Onkyo 806 and Lsi series... plz... help me...

kjaym71

Hi,

My system is...
- Receiver: Onkyo 806(Dynamic power is 4ohm but actually 8 ohm)
- Front: LSi15(4 ohm)
- Center: LSiC(4 ohm)
- Surround: FXi A6(8 hom)
- SW: PSW125

With this system configuration, sound is just too small.
(also sound from surround speakers is much smaller)
Many people recommend me to return LSi15 & LSiC.
But I really want to use Lsi series.


[Questions]
- Do I need to use additional power amp?
(If yes, please tell me your recommendation: my budget is $500~$1,000)

- How can I balance the sounds from Front/Center and Surround?


Thanks,

tcrossma

Yes, you would benefit from an amp. The LSi series are fantastic speakers and should be able to fill most any room (what size is yours, btw?).

There are many amps to choose from, and if you buy used you should be able to find a quality amp within your budget. Your front 3 speakers really need an amp, so I'd probably recommend at least a 3-channel amp. But the rears will benefit from more power as well, so if you're mainly concerned with HT, I'd probably say go right for a 5-channel. B&K or Parasound would be my picks within that budget, but also look for Adcom, Rotel, and others. Try and get something in the 150-200wpc or greater range if possible.

You can balance the sound between the speakers by running the auto-calibration in your receiver, or by manually adjusting the speaker levels using an SPL meter.

maximillian

The LSi's really need a lot of power. Some people do run them on the 806 but it is not recommended. Most likely your problem is that you need external amplification, but I want to pose the possibility that what you refer to as "small" may also refer to the characteristic sound of the LSi's. The LSi's are a very detailed speaker but they are more reserved compared to other speakers such as the RTi line.

There are many amps out there that will do the job. Use the search function and you can find lots of recommendations. Here is one recommendation that is within your budget:

http://emotiva.com/xpa5.shtm

You could save some money if you buy the 3 channel instead and run your FXi's off of the receiver.

Balancing sound is done with the autocalibration function of your receiver.

cnh

An Onkyo 806 most definitely CANNOT power LSI towers properly. Fortunately you can use it as a pre-pro and get one of amps mentioned above. The LSIs love POWER. And they really don't sound that good unless they have it. In fact they sound muffled and don't project enough with low power...they're a 4 ohm load and most receivers just cannot handle them.

I remember auditioning them at a Tweeter when they were still around and, at first they were running off a Pioneer Elite....boy what a disappointment that was! The Elite just didn't have the POWER!

cnh

john22614

The LSI's can actually sound kind of flat and dull without the right amount of power. So much so that you might wonder what all the hoopla is about and why anyone would want them. When properly powered, however, they sound very deep, rich and crispy clear. I strongly agree with the others that a good separate amp is needed.

devani

yes, LSI15 loves power...yes, you need external amp...they will sound great once you power them with enough power

Ender

GFA-5503 should do. Or Acurus A250X3.

BlueFox

kjaym71 wrote: »

With this system configuration, sound is just too small.

While more power never hurts maybe something can be done to help now.

What does "sound is just too small" mean? Do you mean there is not enough volume with the volume turned up? If so then you need more power.

If not then are the speakers set to small or large? If small set them to large and see how that sounds.

cfrizz

A good deal new is an Emotiva XPA-5.

Or you can buy a used amp from Audiogon. Get a 5 channel 200wpc @8ohms amp & you will be all set.

Brands to look at are Rotel, Parasound, Sunfire, B & K, Nad, Adcom, Outlaw.

Welcome to Club Polk & congrats on your LSI's.

wutadumsn23

+1 on external amplification for the LSi series. The 806 is a fine unit (I love mine) but as cnh said it will not power them to their potential. Also on other problem I see with your set-up is the fact that you are running a mix of 8 ohm and 4 ohm speakers, which is never a good idea. If you get an external amp you can use that to power your LSi's and the AVR to power your surrounds, but until you do I would suggest either getting 4 ohm surrounds or finding another way to "fix" that issue. What do you have your AVR set to, 4 ohm or 8 ohm? Maybe it isn't as big of a deal as I am making it sound, but with the 806 struggling already to power the LSi's, I wouldn't want it having to deal with any other issues.

kjaym71

Thank you so much guys...
You really helped me a lot.

I am buying a used Rotel RMB 1095 (5ch. 200W into 8Ω, 350W into 4Ω).
and I am connecting all speaker cables to Rotel.
As 'Wutadumsn23' said, I have a mix of 4Ω & 8Ω speakers.
If I connect rotel to Onkyo 806, should I set up receiver at 4Ω? or 8Ω?

'Tcrossma' said the receiver will balance all the speakers automatically.
But 'Wutadumsn23' is afraid of problems from using mix of 4Ω & 8Ω

If I set up the Onkyo 806 at 4Ω(using additional Rotel amp), may I feel the big difference in sounds from LSi15/LSiC(4Ω) and FXiA6(8Ω)?

Thanks,

tcrossma

kjaym71 wrote: »

Thank you so much guys...
You really helped me a lot.

I am buying a used Rotel RMB 1095 (5ch. 200W into 8Ω, 350W into 4Ω).
and I am connecting all speaker cables to Rotel.
As 'Wutadumsn23' said, I have a mix of 4Ω & 8Ω speakers.
If I connect rotel to Onkyo 806, should I set up receiver at 4Ω? or 8Ω?

'Tcrossma' said the receiver will balance all the speakers automatically.
But 'Wutadumsn23' is afraid of problems from using mix of 4Ω & 8Ω

If I set up the Onkyo 806 at 4Ω(using additional Rotel amp), may I feel the big difference in sounds from LSi15/LSiC(4Ω) and FXiA6(8Ω)?

Thanks,

Once you have an external amp the receiver is no longer supplying power and the impedance setting on the receiver won't do anything. Also, using a mix of 4 and 8 ohm speakers isn't a problem, if the receiver / amp can handle the lowest impedance, which in the case of a receiver is rare to be able to handle a 4ohm load well. You'll just use the level adjustments in the AVR to balance all of the channels correctly.

Have fun with your new amp, it should do very well with your LSi's.

ahorvitz

kjaym71 wrote: »

Thank you so much guys...
You really helped me a lot.

I am buying a used Rotel RMB 1095 (5ch. 200W into 8Ω, 350W into 4Ω).
and I am connecting all speaker cables to Rotel.
As 'Wutadumsn23' said, I have a mix of 4Ω & 8Ω speakers.
If I connect rotel to Onkyo 806, should I set up receiver at 4Ω? or 8Ω?

'Tcrossma' said the receiver will balance all the speakers automatically.
But 'Wutadumsn23' is afraid of problems from using mix of 4Ω & 8Ω

If I set up the Onkyo 806 at 4Ω(using additional Rotel amp), may I feel the big difference in sounds from LSi15/LSiC(4Ω) and FXiA6(8Ω)?

Thanks,

Congrats on the amp! That should drive your speakers quite nicely.

With your speakers running off the amp, your receiver doesn't care about the load. Any load settings on the 806 relate to the line level (speaker terminal) outs, not the pre-amp outputs you'll be using to connect the amp.

Buy some decent cables to run from your receiver to the amp. Good luck!

cnh

I see your problem is solved. Rotel is a nice amp and your Onkyo will make a decent pre-pro for that! You'll be surprised by the difference you WILL now HEAR!

+1 on what everyone above has already stated!

Enjoy....

cnh

cfrizz

Congrats on the amp, Rotel makes great gear! Remember to recalibrate all speakers once hooked up to the amp.

Then hang on to your hat. Be sure to come back & tell us how much you love your new system!

wutadumsn23

Sorry to cause alarm kjay, what I was trying to say the real experts said more clearly that once you got an amp it would be doing most if not all of the work and the two diff. ohm ratings would no longer be a problem. I was just concerned that since the 806 was already struggling to power the LSi's having two diff. ohm speakers in the mix would not help matters. Glad you got it sorted out and congrats on the amp, it is a great addition to your rig.