Opinion on LSI 15s

geppy1
geppy1 Posts: 3,075
edited January 2010 in Vintage Speakers
Am wondering how people think an LSI 15 would compare to an SDA 1C. I have heard the 15s and thought they were very clean but had a small stage. May have not been the best setup. Also the bass seemed disconected from the rest of the music. I have a chance to try a pair again. What is a fair price?? $700 $750. Thanks,keith
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,464
    edited January 2010
    The 15's will be a tad more detailed from the top end through mid bass, and a bit more accurate, but they do not image anywhere near as well as the 1c's and are also lacking in bass reproduction. They do not come close to my 2.3TL's so I run the 15's in surround positions
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • bluecomet
    bluecomet Posts: 1,118
    edited January 2010
    What sets aside the Lsi series from everything else is the tweeter. The best Polk has ever had. I love my Lsi 25's. Great overall speaker plus nice tight bass. That being said the RDO 194 and 198 replacements for SDA's and SRS speakers make that line the best overall in bass reproduction, imaging and overall soundstage and most of the SRS line are easier to drive because they are not 4 ohm speakers. You can easily run them on newer AVR's like an Onkyo 805 that handles 6 ohm speakers with ease. When you get in the Lsi line you are almost forced into external amplification to handle the 4 ohm load. Just something to consider. I would take a set of SDA 1C's anyday over a Lsi 15.
    Polk HT system 1: LSIC, LSI25 mains, LSI F/X rears, Lsi F/X rear centers,
    Yamaha RX-V2500 System, Carver A753 3 channel amp.

    Polk HT system 2: , SRT system with f/x 1,000's rear speakers on 7.1 system currently using Onkyo TX-RZ820 receiver, powered by Sunfire Grand Theater amp

    Polk Speaker collection: SDA SRS 1.2tl x 2, SRT system, SDA SRS 2 P/B, SDA 2A, SDA 1C Studio, SDA CRS+, Monitor 7B & 4, SRS 3.1tl, RTA 15tl, LS90, LSI 9
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,217
    edited January 2010
    Even with great gear I prefer my 1C's. They have much better bass and the top to bottom cohesiveness is a little better, and of course the amazing soundstage they produce.

    LSi 15's are no slouch but, IMO, the 1C's (especially modded) really are the better choice.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 33,011
    edited January 2010
    Kinda an apple and oranges thing. Can't really compare SDA's with speakers Polk makes today. Imho, they have not surpassed the SDA technology for all around SQ....YET.

    btw- why is this in the vintage section ? LSI's considered vintage allready?
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited January 2010
    bluecomet wrote: »
    What sets aside the Lsi series from everything else is the tweeter. The best Polk has ever had. I love my Lsi 25's. Great overall speaker plus nice tight bass. That being said the RDO 194 and 198 replacements for SDA's and SRS speakers make that line the best overall in bass reproduction, imaging and overall soundstage and most of the SRS line are easier to drive because they are not 4 ohm speakers. You can easily run them on newer AVR's like an Onkyo 805 that handles 6 ohm speakers with ease. When you get in the Lsi line you are almost forced into external amplification to handle the 4 ohm load. Just something to consider. I would take a set of SDA 1C's anyday over a Lsi 15.

    I have to agree concerning the Vifa tweeter....it is Polk's best...better than the replacement tweets for SDAs...but SDAs were really designed for soundstage. bass. and imaging and it's very very tough to beat them there!

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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