LSI9s for a 7.1 system, your opinion please.

!Jeremy

I have recently purchased an Onkyo TX-NR906: http://www.us.onkyo.com/model.cfm?m=TX-NR906&class=Receiver&p=i from Newegg and I'm considering my options for speakers. I would like to solicit opnions on using 3 pairs of LSi9s for the front/back/surround portion of this setup. Frys is currently selling each pair for $598 which fits within my budget. Other options I am considering would be two pairs of RTi-A9s and a pair of RTI-A3s however what I would gain in lower frequency reproduction maybe lost in a slight reduction in clarity. If I could afford it I would simply purchase two pairs of LSI-25s and be completey happy that I have full range speakers with the top of line Polk tech however I simply can't afford these at this time. Has anyone listed to multiple sets of LSI9s at once to dissern whether low frequency response is reasonable given three pairs of speakers? As an addendum, if I make the LSi-9 purchase I would eventually add a powerful subwoofer to reproduce the lowest frequencies, however I wouldn't be able to make that purchase for some time.

Thank you in advance for considering my question.
Jeremy

!Jeremy

I expect to listen to a mix of %60 music vs %40 HT. For now however this setup will need to function in both capacities, at least until I can afford a second setup which I can dedicate to music. I appreciate both recommendations and after reading your advice I am leaning towards the LSI-9s or possibly a pair of refurbished LSi-25s. My singular goal is sound quality and I believe the LSI series has an edge over the RTI-A series in this regard. I intend to purchase the appropriate center channel speaker which in this case would be the LSi-C however I am surprised to hear that the reciever may not drive the LSI-9s safely. I was careful to choose a receiver which has a 4 ohm rating however you may know better than I about what this receiver is capable of. I will go ahead and budget for an external amplifier which is 4 ohm rated which will probably be one of the Outlaw audio systems that was recently made available as a demo.

Thanks you for your quick response.
Jeremy

F1nut

Get the LSi9's since you want better sound quality, forget the LSi25's. You will definitely need separate amp(s) to properly run any of the LSi's.

cokewithvanilla

to try to answer your question about them having enough bass (the 9's), I have a pair of 25's that I run mostly with the subwoofers off (due to living in an apartment)... I feel they have plenty of bass. However, if you are asking if they will shake the walls, they probably will not. Oh, and if you're wondering how much bass you can get out of the 25's... I doubted them for a long time, then I ran a bass test with them hooked up as subwoofers...they rattled my neighbors organs.

From my experience with the LSi series (not from my knowledge, I have none of that), you will need separate amplification. I tried running LSi25, LSiFX, LSiC (for sale, cheap, dropped on the floor by a careless individual, has a dent O_O) off a sony receiver 125wpc x 5... yeah, they sounded like crap. Upgraded to a B&K 7270 385wpc @ 4ohms x 7, now they sound pretty good.

Keep in mind that the wpc rating on a receiver is probably not with all channels driven.

Sami

If your budget doesn't have room for a separate amp, go with 9's as mains and the rest with 7's. This would save you enough money for a used 2 or 3 channel amp, or maybe even a 5 channel. You should be fine running the surrounds of the Onkyo (you might be even ok running all of them but I still recommend a separate amp for the mains since you listen to music quite a lot). Since you do, definitely go with the LSi's instead of the RTi's.

cfrizz

Welcome Jeremy.

As for having enough bass, it depends on the size of the room. When they are in a small room the bass is pretty good. But once you get into a larger room the bass really drops off.

Since your system will be doing everything, get a sub. My brother just got a DSWpro 500.
It really sounds terrific. I have the 400. Again depending on the size of the room choose your sub accordingly.

BTW, Your Onkyo's idea of being able to run 4 ohm speakers is to put a switch on it that will RESTRICT the amount of power that is sent to LSI's so that it doesn't burn up. Not give the speakers all the power they need to sound their best!

Outlaw makes good gear & you will be happy with it. Otherwise, take a look at Audiogon. Come to think of it, someone on here was selling a 990/7500 combo in the flea market. Go take a look.

be83663

I currently have two pairs of LSi9's for the front and the rear surrounds, LSiFX for the side surrounds, a LSiC for the center, and two Velodyne DLS-5000R subwoofers hooked up to a Onkyo Pre-Amplifier and an Outlaw Model 7700 amplifier.

I would go for two pairs of LSi9's for the front and the rear, and LSiFX for the surround for their dipolar functions for a better movie experience, and definitely LSiC for the center. Since you have already purchased Onkyo SR906, I would just worry about getting the LSi series speakers without worrying about the choice for the receiver.

Onkyo SR906 is different from SONY receiver in that it has a toroidal transformer that can be compared to high-end receivers such as B&K's.
I would stick with your choice of Onkyo receiver. I believe that your receiver will handle your line-up of LSi series speakers just fine, because your receiver is a really nice one.

And I would definitely get a subwoofer for the lower frequencies. Set crossovers on your Onkyo receiver for the rest of your LSi speakers that are powered by your receiver to between 60-80 Hz, so that it relieves the stress of your receiver while your speakers are producing crisp mids and highs. I set mine at 80 Hz for all my LSi speakers, not because of lack of power supplies, but because of my neighbors complaining of too much bass. I would recommend Velodyne DLS-5000R for your subwoofer for less than $650 including S&H from http://www.avdepot.net/product_info.php?currency=USD&products_id=397&key=0. I got mine from this dealer without a problem.

Good luck in your 7.1 set-up!

!Jeremy

So I went ahead and purchased a pair of Ebony LSI-9s from Frys. It was pretty much a bait & switch scenario in that I went in looking for the LSi-9s in the cherry finish for $598, but was offered the Ebonys for $899. Anyway I wanted to post a couple of points that I think many people here will find interesting.

The LSI-9s on the Onkyo TXNR-906 sound fantastic. There is a setting within the menu for speaker resistance which for these speakers needs to be set to 4 ohm, however I'm not able to discern a reduction in power audibly.

Secondly the receiver comes from the factory with the settings set to 'on' for all speakers. In this configuration I found the receiver was emitting a fair amount of heat even when in the absence of audio, however when I went into the menu and turned off all speakers with the exception of the front, the receiver cooled considerably. I was noticebly running cooler even when playing the LSi-9s at a high volume. just an F.Y.I for people who are interested in the possible outcome of mating high end speakers(especially low resistance) with receivers.

As a first impression I am shocked at how well this receiver plays this set of speakers. I look forward to adding an additional set of LSi-9s for rear surround as well as eventually getting the LSI-C and a powerful subwoofer. To address my concern over the bass output of these bookshelf speakers I'm again shocked at how much midbass(read kick drum) is emitted from these speakers. It obvious when movie tracks drop below the crossover frequency for these speakers, but its not really projecting a lack of base. I suspect the sound will only get better as I add a Subwoofer for the < 80Hz range.

Thank you again for assisting me in making the right choice.
Jeremy