LSi Impressions

[scornful]

Well I finally made it into Hi-Fi Buys (Tweeter) to listen to the LSi line tonight. I have to say that I was very impressed!! I loved the sound of the tweeter everyone raves about. It is so different from the silk tweet in my 150's it's hard to get across how different they sound. Very laid back unlike the silks. I MUCH prefer it to mine. The next time I go in I will have to bring some music I am more familiar with. I preferred the 15 to the 25, mainly for my wallet's sake. I knew I should never have gone in there to listen.

Forgot to mention..... they were driving them with a Denon 3805 of all things. Not an amp in the room. The only amps they were running were in another room on Marton Logans and Sonus Fabers. It's sad they view the LSi's as not worthy.

[Steve@3dai]

What, recievers can't drive LSis?

I'm here to prove you wrong ;)

[marcpam]

A denon can't sustain a 4 ohm load. Only a 6 and 8 ohm. If your receiver can do 4 ohm stable then all the power to you. Bottom line is this, there is no cleaner sound than a dedicated amp. I am here to prove you wrong. Be more considerate of other peoples post. Nobody here is trying to prove anybody wrong. We are all here to learn and give advice.

[Frank Z]

There are a very limited number of receivers, IMHO, that can do justice to the LSi's. Sunfire's Ultimate Receiver is the first that comes to mind.

Driving a speaker, and driving them to their full potential are two very different matters.

[F1nut]

Originally posted by Frank Z

Driving a speaker, and driving them to their full potential are two very different matters.

Amen brother, Amen!

[scornful]

Steve... I didnt take your post offensively, not sure if others did. :)

The B&K 507(505) and Denon 5803 are a couple other AVRs I respect. The problem I've always has with AVRs of this caliber has always been cost compared with seperates. It's really not much more expensive to plunge into seperates. I'm thinking B&K 507 compared to B&K Ref30/AV125.7. However, I have to agree with Frank and F1..... I'm thoroughly converted to seperates after hearing my 150's on m200s. I would still like to hear these RTi's on a Parasound before I decide to upgrade. Wishful thinking I believe, but maybe the Parasound will tone down these silk tweeters.

[Early B.]

...maybe the Parasound will tone down these silk tweeters.

Nope. Just more of the same.
The Lsi's are sweet.

You're getting very sleepy.....
Buy them now.
Buy them now.
Buy them now...

[amulford]

I went to a Tweeter alittle while ago and did the same. Very nice. They had the 7's, 9's, 15's, LSiC, and LSiF/x.

I didn't have any music with me, but they did sound pretty damn good. Driven by a Yammy reciever, don't know the model.

The 7's sounded good, but I could see the need for a sub. Not quite enough lower end.

The 9's were really cool. I could see them for stand alone 2 CH in a smaller room. Great lower end.

The 15's were smooth, but underpowered and you could tell. They had about the same ass as the 9's, and I KNOW they're capable of alot more.

LSiC was very smooth and capable. It's addition really filled in the front sound stage.

LSiF/x's sounded very full and smooth. Seamless envelopment.


They also had some RTi 12's in the same room. They sounded Damn good too!

They didn't have a LSiW, said they were having problems with it.

I REALLY think Polk should get with Tweeter. The line isn't really getting displayed as it should be.

Hey Paul, someone needs to set Tweeter straight!

[Steve@3dai]

Originally posted by Frank Z

Driving a speaker, and driving them to their full potential are two very different matters.

Oh, I'm fully aware of that. I am just saying that people downplay recievers because of the low end of them. I'm not trying to hate on anyone, or their equipment. But I'm a little annoyed with the automatic assumption that LSi s need seperates. Plus, I don't like seperates that much unless you are spending some serious dough.

Scornful, thanks for not taking it personal, it wasn't meant that way ;) hahaha

[marcpam]

if you are going to spend the money, time, and effort in buying the lsi series, why would you deprive them with a receiver. I don't understand. The only receiver that is worthy is the Denon 5803 or 5805. Even then, it doesn's support 4 ohm. So seperates will give you the 4 ohm stability plus the power. You can ultimately do what you like, but when you come here for advice, you will get brutel honesty.

[Sami]

Originally posted by marcpam
if you are going to spend the money, time, and effort in buying the lsi series

Not much money is needed for the LSi7's while some people can't afford to get into separates. My receiver does fine job driving the 7's and doesn't have any difficulty with them being 4ohm.

[Frank Z]

The 7's, although great, are the runt of the litter. The larger Lsi's deserve more than the average receiver can provide.

[Sami]

Originally posted by Frank Z
The 7's, although great, are the runt of the litter. The larger Lsi's deserve more than the average receiver can provide.

I forgot he was looking for the 15's and 25's. Definately separate amps for them. I have about 20A going to each speaker on my setup which includes 6 LSi7's (two with a separate for centre channel), that seems to be quite enough for them.

[marcpam]

when i say lsi series, i mean either the lsi15 or lsi25's.

[PolkWannabie]

Originally posted by marcpam
The only receiver that is worthy is the Denon 5803 or 5805. Even then, it doesn's support 4 ohm.

If these receivers don't support driving 4 ohm loads while others do then how do they qualify as being the only ones worthy ?!

[pjdami]

There are receivers that can run the LSi well. In fact an entire LSi home theater with 15s up front.

Rotel RSX-1055 I owned for a while last year. Added a Rotel RB-1070 amp to it for the fronts... very minimal gains. I first sold the amp then the receiver. Maybe a 2 db improvement at extreme volumes but I don't listen that loud anyways.

B&K AVR 317 I own versus the B&K PT5 / ST125.2 (that was sold to Sid). Same big ass blue caps in the amp section same sound here. The receiver weighs like 50 something pounds. Same big torroidal transformer. Not until one hooks up the Ref 200 amp will a noticeable difference be heard and then again its just dynamic range on the very top end at extreme volumes.

Arcam has been getting some killer reviews on their integrateds and some members own the gear and drive very difficult loads with those amps. I'm sure their receiver does a great job as well and it is a rather unique piece of gear.

Just my 2 cents on my personal experience. Believe me, if I felt that it really made a big difference, I would have kept the seperate amps in there.

Sunfire was mentioned as well and I'll have to throw in NAD receivers as well.
Paul

[marcpam]

Originally posted by PolkWannabie
If these receivers don't support driving 4 ohm loads while others do then how do they qualify as being the only ones worthy ?!

If you read my thread again, i said they are worthy of everything but driving a 4 ohm load. Please people, read the thread before posting comments like this. I hate repeating myself more than once.

[PolkWannabie]

I've kept up with the thread ... you need to reread your post ...

PS ... A Denon 580X is hardly the most capable receiver out there in terms of driving difficult loads.

[Steve@3dai]

Anyway.

Go get the LSi speakers. They sound fantastic! In fact, I'm listening to mine right now.

When it all boils down, it's all about YOUR enjoyment of the equipment. So go enjoy it!

[marcpam]

The only receiver that is worthy is the Denon 5803 or 5805. Even then, it doesn's support 4 ohm.



There you go. I have reread the post. What doesn't make sense. All i said was the Denon is worthy of everything but driving a 4 ohm load. This is a cut and paste of my previous post. I am not trying to go there with you. I am simply stating what I meant. Bottom line is this, do they make receivers that drive a 4 ohm load, yes. But they are not, in any way, cleaner sounding than a designated amp. You can get an Outlaw 755 or 770 for around 1200-1500 dollars. They are rated at 200/channel at 8 ohm and 300/channel at 4 ohm. The lsi series are rated at 300 watts max and they are 4 ohm. This will allow you to cleanly push the lsi 12's or 25's. For the price of the Outlaw, there is no better solution. Mind you that I said for the price.

[Steve@3dai]

Originally posted by marcpam
For the price of the Outlaw, there is no better solution. Mind you that I said for the price.

But then you gotta buy a Pre.

So that puts your system 2000+ dollars, AT LEAST.

I'm just saying don't discount a reciever right off the bat. I had a Arcam A65Plus that's only rated to about 60w @ 4ohm and it drove a pair of LSis just fine. My AVR200 drives a complete LSi system without breaking a sweat. I know another guy that runs a Martin Logan 5.1 system on a AVR100.

It's all about the quality of the components, the engineering, and the amplification stage that is in the reciever.

[marcpam]

I was comparing to the Denon 5803 pricewise. The 950/770 combo is 2299. The Denon 5803 is 4499. Granted the Denon has more features (bells and whistles). If you compare them both, powerwise as well as clean wattage, the outlaw wins hands down. Plus, if you wait a few months, outlaw is coming out with a new preamp. The outlaw 970. This should put the Denon 5805 in its place.

Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking Denon, I have a Denon 2900 and love it, but their receiver compared to any seperates Denon falls short. (sound quality wise, not how many useless functions it has)

[Frank Z]

But then you gotta buy a Pre.

No you don't. If your receiver is equiped with Pre-outs it can be used as a pre-amp.

[scornful]

I was going to do just that Frank. I still love my 3802. It's getting some age on it, but until a new format comes out or I feel like I have the money to spare, I'll keep it as a pre-pro. I was informed some time ago that the pre-pro section is actually pretty decent in it. I will likely stick with Outlaw amps (until the upgrade bug bites in a few years). I'll find out how I like the sound if and when I get a pair of LSi's and put my m200s on em. What to do, what to do. I just found out yesterday I got stuck with a $1500 repair on my rental house, so I dont think I'll be upgrading until the checking account recovers. I'll start looking more seriously around Christmas when I'll actually have the cash to lay out for a full 7.1 set.

[Frank Z]

Do what you can when you can. :)

[Sami]

Originally posted by Frank Z
No you don't. If your receiver is equiped with Pre-outs it can be used as a pre-amp.

But you have to have the receiver first. Either way you need to buy something to do the processing. :)

[Frank Z]

Okay lets try it this way.
Assuming that you already have a receiver and you want to make the jump to seperates, and assuming that your receiver has pre-outs, then you simply need to add a seperate amplifier that meets your needs.

If you don't already own a receiver and you have already purchased a set of low impedance speakers, and you can't afford to buy a seperate amp and pre amp ( or integrated amp) then you need to return the speakers and get an alarm clock/radio combo, save your pennies and buy the good stuff when it's within your means to do so.:)

[marcpam]

Originally posted by Frank Z
Okay lets try it this way.
Assuming that you already have a receiver and you want to make the jump to seperates, and assuming that your receiver has pre-outs, then you simply need to add a seperate amplifier that meets your needs.

If you don't already own a receiver and you have already purchased a set of low impedance speakers, and you can't afford to buy a seperate amp and pre amp ( or integrated amp) then you need to return the speakers and get an alarm clock/radio combo, save your pennies and buy the good stuff when it's within your means to do so.:)

frank z, i like the way you think. If you can't buy what is proper and makes since than you need to save up or get something within your means.

[dorokusai]

Frank is in the zone...If you can't go big, don't go at all...it saves alot of audio drug traffic later.

[bbeacham]

I have the LSi15 (front), LSiC (center), and LSi7 rear, and a PSW404 sub. The sub is wired inline to the speakers versus the LFE output jack. I want an LSiW sub but cannot find anyone on the web who carries the LSiW.

Anyway, a Denon 3805 drives the speakers without any problem. I rarely go above -20db which is plenty loud for HT for me.