LSi15s as surrounds

Ruin

Anyone using 15s as surrounds? I think I have seen one or two of you out there doing so. If so, do you have them set to large or small?

TIA,

Ruin

ohskigod

the real question is, what is the rest of the system. IF your putting LSi7's as mains but 15's as the surrounds, that would be silly. but, say LSi15's all around? sure, why not? I run my main LSi15's small, but with a low crossover point, like 40 hz.

the more we know about the rest of the system, the more we can help.

wingnut4772

Lsi 15sall around would rock.! I have put them at 40 but I found I got a better overall system response at 60 with the 15s in my room.(LF,RF)

And let us know what else ya' got!:D

Ruin

LSi25s as mains, LSiC as center. No seberate Sub, just using LSi25 subs (space constraints).

R

Shizelbs

Go for it. The main drawback I see is that as floorstanders, you can really dictate too much their positioning above ear level.

Monster Jam

Long-time lurker, first time poster.

When I saw the question about using LSi15s as surrounds, I had to chime in. I currently run a 5.1 system in constrained space.
Center LSiC (SPL +1)
Fronts 2 x LSi15 (SPL +0)
Surrounds 2 x LSi15 (SPL +3)

I figured I needed speakers with stands, so why not get the stands built in?! Thats what a tower speaker was for me, and oh yeah, I am getting a full-range speaker to boot.

But not all has been peachy since I set the speakers up. I have found that the rear LSi15s are too directional; stated differently, I would have been happier with LSiFX with a wider sounds dispersion pattern. Also, because of space constraints, I dodn't have the ability to "toe-in" the rear towers. Further, because I hear very little sound coming from these more expensive speakers, I am suffering from a bit of buyers remorse. Don't get me wrong, the speakers are wonderful, but I could have gotten away with spending less and gotten a better result. Them's the breaks I suppose. In the meantime, I guess I'll jack up the surround SPL levels even higher (+4).

These are my real-world experiences (and I will be experiencing this for some time); with more space to work with, your results could differ.

And I should mention that I have all LSi15s set as "Large".

Monster Jam

I guess I should also mention that I have the subwoofer (Velodyne SPL1200 series II) set for LFE and L/R Front.

josh_parsons626

LOL man that's just crazy to use big tall tower speakers as surrounds. IMO I think it's really silly to spend the extra money on tower speakers when bookshelves are awesome now-a-days, unless your rich and have a 10000 sq ft mansion.

Ruin

Yeah, probably a bit of overkill.
The thing is, the wife is not pleased with LSi/FX speakers up on the wall of the living room. I don't have a dedicated theater room.
So I am thinking, I have small bookshelf as rears right now, on stands, I can just get some LSi9s on stands and she will be ok with it, though they will be a bit large. Then I say, as another poster did, heck I could get the stands "built in" if I just use 15s. I really would rather have the less directional FXs though. Any thoughts on mounting FXs on stands even though the are designed to be wall mounted?

Whatever surrounds I eventually choose are going to end up being to the rear and slightly to the side of the listeners. I don't have the ability to but in side surrounds.

Reading some guides on the matter, some folks feel that the amount of information going to surrounds is so small compared to the mains and center that you are wasting money on serious speakers for the surrounds. Should I just go LSi7s then?

R

McLoki

Ruin wrote:

Yeah, probably a bit of overkill.
The thing is, the wife is not pleased with LSi/FX speakers up on the wall of the living room. I don't have a dedicated theater room.

Sounds like you and MonsterJam should work on some sort of a trade.....

Michael

Ruin

Heh, I keep coming up with new ideas. Now I want to figure out a way to stand mount the LSi/FXs. They won't have the height they should, but at least I would have them. I have seen a person or two in various forums talk about useing stands, but it looks like they are just using small shelving units to sit them on, though I think someone has them sitting on some Sanus steel stands. The thing is, I need them to be attached, not just sitting there, or my kids will knock them off accidently. They know not to mess with the speakers/stands but ....

Any mounting ideas to put LSi/FXs on stands?

If I gave up, and just went LSi9s for surrounds, would I be dissapointed?

TIA,

Ruin

P.S. Just wanted to say thanks to those responding in my various threads. I am a new poster, and it is nice to see such response.

R

ohskigod

I got the LSi9's as surrounds, and they do fine by me

josh_parsons626

Well are you using LSi15's as fronts or what? IMO big tall "80's" tower speakers are a thing of the past. They're almost at the peak of disappearing. Unless you're building a dedicated HT room striclty for screening movies they're actually a waste of money and space, IMO. You could go LSi9's all around and be completely happy. Are you sure you cant find somehow to have side surrounds & rear surrounds? I dont know I'm just really big on the whole 7.1 vs 5.1 thing.

McLoki

Josh,

I owned tower speakers in the 80's (still have a pair even - Polk SDA 1b's). Trust me, the tower speakers of today are nowhere near the look of the towers of the 80's. The design, finishes and WAF are much better than they ever have been. I agree the LSi 9's are great speakers, but for 2 channel listening (many still have to use their home theaters for their 2 channel listening as well) without a sub - the 15's are an awesome speaker.

Different strokes man....

Michael

BTW - I consider 5.1 vs 7.1 to be very room dependent. Depending on the room, one will often sound much better than the other and it's not always the 7.1.

Hvrnaut

Thought that I would chime in here with my setup. I have Lsi9's for mains and LsiFX's for surrounds mounted on these great looking stands:

http://www.bello.com/index.php?partition=show_product&prod_id=120&categ_id=43

The 9's are on 24" stands, while the FX's are on 36" stands. Perfect ear-level height, in my opinion. Take a look.

mantis

Using Lsi7's on the wall would be an idea.I just did a system that the wife freaked out with the Lsi/fx. There just to big and ugly(to her) for there living room. She would much rather have the Smaller Lsi7's which look alot better(to her again).The Lsifx are better suited for a theater room. Using Lsi15's as rears in my opnion is alittle overkill unless you have a good place to put them and a larger room. Then again for music playpack, I bet it would be killer. Sacd with lsi15's as rears ...yeah I can dig that.

The subs in the 25's are strong and can support a nice size room. I have done them a few times with great results. But running them in large, no line level and using a seperate sub seems to work better. Unless you hear both ways, just having the 25's is very good.

Good luck with what you do

Dan

DarqueKnight

I have LSi15's for surrounds set to large. I didn't like the sound of smaller speakers used for surrounds (LSi7, LSi9, RTi55, CRS+) and I didn't like the look of speakers mounted on my walls (LSiFX).

mantis

DarqueKnight wrote:

I have LSi15's for surrounds set to large. I didn't like the sound of smaller speakers used for surrounds (LSi7, LSi9, RTi55, CRS+) and I didn't like the look of speakers mounted on my walls (LSiFX).

Thats all personal taste my man. Correct placement of any rear speaker is 2 to 3 feet above hear level. That most of the time means 6 feet from the floor or so depending. I don't think there is anything wrong with using floor standing speakers in the rear if you like your surround that low. Again correct and personal taste , you decide which is right for you.

Dan

Ruin

Josh, LSi25 for fronts. Due to space constraints, no seperate sub. (. I have spent enough hours listening to various configurations that I think I can deal with no seperate sub in our room, if I just compare them to what I had, as opposed to what I COULD have.

Mantis, good to hear that you have had some success with 25s and no seperate sub. I am trying hard not to listen to 25s WITH a seperate sub as I really have no place to put one. I am loosing the spot that currently holds my sub.

Mantis, I am not gonna get my surrounds 3 or 4 feet above listening level. If I could do that, I would just put them on the wall. The wife has just vetoed that. I can get away with surrounds at ear level, or perhaps a foor or 18 inches about that. Likely to the side, but slightly behind the listeners. I can possibly go truely behind the listeners but I don't know that I can get enough height to keep them from being blocked by the couch.

Seems like using 15s for surrounds would pretty much be like having built in very expensive stands. Would be more stable than your average stand, but given that I don't need the bass response for surrounds (probably not even with DVD-A) it seems like a bit of a waste of money over 9s or 7s with a decent stand (or FXs).

Josh, Can't do side surrounds. One wall is..well, non-existant. Gonna get some strange accoustics as it is given that I will have 3 walls and one open side. Our living room is too narrow for me to set up facing the "front" wall so I have to go lengthwise, which for this room is side to side. So, where my right surround would be is the fireplace, cabinets, etc. etc., and where my left surround would be is space..opening eventually only the breakfast room and kitchen. Given that, I don't even know that FXs are a good idea. I would certainly have to set them to bipole, and even then I don't know how they would sound with no reflective wall on one side.

Opiniions please, given the room configuration, would I be better to go with a direct radiating speaker? If so, then it just comes down to 9s or 7s (or 15s, heh).

Hvrnaut. how do you have your FXs mounted on that stand? Just sitting there, or attached in some fashion? I see that these come with loops for attaching speakers? I like the SPC-300B with the metal and wood combo.

DarqueKnight, how are your 15s as surrounds placed? Side? Behind? Angle? are they pretty much at ear level, below, above? What is it like having that much bass response in a surround?


Wow, thanks folks. Lots of reponses and help on this forum!

Ruin

Hvrnaut

Ruin,

The Bello's come with sone serious hook and loop velcro. That is how they stay on. It is a lot more stable than it sounds. I have kids, two dogs, etc., and have never had a problem with them. The bases are wide and stable, and I use the included carpet spikes.

The FX's are decent sized, but I think they look great, and the stands are rated are 100 lbs each, so weight is not a problem. The wire management down the back is nice and blends well. I get complimented about them often.

At 36", the stands are tall. Remember the speakers are going to be another foot or so tall, which I found to be above listening height on our sofa. Perfect if you ask me. No holes in wall, no complaints from the Boss, etc.

Just thought I would add that it looks to me that the wood/steel combo is not avialible in the 36" height. Only black and silver. Just for the record, I would not advise using stands shorter than 36" for surrounds.