Sonic signature of LS-50's vs. LS-70's

nrs

I am curious if anyone has experience in listening to both the LS-50's and the LS-70's. Is there any difference in their 'sonic signature'.

Goth child

I found the ls 50 worked better in smaller rooms and achieved the best results for 2 channel using valve amps 30watts plus.The Ls70s are physically bigger and have a much deeper bass but perform best in a larger room and I achieved the best results using solid state amps 80watts plus.what are you using them for,HT or 2 channel?What source and amplification will be using and how big is your room?I currently have Ls70s that I use for rears with 1.2tls as fronts.

nrs

Thanks for the response I ask as I have had two pair of LS50's for over a decade. I always loved the warmth and darkness of the LS 50's. I just picked up a pair of LS70's thinking they would sound the same. The LS 70's are slightly more open, boomier, brighter, less dark, less tight. I admit they are in a room that is to small. This is for simple two channel stereo. I will have to try them in a larger room. I am venturing into tube gear in the months ahead. But for now I was using solid state gear with both (Arcam, NAD, Jeff Rowland)

How do the LS90's compare to the 50's and 70's?

DollarDave

The 90's are the 50's on steriods. I have both. I never cared for the 70s that I tried, they were just as you described. Get the 90s if you can and don't look back.

mantis

Nice speaks Bro. I always liked the Ls series. I thought they sounded almost exaclty the same up to the 90's. Just deeper and more.

One day I want to pick up a clean pair of Ls90's. I really liked that speaker and never owned it.

Dan

Goth child

The Ls70s would have sounded boomy because the room is too small and maybe your amps arent grunty enough.The ls 90s are WAY bigger than the LS50s so will be too big for your room.You will be surprised at how good the ls50s will sound with good quality tube amps.I remember selling a pair here in NZ with a complete Sonic Frontiers system,2 box cd player,balanced pre and valve mono blocks .The electronics cost about 10x as much as the speakers!But those ls50s just smashed speakers that cost 4 or 5x their retail.The LS series were the last really good 2 channel speakers that Polk made IMO.Im not sure but were they the last series still made in the USA with all USA parts?Let us know what they are like when you change the electronics.

nrs

What do you mean by an amp not being 'grunty' enough?

I tried the LS-70's with an Arcam Solo, NAD320BEE Integrated, Jeff Rowland Concerto Integrated. Don't get me wrong, they don't sound dramatically different than the LS 50's. But there was a difference. I was just wondering if it was somehow design related.

I believe after the LS series Polk started making their speakers in Mexico versus Maryland.

Goth child

Sorry ,NRS ,grunty is New Zealand slang for powerful!Most of the Ls 70s I sold here were with pre-power combos.I just found,like you,that the bass was a bit boomy if the amp wasnt powerful enough to controll the bigger drivers in a larger cabinet.The Ls50s were actually my favorite because they sound good on relatively affordable electronics,they werent so dependant on room size and they could sound better than more expensive speakers if you were prepared to connect them to quality electronics.Id love to hear your opinions on how they sound when you experiment with some high current tube amps on them.