LSI25 + cisa4 + fxiA$ help needed.

asmd

hi,

this is my first post at club polk. this is my first polk purchase and im having some trouble with it. (mostly my fault, now i need some wisdom to spend my hard earned dollars )

i purchased a pair of lsi25s for fronts and since im more into 2 channel music than HT, i bought a csia4 and fxia4 for HT duty. i figured i could/would have the best of both worlds. im coming from a pair of 806v focals + cambridge 640, just so you know the benchmark i have.

my recievers an older sony str835 which can handle 4 ohm loads. it has a switch that selects for 4 ohms at the back. i havent set up the entire 5 speaker set up yet but have been listening to just two channels/lsi25. (no lfe) and well, it certainly lacks dynamics. it sounds quite flat.

ive searched and poured over the forums and it seems that i need more watts. approx 200-300/per channel. my listening area is a carpeted den about 17x15 feet. not very large.

what i need is apart form the already mentioned usual suspects, suggestions for a reciever and power amp to power this rig. caveat: that wont break my wallet. (i honestly figured that the entire thing would run of the sony receiver and that would be that for HT duty. but as i the pieces came together, ive decided to make this more for me than for HT duty.)

as an example, would a harman av354 75watt x 7 receiver (refurbed off their ebay site) + a nad c272 150watt x 2 power amp work to make the lsi25s come alive?

any and all help will be much appreciated.

regards,
asmd.

asmd

thanks for the reply.

i will probably stick with the csia4 and fxi4 for HT use. i dont really use HT much. its more for the family/occasional movie which im sure will serve just fine. 54 inches does not compare to the movies, which i prefer.
its driving the lsi25s for 2 channel audio with im interested in doing to their full potential.

wont the NAD @ 150watts with a dynamic headroom of 340watts into 4 ohms suffice? or is the consensus point to a minimum of 200 watts rms into 4 ohms.
i am honestly not trying to break the bank as this kit was something of an extravagant expense to begin with. merry christmas to me.

will an average receiver dfrive the csia4 and fxi4 well for example the HK avr354 which has preouts which i can then line out to an amp to drive the lsi25s....

emotive has a 2 channel that rates at 500w @ 4 ohms and weighs a beastly 80 pounds... sheesh.. thats sure does sound like a lot.

i was under the impression that it was the voltage swing i needed to get the dynamics that are missing currently ie a high current amp with good headroom.

cfrizz

Welcome Asmd. The concensus is 200wpc @ 8ohms for the LSI's. The more power you give them the better they sound.

If you don't want to break your back with amp, look on Audiogon for a Sunfire. Tons of power & pretty light weight.

I have a 5 channel 405wpc Sunfire amp & it weighs in at 43lbs! This is precisely why I got it, it is the only 5 channel amp that I can lift by myself.

Having that much power on hand will allow your LSI's to operate to their full potential. They will only take the power they need to do so, but it has to be there in the first place. So getting a 200 or more wpc amp is a good thing.

asmd

right now, im leaning towards a two channel amp as i have to replace the receiver as well. the darned sony does not unfortunately have pre outs.

i only plan on having 5.1 channels. 5.1 receivers should be getting pretty cheap with 7.1 becoming common enough.... any suggestions for a reputable hefty 5.1 receiver with preouts that i can pair with a 2 channel power amp to run the LSI25?

bluecomet

I higher end used Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer or Harmon Kardon would work nicely.

asmd

bluecomet wrote: »

I higher end used Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer or Harmon Kardon would work nicely.

some suggestions would be very much appreciated.

i frankly would be starting from scratch looking for a good receiver as i havent shopped for one for a very long time.

i need an opinion regarding the Denon AVR3300. it doesnt do video, but that doesnt matter as everythings plugged directly into the tv anyway. my use for a receiver is purely for audio. seems to be decently specced at a healthy 105 watt/channel and has preout for me to run a dedicated amp for the lsi25s.

opinions?

any other 5.1 amps of yesteryear anybody would care to recommend?

asmd

anybody?

asmd

thanks for the reply xcapri. thats heading my list right now.

whats the collective census on the emotiva xpa-5. seems that it may do the trick powering everthing i have with some overhead to spare. the 2 channel costs the same and has, from what i can tell more juice on tap than i can ever use. then i could go for a lower end/watts receiver that will only handle the decoding and switching.

opinions...

cfrizz

There is no concensus on this forum about Emo products. Some like them, others hate them.

However, with that being said, it WILL power your speakers just fine, so if it strikes your fancy, then get one.

Bernal

My recommendation: Sunfire

---

01) DENON AVR-4308CI: Advanced 7.1 CH/5.1+2 CH/ 3.1+2+2 CH A/V Home Theater /MultiMedia Multi-Source/Zone Receiver with Networking and WiFi/170 watts x 7 channels
02) SUNFIRE Grand Signature - Bob Carver's
03) OPPO DV-980H 1080p Up-Converting Universal DVD Player with HDMI and 7.1CH Audio
04) OPPO BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player w/SACD & DVD-Audio / DENON DVD-2500BTCI: Blu-ray Disc™ DVD/CD Digital Player/Transport
05) HITACHI P55T501. 55" HD1080 Plasma HDTV
06) POLKAUDIO LSiC (Center speaker)
07) POLKAUDIO LSi15 LEFT (Front speaker)
08) POLKAUDIO LSi15 RIGHT (Front speaker)
09) POLKAUDIO LSif/x LEFT (Surround speaker)
10) POLKAUDIO LSif/x RIGHT (Surround speaker)
11) VELODYNE OPTIMUN 12" (High Output Digital EQ SubWoofer 2400W/1200WRMS)[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

asmd

been reading and googling to the point that everything just about a blur.

me thinks, ive just about settled on a xpa-5, what would be good to pair with it? do i need a receiver with an amp or would a processor be a better bet?

asmd

thanks for the reply... really need a sounding board to bang my head against.
unfortunately for me, i firmly "decided" about 12 times over the past two days!
the more i read and know, the harder this becomes.
an educated decision seems requiring a phd in this!

will look at the pioneer and post my frazzeled thoughts.

btw: have concluded i dont "need" a receiver with HDMI switching. as all my video go directly to the TV and im quite happy with it.

the xpa-3 has come in and out of the decision basket several times... its back in again. i have to keep reminding myself that its music that this rig is primarily for over the lsi25s. im sure a reciever can handle the fxia4 surrounds as you mentioned.

asmd

any opinions on the emotiva LMC-1?

asmd

right then...

finally settled for this combination.
HK AVR635 to handle the center and surrounds and a Emotiva XPA-3 (in 2 channel mode) to handle the LSI25s. All in the mail and headed my way.

regards,
asmd.

asmd

update...
the HK i ended up with was a lemon and that went beck to HK for a refund.
replaced it with a Pioneer Elite vsx23 as a pre and to handle the surrounds while the XPA-3 wrestled in the front L/R.

im having a devil of a time dialing them up right. my rooms 15x22. theres no back wall, just a 5 foot sheetrock partition that separates the living from the adjacent area. ive tried running them full as large as well as splitting them up running the sub via LFE. the problem seems to be placement. im limited by practicality as to placement and i can seem to place them just right to negate the room acoustics.

standing wave correction in the pioneer only does so much and is remarkable for movies, but for 2 channel audio... the dips are glaringly evident.

question: whats the difference using the sub+LFE in from the receiver and just running them direct as large? both ways i get both low frequecies and sub+LFE. (apart form the fact i get to control the sub volume via the receiver if i use it as sub+LFE via the remote)

Kchill

asmd wrote: »

update...
the HK i ended up with was a lemon and that went beck to HK for a refund.
replaced it with a Pioneer Elite vsx23 as a pre and to handle the surrounds while the XPA-3 wrestled in the front L/R.

im having a devil of a time dialing them up right. my rooms 15x22. theres no back wall, just a 5 foot sheetrock partition that separates the living from the adjacent area. ive tried running them full as large as well as splitting them up running the sub via LFE. the problem seems to be placement. im limited by practicality as to placement and i can seem to place them just right to negate the room acoustics.

standing wave correction in the pioneer only does so much and is remarkable for movies, but for 2 channel audio... the dips are glaringly evident.

question: whats the difference using the sub+LFE in from the receiver and just running them direct as large? both ways i get both low frequecies and sub+LFE. (apart form the fact i get to control the sub volume via the receiver if i use it as sub+LFE via the remote)

I have a pio...lower model than yours but I bet the following will help. First unhook the amp and do a MAACC by itself. Have the 25's hooked up to the reciever. Then reconnect the amp. See if that helps. If not then run the pio flat with no MAACC set up. My pio lets me have 6 different MAACC set up in memeory. I have a setting for music, movies, TV, and video games with the MAACC EQ. At that point you need to set the receiver to stereo to enjoy two channel, in fact try A.C.L. I found it to be the best when I just wanted to hear stereo. Or, set the receiver to direct. Now the funny thing is with my pio is that when I do run stereo I can not tell if my sub is on or not. Sometimes I have to go touch it. No big deal because its so loud as is I feel the bass anyways from the rti'10. It's good enough for me.

In review...disconnect the amp...run MAACC with speakers hooked up to pio. then reconnect the amp. If not run it flat with no MAACC at all with one of the other presets that you have from the 6 that your receiver should have. Then try the different stereo setting with A.C.L. being the best I think. Also try Direct as well. I love my pio...much better than the onkyo I own, and the broken harmon that I sure you got from their eBay store (yeah you got a deal but they send you broke stuff).

asmd

im limited by practicality as to placement and i can seem to place them just right to negate the room acoustics.

i meant to say i CANT seem to place them to negate room acoustics.

@ Kchill

will give it a shot and get back to you.


btw - under which setting do i switch off reverb correction in the Pioneer. under each memory setting theres EQ, standing wave and tone control that i can see affect MCACC settings. what does reverb and acoustic EQ pro come under?