LSi-15's...I've been clipped!

saganized · July 2002

Not really! Just kidding. But I did buy some, and they are now hooked up. And I have never owned speakers this gorgeous! I'm very happy I chose the cherry finish. However, as you may see in the picture, the old "entertainment center dinosaur" has got to go. It just doesn't compliment the elegant LSi-15s.

I also bought Monster Cable Z2B bi-wires. No problems at the speaker end, but I ended up modifying two "flex-tip" connectors for the receiver (snipped off the soldered tips and twisted the braids). After gingerly threading the "snipped tips" into my Carver HR-752's speaker inputs, then snapping the fasteners shut, the cables seemed to secure just fine.

I do have some concerns, but I hope they're not serious.

- I knew I might not coax the same volume from the LSi-15s (88dB) as I did with my RTA-8ts (90dB). I didn't think 2dB would be much...but there is a slight difference audible.

- That's not so serious, but cranking the receiver up might be. Obviously I don't want to damage the receiver OR the speakers. Once long ago when using the RTAs, the Carver "clipped" at high volume (1 o'clock on the volume dial) and triggered the RTAs' automatic protection circuit. Do LSi-15s have "clipping" protection? Or, could "clipping" the Carver at high volumes seriously damage the speakers?

- Finally, is "burn-in" required before speakers such as these perform their best? Living in an apartment, I can only use them at high volumes for VERY SHORT periods of time. I worry about blowing out the woofers!

I think those are the only concerns I have.

Otherwise, I'm EXTREMELY satisfied. At medium volumes, music and voice are focused, distinct, and clear...beautiful! I'm still experimenting with sonic holography imaging, but have much to learn about room accoustics and speaker placement.

Thank you~

jad5 · July 2002

Congratulations. I've been thinking about the lsi9's but must admit the floorstanders do look mighty good. Might have to re-think my position on this for the umpteenth time. Anyways keep us updated on your findings. Enjoy!

OrangeToupee · July 2002

Me want

begbie · July 2002

sweeet.

You're right, the cabinet has to go.

mantis · July 2002

Is that a Super Nintendo I see????Damn I thought I was the only one who still had one.
I also own Plastation,PS2,and Xbox........I still play the Super Nintendo from time to time.
Great looking speakers,just 2 channel right??I love it...No care in the world for video but gotta have great speakers......my kind of set up.
Yes let them burn in as you will, don't push them hard for awhile, at least for 50 hours of play time,you'll hear a big difference after they break in.
Congrads dude!!

fireshoes · July 2002

Same thing I was thinking, Mantis: OMG! It's a SNES!

hoosier21 · July 2002

At my house we have two Nintendo units, the original Nintendo Entertainment System, and a N64.

Oh yes, nice speakers

shack · July 2002

I still have a Nintendo, SNES and N64 along with a Playstation (I never did buy a PS2). I just sold my Atari 2000 a few years ago. The N64 is still cool - just not very many good games for it.

I still want the LSi9s but I may have to have to get a better receiver than my Denon 1802.

UPGRADES....ALWAYS UPGRADES!!!

shack · July 2002

HEY! I just made POLKATEER on my last post!!

Steve@3dai · July 2002

I keep looking at those 15s, they are quite tastey, but I'd need to bi-amp them or something

I'm happy with my 9s though!

saganized · July 2002

Oh, the SNES. That's uhhh...no longer in use. I was more worried someone would take notice of the fluffy black kitty sitting next to the Stephen Hawking's "Universe" tapes. It's not mine, I swear. Honest.

I've seen an awful lot of nice Bell'O furniture. I hope to someday replace that beast of an entertainment center with something more "modern" from them.

Mantis, thanks for the tip (thankfully, the Telarc "1812 Overture" CD I ordered from Tower hasn't arrived yet). I've been listening to a lot of the "Gladiator" soundtrack though, and it sure does sound good.... :cool:

seaslug · July 2002

Saganized,

I was looking into the Monster Z2B Bi-wire cables myself, and I'd like to ask you a few questions, if you dont mind:

1. What sort of connections do the Z2B's have? The website is a bit unclear about this. I'd prefer banana plugs, if at all possible.

2. Where did you find them, and how much did you pay? (Pardon my lack of tact :rolleyes: )

3. Is it worth the extra bones to upgrade my current Monster Cable XP (14 awg)? I'm running lesser speakers than yours on the front soundstage.

Thanks in advance for your help. By the way, I love the look of your LSi's. Maybe I should think about upgrading...

TV -- Sony KV-36FV27
Receiver -- Onkyo TX-DS797
Front L/R -- RT800i's
Center -- CS400i
Surround L/R -- f/x300i
Rear Surround -- CS245i
Sub -- PSW450

"Je pense, donc, je suis." -- Rene Descartes

saganized · July 2002

Seaslug,

I don't mind a bit. After I bought them, I had questions myself. Frankly, I thought the folks at Monster Cable would be more responsive to email (I never received a response). So....

Rather than ordering from Monster, I ordered from a website, http://ww2.onecall.com/PID_13759.htm.

Great customer service! Transit time was slower than expected (about 5 days by FedEx), but I did select "ground" so that was my own fault. Air shipment is extra. Their folks even gave me a follow-up call after I received the cables, to be sure I was satisfied with everything. Very nice!

The cables were exactly as advertised...a 10-ft pair (left and right speaker cables) for $199.95, and NO TAX (for CA residents, anyways). A black, plastic "hard case" is included. The cables are wound up inside the case, and the case is then put into a box full of packing peanuts.

I didn't order alternate terminations, mainly because I wasn't sure exactly what I needed. The basic cables terminate with Monster's Monster Lock Master Pin fitting.

The Master Pins ended up being too short to plug into the back of my Carver receiver. So, I had to select connectors to screw onto the Master Pins: Banana Plugs, Angled Spades, or Flex Tips (braided wire with solder at the tip...see a better description of all the connectors at: http://www.monstercable.com/home_av/connectors/speaker_monsterlock.asp, or visit a Monster Cable retailer in person. Note...the Flex Tips have a longer braided end than what is shown in the pics.)

(Note for any Monster Cable reps reading this...PLEASE!! MAKE ANGLED GOLD PINS FOR THE MONSTER LOCK MASTER PINS!!)

At my local Good Guy's, I bought 8 Banana Plugs for the speaker binding posts, and 4 Flex Tips (which I modified by snipping off the soldered tips) for the receiver end. I don't recall the cost of these, but it's similar to what OneCall charges (it looks like $12.50 for a package of 4). So, the additional expense for the connectors was around $40 including tax.

Finally, the most important question you asked..."Is it worth it?" You'll obviously need to decide yourself whether it was worth it or not.

I can say this. When I first hooked up the LSi-15s, I think I was using the same cable you are...clear-jacketed, standard Monster Cable. Basically, wound copper strands.

Z2Bs, on the other hand, are "more than" wound copper strands. There is also the biwiring (4 posts) to be considered, as opposed to only 2 posts per speaker...the electronics are different. (Obviously I'm no expert in explaining this stuff.)

Technical stuff aside, I heard a definite difference (improved bass and sharper overall imaging) after biwiring the LSi-15s. If your RT800i's can be biwired, my "BEST GUESS" is that you would hear a difference with those, too.

My old RTA-8t's only have dual binding posts, so I couldn't even try biwiring those...maybe even they would have sounded better!

I hope something I've said will help you!

saganized · July 2002

Sorry, the OneCall link I put in there doesn't work.

Go to www.onecall.com, then do a Search for "Z2B". You'll find their biwire cables quicker that way.

seaslug · July 2002

Saganized,

Thanks for the help. I currently have my RT800i's bi-wired with the Monster XP (14 awg) for the highs and some cheap, home-improvement store cable (12 awg--my father had it laying around) for the lows. I twisted the receiver ends together and snapped on Monster Quick Lock banana plugs for a homeade bi-wire. I have noticed only a very slight improvement in overall transparency and imaging since I started experimenting with this rig a couple of weeks back.

I've got a little online electronics store that I've done business with in the past trying to find out if they can get me the Z2B's for less than MSRP, but unless it's a fairly sizable discount, I may actually decide to hang onto my money for a change. Thanks again for all the information, and I hope you continue to enjoy those LSi's!

"Je pense, donc, je suis." -- Rene Descartes

saganized · July 2002

Seaslug, you're welcome. Sounds like you're "there" already!

I considered doing the same thing you did with home-mades. I decided on the Z2Bs because I thought they "looked good," and also I reasoned they'd sound at least a little better (because of their construction) than any wires I could rig myself.

If you feel satisfied with the sound of the home-mades, then probably no urgency in changing.

I read not long ago that these "little tweaks," each resulting in even a small improvement, can ultimately make a huge difference in the way a system sounds. I'm beginning to agree with whoever wrote that!

ezc · July 2002

I have one question re the monster Z2B Bi wire, is there two master pins on one side & four on the speaker side or is there 4 ends on both side? I currently have LSi15 fornts LSiC & LSiFX all using Monster Z-100 speaker cables. I want to upgrade my fornt mains & center to biwire but am unsure what the Z2b ends are like.

saganized · July 2002

Ezc,

2 Master Pins on the receiver side, 4 Master Pins on the speaker side. That's how I bought them on the http://www.onecall.com website (that was their standard configuration).

It's possible other dealers offer them in other configurations, but I don't know for sure. My advice would be to check with the dealer you're interested in buying from.

ezc · July 2002

Saganized,

Thanks for the info, Now I know how many ends I need to order. I want to biwire the front 3 speakers.

saganized · July 2002

Ezc, I sorry, but I don't know the answer to that. My system is 2-channel, and I know almost nothing about home theater!

I'd suggest you start a new thread. Good luck.

DarqueKnight · July 2002

I ordered some of my Monster speaker cables from Kief's Audio-Video, www.kiefsav.com and some from J and R Musicworld, www.jandr.com.

LSi-15's...I've been clipped!

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