Powering the LSi series

[mmcgehee]

Hi everyone,

I'm new around here so I figured I break the ice with a question I've had for some time. I'm slowly putting together a HT with LSi15s, LSi9s, LSiC, and an SVS PB-12/Plus and I've heard that the LSi Series are difficult speakers to power properly, but I've also heard that they're very efficent speakers. It's just down right confusing so I figured I'd ask the experts. I'm probably 90% HT and 10% music, so what do you polkies recommend I power my set with?

I was thinking a Denon AVR-4306? but would I need seperate amplification?

[george daniel]

I'm sure tha the HT folks will chime in,but in mt two channel system,I power my 15's with a anthem amp 2 and a tube pre,I would reccommend a seperate,at least for the mains. Welcome to CP. :)

[tonyb]

Second that,sep. 2 or 3 channel amp for the front.And bi-wire those puppies.

[cheddar]

Looks like the 4306 is a stripped down version of the 4806 with a much weaker amplifier section closer in specs to a 3806. Notice how the THD goes from .05 at 8ohms to .7 at 6ohms. And the LSis are 4ohm speakers. I would not try to power them at volume with the 4306. You can get much more bang for your buck by getting a cheaper receiver with the features you want and amp the front stage as suggested above.

I would give those 15s as much power as you can afford and worry less about the surrounds since they don't get nearly the workout on an HT track as the front stage. But others on here will probably recommend a multi-channel surround amp 'cause they're easier to balance all the speakers with. I think it depends on how much cash you can lay out. Best bang for the buck is still a quality two or three-channel amp. And you probably won't notice the difference in surround balance if you calibrate everything properly.

[mmcgehee]

Thanks for the advice guys, I think I'll go with the 3 Channel Amp idea. Anyone have any brand recommendations? Not really sure what they run since I'm new to this, but I guess a price range would be $1500 or under.

[cfrizz]

Either one of these will power ALL of your LSI's with ease! Welcome to Club Polk!

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....ult&1155833513

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....ran&1155912388

[cheddar]

Just to show you the difference in bang for the buck, here's a three channel amp:

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....ult&1154591635

If you know your way around fleabay, you can also pick up a lesser known amp still factory sealed here for 700 to 800 something:

http://search.ebay.com/search/search...mpa&category0=

I did this and couldn't be happier with my 3 and 2 channel amp from monster. But you may want to go with a better known brand like the earthquake.

[janmike]

This would be my choice. I own the AMP5 from Proceed and it will blow the doors off the Rotel and others alike. The guy is ROCK solid. Any additional info required, let me know. Good luck.

Proceed 3CH Amp

[wingnut4772]

I highly recommend the Earthquake Cinenova amp. It sounds terrific with the Lsi series.

[Holydoc]

Nice little discussion about Earthquake amp and Anthem P5 going on here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=690339

[pblanc]

I too am interested in powering LSi's. In my case, I would use LSi9 fronts and an LSiC center. I have a yamaha 5960 receiver which I would like to use to drive the side and rear surrounds, and was thinking of using 6 channels of an Outlaw 7125 amplifier to biamp the LSi9's and the LSiC. Any thoughts?

[ALWALLER]

You can not biamp with the Outlaw 7125 amplifier.

[okiepolkie]

If you are just using the amplifier for the front three channels, as described, there shouldn't be any problems using the Outlaw for biamping.

You could just use "Y" adapters from the L/R outputs to the L/R & SL/SR inputs. The L/R from the amp could be used for the tweeters, while the SL/SR could be used for the woofer section.

pblanc, that would probably be a good idea in your particular situation, as that receiver wouldn't adequately power the LSi's.

[ALWALLER]

Okiepolkie what are jumpers ? Do they split the output from one
channel into two signals ? I have a Outlaw 7125 and i asked
Outlaw if I could use it to biamp my LSI9 & LSC. an they said no.

[okiepolkie]

Brain fart passed, so post #14 is edited :)

[sickicw]

I would also bi amp all your speakers. I have a Outlaw 755 and only use it to bi amp my lsic. if you really want them to sound really dynamic and you have a big enough budget, you might want to try installing two 20 amp dedicated circuits and plug in a Outlaw 755 (or any other amp) into each. Then bi-amp every speaker.

[sickicw]

I would also bi amp all your speakers. I have a Outlaw 755 and only use it to bi amp my lsic. if you really want them to sound dynamic (with little current compression) and have a big enough budget, you might want to try installing two 20 amp dedicated circuits and plug in a Outlaw 755 to each. Then bi-amp every speaker.