Pure disapointment.........Polk LSi15

Hyper_Lite83

I was SO excited to get these speakers hooked up.

I even took a half day off work just to get home and get them hooked up. Unfortunately, I was severely disappointed.

I hooked them up to a Pioneer 92 receiver. The HT sounded pretty good, but quite frankly the music was horrible! I believe problem was probably the size of my room (it is large and open the the second floor). They've been returned and I'm ready to move on to something else.

I really wanted to like these speakers, but they just didn't give me that "WOW" factor I was looking for.


Does anyone else have some recommendations?

be83663

I smell that someone is going to say that "it is because of a lack of an external amplifier".

Face

What do you expect when you hook them up to a receiver?

So what didn't you like about the speakers?

fireshoes

Let's see...large, open room, running 4ohm speakers off of a receiver...yes, you would really need an amp in that situation. The Pioneer just isn't going to do it justice by itself.

tonyb

be83663 wrote: »

I smell that someone is going to say that "it is because of a lack of an external amplifier".

Very well could be.Along with placement,source componants,etc. Too many times people don't put enough thought into speaker purchases,thus,the speakers must suck.

cfrizz

Welcome Hyper. Sorry you were disappointed. But if you had come here FIRST and done some research you would have found out that the vast majority of receivers are unable to give the LSI's the power they need to sound good. Do a search here on the forum about LSI's & power.

So unless you are willing to get a separate amplifier of at least 200wpc to add to your system, it is probably a good idea that you returned them. However, if you did get the amp you would hear a rocking speaker that does both movies & music well.

dkg999

Or it could be that the LSi's just don't produce the sound signature that makes the OP go WOW! If we all liked the same thing, then we would all own the same speakers! Maybe another flavor of speaker would work for the OP.

I do agree with the comments on driving them with a receiver in that environment. They are going to sound pretty flat with normal receivers/AVR's.

demaples

I learned the same lesson, 4ohm Polk LSi's need power. If you don't want to invest in an amp I may be interested in them.

engtaz

be83663 wrote: »

I smell that someone is going to say that "it is because of a lack of an external amplifier".

No, the real reason is most receivers don't handle 4 ohm loads very well, sometimes the receiver and speaker both end up with problems. Sorry to hear about your disappointment, Hyper_Lite83

engtaz

dorokusai

I'm glad you returned them and would suggest checking out Klipsch products, and their respective user forum. Problem solved.

Gaara

blarg

SolidSqual

Hyper_Lite83 wrote: »

I was SO excited to get these speakers hooked up.

I even took a half day off work just to get home and get them hooked up. Unfortunately, I was severely disappointed.

I hooked them up to a Pioneer 92 receiver. The HT sounded pretty good, but quite frankly the music was horrible! I believe problem was probably the size of my room (it is large and open the the second floor). They've been returned and I'm ready to move on to something else.

I really wanted to like these speakers, but they just didn't give me that "WOW" factor I was looking for.


Does anyone else have some recommendations?

I have no problem saying that you are a dumbass and don't deserve those speakers. Your first post is filled with so many poor assumptions and conclusions that it makes me puke. You can train someone to have common sense, but you can't fix stupid. Go buy Bose . . .

mule

You made a similar mistake that I did.

What I have learned from reading here and my mistakes...

If you have a $500 reciever, buy $250 speakers, it will make them sound good.

If you buy $1000 speakers and want them to sound like $1000 speakers, spend $2000 on a processer and amp. If you run $1000 speakers on a $500 reciever they will still sound like $250 speakers.

Budget more $$$ for source than you do for speakers and you will do better than more $$$ on speakers than source.

Good luck.

Early B.

If the 15's sounded good with HT and horrible with music, then you either had something hooked up wrong or you have a weak source.

treitz3

Hyper_Lite83 wrote: »

I hooked them up to a Pioneer 92 receiver.

I really wanted to like these speakers, but they just didn't give me that "WOW" factor I was looking for.........Unfortunately, I was severely disappointed.

Does anyone else have some recommendations?

Lose the receiver if you ever want to power a 4 ohm speaker and be careful to not bash a speaker when the speaker wasn't the issue in your setup.

mantis

SolidSqual wrote: »

I have no problem saying that you are a dumbass and don't deserve those speakers. Your first post is filled with so many poor assumptions and conclusions that it makes me puke. You can train someone to have common sense, but you can't fix stupid. Go buy Bose . . .

I'm wondering with a guy who only has 6 posts that it's nessary to treat him this way. It sounds to me like he got a good demo and then flopped at home. I also feel it's poor judgement to speak to others in this tone. It also makes our forum look ugly.

Honestly dude many people who don't come to this forum or understand Ohm load have no idea that most receivers will not power a 4 ohm load speaker of any kind properly. I work in the industry and you would not believe how many people try and power nice speakers with receivers. It makes me sick to see it go but it's how it really is out there. It's a shame the Lsi's can't be powered off a wonderful receiver like the Pioneer Elite vsx92txh. It sounds awesome with Focal speakers which are as good or better then the Lsi series and they are 8 ohm load. Like B&W speakers which also sing with the Pioneer Elite receivers. Years ago I have Installed countless systems with Pioneer Elite receivers and B&W speakers. 8 ohm load all day long and sound wonderful.

Give the guy a break, why not try and help him instead of kicking him in the pride. We all where rookies of audio at one time or another. Hell I have been an Installer for over 8 years, been into audio since the late 70's and I feel I learn something new each and every day.

Hyper_Lite83,
with the receiver you used to power the Lsi's, they where not powered correctly. If you run it long enough or loud enough, the Receiver will go into protection. It takes all of it's internal power just to handle to load the Lsi's give it. It's a miss match. The 92 receiver is designed to handle speakers 6 to 16 ohms. 4 ohm speakers suck the life out of the internal amps. If you add a seperate power amp like a B&K ref200.7 , you will now have plenty of power to drive them and hear what they can sound like. Also new speakers need about 1 month or so before they start to sound good. This is called break in. B&W speakers actually sound horrible right out of the box to the point that you would want to return then in 5 minutes of owning them.

I suggest you get a power amp or look for new speakers. Try the Focal 8 ohm speakers or anything else you like thats 6 or 8 ohms. Thats if you plan on owning the Elite receiver.

Good luck man,

Dan

Midnite Mick

This whole thread doesn't make sense.

If anything the Lsi are better for music than they are for home theatre....I'm confused...oh well I'm out

mantis

Midnite Mick wrote: »

This whole thread doesn't make sense.

If anything the Lsi are better for music than they are for home theatre....I'm confused...oh well I'm out

Thats a matter of opnion man. Your not confused, you just don't agree with his opnion of the speakers.

Gaara

I can't read to good

steveinaz

I can't think of a single scenario (sans connecting them to an AM transistor radio) where Lsi15's would disappoint...If they didn't do it for ya, prepare to spend about 5 large to move to the next bracket.

Midnite Mick

Gaara wrote: »

I guess I am the only one that noticed/cares that he was praising these a month ago and now says they are a disappointment? He already had them in his system last month so I don't buy his first post in this thread. Maybe he is just really mad about the Monitor series being made in China.

I got that same impression...but I think he was just quoting a review from someone else in that thread.

Gaara

Thanks for clearing that up, continue on...

mulveling

Man...should have at least tried different locations, etc. Acoustics fundamentals can make a WORLD of difference. Also, it helps to make sure your receiver isn't doing any wonky processing modes, etc. If you normally give up on stuff so quickly, then audio is NOT the hobby for you!

Also, exaggerated expectations built up over time by reading rave reviews, not proportionally supplemented by hands-on experience, is just ASKING for crushing disappointment. About 90%+ of the rave reviews in audio are pretty worthless anyways.

fatchowmein

My experience...

LSi15s + Yamaha 95W receiver that you had to flip a switch to get 4Ohms = "How much did I pay for these things???"

LSi15s + Emotiva LPA-1 ext amp = "Whoa! How much did I pay for these things! "

Midnite Mick

Maybe the OP could describe what he likes in a speaker...what he is looking for and draw on others' experiences.

Do tell, do tell.

daboyz

Simple case of lack of power and not doing his homework,then kneejerk reaction. We've all had our "here's your sign" moments. This is his.

dave shepard

mantis wrote: »

I'm wondering with a guy who only has 6 posts that it's nessary to treat him this way. It sounds to me like he got a good demo and then flopped at home. I also feel it's poor judgement to speak to others in this tone. It also makes our forum look ugly.

Honestly dude many people who don't come to this forum or understand Ohm load have no idea that most receivers will not power a 4 ohm load speaker of any kind properly. I work in the industry and you would not believe how many people try and power nice speakers with receivers. It makes me sick to see it go but it's how it really is out there. It's a shame the Lsi's can't be powered off a wonderful receiver like the Pioneer Elite vsx92txh. It sounds awesome with Focal speakers which are as good or better then the Lsi series and they are 8 ohm load. Like B&W speakers which also sing with the Pioneer Elite receivers. Years ago I have Installed countless systems with Pioneer Elite receivers and B&W speakers. 8 ohm load all day long and sound wonderful.

Give the guy a break, why not try and help him instead of kicking him in the pride. We all where rookies of audio at one time or another. Hell I have been an Installer for over 8 years, been into audio since the late 70's and I feel I learn something new each and every day.

Hyper_Lite83,
with the receiver you used to power the Lsi's, they where not powered correctly. If you run it long enough or loud enough, the Receiver will go into protection. It takes all of it's internal power just to handle to load the Lsi's give it. It's a miss match. The 92 receiver is designed to handle speakers 6 to 16 ohms. 4 ohm speakers suck the life out of the internal amps. If you add a seperate power amp like a B&K ref200.7 , you will now have plenty of power to drive them and hear what they can sound like. Also new speakers need about 1 month or so before they start to sound good. This is called break in. B&W speakers actually sound horrible right out of the box to the point that you would want to return then in 5 minutes of owning them.

I suggest you get a power amp or look for new speakers. Try the Focal 8 ohm speakers or anything else you like thats 6 or 8 ohms. Thats if you plan on owning the Elite receiver.

Good luck man,

Dan

I agree 100%.

If I were him I would be plenty pissed with the sales person that put or let the 2 be put together just to make a sale, total crap, did anybody mention that to him?.

There are some that feel you can get just as good sound as long as you just keep the volume down, that is crap. The dynamics in both music and movies demand that the amp provide extreme power fast at the right load, anything short no matter where the volume is will not show what the speaker can do.

You also do not need to get 200w's (as stated) to properly drive a speaker. What you need is good clean hi current. I would put a Mac reciever against most the widely used dedicated amps and will have no dought that the less then 200w Mac would spank the **** out of the 200w dedicated amp.

I think that instead of always saying that you have to have a 200w amp to properly get the power the speaker needs does more harm then good and probably makes people second guess the purchase. You can also look at NAD who dosen't have a 200w amp and I know they would run the LSi's nicely based on their ability to drive a 8-4ohm load and dynamic power into 2ohm (recievers included) if someone feels that Mac is too pricey.

My2cents

Dave

treitz3

daboyz wrote: »

Simple case of lack of power and not doing his homework,then kneejerk reaction. We've all had our "here's your sign" moments. This is his.

That's a very polite, true and funny way to put it. Thanks for the chuckle.

cfrizz

This guy has been a member since early last month. He has had plenty of time to research everything he could possibly want to know about the LSI's. God know we talk enough about them.

Dave, You chastise about us telling someone to get 200wpc at a reasonable price & then in the same breath push a Mac receiver that would certainly cost a lot more just because of the name.

Sorry that logic doesn't fly with me.

Early B.

Let's coin a new phrase for whenever a newbie doesn't power his speakers properly -- "audio impotence." How about "flaccid speaker syndrome?"

danger boy

Hyper_Lite83 wrote: »

I was SO excited to get these speakers hooked up.

I even took a half day off work just to get home and get them hooked up. Unfortunately, I was severely disappointed.

I hooked them up to a Pioneer 92 receiver. The HT sounded pretty good, but quite frankly the music was horrible! I believe problem was probably the size of my room (it is large and open the the second floor). They've been returned and I'm ready to move on to something else.

I really wanted to like these speakers, but they just didn't give me that "WOW" factor I was looking for.


Does anyone else have some recommendations?

so you had them in your house for how long? 1/2 day and you decided to return them? I can see a person not liking a certain sound, but man give it time to burn in and show you what it can do at least.