New Lsi owner, need advice please

jmos

Hello everyone, I have recently purchused LSI15, LSIc and 4 LSIFX speakers. These speakers were not available to demo in Western Australia so I purchased based on the very positive reviews and the great price. I realize I have broken the cardinal rule by not listening before I buy but it seemed like a good opportunity at the time.
I am hearing a different result from what has been described so I am wondering if I am doing something wrong ?
The sound I am recieving sounds muffled and unclear, instruments sound good at the beginning of a soundtrack when there are few frequecies but when the soundtrack really gets moving and the speakers get bombarded with alot different sounds at different frequencies and especially when vocals get thrown in it sounds very messy and mixed up(sounds muffled and unclear)
Please forgive my terminology if its inncorrect I am new to this.
I have tried a selection of dvd, cd and sacd with similar results.
I am using an onkyo 875 as a preamp and a Nad t973 7 channel power amp which is supposed to have plenty of power and current. I have tried many different speaker positions and crossover frequencies including the recommended 80hz.
The speakers have benn running for about 40 hours from new.
I have to admit I am a bit puzzled because what I am hearing seems to be the oppisite to what I have read thats why I think I may have set something up inncorrectly ???
I would really appreciate any advice you can give me.

tcrossma

Triple check to make sure you don't have them wired out of phase, and that the jumpers between the binding posts are in place.

You might also want to narrow things down a bit by removing the LSiC and LSiFX and see if the 15's by themselves sound OK.

Lastly, check to make sure that the tweeters, mid, and bass drivers are functioning in each speaker.

jmos

Thanks tcross, will carry out those checks, so you would agree that their seems like theres somethings nor quite right ? because these speakers are known fortheir detail and accuracy. The only sacd I have that sounds ok is DIRE STRAITS BROTHERS IN ARMS, the worst sounding sacd seems to be my Pink Floyd Dark side of the Moon

tcrossma

If they don't sound excellent, then yes, there is something wrong somewhere. Could be the speakers, could be something else, but the LSi's should never sound muffled and unclear. I assume you're having problems at all volume levels?

danger boy

i agree with tcross... listen to some music with only the LSi15's and see how they sound.. it's easier to find a problem if you narrow things down a bit.

placement and power are both very important for any speaker. but more so for the LSi, since it's a 4ohm speaker.

be sure your Onkyo doesn't have any kind of night mode turned on... also make sure the bass and treble are set to zero.

williamgauci

Don't know if this is stupid of me to wonder it, but would it be possible to have one of the amp not set to 4ohms?

jmos

Thanks everyone, All the drivers seem to be working, the binding posts are in place and everything seems to be wired correctly. I will try your other suggestions today and let you know how I go.
The Onkyo has been set to 4 ohms and the Nad T973 power amp handles low impedance speakers
Regards John

nooshinjohn

if you are running as subwoofer, try running it out of phase as well....

jmos

I think the problem is coming from my new Denon 2930, we switched to an older Denon cd player and the sound quality has improved. I have been searching on Denon 2930 issues and I seem to be experiencing most of the known ones and some others so I may have a dud 2930??
I also upped the treble to +5db and this seemed to make a considerable difference to the clarity of busy soundtracks.
I would be very interested how other Lsi15 owners set their treble,equalizer or other audio settings please
I really appreciate everyones tips

tcrossma

jmos wrote: »

I think the problem is coming from my new Denon 2930, we switched to an older Denon cd player and the sound quality has improved. I have been searching on Denon 2930 issues and I seem to be experiencing most of the known ones and some others so I may have a dud 2930??
I also upped the treble to +5db and this seemed to make a considerable difference to the clarity of busy soundtracks.
I would be very interested how other Lsi15 owners set their treble,equalizer or other audio settings please
I really appreciate everyones tips

My pre doesn't have bass or treble adjustments, so I run neutral and everything is crystal clear and very detailed.

BlueFox

jmos wrote: »

The sound I am recieving sounds muffled and unclear, instruments sound good at the beginning of a soundtrack when there are few frequecies but when the soundtrack really gets moving and the speakers get bombarded with alot different sounds at different frequencies and especially when vocals get thrown in it sounds very messy and mixed up(sounds muffled and unclear).....
I have tried many different speaker positions and crossover frequencies including the recommended 80hz.

Are your speaker set to small or large? If small set them to large, and run the sub off the front pre-amp output. If you are going to an external amp the amp should provide pre-amp out connectors.

When you set speakers to small you enage filters in the amp that can distort the sound. In my mind, it is better to run everything direct, no tone controls, no equalizer, etc.

I have the 15s and LSiC, and have no issues with sound quality in either HT or music. I can't comment on the LSiFX.

Barefoot

Strange. They sound great with my NAD - even during the initial break-in period.