Trash-talking the LSi series...

nooshinjohn

The LSi's are no match for the old-school SDA's. In fact, to even compare the two as even being worthy of being in the same room is complete B.S.... When will Polk wake up and make SDA's again....Bla... Bla...Bla...;)



Now that I got that off my chest I feel much better. I have been running my LSi-15's now for a couple days with my new(to me) Sunfire Stereo Grand 600x2, which doubles down to 1200wpc at 4ohm. NEVER again will I doubt the performance of the LSi's. I have been a hardcore SDA guy for quite some time now, but after experiencing the 15's with the power of the 600x2, I must confess to being completely overwhelmed by what I am hearing. So impressive that I am actually contemplating leaving the SDA club.:) These speakers are so polished and clean sounding when properly powered and set up.

I do still give the nod to the SDA's when listening to vinyl however, but I have not been spinning vinyl on them yet, as my TGP-5 is on it's way fror a few tweaks and I have no phono stage. The respect I now have for the LSi's has grown tremendously.:)

hearingimpared

Turn in your SDA owner card! My goodness such blasphany.

thuffman03

Needing and amp that will put 1200 watts to make them sound good. Oh boy. I know the more power I put into my ALIII's the better they sound.

I always say that you can never have too much power.

Tony M

I'm glad somebody else says they sound good too. I thought so..

John, now you need to go BIGGER with the 25's ..and then the rest of the surrounds and center.:D

thuffman03

I don't know a whole lot about the LSI 15 and 25 but I do know is with all the power he has why would he want to have an internal powered sub? Let the big driver be pushed by 1200 watts.

Just a thought I had.

dudeinaroom

How does Sunfire get 2400 watts(1200x2) out of a 1800 outlet on a 2400 watt (20 amp) circuit? How did they make an amp that is 100% efficient with out making the standard 15 amp rated receptical not melt or catch fire? What is the power consumption listed as on that thing? Sorry for the thread jack

leroyjr1

Was checking out Klipsch's website today and notice they are now making the vintage speakers again. Would love for Polk to make brand new SDA's again.

dkg999

Wait until you hear what they sound like with a good amplifier!

nooshinjohn

dkg999 wrote: »

Wait until you hear what they sound like with a good amplifier!

lol.... sorry, but I cannot afford a new EMO right now:p

dkg999

nooshinjohn wrote: »

lol.... sorry, but I cannot afford a new EMO right now:p

Then you just won't know, will you

Norm Apter

Nice to read your post on the performance of the Lsis, John. Zero (Sean) posted something similar about a month ago, after bringing his parents Lsi15s into his room and matching them with some great McIntosh gear I believe. He too was astounded by how good they sounded with amps that can really drive them.

I've just got the Lsi9s and have them paired to a Parasound Halo A23 amp (200 wpc), but reading posts like these I've long had a sneaking suspicion that I am shortchanging these speakers, or at least that there would be a noticeable improvement with a better, more powerful amp. Of course, trying to find an amp that would reap these rewards is another story. But I think I'd like to try it some time in the future.

cnh

Just to add a note here....isn't there an old thread here that talks about the speakers that Matt Polk, himself, runs..and aren't they a pair of LSi-9s with two monstrous monoblocks powering them (possibly Threshold? or not--does anyone remember)....I forget the brand but something very powerful and higher end. That should tell you something about WHAT you really need to make LSis SING.

In my auditions of Lsi-15s they were RARELY well-powered and always sounded a bit flat and less dynamic because of this. But I didn't let that fool me because the speakers they were compared to were 8 ohm loads and of course THEY sounded 'better'. Then I heard some LSi-9s with more appropriate power at Noah's place months ago..and IMO they pretty much stole the show over most of the other speakers demoed that day?


cnh

DMara

Somehow my LSi setup output PCM 5.1 a lot better than those lossless DTS-HD Master & Dolby True-HD
For example, when listening to the Andrea Bocelli's Vivere bluray disc, the PCM 5.1 audio output is THE BEST I've ever heard coming out of my LSi15's - LSiC - LSiFX - DSW microPro 4000 set. It was driven by the Emotiva XPA-5 amp and the Denon AVR 2808ci. However, when watching, say, Terminator Salvation bluray, the DTS-HD Master audio wasn't as crisp and beautiful as the previous. In fact, it's a bit diluted, losing some edge.
Both bluray discs in the examples were played from the Oppo BDP-83.
I'd love to find a solution for this! Might it be the crossover level? I was just afraid changing for the better of those lossless audio will lead to ruining the PCM 5.1 marvelous listening that I achieve currently
By the way, the Denon AVR displayed "Mult. Channel in" when playing PCM 5.1 while displaying the whole "DTS-HD Master" or "Dolby True-HD" name when playing those lossless audio because I set up the Oppo to bitstream HDMI sound.

dorourke07

Adding some power openned up my 9's. Its exciting to hear that more is even possible as upgraditis set in. Glad I am on the right track.

TouchOfEvil

I have heard that from a few SDA owners. I'm just glad i have my LSI15's.:)

leroyjr1

Got a 13,000 watt Sunfire Mega Grand Cinema amp on my LSI9's and they sound great.:eek::)

McLoki

I like my LSi system a lot. With that being said, I have upgraded the crossovers in my LSiC and LSi7's with fantastic results. (next up is the LSi15's)

The few hundred dollars that you invest in a decent crossover upgrade will put them in an entirely new class. If you are powering the LSi's appropriately and they are still just not quite high enough end for you - you really owe it to yourself to try the upgrade.

I did compare my unmodded LSi15's to my unmodded SDA-1b's (with the stock Sl2000 tweeter) and the LSi's just blew them away. I think when most people compare the LSi's to SDA's, they compare unmodded LSi's to, often times, significantly modded SDA's. Level out the playing field the the LSi's hold their own very well.

Michael

thsmith

Have you upgraded the XOs in the SDAs and put tube power behind them ?

Thats majic for me.

thuffman03

dudeinaroom wrote: »

How does Sunfire get 2400 watts(1200x2) out of a 1800 outlet on a 2400 watt (20 amp) circuit? How did they make an amp that is 100% efficient with out making the standard 15 amp rated receptical not melt or catch fire? What is the power consumption listed as on that thing? Sorry for the thread jack

Good question. I am not an EE so I have no idea. Have to ask Bob Carver about that. All I know is that these amps rock.

Sorry also for the thread jack!

McLoki

thsmith wrote: »

Have you upgraded the XOs in the SDAs and put tube power behind them ?

Thats majic for me.

No I have not. The cabinets are very rough and they are not really worth the upgrade. I would still like some SRS's some day though. (happen to like the sound of them more than the TL's)

I have heard Brocks (Hiney9's) modded 1c's and they sounded very good, but I will have to bring my 15's (once I mod them) to a RAS meet for a direct comparison. I know his 1c's did best some stock LSi15's we had on hand when I last heard them. A comparison to a pair of modded 15's would be very interesting indeed.

Michael

leroyjr1

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McLoki wrote: »

I like my LSi system a lot. With that being said, I have upgraded the crossovers in my LSiC and LSi7's with fantastic results. (next up is the LSi15's)

The few hundred dollars that you invest in a decent crossover upgrade will put them in an entirely new class. If you are powering the LSi's appropriately and they are still just not quite high enough end for you - you really owe it to yourself to try the upgrade.

I did compare my unmodded LSi15's to my unmodded SDA-1b's (with the stock Sl2000 tweeter) and the LSi's just blew them away. I think when most people compare the LSi's to SDA's, they compare unmodded LSi's to, often times, significantly modded SDA's. Level out the playing field the the LSi's hold their own very well.

Michael

What all do you gain when modding the LSI series speakers? I like the laid back tweeter but find the soundstage very narrow.

cnh

One question? Are Matt's LSi-9s modded and if so why and if not why???

Does anyone know because that would pretty much end any discussion on that issue!

cnh

cokewithvanilla

bah, LSi -.-

running 400wpc to mine with no results. Perhaps I should trade them for some 15's or 9's so I can biamp and run 770 wpc....

McLoki

cnh wrote: »

One question? Are Matt's LSi-9s modded and if so why and if not why???

Does anyone know because that would pretty much end any discussion on that issue!

cnh

I asked that question and was told that they were an early model, but are in stock (as you would purchase) form. He did do significant work on his room getting everything to sound as it should.

Beyond that - I do not know why he has not modded them. Perhaps it was a point of pride to own what he sells rather than a one off version but that is pure speculation on my part. Suffice it to say - he could have any speaker in the world that he wanted at nearly any price point and he chose Polk Audio LSi9's

I think a more interesting (and telling) question would be why did he choose the 9's over the 15's and 25's for 2 channel use? (I have a feeling it is because he liked the sound of them best out of the LSi line, but once again - that is speculation on my part)

Michael

McLoki

cokewithvanilla wrote: »

bah, LSi -.-

running 400wpc to mine with no results. Perhaps I should trade them for some 15's or 9's so I can biamp and run 770 wpc....

What speakers are you currently running and in what configuration?

cokewithvanilla

No, no, I will not thread jack :P. My distaste for my 25's is well known. They've been in every room, every position, multiple amps, multiple preamps, multiple sources.... lalalallala

Take a look at my small apartment, looking for new speakers thread.

McLoki

Maybe you should try some nice SDA's.... As they say - "Different strokes..."

cnh

Different strokes for different folks, I guess, I prefer Cherry Coke myself.

I've read your thread and I think you should just get yourself to a VERY good audio shop and listen to everything...and listen to everything....and perhaps one more listen and then tell us what your finalists are---there's nothing like 'experiencing' sound.

cnh

DarqueKnight

dudeinaroom wrote: »

How does Sunfire get 2400 watts(1200x2) out of a 1800 outlet on a 2400 watt (20 amp) circuit? How did they make an amp that is 100% efficient with out making the standard 15 amp rated receptical not melt or catch fire? What is the power consumption listed as on that thing? Sorry for the thread jack

Thoughtful designers of high performance electronics and mechanics build some performance "headroom" into their products.

Why do they make cars capable of maximum speeds of 120 mph, 150 mph and even in excess of 200 mph when the legal highway speed limits in most places ranges from 45 mph to 70 mph? I expect that if they made engines that were only capable of doing the legal speed limits, the engines wouldn't last too long because they would always be running at or very near their performance limit.

A engine that is capable of doing 140 mph will feel no stress at all at 70 mph. Likewise, an amp capable of 600 watts continuous will feel no stress at all at the low power requirements (typically less than 30 watts) of most music. Furthermore, such an amplifier will be able to satisfy high transient power demands that last for only fractions of a second.

Designers of high power amplifiers don't expect that their products will be run continuously at their maximum outputs. Really, even if one had speakers that could absorb 600 watts continuous, who could stay in the room and listen?

If 4 ohm speakers were attached, and the Sunfire's stood ready to deliver their 1200 watts, I expect that the speakers would blow up, melt, etc. long before the AC receptacle commenced melting.

Make sense?

mmadden28

It should also be noted that a 15 or 20 A electrical circuit can handle greater brief transient current demands without any melting, tripping etc. I don't recall what those ratings are.

nooshinjohn

I had the volume on my Yamaha avr(preamp for now) MAXED OUT at plus10db... the light on the amp was dimming in rhythm with the bass and this amp was not even strained. I was listening to Van Halen and The Beatles White Album remaster. I kept things at this level running constant for more than an hour. I had to be in a different room of the house from time to time, as did my dog:eek:, but when I turned down the volume, the amp was still cool to the touch, and nothing was melted.:)

I think the combination sounds very, very good. The LSI's need a large amount of power, and there is no doubt in my mind they can handle as much as you can give them.