LSi15 with Onkyo 807

Venting

I'm really new to the whole audio game. I just bought Onkyo's 807 home reciever,link ( http://www.onkyo.ca/model.cfm?m=TX-NR807&class=Receiver&p=i) Could anyone tell me if Polks Lsi15's are a good match for this reciever? along with the Lsi Centre and surround rears?

thanks for your time and responses

bruce

coolsax

I would not use LSi 15s with only this receiver.. I would use the receiver as a Pre and then buy a good high current amp to power LSi series speakers. LSi speakers are 4ohm speakers and will likely hurt your AVR and possibly themselves if you play them too loud.

BlueFox

Long story short. I ran 4 LSi15s and an LSiC off a Denon 3805 and Sony DA5000ES for a year, and then off a Sony DA7100ES for another year. And I loved the way it sounded with all 3 AVRs. The LSi15s sounded great for HT and music, and were clear and detailed. However, from reading this site, I decided to go with a seperate amp, and upgraded to a Sunfire TGA-5400. This really bought the LSi15s to life. While they worked great off the AVR, they really improved with the amp.

Since the LS speakers are 4 ohm lods they can cause the AVR to get hot if you drive it hard. Hopefully, you are in a smallish room, and do not plan on running it flat out for hours. Go for it, but save your money for a dedicated amp.

PSOVLSK

+1 to what BlueFox said.

comfortablycurt

BlueFox wrote: »

Long story short. I ran 4 LSi15s and an LSiC off a Denon 3805 and Sony DA5000ES for a year, and then off a Sony DA7100ES for another year. And I loved the way it sounded with all 3 AVRs. The LSi15s sounded great for HT and music, and were clear and detailed. However, from reading this site, I decided to go with a seperate amp, and upgraded to a Sunfire TGA-5400. This really bought the LSi15s to life. While they worked great off the AVR, they really improved with the amp.

Since the LS speakers are 4 ohm lods they can cause the AVR to get hot if you drive it hard. Hopefully, you are in a smallish room, and do not plan on running it flat out for hours. Go for it, but save your money for a dedicated amp.

+1

The 807 is a fairly capable AVR, so it should be able to drive them without much trouble. Be careful with the volume knob, and if the AVR seems to be getting too hot, turn it down. Onkyo's do run fairly hot by their nature though.

I'd definitely consider an external amp though. It would really bring those LSi's to life.

Venting

comfortablycurt wrote: »

+1

The 807 is a fairly capable AVR, so it should be able to drive them without much trouble. Be careful with the volume knob, and if the AVR seems to be getting too hot, turn it down. Onkyo's do run fairly hot by their nature though.

I'd definitely consider an external amp though. It would really bring those LSi's to life.

Thanks for the replies. So what kind of amp would anyone suggest. And at what kind of cost, would I be looking at? I'm trying to build my first fairly decent TH. One piece at a time but hopefully a decent piece.

comfortablycurt

Well, that depends on a few different things.

What is your primary use with your system? Is it all HT, or do you listen to a lot of music as well? Do you listen to music in 2 channel or surround sound?


If it's going to be primarily HT usage, I'd recommend going with a 5 channel amp. If you do a lot of 2 channel listening, you'd be best off getting a 2 channel amp for the front L/R, and a 3 channel amp for the center and surrounds.

There are options in every price range you could have. Would you prefer new, or is used equipment ok?

kuntasensei

One important thing in the meantime: In your 807's speaker setup menu, make sure you have it set to 4ohm. This applies a current limiter that will help keep you from burning up the 807's amp section when driving 4ohm speakers.

RutgersFTW

I would reiterate that you are totally fine running LSi15s off the 807 until/if/when you get around to upgrading to an external amp. One thing at a time.

I wouldn't set the current limiter to 4 ohms, either, as it crushes dynamics. Just drive them sensibly and keep the receiver ventilated and it will wow you.

Bernal

PSOVLSK wrote: »

+1 to what BlueFox said.

+1 to what BlueFox said.
+1 to what PSOVLSK said.

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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 SERIES 12" (High Output Digital EQ SubWoofer 2400W/1200WRMS)

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Stereo:
DENON AVR-4810CI / SA8003 SA-CD/CD / Quad ESL / Mbl 8011A M.

kuntasensei

RutgersFTW wrote: »

I wouldn't set the current limiter to 4 ohms, either, as it crushes dynamics. Just drive them sensibly and keep the receiver ventilated and it will wow you.

He's running 5 4ohm speakers off of an Onkyo 807. I get what you're saying, but... he better put a fan on that sucker if he's listening even at moderate levels.

DeusExa

I've ran the LSi15s off an Onkyo with decent results, but the 805's an entirely different animal compared to the newer gen Onkyos.

kuntasensei

DeusExa wrote: »

I've ran the LSi15s off an Onkyo with decent results, but the 805's an entirely different animal compared to the newer gen Onkyos.

Absolutely. The current model most analogous to the much-lauded 805 in power is the TX-NR1007. The 807 doesn't have the power section that the 805 had, and excess heat will definitely be an issue when driving 4 ohm speakers at even moderate levels.

bopicasso

The onkyo will probably fry an egg running 4 ohm speakers. lol

emoxley

Definitely don't close in the Onkyo, in an entertainment center, no matter what. My 805 drives the front three LSi speakers, almost 18 hours a day, sometimes at pretty good volumes, and barely gets warm. It isn't closed in either. I set the 805 up for 4 ohm, during the initial setup process, because of the LSi speakers, and can't tell that dynamics are affected in any way. If they are, I can't tell it. My other four speakers are a mixture of 8 ohm speakers. This setup sounds amazing..........
Good luck!

EDUBAG

If i were you i would purchase an external amp and use the 807 for processing (preamp).

The qsc gx3 is a great amp. It offers 300 watts rms per channel at .05 thd and you can find it on the web for 300 $ delivered.

Go to qsc.com and check it out

Venting

Ok so some say it will be fine and some say get a good ex. amp. Only EDUBAG has given a product name for an amp. QSC i think he said. Any other suggestions for an amp (not too pricey) meaning nothing over $1000.00 and it dosent have to be new. Also I will eventually have all the lsi speakers so do i need a 5 channel to run the centre and the lsi surround rears or will the 807 handle that much?

bopicasso

I had a Onkyo 805 running RTI8s and a CSI3 and it was almost to hot to touch.

adabro

Venting wrote: »

Ok so some say it will be fine and some say get a good ex. amp. Only EDUBAG has given a product name for an amp. QSC i think he said. Any other suggestions for an amp (not too pricey) meaning nothing over $1000.00 and it dosent have to be new. Also I will eventually have all the lsi speakers so do i need a 5 channel to run the centre and the lsi surround rears or will the 807 handle that much?

Mentioning amp brand names here can lead to some lively discussions..

One method I found useful is to research the various models in my price range and see if you can find any forum threads for that particular model. If it's good thread it will hopefully discuss the good and bad points without too much fanboy or hater activity.

comfortablycurt

Venting wrote: »

Ok so some say it will be fine and some say get a good ex. amp. Only EDUBAG has given a product name for an amp. QSC i think he said. Any other suggestions for an amp (not too pricey) meaning nothing over $1000.00 and it dosent have to be new. Also I will eventually have all the lsi speakers so do i need a 5 channel to run the centre and the lsi surround rears or will the 807 handle that much?

I'd pass on the QSC. QSC is a professional amp brand, and isn't really meant for home stereo usage. It's meant for creating big, loud, live sound.



You never answered my questions above...

Are you going to be using this setup for exclusively HT, or will you be listening to 2 channel music on it as well?

There are many options available from Adcom, Rotel, NAD and Parasound.

Check out audiogon.com for some great used deals on them.

Venting

well we use the system in the house for mainly TV, Gaming, and Movies. And once and a while for music.The room is small and I'm buying everything for a future Home Theatre. I would rather buy once, at a moderate price range than have to buy again because i didn't choose for expandability. Which i think is happening with the 807, but it was a gift.

PSOVLSK

Venting wrote: »

Ok so some say it will be fine and some say get a good ex. amp. Only EDUBAG has given a product name for an amp. QSC i think he said. Any other suggestions for an amp (not too pricey) meaning nothing over $1000.00 and it dosent have to be new. Also I will eventually have all the lsi speakers so do i need a 5 channel to run the centre and the lsi surround rears or will the 807 handle that much?

Post #3 is all you need to read IMO.

Amp brands to consider: Rotel, Parasound, Outlaw, Emotiva, Carver, Sunfire, and others I'm probably not thinking of. Check audiogon.com for a good used amp to get more bang for your buck.

NewHTguy

If your funds are limited or modest I'd advise you to look for a decent 2-channel amp. The 807 has plenty of power to run a center and surrounds. In other words, put the power where it is most needed.

kuntasensei

NewHTguy wrote: »

If your funds are limited or modest I'd advise you to look for a decent 2-channel amp. The 807 has plenty of power to run a center and surrounds. In other words, put the power where it is most needed.

Not running 4 ohm speakers, it doesn't... especially considering he's running a LSiC and the center channel gets roughly 60% of movie audio in surround mixes.

OP, you've been given solid advice. There are a lot of brands of external amp that will suit your needs, but I recommend getting something that will handle all of the channels you intend to run at 4 ohms and just use the 807 as a pre/pro. Good 5 or 7 channel amps that can push 4 ohm loads can easily be had under your $1k limit and will make those LSi speakers sound vastly better than running them off of an AVR.

NewHTguy

I would not hesitate to have the Onk push the LsiC and two suurounds, especially given what others have said. The point is that if funds are limited then you simply go with a two-channel and later add a three or five channel depending on needs and budget. At least the speakers that demand the most power are getting it. Just another option. Not claiming it is the best of all imaginable worlds.