Modifications for LSi15's?

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Comments

  • jon s
    jon s Posts: 905
    edited July 2008
    I already ordered the caps from Sonic Craft, came out to $100. I will be forging ahead this weekend to do the upgrade. The new caps are a lot larger than the originals so I will need to plan ahead to make sure that there is adequate clearances.

    I find that the Sonicaps are a worthwhile upgrade over the standard caps that Polk uses. The Sonicaps extend the high end and gives the sound more air or ambience without adding any harshness.
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  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    edited July 2008
    jon s wrote: »
    I find that the Sonicaps are a worthwhile upgrade over the standard caps that Polk uses. The Sonicaps extend the high end and gives the sound more air or ambience without adding any harshness.

    How does it do that?
    Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
    Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
    Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes

    Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
    Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
    Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables

    Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
    Three 20 amp circuits.
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited July 2008
    Better construction.
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • jon s
    jon s Posts: 905
    edited July 2008
    BlueFox wrote: »
    How does it do that?

    The Sonicaps are better designed and built. They are considerably larger than the stock caps (about 4-5x) and also a lot more expensive. I upgraded a Polk Model 10B from stock to cheaper Jantzen caps. While the Jantzens made the sound more focused, the Sonicaps extended the high end where the Jantzens sounded a bit muted. There was more air to the sound and the clarity was notably improved. You could hear the improvment especially on complex pieces where you could distinguish different instruments where they were a bundled mash.
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  • AndyGwis
    AndyGwis Posts: 3,655
    edited July 2008
    That picture is wonderful. Almost as much fun as the guy that had ML Summits (or some other fairly large stats) hanging from his ceiling. I will paypal a dollar to whomever posts that picture here first. It's a sight to behold.
    Stereo Rig: Hales Revelation 3, Musical Fidelity CD-Pre 24, Forte Model 3 amp, Lexicon RT-10 SACD, MMF-5 w/speedbox, Forte Model 2 Phono Pre, Cardas Crosslink, APC H15, URC MX-950, Lovan Stand
    Bedroom: Samsung HPR-4252, Toshiba HD-A2, HK 3480, Signal Cable, AQ speaker cable, Totem Dreamcatchers, SVS PB10-NSD, URC MX-850
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  • TRINADS
    TRINADS Posts: 27
    edited August 2008
    So does the Janzten caps sound better than the stock ones that the LSi15's come with? I understand that the Sonicaps sound better and yield better results, but is the Janzten an upgrade from the stock ones?
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  • McLoki
    McLoki Posts: 5,231
    edited August 2008
    I would say yes, but am unsure to what degree. (i.e. - don't know if it is a little or a lot better, but they are better caps)
    Mains.............Polk LSi15 (Cherry)
    Center............Polk LSiC (Crossover upgraded)
    Surrounds.......Polk LSi7 (Gloss Black - wood sides removed and crossovers upgraded)
    Subwoofers.....SVS 25-31 CS+ and PC+ (both 20hz tune)
    Pre\Pro...........NAD T163 (Modded with LM4562 opamps)
    Amplifier.........Cinepro 3k6 (6-channel, 500wpc@4ohms)
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  • jon s
    jon s Posts: 905
    edited August 2008
    the cheaper Jantzen crosscaps sound a little better but IMHO the differences would not be that much since the LSi15s are still relatively new & i would not even bother with it. The big difference between the Sonicaps and the Jantzen crosscaps is the HF extension. The Jantzen sounded dull in the top with a notable drop in the highs when I tried both with my Polk Monitor 10Bs. The Sonicaps opened up the top considerably compared to the Jantzens.
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  • jon s
    jon s Posts: 905
    edited August 2008
    I finally did the crossover upgrade on my LSi15s. The journey and results can be found here.

    There was a slight improvement in overall sound, but not like the improvement when i did the Sonicap upgrades on my Monitor 10Bs and RTA-12Cs.
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  • McLoki
    McLoki Posts: 5,231
    edited August 2008
    Based on Joh's results - I do not know if you would see an upgrade or not using the Jantzen caps in the HF circuit. (It may be an upgrade in the low frequency circuit where cheaper caps are used though)

    I would use at least Sonicaps if not higher in the HF circuit.

    Thanks for the writeup and experiment Jon. Let us know what you think as they break in as to whether you feel it is a worth while upgrade or not. (and hope your back is better soon.....)

    Michael
    Mains.............Polk LSi15 (Cherry)
    Center............Polk LSiC (Crossover upgraded)
    Surrounds.......Polk LSi7 (Gloss Black - wood sides removed and crossovers upgraded)
    Subwoofers.....SVS 25-31 CS+ and PC+ (both 20hz tune)
    Pre\Pro...........NAD T163 (Modded with LM4562 opamps)
    Amplifier.........Cinepro 3k6 (6-channel, 500wpc@4ohms)
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  • McLoki
    McLoki Posts: 5,231
    edited July 2010
    AndyGwis wrote: »
    That picture is wonderful. Almost as much fun as the guy that had ML Summits (or some other fairly large stats) hanging from his ceiling. I will paypal a dollar to whomever posts that picture here first. It's a sight to behold.

    You owe me a $. (I am still the first one....)

    BTW - it was from this thread... (martin logan owners are just a little off)
    Mains.............Polk LSi15 (Cherry)
    Center............Polk LSiC (Crossover upgraded)
    Surrounds.......Polk LSi7 (Gloss Black - wood sides removed and crossovers upgraded)
    Subwoofers.....SVS 25-31 CS+ and PC+ (both 20hz tune)
    Pre\Pro...........NAD T163 (Modded with LM4562 opamps)
    Amplifier.........Cinepro 3k6 (6-channel, 500wpc@4ohms)
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  • BeefJerky
    BeefJerky Posts: 1,320
    edited July 2010
    Wow, that is just wrong...on so many levels...
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,809
    edited July 2010
    McLoki wrote: »
    You owe me a $. (I am still the first one....)

    BTW - it was from this thread... (martin logan owners are just a little off)

    Talking about a little off, remember JoeyV?
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • Hawkeye
    Hawkeye Posts: 1,313
    edited July 2010
    Ah, Joey! As a member of MLO, it was fascinating watching him change gear on nearly a daily basis! Over there, we called it "Joey-itis"!

    As it turns out, he sold off all his gear and is putting all his efforts into his residency program. I think the girlfriend had a major call in the sell off. He is well on his way to becoming Dr. Joey.

    Gordon
    2 Channel -
    Martin Logan Spire, 2 JL Audio F112 subs
    McIntosh C1000 Controller with Tube pre amp, 2 MC501 amplifiers, MD1K Transport & DAC, MR-88 Tuner
    WireWorld Eclipse 6.0 speaker wire and jumpers, Eclipse 5^2 Squared Balanced IC's. Silver Eclipse PCs (5)
    Symposium Rollerblocks 2+ (16)Black Diamond Racing Mk 3 pits (8)
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