"timbre matching" an lsim 704c

So I picked up an LSIM 704C on the weekend on sale, currently running it off a yamaha rx-v671 and my fronts are polk audio rt25i's.

So a few questions:

How important is timbre matching?

Will LSI7's or LSI9's timbre match with the lsim 704c?

Will my receiver be able to power the 704 and the lsi's without external amplification?

Are the lsim 703's so good/so important to timbre match, that it would be worth spending 1500 bucks on them instead of getting lsi7s for 350 bucks or lsi9s for 550?

Would something like paradigm studio 10's go ok with the lsim center?

I am thinking of getting an emotiva xpa-3 eventually. Should I buy speakers first or the xpa-3 first? Would the xpa-3 improve the sound on my lsim and rt25i setup?

Thanks for the help.

First of all, congrats on what looks to be a great speaker. The answer to your first question is yes, timbre matching your front three speakers is pretty important, unless you mainly listen to music in stereo and just watch the news in surround :wink: and finally, none of those speakers will sound anything like the center you just bought. The lsi7s and 9s are great, and if you want to save the coin to buy those I would just sell the center you just bought and get a matching center. But the new lsims are supposed to by leaps and bounds above the old series, so if you have the money get the 703s. I'll be jealous...

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Originally Posted by rooftop59

First of all, congrats on what looks to be a great speaker. The answer to your first question is yes, timbre matching your front three speakers is pretty important, unless you mainly listen to music in stereo and just watch the news in surround :wink: and finally, none of those speakers will sound anything like the center you just bought. The lsi7s and 9s are great, and if you want to save the coin to buy those I would just sell the center you just bought and get a matching center. But the new lsims are supposed to by leaps and bounds above the old series, so if you have the money get the 703s. I'll be jealous...

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Yeah, I really want the 703s but I dunno if they will be in my price range for a few years :S

The place I got my center had them open box for 800 for the pair :S i wanted them so bad but can't spend that much right now :( maybe at christmas time I can buy them ... but I doubt i can find another sale like that.

I have never had timbre matching my entire life, I don't know what I'm missing I guess? I've had paradigms/sony then paradigms/klipsch and polk/polk but different lines

How important Timbre matching is ultimately up to your ears. I would give what you have a listen and decide. Ideally the front three speakers should be of the same line so I am not sure if you will gain anything by moving to LSI7/9s. I would suggest keeping what you have and put the LSI7/9 money towards the 703s.

As for amplification, if you keep the volume low you should be fine but I suggest putting a quality amplifier behind the excellent LSiM speakers you will have. I had the 703s in my house for all of three hours running them off the amp in my signature and they sound very good to my ears. I have never heard them otherwise though so they may sound just as great. I would love to have a 704/705 setup but alas house stuff keeps getting in the way.

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Originally Posted by MADGSF

How important Timbre matching is ultimately up to your ears. I would give what you have a listen and decide. Ideally the front three speakers should be of the same line so I am not sure if you will gain anything by moving to LSI7/9s. I would suggest keeping what you have and put the LSI7/9 money towards the 703s.

As for amplification, if you keep the volume low you should be fine but I suggest putting a quality amplifier behind the excellent LSiM speakers you will have. I had the 703s in my house for all of three hours running them off the amp in my signature and they sound very good to my ears. I have never heard them otherwise though so they may sound just as great. I would love to have a 704/705 setup but alas house stuff keeps getting in the way.

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you don't think lsi9's are an upgrade from rt25i's o.O ? maybe not for movies, but for music isn't it like a completely different league?

I would either be buying an amplifier this christmas, or the speakers. Do you think I should get the amplifier first, and then buy the speakers next summer? Or buy speakers first, and buy the amplifier next summer?

I find a lot of people recommend upgrading speakers before amplifiers?

It's not that the LSi-9 are not an upgrade, they are. The point is you are worried about timbre matching so instead of spending money on the previous series LSi I suggested saving that money towards the LSiM which will match the new center you purchased. Again it is up to you how important timbre matching is.

Either series LSi/LSiM will benefit from good amplification and in my opinion either of those speakers require a good amplifier to sound best. The bad news is it doesn't look like your Yamaha has pre-outs for an external amplifier so if you want to add an amp you will have to get a new AVR first. Sorry you have started down the proverbial upgrade rabbit hole here so I suggest getting whatever you can get the best deal on first and don't be afraid of buying used.

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Originally Posted by MADGSF

It's not that the LSi-9 are not an upgrade, they are. The point is you are worried about timbre matching so instead of spending money on the previous series LSi I suggested saving that money towards the LSiM which will match the new center you purchased. Again it is up to you how important timbre matching is.

Either series LSi/LSiM will benefit from good amplification and in my opinion either of those speakers require a good amplifier to sound best. The bad news is it doesn't look like your Yamaha has pre-outs for an external amplifier so if you want to add an amp you will have to get a new AVR first. Sorry you have started down the proverbial upgrade rabbit hole here so I suggest getting whatever you can get the best deal on first and don't be afraid of buying used.

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Yeah I plan on getting an external amplifier after I get new fronts. I have some resistors and rca chassis mounts that I am going to use as a voltage divider to make line-level rca outputs from my AVR.

And I'm not worried about timbre matching. I'm asking if I should be :P

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Originally Posted by WagBoss

And I'm not worried about timbre matching. I'm asking if I should be :P

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I guess that really depends on if you like it when a voice moves across the front 3 speakers if you like it to sound as one smooth motion or if you like it to change tones as it moves from speaker to speaker.