upgrade-itis

[jojomgee]

ok people right now i am using my older rt setup...55's....35i's...and cs400i
honestly i love how they sound and i dont need speakers with crazy power because i live in apt. ....im really looking for "detail"

problem is i love how the lsi's look and i am assuming they are a more "detailed"speaker.
...however i have never heard them and could be wrong?
basically would the lsi system with 9's as fronts and fx as rears be a "big" upgrade

i also like the new rtiA systems ....so same issue (would that be an upgrade)

as far as powering lsi's I currently have a denon 987 so im pretty sure(not positive) i would need to amp them....how much of a pain in the ass would that be?....

i know everything is subjective just looking for some opinions

[Erik Tracy]

ok people right now i am using my older rt setup...55's....35i's...and cs400i
honestly i love how they sound and i dont need speakers with crazy power because i live in apt. ....im really looking for "detail"

problem is i love how the lsi's look and i am assuming they are a more "detailed"speaker.
...however i have never heard them and could be wrong?
basically would the lsi system with 9's as fronts and fx as rears be a "big" upgrade

i also like the new rtiA systems ....so same issue (would that be an upgrade)

as far as powering lsi's I currently have a denon 987 so im pretty sure(not positive) i would need to amp them....how much of a pain in the ass would that be?....

i know everything is subjective just looking for some opinions

Do you have a budget in mind?

No sense in recommending a Ferrari when your budget is more like a Honda

[PrazVT]

I have both the LSi9s (bedroom) and an RTiAs (HT). I think you'd like both of them - if you listen to music a lot, I think you'd enjoy the LSi system even more. The LSi's sound a bit more natural (awesome tweeter).

The AVR-987 has pre-outs and even multi-ch inputs, so you're good there. In terms of an amp, there are many you can get. My cousin bought a high current NAD T-955 5 ch amp new (100w x 5 @ 4 or 8 ohms, 150w/200wpc dynamic @ 8/4 ohms) for $799 and honestly it runs the LSi9s & LSiC beautifully.

If you're looking in the used market, you can probably get something more powerful.

But as Erik mentioned ..you may want to specify a budget.

[cnh]

I've run some LSI-7s off a Denon AVR 2807....basically a TWIN to your 987. This Denon was rated a top pick in its time by CNET. It's actually fairly musical for an AVR. All you would need is a 5 channel power amp. Look for a Parasound, B&K, Rotel or any number of others that would pair 'well' with the Denon as a pre. That particular Denon has HDMI 1.1 but can pass audio as multi-channel PCM so any blu-ray that can decode HD formats and send them out as linear PCM would do you fine.

I ran the LSI-7s with an Adcom GFA-555 in two channel and that was a pretty good match. Things got even better when I went to a dedicated stereo-pre-amp. But it sounds like you want to do HT there!

Standard advice is to get an amp that can do 200 watts/channel @ 8 ohms and MORE into 4 ohms and you'll be fine.

And please do listen to some LSIs because you need to like them. They do have more detail but it's not as intense as Rtis--their smoother and more musical than most other current Polk!

Good Luck! Also consider the NEW line, which is even 'better'...the LSI-Ms. Check out the Polk product pages

cnh

[jojomgee]

I would be building system piece by piece not all at once & I would be using strictly for HT not much music at all
Would both sytems lsi's and rtiA's be an HT upgrade

[cnh]

The old series you have is somewhat comparable to the Rti series. So I'm not sure if that would be an upgrade unless you went with the big towers (Rti-A7s or even better the Rti-A9s).

But the LSIs would definitely be an upgrade, again depending on your tastes. If you just want BIG sound...for HT you might be better off with some A9s, a CSI-A6 and surrounds. You'd still need an amp for those.

cnh

[jojomgee]

Not necessarily looking for "big" sound...I have more power than I need now

Actually looking for the most detailed sound that I could get
When I switched to my current system from a monitor 50 setup I noticed a big difference in HT detail...which is why I'm wondering now if their is an even more detailed quality in the lsi or rtia series
And btw why would I need to amp A9's?

[Erik Tracy]

Not necessarily looking for "big" sound...I have more power than I need now

Actually looking for the most detailed sound that I could get
When I switched to my current system from a monitor 50 setup I noticed a big difference in HT detail...which is why I'm wondering now if their is an even more detailed quality in the lsi or rtia series
And btw why would I need to amp A9's?

RTiAs will have more detail.

Well, for me specifically, I owned a pair of RTiA3s and LSi7s at the same time and for me, in my rig, the RTiA3s had more detail than the LSi7s.

You can get too much of a good thing though - while the RTiA3s are easier to drive and have more 'sparkle' than the LSi7s, things change as you go louder and your musical tastes tend to be more...ah....aggressive.

Then the LSi7s exceed in holding a better soundstage and 'listenablity' - whereas the RTiA3s can get to be a bit much on top.

Both will benefit from a clean ample external power source.

If, for example, you like to listen to Iron Maiden's Powerslave at reference levels - then the LSis may be better.

If you are a more moderate volume level listening and you want to extract as much sonic detail as you can from Supertramp's Crime of the Century, then the RTiAs may be the choice for you -imho.

Ears on....then decide....

[cnh]

A9s do need external amps and can handle a lot of power with their 6 speaker arrays.

So yes. Are LSIs more detailed...yes, with enough power behind them, that is!

I also think Erik provides a nice summary above.

Good Luck.

cnh

[jojomgee]

a9's would be overkill in my situation.....biggest i would go is a7 or maybe even a5

i dont use at all for music & when i do use for HT I dont go too high on the volume...I turn up a little but not too much

so if im listening at a moderate level for "clarity and detail" rtia is comparable to lsi's?
and both would be an upgrade to my rt55 system?

[jojomgee]

basically if you were starting a system for HT and you were starting with mains and you had a choice between....with detail and clarity being main concern ....thnx btw everybody
rt55
rtia5
rtia3
lsi9

[cnh]

A9s are my personal favorite of the Rti-A tower series. A5s are OK for home theater, but musically, they don't do anything for me. As for A7s vs A9s....A9s all day long.

Is there anyway 'you' can hear these because only you can tell what you'd like better.

Erik as summed it up. I can't really compare LSIs to Rtis for HT purposes because I selected LSIs for two channel 'music' only. And there, there is no contest between the LSI bookshelves and the Rtis. The LSIs are better.

However, if you like 'bright' forward slam...Rtis might be a cheaper ticket for you. But again, I can't speak for 'your' tastes on this. Listening is very subjective.

If you chose A5s you really wouldn't need extra amplification though!

cnh

[Erik Tracy]

I have not personally heard the LSi9s...from historical posts here, they are not as easy to drive as the LSi7s, which are reportedly the easiest of the LSi family to drive - so you will need to ensure that your AVR or external amp can drive a 4 ohm speaker and provide a good source of headroom of power.

You are going to find varying opinions here.

My opinion, as an internet expert ( ), would be go for the RTi7s and a good ext amp.

[cnh]

basically if you were starting a system for HT and you were starting with mains and you had a choice between....with detail and clarity being main concern ....thnx btw everybody
rt55
rtia5
rtia3
lsi9

Basically, Rti-A5s will give you more sound, a fuller sound stage than the smaller Rt55s. I don't think that Rti-A3s are a huge jump forward from your 55s. But the Lsi-9s would be, for a bookshelf. But those need an AMP!

cnh

[cfrizz]

While you may not realize it, you are not really getting all of the detail out of your current speakers right now just being powered by your Denon.

This is the biggest, best benefit of having a separate amp to power your speakers. It allows them to operate to their full potential. Having the power there when they need it to give you all of the details of music & movies.

So what I would suggest, is get an amplifier of at least 200wpc @ 8ohms, and amp up your current speakers. Then start to think towards getting the LSI 9s and you will already have the amp in place to drive them.

You can get more bang for the buck brand new with either Outlaw Audio, or Emotiva XPA- series.

Or if you don't mind purchasing used, go to audiogon and look at Rotel, Parasound, B & K, Sunfire, Nad, & Adcom.

[jojomgee]

so no matter what i choose an amp is going to make the sound quality better...and most of the other mains would be a better option than my 55's? (not that im complaining...i love them but the "better better better" bug is crawling up my ass)
thanks for the responses...i wont ask anymore questions but any more feedback is appreciated

[tonyb]

The lsi's are more detailed, however, they are 4 ohm speakers and your receiver is nowhere close to properly powering them. You would also need an amp if you decided on the lsi route. To be able to add an amp,your receiver needs to have preouts. If it doesn't, best to stay on the lower end of the rti series.

[jojomgee]

i do have pre-outs and my receivers book did have some specs on running 6ohm but not 4....either way ill probably grab an amp since it seems everyone agrees no matter what speaker i choose an amp would increase sound quality.....
how much does a "decent" amp run anyway...."used"
SH*T ....i said no more questions

[cnh]

cfrizz and tonyb have your back...and, I guess, I'm back too, from a pizza run.

You'll need a five channel amp that could run you anywhere from 500-1000 used--roughly?

The Denon is a fine piece as the pre-amp for now. That unit, if it is like mine, is made in Japan and shares a lot with the higher 380x series.

www.audiogon.com is your friend, as is the Flea Market here!

cnh

[tonyb]

Well, depends......on how many 4 ohm speakers you get. If your using one system for both movies and music listening,you can get away with 2 lsi 9's up front, one 2 channel amp,that could be had used for a couple hundies. The center and surrounds can be filled in with any of the other series since they are 8 ohm. Wouldn't be an exact voice match but I doubt you'd notice in surround mode. I run without the center channel on mine and have the vocals come out of the front left and right, don't miss it at all. Just another option to save coin untill your ready for the new joint.