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i demoed the lsi9 with an NAD c370 intergrated amp this weekend and it really wasnt that impressive. the bass from the lsi9's was much more then i expected but the highs seemed boxed in with no soundstage at all. did anyone else expirence this with the lsi9's? what gets rid of that sound, toeing them in?
Surprising given its ratings and some favorable reviews. Then again it's been discontinued.
http://www.nadelectronics.com/hifi_a...72_framset.htm
NAD makes nice gear. LSi ready and capable of running 4 ohm loads with ease. The C270 amp is really nice. I didn't care for the NAD preamp too much though. I think Organ has come to the same conclusion recently.
Could be a lot of other things in combination as well. Speaker wire for starters, bi-wired or not, setup, were the electronics or speakers new and not broken in... all debatable stuff really and we've been down that path before.
Could also be that your ears are more accustomed to the RT sound which is more detailed. The first time I heard LSi I thought it was really flat and dull sounding. Some upgrades and tweeks and getting used to the "flat" sound changed my ways of listening. Some like it ; some don't.
P.
I'm suprised to hear this. The NAD C370 is a very nice integrated. I almost bought a display model this weekend. I looked at it earlier in the week and was going to get a good deal since the C372 was coming out. Went back on Friday afternoon and it had been sold. I guess I should have made a decision earlier. I listened to this particular amp with some Maggies, some Monitor Audio and Bostons (even the Bostons sounded sweet with this amp). I've never heard the LSi9 on that particular amp but I would have bet they would be a good match. The earlier posts may have the answer....maybe a less than optimal setup or just a different sound than you are used to.
I own the seperates version of the C370 which is the C160 pre amp and C270 amp. The bass from NAD is very, very powerful like you said but I don't agree with the highs and soundstage. I'm sure placement could've been a main problem. I have no issues in that area. The NAD produces a very large soundstage.
I agree with PJ about going LSi from the RTi series. They sound very different but I still don't know why it sounded "boxied in".
I've tried 3 pre amps with the C270 and I find that the NAD C160 which is the same pre stage found in the C370 rolled off the highs sooner than the Rotel and ASL. It's not lacking at all. Just makes the highs smoother and warmer. I like the sound quality of the C160 but the cheaper ASL is much better. The amp section of te C370 which is identical to the C270 is killer.
Did you demo the speakers in a store? If you go back, try to give them proper placement and do another demo. The LSi speakers are very picky when it comes placement and toe-in. I'm guessing that's where the problem is.
Maurice
thats exactly what i told the guy, that they were picky when it comes to placement and that thats mots likely the reason. we were comparing them to some new jm labs towers in the same price range and the difference between the soundstage was amazing. if i were to buy speakers based on that demo i would have picked the jm labs just because they sounded so much more open and less dull.
the placement was very poor, i know, but whats a good way to set them up? how should they be placed?
Maybe you just don't like the LSi? I just had not seen that mentioned here yet.
Cheers,
Russ
I got a chance to listen to some JM Lab Electra bookshelves for a good hour a couple of weekends ago. The first thing I told the audio dealer was could he turn the sub off. He said the subs aren't on! I walked around to make sure. This little bookshelf speaker retails for $2048 / pair. The soundstage they threw was indeed huge. The treble was detailed yet smooth .. never bright or harsh. Incredible speaker but I just got the feeling the treble although not bright or anything was just over accentuated compared to some Spendor S8 speakers I listened to right afterwards.Quote:
if i were to buy speakers based on that demo i would have picked the jm labs just because they sounded so much more open and less dull.
Amazing how speakers can sound so different. For me, it is the most important factor when starting to build a system.
oh well, im just suprised i didnt like the lsi. when i first heard them i was very impressed with them and this time i wasnt. i think it was the placement of the speakers, especially because a couple people have said that the lsi are picky when it comes to placement. thats got to be the issue.
Try to make an equilateral triangle with the two speakers and your head. ex. spread the speakers 8ft apart and then make sure each speaker is also 8ft away from your head. Toe them in until they point to the listening spot.
Another thing some dealers may not know about is that the tweeters should be in the inside part of the soundstage not te outer parts. Take the grilles off them to make sure the speakes weren't placed backwards.
That sucks about the LSi demo not working out for you:(. Let's hope the next demo will be better.
Maurice
next time i go there im going to do alittle rearranging. they guys there are nice and know us. they are cthe closest stereo place around here so they get alot of business from us. thanks for the placement help.