Lsi 9's what use to power them for 2channel

Chicomoralessxm

Looking at suggustions for what i might get to Power a pair of Lsi9's i have my eye on. What might make them sound their best? I'm seriously looking at getting an Odyssey amp soon. I was looking at an int amp, or even 2channel receiver with the Odyssey. My budget is kinda tight around $600. Here what i came up with so far.

1) Outlaw 2150- nice since i get a tuner and bass management built in. not sure how it will sound with the LSI though

2) MH A25.2nice looking int amp but does it pair LSI's

3) CA640a more power than the MH not sure how it sound with the polks

I might also add i'm also prob getting a demo pair of Era D5 for a smaller room.
Any thoughts guys?

dkg999

The ERA D5's sound fantastic on tube amplification, a friend is running them on a Jolida 30w integrated and they sound really nice!

The Outlaw receiver has gotten some good reviews and positive comments but I haven't heard one. I experimented with my LSi9's and several amps I had on hand. I didn't find them to be as power hungry as some make them out to be. They do require some good reserve capability in your amp. My NAD C720BEE receiver with 50 w/ch drove them nicely. Maybe not to concert volumes, but for sane listening it did very well. Best amp I found for them was my Marsh A200 and using the Dodd ELP tube pre. Really made them sing. My recommendation would be a quality amp in the 100 wpc to 150 wpc range, and a good tubed pre-amp. It might be a little challenging on your $600 budget, so keep looking for used Jolida tubed integrateds on Audiogon and you might be able to get one in your budget.

brijenjas

Are you just looking for an amp, or do you need a processor also?

If just an amp;

I drove mine very easily with the Emotiva LPA1 which is a multichannel amp, $500.

You might consider their 2 channel amp the RPA-1, 350watts channel @4 ohms, they have it on sale right now for $599.

http://www.emotiva.com/rpa1.html

Chicomoralessxm

thanks for the ideas. Audiogon has some nice deals but its a bit of a hassle since i'm outside the US. Amp wise i'm pretty much set on amp from Odyssey Audio so i'm looking more at a preamp or int amp with preouts. The Outlaw caught my attention since it has a tuner which i'll definately need plus they have been getting lots of great reviews on that model inparticular

skipf

I power mine with a Carver M-500t. Incredible sound. You should be able to find one for $350-$400. The trick is finding one that hasn't been abused. Most folks that have a good one don't want to sell it. If you can find one, you won't be disappointed.

AndyGwis

HK 3380, 3480, 3385, 3485 would all be decent and very cheap options. Some here feel the preamp section is very good for the money, and you get some processing, a tuner, a great remote, etc.

I think putting a HK with the Odyssey amp would be a great way to go on the cheap. If you find a better preamp down the road, you can always resell the HK or find another 2 channel setup for it. Awesome lil receiver.

markmarc

The Outlaw will give you the most muscle. I'd consider some quality integrated amps such as the Rotel 1062 based upon the price of the equipment you mentioned.

The Era D-5's are a very impressive speaker, and I must agree that they sound their best with a nice tube equipment, as some consider them a bit dry. (I think of them to be quite neutral across the spectrum.

Chicomoralessxm

Thanks for input guys. Actually andy i have a 3380, which i'm using with Paradigm Mini monitors. I'm prob going to give that setup too my dad since he need it more than me lol. I saw a bada int.amp which was kinda a hybrid with tubes which would be intresting but since i live outside the US i'm not so sure about their reliability and shipping it back is a hassle. The outlaw prob will be my best bet. Are these readily available or still backordered. The rotel intamp i had my eye on went already from echohifi was too good of a bargain i guess. What i'm looking for is something that will drive either of these speakers at reasonable levels. The using the Odyssey as an external amp for my 'real' listening experience and pleasure.

treitz3

I have had the pleasure to hear SkipF's rig in his listening environment and at this year's Carverfest. The M-500t and LSi-9 combo turned a lot of heads and is a very musical combination, especially when matched to a good source.

Doc99

I used A CA 640A with my LSi9's for a while, but I found once I changed over to my Rotel 1070, it made quite a difference driving these 4 ohm speakers better.

33535403

Chicomoralessxm wrote: »

Looking at suggustions for what i might get to Power a pair of Lsi9's i have my eye on. What might make them sound their best? I'm seriously looking at getting an Odyssey amp soon. I was looking at an int amp, or even 2channel receiver with the Odyssey. My budget is kinda tight around $600. Here what i came up with so far.

1) Outlaw 2150- nice since i get a tuner and bass management built in. not sure how it will sound with the LSI though

2) MH A25.2nice looking int amp but does it pair LSI's

3) CA640a more power than the MH not sure how it sound with the polks

I might also add i'm also prob getting a demo pair of Era D5 for a smaller room.
Any thoughts guys?

I drive my LSi9 with Outlaw RR 2150 and is very happy about it. It is indeed a marriage matched in heaven.

33535403

Outlaw RR2150! I had been driving my LSi9 for quite a while. I also tried my RTA12 and SDA CRS. LSi9 is 4ohms, RTA12 is 6ohms, and SDA CRS is 6ohms too and the Outlaw RR2150 did not get hot after playing it for two days-- continuous 2 days on each of the above-mentioned speakers. I used my selections of audiophile music recorded on DVD-audio non-stop--this is how I break-in my amp or new speakers. Do not run your LSi9 on any 8ohm amp beacause it will fry your speaker or the amp. A friend of mine fried his Onkyo M-282 (made in China) using the LSi9. LSi9 is power hungry and will make most amp not rated at 4ohms. For less than $600 RR2150 can match most audiophile amp out there which cost more than $1000. Outlaws are modest and underrated like the vintage Onkyo. I spoke to an electronic expert in Japan in 1996 when I was stationed there and he mentioned that Onkyos on their early years are the best and very underrated. RR2150 is a solid performer and the best thing is...it is made in America. By the way, LSi9 if I am right is assembled in China with U.S. parts (probably lower labor cost especially the excellent cabinet finish)--but who cares, it was just assembled by different hands. By the way, the LSi9 tweeter is made by Vifa from Europe. The reason why I an hanging on to my vintage Polks is because they are good like the vintage Klipsch--all made in the U.S. Most electronics now are made in China, Malaysia, etc and not as good and heavy as the original ones--lots of shortcuts and placed in mass markets for large profits. The LSi9 and the rest of LSi series I believe is an exeption--it looks like Polk Audio is going back to the nice SDA sounds with upgraded drivers.

Chicomoralessxm

Well the outlaw seems to be a good deal especially for the price and performance. I also like the idea that its 4ohm stable as well. Even some of these speakers that are rated at 8ohms naturally tend to dip quite below that.

Treiz and skip i'm sure the that carver setup is pretty nice. Bob carver makes great products from all account never been able to listen to any as yet. The sunfire stuff aint to shabby either.

So i take it the MH A25.2 wont really do the job or the 640v2 when it comes to the 9's. Ireally enjoy cranking my music up on occasion (well quite often!)

Ricardo

Where in the Caribbean are you???? This time of the year I really start missing the sunny white sand beaches.

Chicomoralessxm

SXM=st maarten ever heard of it. Actually living in toronto nearly half my life i miss the cold odd huh. But the caribbean has it advantages when it comes to weather. Not when it comes to audio equipment though lol

Ricardo

One of the few islands I've never been to. Living most of my life in Caracas it was fairly easy and cheap to tour the Caribbean. I hope I do visit some day. If I do, I might take you some gear

Chicomoralessxm

Well let me know we could work something out!

Chicomoralessxm

Has anyone heard MH with the Lsi's?

ABX

brijenjas wrote: »

Are you just looking for an amp, or do you need a processor also?

If just an amp;

I drove mine very easily with the Emotiva LPA1 which is a multichannel amp, $500.

You might consider their 2 channel amp the RPA-1, 350watts channel @4 ohms, they have it on sale right now for $599.

http://www.emotiva.com/rpa1.html

Looks like a lot of amp for money.
The LSI 9's deserve a good amp