Rumor of new Polk dual 8" speaker

OrangeToupee

Interesting thread, although I'm not placing too much credibility in it just yet.

New speaker?

mjk91383

It'll be interesting to see where this goes.

joe

OrangeToupee

I agree that it will be interesting, but I'll be less intrigued if it is indeed an RTi modeled speaker. I'm hoping for something different, perhaps a speaker that incorporates some of the Lsi line's finesse, along with the gut-wrenching slam that many of us crave.

It could also be a bunch of b.s. from some dude who "heard it from the friend of a friend of a no one" type of deal. We'll see.

RuSsMaN

Well, from the basic description, hell, I'm in. Consider 1 more pair sold....

Cheers,
Russ

mantis

I heard from the grape line that they are the replacement speaker for the rt2000 series.Not powered this time(now I could bi wire them If I liked them).
From what I heard Polk is getting away from the powered tower thing.

OrangeToupee

I found the following post both enlightening, and yet, at the same time disturbing; I was very much certain that my next purchase would be the LSi15's, coupled with the NAD C-370 integrated amp. Now, well, I've got visions of LSi25's ringing through my head. That's just the start, you see, I've been listening to madmax's tube seminars. I need help, I mean, I really do.

Anyway, the interesting post I've alluded to, in terms of LSi speakers that is, has been pasted and copied below. You know, it makes sense, as it relates to crossovers, design, slam, accuracy ... at least I think it does,

Prior to purchasing our LSi-25s, I had a discussion with a highly placed Polk rep about the bass differences between the 15 and 25. (My wife and I did not have an opportunity to hear either model. We obtained the 25s after a very favorable audition of the 9.)

The factory rep explained that the already excellent bass of the 15 is improved upon in the 25.

He said that the mid and upper bass of the 25 is tighter and faster than that of the 15. As we discussed, this is not surprising, considering that 5.25" drivers are inherently quicker than an 8" unit.

In addition, I surmised that since the crossover can be set lower in the 25 (80 Hz vs. 150 Hz), vocals, especially those of males, are not divided between a large bass driver and the 5.25" drivers, as in the 15. The smaller drivers and lack of a crossover split should improve vocal performance and also coherency.

Low-bass dynamic range is theoretically better in the 25 as well, since the 10" driver in the 25 has less work to do than the 8" unit in the 15, owing to the narrower range of frequencies that the 10" driver has to reproduce. The 10" bass section, I am told, also offers more impact (i.e., slam) and reaches lower than the 8". Another advantage is the 25's bass level control, which permits matching bass output levels to the room in which the system is utilized.

Thus, the added cost of the 25 does provide additional performance. Of course, it is up to the purchaser whether the gains are worth the higher price.

The 15, though, along with the 9 (for those seeking a stand-mounted speaker), in my opinion, are clearly the value leaders in the LSi line. I'm sure that I would be a very happy camper owning either one.

Focusing on the LSi-9 for a moment, I preferred its sound to the Sonus-Faber Concerto Home, which I was originally prepared to buy for our den system (we may have gone a little overboard when we decided on the 25s for that room!). I loved the Sonus-Fabers. They were, to my ears, the most musically satisfying stand-mounted speakers priced under about $2,000/pair. But then the Polk LSi-9s arrived on the scene, offering, to my hard-to-please ears, even better performance.

Aaron

He said that the mid and upper bass of the 25 is tighter and faster than that of the 15. As we discussed, this is not surprising, considering that 5.25" drivers are inherently quicker than an 8" unit.

In addition, I surmised that since the crossover can be set lower in the 25 (80 Hz vs. 150 Hz), vocals, especially those of males, are not divided between a large bass driver and the 5.25" drivers, as in the 15. The smaller drivers and lack of a crossover split should improve vocal performance and also coherency.

While this may be true, there's also a downside. You're now forcing the 5.25" drivers to produce more bass (down to 80 Hz.) to blend with the larger (sub)woofer. This will certainly degrade midrange performance, because the drivers (which aren't very big to begin with) have more work to do. The question is which is the better trade off? Does the gain in midrange coherency outweigh the extra work of producing frequencies down to 80Hz.?

The biggest complaint about the LSi15 always seems to be the bass. You'd think an 8" woofer, if designed properly, would be fairly tight and not boomy. It's too bad the LSi25 is a powered tower, too.

Aaron

OrangeToupee

The biggest complaint about the LSi15 always seems to be the bass. You'd think an 8" woofer, if designed properly, would be fairly tight and not boomy. It's too bad the LSi25 is a powered tower, too. - Aaron

Two good observations, and two points of irritation for me.

mantis

I think Polk should steer clear of powered tower's .I was shocked when I learned that the lsi25 were powered.
I wouldn't buy them just on that reason.I want to own passive speakers,It stinks to plug you mains.
Damn I want a good demo of the LSI line,I just want to hear them go in a good room with some good gear.