HT System Upgrade

janmike

Over the past several months I have upgraded my HT system. I was on track to start building the 2CH rig, but with proper direction (my wife) the decision was to focus on the HT system and then concentrate of the music portion. Hey, who am I to argue with progress.


OLD SYSTEM
- RTi100’s – Front
- RTi6’s – Rear
- CSi5 – Centre
- Yamaha RX-V1500
- Rotel RB-1080


NEW SYSTEM
- LSi9’s – Front
- LSiFX’s – Rear
- LSiC – Centre
- Proceed AVP-S
- Proceed AMP5

The upgrade occurred in stages as the first item to arrive was the Proceed AMP5 (5 Channel Amp). I did a comparison between the Rotel and the Proceed on both the Rti100’s, RTi6’s and the LSI9’s. No Comparison – the Proceed win hands down. The Rotel kicks out 200wpc(8ohm) / 350wpc(4 ohm) and the Proceed is 125wpc(8 ohm) / 250wpc(4 ohm). The volume level was actually lower using the Proceed to reach the same volume level using the Rotel. There goes my thought around HUGE rated power amps. The bass was more refined using the Proceed which is something that I never thought about. And talk about clean power, WOW.

Next came the LSi9’s. After a weeks of using the LSi9’s I am blown away by their performance. I really like these speakers. I was alone one Saturday and put on The Eagles – Hell Freezes Over and it was like listening to an entirely new song. The “brightness” was gone and everything seemed rich and smooth. The soundstage is amazing. One thing that shocked me was the built quality of these speakers. And I thought the RTi series were nice.

Now, the brain replacement. After receiving the Proceed AVP-S processor everything seemed to come together. My experience is somewhat limited as I have only owned about 4 receivers, but this one does them all in. This detailed the sound and truly eliminated that “brightness” from the Yamaha RX-V1500. The ONLY thing that I miss was having all of the controls for all of my gear on one remote. No big deal, I can always purchase a universal remote. It just makes everything easier for the rest of the family.

I guess the best way for me to describe the difference in sound is like a transparent film has been eliminated from the sound. No more haze hanging over the vocals. As well, I purchased some Signal Cable IC’s (Silver Resolution Reference Digital Interconnect for the Marantz CDP) and Balanced IC’s (Analog Two Balanced Interconnects between the Amp & Processor). The additional cables increased the clarity quite a bit.

The LSiC will be here next week & the LSiFX’s should be here sometime in the beginning of July.

I know some people believe that there is not a lot of difference between the RTi and LSi lines for HT, but have to differ. The additional detail and quality was well worth the money and I do not regret the upgrade one bit. Thanks a lot to everyone for all their help, especially Jesse. You guys helped me a lot and for me, separates are the only way to go.
The 2CH rig will have to wait under later this year or even next year. Besides, the LSi9’s are nothing to complain about for 2CH. Thanks again everyone. Have a good one.

Mike682

Congrats on the upgrades; you have some very nice stuff.

dave shepard

Congrats on the upgrades. Have you looked at any other pieces before you desided on those?
I'm working on upgrading myself but haven't commited to anyone piece yet, I'm stuck between Krell and McIntosh for the electronics.

Dave

janmike

I actually considered a few namely, Krell, MAC, and Proceed. The problem I face is that I cannot demo gear as there are no decent shops here. I did quite a bit of research on all of these and the price, location, condition & the seller for the Proceed gear worked out the best for me. I had a guarantee from the seller here in Canada that he would take the gear back if I was not satisified. He has a great rating on Audiogon & CAM (Canuck Audio Mart). The research I did on the Proceed gear reaffirmed by decision. While the Proceed gear is not being made anymore, the support is still in place and $ for $ I do not think I could have done much better. Good luck in the upgrade.

cfrizz

Terrific upgrade Mike! Congrats!

Andrew2112

That is a superb upgrade...let me see if I can get my wife to agree to something like that?.......NOT!!!!! (but one can only dream)

Mike682

Andrew2112 wrote:

That is a superb upgrade...let me see if I can get my wife to agree to something like that?.......NOT!!!!! (but one can only dream)

My wife keeps telling me house first, house first....

faster100

Great looking setup... I'm very excited to hear reviews like this going from the rt/rti line to Lsi.. I am getting a whole lsi Ht setup this weekend and hope it is that much better then my rti's and after that will be the amp and pre/pro upgrade... It's good to hear a positive result

Demiurge

Congrats on the new digs.

schwarcw

Congrats on the new system! What Marantz CDP are you using?

Holydoc

faster100 wrote:

Great looking setup... I'm very excited to hear reviews like this going from the rt/rti line to Lsi.. I am getting a whole lsi Ht setup this weekend and hope it is that much better then my rti's and after that will be the amp and pre/pro upgrade... It's good to hear a positive result

I would be very interested to hear the results of this upgrade. The way I understand it from reading all these million posts , the LSi's will give you a more musical upgrade but may not be that much of an upgrade (if any) for HT.

Please keep us posted.

Shizelbs

Very cool. I am with you, I think the LSis and RTis are very different. Congrats. Thats going to be one nice **** system.

mulveling

Congrats! That Proceed gear looks gorgeous! I know, being a former LSi9 owner, how musical and capable they are as mains. People who've never heard a good monitor are sure in for a surprise when they first hear the LSi9 - they sound as big as many full size jobs plus they've got excellent articulation and refinement.

As for having multiple remotes - in a sadistic/**** way I kind of like it. I spent gobs of money on gear; I'd like to impress, intimidate, or at least befuddle people with the maze of remotes

janmike

schwarcw wrote:

Congrats on the new system! What Marantz CDP are you using?

I have a Marantz SE-67. Never tackled the talked about upgrades for the SE-67, just put a little sound deadening material inside. Worked great. I purchased it years ago and for now it does the trick. I will be upgrading to a tube CDP at some time. “Hi honey, Can we talk about……” You know the routine.

unc2701

janmike wrote:

The volume level was actually lower using the Proceed to reach the same volume level using the Rotel. There goes my thought around HUGE rated power amps.

That difference in the volume setting probably has more to do with the Proceed having a 1 volt input sensitivity vs 2 volts on the Rotel...

Regardless, those are some nice looking pieces of gear. Congrats!

janmike

The LSiC arrived this evening. I can tell you right now that the clarity in voice is very significant from the RTi series. The LSiC is much smaller, better looking and much more detailed. I am not sure what % of music is in every movie, but it just makes sense that a more musical speaker would sound a lot better for HT. Anyone looking to do LSi for HT would not be disappointed. When the LSiFX's arrive I am sure that the full effect of HT will be noticed.

F1nut

I'm glad everything has turned out as it has. Quess I better get my lazy arse over to RS for you.

janmike

No big rush. Hey, I am on a vacation for a week so I will be the one with the lazy arse. Thanks Jesse.

del44

Sharp setup you have there. Must be nice to get a whole system overhaul. You have a very understanding wife.:)

janmike

Before I married her she was my best friend, and still is 10 years later. Actually she is the one who started this audio thing when she asked one day if we could get a decent sound system. I do not think she had all this in mind. Yes, I am a very lucky guy.
That is one nice setup del44. I need that big screen one day.