Lengthy LSiM 703 Review

deronb1
deronb1 Posts: 5,021
in Speakers
Holy ****! Im selling my B&W CDM 1NTs!
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Comments

  • dannylightning
    dannylightning Posts: 233
    great review, very lengthy lol. the 703's are definitely good.
    Cambridge Azur 651A
    Polk LSi M703
    Sonos Connect




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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,194
    the1NT's are awesome speakers
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    dannylightning wrote: »
    great review, very lengthy lol. the 703's are definitely good.

    Thanks! Kinda knee jerk reaction.
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  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    mantis wrote: »
    the1NT's are awesome speakers

    They are and ive have quite a few respectable bookies pass through here. All joking aside, ill post comments later fwiw. The 703s weren't better in all regards, but for a 2 ch stand mount set up, they are great.
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  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    Interested in the followup.

    Are the 703s just 'different' or an actual upgrade?

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
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  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    Erik Tracy wrote: »
    Interested in the followup.

    Are the 703s just 'different' or an actual upgrade?

    They are different speakers. The Polks dont quite have the air that the B&Ws have, but it has a more full range sound for sure. Best bass i have heard from a bookie. Deep, tight and controlled. Getting used to the ring tweet, but its accurate for sure.

    I am going strictly 2 ch with no subs. 703s are definitely better suited for that duty.
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  • dannylightning
    dannylightning Posts: 233
    deronb1 wrote: »
    Erik Tracy wrote: »
    Interested in the followup.

    Are the 703s just 'different' or an actual upgrade?

    They are different speakers. The Polks dont quite have the air that the B&Ws have, but it has a more full range sound for sure. Best bass i have heard from a bookie. Deep, tight and controlled. Getting used to the ring tweet, but its accurate for sure.

    I am going strictly 2 ch with no subs. 703s are definitely better suited for that duty.

    is the tweeter a little too laid back for you.. i feel the tweeter is allot more laid back than what i am used. no fatigue to the ears and makes thing sound very smooth

    these do have allot of bass, usually i buy towers and these bookies are the first speakers i have had where i have not used a sub, sounds better with the sub off

    Cambridge Azur 651A
    Polk LSi M703
    Sonos Connect




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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,516
    A lot.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    dannylightning wrote: »
    deronb1 wrote: »
    Erik Tracy wrote: »
    Interested in the followup.

    Are the 703s just 'different' or an actual upgrade?

    They are different speakers. The Polks dont quite have the air that the B&Ws have, but it has a more full range sound for sure. Best bass i have heard from a bookie. Deep, tight and controlled. Getting used to the ring tweet, but its accurate for sure.

    I am going strictly 2 ch with no subs. 703s are definitely better suited for that duty.

    is the tweeter a little too laid back for you.. i feel the tweeter is allot more laid back than what i am used. no fatigue to the ears and makes thing sound very smooth

    these do have allot of bass, usually i buy towers and these bookies are the first speakers i have had where i have not used a sub, sounds better with the sub off
    Yes, more laid back, but not dark and dry. Its a good tweeter, just a lot different from tha aluminium dome on the B&Ws. Spyro Gyra "Good to Go Go" is one of the best recorded CDs ive ever heard and the 703s just nailed it.

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  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    F1nut wrote: »
    A lot.

    Yup, i got my subs dialed in the best i could and still have standing waves. I have a good sized room, but its pretty much square with a vaulted ceiling. Subs in my room just muddy the water for music.
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  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    deronb1 wrote: »
    Erik Tracy wrote: »
    Interested in the followup.

    Are the 703s just 'different' or an actual upgrade?

    They are different speakers. The Polks dont quite have the air that the B&Ws have, but it has a more full range sound for sure. Best bass i have heard from a bookie. Deep, tight and controlled. Getting used to the ring tweet, but its accurate for sure.

    I am going strictly 2 ch with no subs. 703s are definitely better suited for that duty.

    Thanks for sharing the description.

    I've (finally) got my sub integrated in for 2.1 listening with my CDM 1NTs, so I may just stand pat for a bit.

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 10,716
    square rooms are bad for LF as you know.
    Have you done the shootout one of each w/ mono material?
    That was when the ringing on the 703 stood out to me.
    I still love them for HT.
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  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,009
    I wasn't all that impressed with the 703's when I first got them, but they really improved as break-in ensued. Now after a considerable break-in period I am really enjoying them.
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  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    rednedtugent wrote: »
    square rooms are bad for LF as you know.
    Have you done the shootout one of each w/ mono material?
    That was when the ringing on the 703 stood out to me.
    I still love them for HT.

    I did not do that. I dont hear a ringing from them as much as a more hollow sound on some recordings. I think, much like the B&Ws, they are unforgiving with poorly recorded tracks.
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  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    dromunds wrote: »
    I wasn't all that impressed with the 703's when I first got them, but they really improved as break-in ensued. Now after a considerable break-in period I am really enjoying them.

    For sure, they needed to break in and for my ears to adjust. I do a lot of lower volume listening and love the fact that i can get palpable bass as lower volumes.
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  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,009
    ^ Yeah, I'm really liking the Twin Peaks theme song on those puppies, lots of palpable LF. Lol.
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  • dannylightning
    dannylightning Posts: 233
    deronb1 wrote: »
    rednedtugent wrote: »
    square rooms are bad for LF as you know.
    Have you done the shootout one of each w/ mono material?
    That was when the ringing on the 703 stood out to me.
    I still love them for HT.

    I did not do that. I dont hear a ringing from them as much as a more hollow sound on some recordings. I think, much like the B&Ws, they are unforgiving with poorly recorded tracks.

    i have tried to keep mine playing even if im not home and its at a low volume, that should help with the break in a little bit..

    mine sounded dead and dull for the first 20 or 30 minutes than they started sounding better and better. today i have been listening to the at a louder than usual volume and they seem to have opened up even more today. i think they say its a about 100+ hour break in time on new speakers.

    a poor recorded song i played a few days ago sounded bad, today that same song sounded pretty descent. poor recordings are starting to sound allot better than they did. i think ill give mine another week or two before i really judge them and write a review. but they do just keep getting better and better the more they get played.

    Cambridge Azur 651A
    Polk LSi M703
    Sonos Connect




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  • Legender
    Legender Posts: 478
    Just did 120 hour break in on mine over the holiday weekend as I was out of town. Hope to hook them up in their new home this weekend am expecting nothing but great sound coming from them.
    Music: Oppo103 - Parasound JC2 - Parasound A21- SDA 3.1
    Theater: Denon 3808 - B&K 7500/Emotiva XPA-3- RTi12, CSi5, RTiA7x4, PSW505
    Sleeping: Marantz 70005 - Harman Kardon 2400 - SDA 2
    2 Channel: Cary 306 SACD - Canary Audio 906 - Pass Labs x250 - PS Audio Perfectwave DAC, Polk LSiM705, SVS SB13 Ultra
    Office: Dell Optiplex, Emotiva XDA-2, Adcom 5500, LSiM 703
    Spares: Yamaha CA-810; LSi 15; Kenwood Basic M2a, Yamaha M60/M80, Polk Monitor 7, SVS SB13 Ultra
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  • msg
    msg Posts: 10,001
    Glad to see you guys enjoying the 703s B)

    They're def a fave for me. Agreed, I do like that they're good performers even at lower listening levels. Some speakers you have to crank up to the fuller range out of them, otherwise it sounds like you're just listening to tweeters. And yes, I also found them smoother and fuller sounding with time on them, both driver break-in and internals burn-in wise.

    I find that binding posts take the longest to break in. I fill the holes with di-electric grease and hit them with a hair dryer before each session for the first two weeks. kidding. don't do that. (pb works better)
    I disabled signatures.
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  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    msg wrote: »
    Glad to see you guys enjoying the 703s B)

    They're def a fave for me. Agreed, I do like that they're good performers even at lower listening levels. Some speakers you have to crank up to the fuller range out of them, otherwise it sounds like you're just listening to tweeters. And yes, I also found them smoother and fuller sounding with time on them, both driver break-in and internals burn-in wise.

    I find that binding posts take the longest to break in. I fill the holes with di-electric grease and hit them with a hair dryer before each session for the first two weeks. kidding. don't do that. (pb works better)

    Ha! Im using bi-wire, so should burn-in twice as fast right?
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  • vmaxer
    vmaxer Posts: 5,117
    nope, take 4 times as long. B)B)B)B)B)
    Pio Elete Pro 520
    Panamax 5400-EX
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    Micro Seiki DD-40 - Lyra-Dorian and Denon DL-160
    PS Audio GCPH phono pre
    Sunfire CG 200 X 5
    Sunfire CG Sig 405 X 5
    OPPO BDP-83 SE
    SDA SRS 1.2TL Sonicaps and Mills
    Ctr CS1000p
    Sur - FX1000 x 4
    SUB - SVS PB2-Plus

    Workkout room:
    Sony Bravia XBR- 32-Inch 1080p
    Onkyo TX-DS898
    GFA 555
    Yamaha DVD-S1800BL/SACD
    Ft - SDA 1C

    Not being used:
    RTi 38's -4
    RT55i's - 2
    RT25i's -2, using other 2 in shop
    LSI 15's
    CSi40
    PSW 404
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  • mpitogo
    mpitogo Posts: 504
    Are the 703 the same including crossover from the top section of a 707? Top section driver sizes are the same, but besides the LPF, subwoofers and extra cabinet, they should be the same right?

    Agree on the break-in, as delivered the bass on the 707 was disappointing compared to the LSi25 they replaced. Its now a few days since and have been playing them daily and it's much better. I looped a test CD's 20Hz track at moderate volume for a few hours and it's helped tremendously.
    • Living Room Music-2.1 Polk Legend L800 | SVS SB1000Pro | McIntosh C70 | McIntosh MA5200 (Treble) | McIntosh MC452 (Bass) | Sublimeacoustic K231 Active xover | Denon DP-2500A | Denafrips Ares II | Marantz HD-CD1 | Belkin Soundform Connect | iPad Pro USB to DAC
    • Home Theater-9.7.6/15.1 (Atmos/Auro-3D) Polk LSiM707, LSiM706c, LSiM702 F/X [x6], Height LSiM703 [x6], HSU ULS-15Mk2x4, VTF-15HMk2x2, VTF-TN1 | Trinnov Altitude 16+4 (2024) | Rotel RB-1590 (L/R) | Appollon NC500 11ch | Martin Logan MP500x2 | Topping DX7s, E50 | AppleTV 4K | Zidoo Z9X | JVC RS2100 | 150” Elite Screen Acoustic Pro UHD
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    • Master Bedroom Music-2.0 Totem Hawk | Marantz PM-10 | Marantz SA-10 | SONY PS-HX500
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  • dannylightning
    dannylightning Posts: 233
    i think the tweeter on mine just woke up today, its sounding less laid back, cymbal hits stand out allot more and seem to ring longer, overdriven guitar sound more fuzzy and full, vocals seem a little more dynamic and the speakers seem to have a little more overall detail.

    i watched a couple action movies full of explosions, gun shots, glass shattering cars crashing and what not last night at a loud-ish volume. i think that gave the speaker a pretty good workout. they sound very impressive for the movies
    Cambridge Azur 651A
    Polk LSi M703
    Sonos Connect




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  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,551
    Compare again to the BW, see if your ears acclimated to the new sound or it really did break in
    Magico, JL, Emm, ARC Ref 10 line, ARC Ref 10 phono, VPI, Lyra, Boulder, AQ Wel, SRA Scuttle Rack, Bluesound
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  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    When do the B&Ws get kicked to the curb?

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
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  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    I have them on US Audiomart along with the center. Also selling the 2 Velodyne DEQ 8r subs and Onk TX-SR 805.
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  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    Found it; was thrown off by the listing as a package deal.

    GLTWS!

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
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  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    Erik Tracy wrote: »
    Found it; was thrown off by the listing as a package deal.

    GLTWS!

    Yeah, figured that was the bedt way to do it.
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 10,716
    Glad you are happy with them!
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