Finalizing the decision.... 15s or 9s.

Joey_V

Ok.. I went to Tweeter again to put this to rest. Last time I was there, the 9s were unfairly positioned - too high up and on the bookshelf ledge. I wanted to give them a fair shake at this mini-shootout, so I had the salesperson put them on stands at about the same level as the 15s.

We A/Bed the same BB King/Clapton song "Keys to the Highway" that we've been using for the last 2 visits.

I realized that I think I might be better off with the 9s for near-field PC listening. The 15s are no doubt the better speaker, but I feel that the 9s are more adept at nearfield purposes as they are far easier to place at ear-tweeter level and are easier to position (toe in, etc) than the 15s in a limited space constraint.

The 15s sound somewhat cleaner, but having the 9s at the same level proved to me that the 9s are nothing to scoff at. Though it didnt have the complete realism that the 15s did, I thought the 9s are still an awesome speaker in a relatively small package.

The bass on the 15s are good, but I could see how it could become "somewhat loose"... so a 9 and a really nice sub should be able to compete rather well me thinks.

I think I'll go 9s. I think I'll stick with the 9s for a while as my PC speakers. I thought about getting the Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor bookshelves or the Paradigm S4 bookshelves, but I dont know if I should slap myself or have someone else slap me.

Most likely, 9s... then I'll mate it with a Velodyne DD12 or 15 one day.

That's my little review... not much intricacies, just straight to the point.

Joey_V

Zero wrote:

I will regardless of your decision. Fair enough? Just a thought, but what in the hell would you run this gear with, hopes and dreams? Sheesh, at the very least, commit that endless pile of cash to completing the main rig.

I'll be moving the preamps and amps over to the PC rig for the most part. I dont use the Summits as much, so I figure might as well let the 1090 do some work on a daily basis. When I need to listen critically or when I want to unwind with some Reference music - say after school/work - then I'll roll the 1090 back out and power the Summits via Flac sent through the Squeezebox 3.

I really dont care how much I spend on the speaker, I never lose money as long as I buy used.

Joey_V

Sean,

I have no job. Thats the hilarity of it all!

As per our conversations, the LSi9/15 are truly top performers - something I dont need to dissect and critically take apart on each listen. It's price lends me to allow for imperfections... meaning it would be perfect as my PC speaker.

The trouble is, if I do go with something a little more expensive, like the Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors, I might find myself concentrating more on whether I have them powered enough or not, whether they're far enough from the back wall or not, whether they're toed in too aggressively or too passively, whether the vocals sound chesty enough or not, whether the bass is taut or loose..... blah blah blech...

I really want to sit back and enjoy.

This is why I love the LSi series. This is why I love Polk and I stick around here.

Joey_V

Zero wrote:

Let me know what you think of that SB3. Is she stock?

I will let you know what I think of the SB3. Too bad the Transporter is ridiculously expensive... someday it will be within reach though, hopefully.

Going balanced all the way from source to amp along with ultra-audiophile DACs is the only way to roll, my friend.

faster100

I'm not one to judge, but lsi's and SF's for a PC rig... no matter how nice the sound card is and other gear, it seems a total overkill speaker for a computer IMO..

and how do you score gear like this with no job? I really need to take up that career

Joey_V

Cliff,

Overkill or not... you gotta have good sound. I just need to work within limitations and not get something like the 25s for nearfield use because that would be completey useless.

Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor, Paradigm Sig4, Polk LSi9... all are fair game.

But one cannot doubt the power of the 9s... pure musicality to my ears (though I havent really heard the Auditor).

I dont know where I get this money either.

Joey

faster100

I agree and everyone has thier rigs they like to use more then others... I never got into poc audio much.. but am really into HT, and then 2 channel.. so there ya go.. Id get the lsi7's though for the pc perfect little speaker for that

The 9's are way larger after i had one in person then i ever thought seeing them online..

Joey_V

Had the 7s before, and the 9s. Both were good, but I preferred the 9s better. Both were used for PC use, but they were powered only by a Harman Kardon AVR-330 receiver, now, I'm going to use the Rotel RC1070 and RB1090 combo on this setup. Should be a pretty cool PC speaker system.

faster100

if its for the pc, what type sound card ya useing..