Fascinating Comparison: LSi's Totem, & Era

dkg999

McLoki - good point, although if we add up the expense of a x-over upgrade to the normal street price of LSi9's, then we are probably into the price range of some very desirable monitor speakers by Dynaudio, Totem, and others.

Don't put me in the LSi hater column :eek: I just think they are a fantastic HT speaker, and I would pick something else for 2 ch music.

LuSh

Vince doesn't like using dampening material as he says it ages over time and changes the sound and acoustic output of the speaker. He uses the speakers 'energy' to tune the speaker. Was never my cup of tea...I did however like the Totem's for their high WAF factor and I think many people buy based on that criteria, for the price their not a bad buy for the fit and finish.

megasat16

I have the entire Lsi lines (from 7s to 25s to PSW1000 but 7s are not used anymore) and the whole LSi series suffers from what Marc had said. Compared to other speakers (Sonus Faber) and even my own RTi12, the mids and highs seem to be missing harshness (hiss). Some people like it that way and some people don't. You get very full sound with sharp clarity from LSi but missing the human nasal breathings and LSi just not make up for it IMHO. But, I like the LSi for both 2 Ch and HT use. However, I would add an external ribbon tweeter for stereo use with LSi speakers if you want a little harshness for your stereo.

markmarc

Just finished up with 2.5 hours of comparing the Rainmaker and LSi9 with my solid state Onix A2150 amp and Adcom GFP 555 preamp. Personally, the Onix A2150 is a quieter and slightly warmer sounding amp than an Adcom GFA 545. The bottom end of this amp has a nice slam to it.

It's very fair to say that both speakers lapped up the 120 quality wpc. The LSi9's presented a tighter and deeper bass. Mids were pleasant as always, the tweeter still sounds reserved, almost like someone has turned down the the treble a couple of notches. Best sounding song, John Mellencamp's "Justice and Independence"

The Rainmakers lost a touch of the midrange bloom, and gained some bottom end heft. The treble sounded just as shiny as always. Once again, the RM's presented a wider soundstage. Best sounding song, Phoebe Snow's "Something Real".

The winner????? Right now I'd have to say the Rainmaker, because it's imaging, full high end, and wider soundstage out weighs the slightly richer sound of the LSi9's. ***But remember, this is MHO based on my equipment in my room. What you experience could be very different.***

If someone wants to send me an upgraded LSi9 crossover, I'd be more than happy to continue the comparison, and publish my impressions in Affordable$$Audio.

I made a speculation earlier that a lack of a cross brace may have something to do with the cabinet resonance issue mentioned by John Atkinson of Stereophile. Attached is a picture of the interior.

ben62670

megasat16 wrote: »

I have the entire Lsi lines (from 7s to 25s to PSW1000 but 7s are not used anymore) and the whole LSi series suffers from what Marc had said. Compared to other speakers (Sonus Faber) and even my own RTi12, the mids and highs seem to be missing harshness (hiss). Some people like it that way and some people don't. You get very full sound with sharp clarity from LSi but missing the human nasal breathings and LSi just not make up for it IMHO. But, I like the LSi for both 2 Ch and HT use. However, I would add an external ribbon tweeter for stereo use with LSi speakers if you want a little harshness for your stereo.

Mod the XO. It is cheap on the highs, and transforms them into a much higher class on the cheap.

markmarc

Ben:
I would be quite interested in a modded x-over, but hand tremors prevent me from going that route on my own.

A couple of people have pm'd me about how I did my listening. I used an Adcom switch box to get immediate comparative feedback, and even swapped speaker stands to be fair.

ben62670

They are great speakers limited by some pretty generic caps/resistors. I found some simple upgrades will transform these into a much higher class for sure.
Ben

megasat16

Thanks Ben! I'll try the XO mod for the 15s first and probably 25s later. I don't want to mod the 9s coz they are OK for the HT surround use and I am happy with that. I only need to hear nasal passages for my 2 Channel.

mmadden28

markmarc wrote: »

Ben:
I would be quite interested in a modded x-over, but hand tremors prevent me from going that route on my own.

A couple of people have pm'd me about how I did my listening. I used an Adcom switch box to get immediate comparative feedback, and even swapped speaker stands to be fair.

Markmarc and Ben, I just sent you a PM.