Lsi Line

mantis

Alright,
who got them who loves them and who has demo'd them???
I'm planning a trip to Interstate Electronics in East New Jersey(an hour or so from where I live)to demo them again,they got in the LSI25's and the rest of the line..I keep reading about them,reading all the spec's,now I'm juiced up on them once again(not to mention there Polks).
So give it to me RAW,How good are these speakes?
I have heard the LSI 15's in a not so great demo room(im going back with my own wire and asking if I can resetup the room for my long **** demo)I did remember liking the way they Image,and the music was "in there" deeper then the rt1000i's I ran them against.The receiver was an Yamaha rxv1,I'm told there is now a Pioneer Elite vsx49tx and a Denon avr5803 there for my demoing pleasure.I'm considering both these fine receiver's for my new theater room, so this will be cool to hear them together.

So what do you all thing???Are they worth a second look?
The spec's tell me they are.
Heres my thinking for my setup.....
Mains...........LSI 15's
Center.........LSIC
Rears...........LSIfx
Surround back...LSI9's
Sub..............Rel StormIII
No LSI sub as far as I can tell, the 650 isn't going to cut it for me.

OrangeToupee

Personally, I wouldn't spend that much money on a home theater, but that would have to be one heck of a home theater setup. I'm very content with my RT home theater, however, I need more for my music configuration; so I really hope you demo the LSi15's by themselves so that you can give me some impressions as to how they sound. Good luck.

There is a suburb of Detroit (Birmingham) that has a shop with the LSi line. It's only an hour away from Ann Arbor, so I think I too will make a trip to see what's doin' with the LSi line. Later.

mantis

Orange,
thats for the reply,
I'm building a stand alone theater in my basement.Cost is out the window.I'm a Theater nutcase as well as a 2 channel lover.Multichannel is real cool but no software support at this time worth talking about.
I also own a RT theater package in 7.1.I want them all out as I'm tired of them.I have been looking for speakers for months now.Listening to everything.
I plan on demoing all the speakers for music first,then set them up for theater.Music is an easier way to determin if a pair of speakers can perform at a certain level.I have high expectations for the LSI and I hope they Don't let me down.
As One wise man once said"I'm gonna get my listening on"(my version of the quote)

plem

sounds like the setup i'd go for mantis. that would be a potent combo !

har_navalta

Qoute:
_____________________________
Heres my thinking for my setup.....
Mains...........LSI 15's
Center.........LSIC
Rears...........LSIfx
Surround back...LSI9's
Sub..............Rel StormIII
_____________________________



Mantis,

You mentioned that you're thinking for LSi-9's for surround backs. I wonder if LSi-9's would work excellent for rears or surround backs, if so, I will get one for myself, too.



Har

mantis

If you perfer Monopoles for surround, maybe.I perfer dipolar speakers for/at sidewall location.They cover better and fill a larger seating area.I plan on at least 2 rows of seats,Id like 3 but we will see.

jrausch

I have a pair of the 15's, had them for about a month now. They are setup on an Adcom 5802 amp paired with a recently acquired Parasound P/LD 1100 line drive preamp. This setup is giving them almost twice their rated power, so I must be very careful not to overdrive them. I bought these speakers from reading all of the reviews and out of pure curiosity. I must say that I am extremely happy with my blind purchase. Compared to my SDA 2.3TL's they hold their ground very well. The sound stage isn’t as wide of course, but where it lacks in sound stage they more than make it up in other areas. The overall detail and tonal balance is very, very smooth. I have played several tracks of Pavarotti at substantial volumes. If anyone can make you grab the remote to turn down the volume, it’s this guy. Never once during the entire CD session did I feel these speakers could not handle the intense passages of his voice. Everything came across without any sense of harshness or grain. I can finally grasp the live sound levels of a Pavarotti concert without the harsh ringing in my ears involved with lesser speaker systems.

There have been a few concerns about the bass performance of the 15's. I believe this is a yes and no scenario. Yes, there is enough clean bass to shake the walls and give you a slightly warm feeling. No, there is not enough of an impact and depth to the bass to make you grasp the entire spectrum of a full orchestra. Even at that, they don't make you feel like you have to reach deeper into your pockets for a sub that will fill in lower frequency gaps. Unless you feel you need something that rattles the dishes in the sink and pound your chest like your Tarzan. You may not need a sub, if you’re planning on buying the entire surround theater setup anyway.

Make sure you have the dealer setup the system with the same type of power you are using at home. Initially I had my speakers hooked up to my friend’s 70 watt Yamaha receiver and they sounded like a pair of $100 speakers. What can I say “Garbage in garbage out”. I also had the 15’s hooked up to my surround setup which consists of a Parasound HCA-2205AT 5ch amp with the AVC-2500u Pre/Pro. Comparatively against the 2ch setup the overall smoothness was slightly diminished and the bass was halved. Bipolar transistors vs. MOSFET’s make a very noticeable change on how these speakers sound. Once you’ve broken in you’re Lsi’s and crank them up, you will know where the extra money went. The looks and the build quality are top notch in this price range, you won’t be disappointed.


Hope this helps,

Jer

mantis

The juice is flowing......I can't wait to hear them again,
If they grab my attention,there mine,I won't wait for the house to be finished,I will start using them now.
Anyway I totally agree with amps/receivers.I have a mating theory as I keep posting,and it really works for me.The audio chain is only as good as its weakest link.This holds true in all my tests.
Did you get the cherry or all back??I'm after the cherry.
I'm also after the LSI15's as I don't want powered towers again.(unless the LSi25 completely bolw my socks off and I will have to consider).
Thanks for the reply.

cookaa

Jrausch,
Would you not recommend using a parasound 2205 with the LSi15s and going a different route with a different amp, or for surround purposes does it do the job well, but not as well as a 2 channel/monoblock which is expected?

shack

Mantis,

I've demoed the LSis twice (except for the 25s). The LSi 7 and 9s were set up as a 2 channel system. They were hooked up to a Sony STR-DA5ES and with Klipsch or Polk subs ( I had him turn the subs off for the demo). I was very impressed with the 9s and will probably buy a pair for a 2 channel system. I have the Rt55is as my mains now and I think they are great but the 9s add a presence to the midrange that can't hear at home. For music demos I used Peter Gabriel:So, Eagles:Hell Freezes Over, Bethoven: 5th and 7th Symphonys, and Copeland:Appalachan Spring. The bass was very good from the 9s and you would need a sub on only the very low stuff for music. Again the mid and highs were where these shone. Not as bright as the Klipsch I compared them to but very detailed with a smooth quality to them.

The LSi15, LSiC, LSiFX and a PSW 650 sub were mated with a Pioneer Elite VSX-49TX for a home theater system in a pretty good room. For the HT setup we watched the pod race from EP1 and the Diva from The Fifth Element. The guy had a Sony SACD player hooked up and had the new Celine Dion SACD. I am not a great fan of Celine (My daughter is though and we had just been listening to this CD in the car as we were going to the shop) but this CD sounded wonderful on this setup. Everything I liked about the 9s was even better on this setup for music (no way I can afford a complete LSi HT rig). So clear and detailed sounding with no harshness at all. These are not the best speakers you will ever listen to but they are very, very good. I am not an audiophile by any means but I have been listening to good quality speakers for many years (AR and Advent when they were good). I have listend to the higher end Paradigms, B&W, Klipsch and the LSis are better IMHO. I have listened to Martin Logans and Revels (not seriously since they are out of my price range) and they compare ok with them. I hope you get a good listen to these speakers. I was very impressed. I like the Polk RTi setup I have now but I am not married to Polk and am always open to other brands for a listen. I think Polk is on track with the LSis.

I think you could use the LSi7 for a back surround vs the 9 and be ok.

jrausch

Mantis:
I have them in black to match along side my RPTV upstairs. The side panels are a grey/black grain mix. I would have liked to have had the cherry finish, but they were not available in that finish at the special discounted price I bought them at. The Lsi series likes to show you how much control it has over music and will surprise you on just how good they sound with just about anything you throw at them. Go back into your old collection of music and they will breathe some new life into them.

Cookaa:

The Parasound HCA-2500 is an excellent 5/ch (for the money) amp. I did some research on allot of different multi channel amp's when I bought this one. Retail on it is $1999 and landed it @ $1500 w/full 10year warranty. Music and Movies are done with an almost equally great sonic performance. For movies I give it 9.5/10 for music I give it 9/10. It does not sound as good as a dedicated 2/ch setup, but in this price range nothing came close to this performance. You can crank this amp up to rival the best IMAX theaters. I have been to several of them and still prefer my home setup. It brings a great sense of realism to the in home movie experience, you will hear things with great defined clarity.

On the music side, it is very tight and has MOSFET's to just catch the top end from being overly bright. It must maintain some of that brightness to create a clean movie experience though. Bass is very clean and has a nice deep snap to it. You have to listen to a higher volume level to get the woofer moving, but it has plenty of power on tap to keep your speakers in control. I believe that with 5/ch music you couldn’t ask for a better amp. The Dave Matthew's Band video collection in Dolby surround grants an awe inspiring experience. Dave's voice is dead center with female harmonies to the outside of each speaker. The horns move from front to rear and pass right through you.

I personally like to buy equipment that does the best job for the money. I must say that I was really disappointed with my Adcom 5802 when I first received it. When I hooked it up to my Parasound Surround Pre/Pro the highs were much diminished and the bass was so muddy and washed out that I couldn’t stand to listen to anything on it. I was ready to put it out on E-bay and take my loses on it, when I decided to give it a pre-amp that was very close in spec’s to it’s paired pre-amp the GFP-750. I found a nice Parasound line drive pre on E-bay for $200. This was just the ticket for this amp. Even though it kicks out 200 watts over the Lsi 15’s specs, it just sounds incredible. Music is richly detailed and ever so smooth, bass is fluid and yet controllably tight. If you demo the 15’s at a place where they also have the 5802-750 combo, have them hook them up, you won’t be disappointed. I didn’t want 2 setups, but I love this 2/ch rig. I am waiting for Polk to come out with replacement tweets for my SDA’s, so I won’t be able to hear the 15’s in a mixed 5/ch setup for awhile.

Peace out,
Jer

nascarmann

Compared to my SDA 2.3TL's they hold their ground very well

Wow? 2 x 5.5" drivers and 1 x tweeter and 8" sub against 6 x 6.5" drivers and 3 tweeters and 12" passive and twice the size? That is saying alot! I need to go somewhere and listen to these babies!

KING BEHIND THE TIMES

mantis

Well nascarmann,
if you didn't live so far away(it looks like Tennessee,I'm in Pa)we could do it together,listen that is..LOL..And No you can't Kiss me...
Go get your listen on and be KING WITH THE TIMES!!.
Post back your opnion.

saganized

Yikes.... I just purchased a pair of LSi-15's, and they're due to arrive Monday or Tuesday next week.

I'm mating them with a Carver HR-752 rated at 150W into 4 ohms, 100W into 8 ohms.... Have I erred??? :-(

I thought that was plenty of power for them.... :-(

Can someone advise me? Thanks....

hoosier21

don't worry, now you can get a new amp or receiver.

saganized

Very helpful, Hoosier. And what amplifier or receiver would you recommend? Soundesign?

C'mon, 150W per channel into 4 ohms IS SUFFICIENT (not to mention "plenty"). Right?

RuSsMaN

I think you will be more than fine. You have clean, high current power in that Carver, with headroom to boot. I'd say you are golden.... (until the upgrade bug bites)

Cheers,
Russ

hoosier21

Don't yell at me YOU were the one questioning if you had enought power not me.

"Have I erred??? :-( "

"I thought that was plenty of power for them.... :-(
"


Your Carver will be great with the new speakers

If you do get the Soundesign, be sure to bi-wire, that is the only way I would recommend using it with the LSi15's

saganized

Hoosier...RuSsMaN...thank you both. :-)

Just joshin', Hoosier. I figured I probably had enough juice, but after reading a bit more of this thread, began to wonder.

I guess the salesman wouldn't have sold them to me if he'd thought otherwise...uhh...right? ;-)

As far as the Update Bug goes, SHEESH! This is an upgrade from Polk RTA-8t's that were 12 years old. Suppose there will be much difference? Those RTA's were actually very mellow-sounding speakers, and they were my best buddies for years.

Thanks again, guys. :-)

weavercr

Jrausch Did you check out the Marantz mm9000? I am curious on your opnion on this model.

saganized

Originally posted by hoosier21
If you do get the Soundesign, be sure to bi-wire, that is the only way I would recommend using it with the LSi15's

No, I reckon I'm going to stay with the Carver awhile longer. But as you mentioned bi-wire, I will be bi-wiring the Carver to the LSi-15's using 10-foot Monster Cable Z2B's (the salesman's advice).

I recently connected my other components (Yamaha CD player, Yamaha cassette deck, and Hitachi VCR) to the Carver with Monster Cable Interlink 250's. It was amazing...the interlinks made an audible difference by themselves.

Thanks again, Hoosier. :-)