the killer setup.

Michael

EricT43

I can vouch for the amp. I added a 2-ch amp with less rated power than my receiver and it made a noticable improvement. It's about way more than just the peak or RMS power output, it's about current, slew rate, damping factor, etc. Remember 200w is only going to be +6dB louder than 100w (correct me if I'm wrong guys). And if the 100w amp is more detailed and responsive than the 200w receiver, guess which one is going to sound better.

McLoki

EricT43 wrote:

Remember 200w is only going to be +6dB louder than 100w (correct me if I'm wrong guys). And if the 100w amp is more detailed and responsive than the 200w receiver, guess which one is going to sound better.

That is +3db louder (3 db every time the power doubles).

The main reason that we recommend 200 wpc amps is not really for the watts. It is just that few amp companies start with 200wpc amps so you are moving up the amp food chain a little nomatter what you purchase. By not buying the cheapest amp in the line, many times, you get better current, slew rate, damping factor, etc.

Michael