LSis - Five years later.....

polkatese

Going into the fifth year of owning my LSis, I am wondering for those who has decided to move on, beyond LSis, and how satisified are you guys with your decision to ditch, specifically for HT? For me, I am still content with mine, not extremely, but perhaps getting very used to them, and tweaking them enough to blend with the room, and all. I purposely not considering two channels since there are enough opinions on why polkies had decided to upgrade their 2 channels LSis into something else, but not for HT reason.

thoughts and comments?

venomclan

I personally never owned LSi's but was considering and demoed the LSi15 a few years ago. I find that for HT use only, most speakers are more forgiving in general. Since the center channel puts out 54ish% of dialog in 5.1, clarity and speed play a part but nuance is not judged as harshly.

I can see an upgrade for multichannel music, not away from the LSi's but more so of equal models (ex. all Lsi9's-15's...)
I think that a full Lsi set up in general is excellent for both 2 and 5.1. Bass tuning would be considered as a stronger upgrade, dependant on sub and room of course.
V

dorokusai

I moved on after about 2 months and haven't looked back. It's a wonderful loudspeaker and a hi-fi bargain but there's too much out there and not enough me.

Early B.

dorokusai wrote: »

I moved on after about 2 months and haven't looked back. It's a wonderful loudspeaker and a hi-fi bargain but there's too much out there and not enough me.

Agreed. There's better stuff out there in the same price range. Just gotta experiment with a few other speakers before you know what to look for.

george daniel

Early B. wrote: »

Agreed. There's better stuff out there in the same price range. Just gotta experiment with a few other speakers before you know what to look for.

yep & yep,,the LSI 15's are truly a fine speaker,, but for me I wanted something different,,at my price level,there is too much out there that I wnt to try before I take the 'dirt nap":)

MikeC78

For the dough I spent, haven't heard anything better.

Midnite Mick

Dirt nap......I like it:)

I personally don't think that they are an ideal HT speaker. I think that they are better for music than they are for HT. If I was building a system specifically for HT I wouldn't be getting Lsi's. Just my opinion.

Thanks,
Mike

polkatese

Interesting feedback, guys..Mike why do you think LSi is not ideal for HT? curious. I thought (in my experience), calibrating the system accurately for your room is the key..at least I was able to reach a level that the balance seems ideal (for my less than family room)...

Midnite Mick

I think for home theatre a more open, neutral speaker would be ideal. The Lsi's are very warm sounding when given their rightful power which in my opinion is geared for modern average digital music playback. For example the Exodus kit I just built is much more ideal for home theatre. They are much clearer, and open sounding. Although not sure how one would compare prices on it. I think the difference being the paper mid vs the poly's of the Lsi's. I still don't think poly drivers are really ideal for midranges. They have their own sonic signature. Just my opinion and what I have learned so far. Maybe others with more experience than me will set me straight.:D

Mike

madmax

Midnite Mick wrote: »

I think for home theatre a more open, neutral speaker would be ideal. The Lsi's are very warm sounding when given their rightful power which in my opinion is geared for modern average digital music playback.

Interesting perspective. What you are perceiving as a "neutral" sound is in most probability a speaker with a hf peak built in. Almost all home theater speakers are designed that way.
madmax

Early B.

I agree with Mick.

IMO, the front speakers for an HT system should be what you'd ideally want your entire HT system to sound like -- full of raw, gut-wrenching power and dynamics, loads of bass, and a huge soundstage. They don't need to be terribly detailed, possess laser-like imaging, or have pinpont accuracy. So a "laid back" speaker like the Lsi series will sound a bit weak, in comparison to the aforementioned. That being said, I would imagine the SDA series would make for great HT speakers. I enjoyed a pair of SDA CRS+ when they served in that capacity.

ohskigod

I really havent heard a speaker priced at retail around the same price range I liked more, in fact, in the price range, didnt like many of them at all. Def Tech, Martin Logan (aeon I think?), Vienna acoustics (liked em, but more than the LSi's?, no). maybe I just dont have luck with in store demos.

now used market?, Thats where I would go with trying to upgrade, because from my experience, paying retail for a speaker I significantly liked better than the LSi's would break the bank. Hey, maybe I just really like them. first time I heard the Lsi7 at Jhdiggs house and I fell in love.

I use them about 60 HT to 40 music in my multichannel home theater set up.
call me a big fan, My theater is going to stay as is for a long time, since I have not heard a line I like better thats worth the money to me. I admit that I do place much importance on the bang for buck principal.

Midnite Mick

The Lsi's may be a better bargain down there than up here. I paid 1700 and change new up here and I was told that cost was over 1500. At the time the listed MSRP was 2600 up here. Anyway, I just purchased online a pair of Usher cp738II new from a dealer. This is less than 400 more than I paid for the Lsi's. I struggled for a little while over this decision as I have seen them posted for a little while. I kept hoping somebody would buy them as they were driving me crazy.....so I just snagged them last night. Granted I have not yet heard them but they have the identical driver makeup as the 6381's, and are designed by the same person so I cannot see them sounding bad. I have heard the Usher sound and I do like....I hope these come through for me. Anyway, point being I think that there are speakers out there in a similiar price category that are just as big of a bang for the buck as the Lsi's.

Here they are.....they are the last pair so I don't expect the add to be up much longer.

http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/53575-usher_audio_cp738_ii__floor_standing_3_way_huge_bass/

Thanks,
Mike

ohskigod

definitly a looker I've heard the name usher but never heard them. would like to, since they look intrigueing. good luck with them

michael_w

How does the exodus kit compare to the 15's? I live about an hour away from creative sound solutions and have been really thinking about getting a similar kit.

Midnite Mick

michael_w wrote: »

How does the exodus kit compare to the 15's? I live about an hour away from creative sound solutions and have been really thinking about getting a similar kit.

They sound much more open, and detailed but not as big. The tweeter is a little softer but can be increased if desired by a simple resistor switch. I feel they are great for home theatre but not for me for music. For me to get emotionally involved in music I need to feel submerged with the music and I just didn't get that from these even though there off-axis performance was outstanding. I think the soundstage was just too short. I posted more info here.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51197&highlight=exodus

Thanks Mike

Sorry don't mean to hijack

Midnite Mick

ohskigod wrote: »

definitly a looker I've heard the name usher but never heard them. would like to, since they look intrigueing. good luck with them

Thank you. The only ones I have ever heard were the 6371's. They did a lot of great thing...very open, very fast, yet slightly warm sounding. However, I didn't feel they went as deep as what the specs said. Those were 2 way so I am hoping these will dig lower.

I emailed Bill Baker of Response audio and he said his favourite Usher was the 7388. Still in the Compass line (which is below the 6 series and the Dancers). They are the same as the ones I just purchased but with dual bass drivers. I just can't understand how they were sitting there so long. I conversed with a couple of people and said that they are just relatively unknown. I am hoping for the best....should be here by Friday.

Thanks,
Mike

Ferres

I've moved on from lsi9's to the sensys dc's. My issue with the Lsi's was they became very fatiguing after a couple of hours of use. I like to listen to music for much of the day. The sensys dc's just gave cleaner sound.

For the same price as the lsi9's I got the sensys dc towers.

wingnut4772

I never really found the LSIs fatiguing. I always like their sound but I got the upgrade bug and moved on as well. My Von Schweikerts run circles around the LSIs but they are a lot more expensive as well. To get a pair of good used VR4 Jrs you have to go about 3k shipped. So for the dough, the Polks are very good.

Monster Jam

I can say confidently that, barring equipment failure or catastrophic accident, my LSis will be there long after other components are changed out. I bought the LSis knowing that these could very well be my last speakers.

The guys at Polk should be proud of their work.

Ferres

I guess if you moved on to 'better' sound, the old set-up becomes fatiguing. This makes it hard to downgrade somewhat. Once you get accustomed to something better...

Midnite Mick

My listening sessions often last for 3 or 4 hours. I can't say I ever found them to be fatiguing, and my listening sessions are sitting down and just listening, not doing other things.

Mike

george daniel

My ears were never "fatigued" with my LSI 15's,,mine was simply a placement/setup issue that I could never resolve(in my mind). However,once or twice I came close and IMO, for the price (800.00 used) they are damn hard to beat,especially so with quality components driving them. I'm speaking of 2ch only,I can only imagine what an LSI HT setup would sound like.

G-2

It sounds great! We've never been so pleased with the setup and we're just going back over our old stuff. We've gotten into the SACD's heavy, and we still listen to alot of 2 channel music, but as an HT setup, just wow, these rock, and that includes the SVSub!