LSi7

by John, December 5, 2005

Strengths:

Sound.

Weaknesses:

None really.

Review:

Excellent imaging and detailed highs without the grainy/harsh sound of other tweeter designs. I played around with powering these speakers with different power amps (Adcoms, Denons, and finally an EL34 based vacuum tube power amp. The speakers sound fantastic with the vacuum tube amp. Brought home other speakers from the store to compare against the LSi7s (Event 20/20s, Various JBLs and a Klipsch model). Each model had its strengths and weaknesses but overall, the LSi7s beat the other models in mids/highs. Cabinet construction is very good/excellent. I could comment that the low end response of the LSi7s leaves something to be desired but then again, these are bookshelf speakers with a 5.25” low/mid driver. With that in mind, I would have to say that these speakers have very good low end. For my listening preference I have added a subwoofer. Other than that, I notice a peak/bump in the mid bass region that’s easily solved by playing around with speaker placement/positioning. Overall, I’m pretty amazed by these speakers and very satisfied with my purchase.

by Mike Clegg, January 7, 2008

Strengths:

Fantastic speakers for surround applications and the cherry surface is beautiful. High quality build design.

Weaknesses:

Light on bass, but that's not the reason you buy them for.

Review:

I was looking for speakers for my surround system. Looking for the best sounding and best looking speaker for the buck (i.e. No 1 criteria). Pretty much came down to Polk LSI series vs. B&W705. The sales guy I talked to at Fry’s (selling the Polk’s) actually recommended the B&Ws because of his experience with them at his parent’s house. Thus, I went and heard them and they are a fine speaker, but they did not meet my No1 criteria as they were way more expensive and not as nice looking at the cherry Polks. So I bought a pair of LSi 9’s for the front, LSiC for the center channel, and the LSi 7’s for the rear/sides. Completing my 5.1 surround system is a Velodyne 1200R subwoofer, Outlaw 990 signal processor, and three GFA 545II Adcom amps (rated 150 watts/channel into 4 ohms) I had hanging around the house. Although the 9’s are worth the extra money for 2 channel applications, the 7’s serve particularly well as rear/side channels in a 5.1 or 7.1 configuration. Originally, I was feeding the Polk’s with a 5 channel Sony (100 watt/channel) receiver and the sound was very muddled. With the 9’s and probably with the 7’s, a high quality amp is probably what you need to hear the best out of these puppies. Replacing with the Adcom amps made all the difference in the world. Do you need a subwoofer with this system? Well yes, if you really want a true surround experience, but the 9’s are pretty darn effective in handling low bass. Would not recommened using the 7's for this application as I am sure you would be left wanting for more bass. The speakers are beautiful (I had to build custom shelves for the 9’s because of their depth) and they fit very nice in a family/living room venue. For space reasons, I used the 7’s attached hooks for mounting, and I really don’t think this compromised the sound all that much. When I really just want just to listen to hi fidelity recordings, I rely on my tube electronics and Dahlquist DQ-10’s speakers. However, for all other applications (SACD 5.1 and DVD 5.1) the Polk’s are hard to beat and I highly recommend them.

by Ashok, December 24, 2005

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Review:

Superb full-range clean sound from a small package. For my stereo listening habits, these do a fine job. The subwoofer, also got based on some other previously posted reviews, is not necessary and is being taken out. Very fine finish and appearance to boot. Good job, Polk.

by Joey, July 4, 2004

Strengths:

Imaging is A+, Soundstage width is A-, Soundstage depth is A, Highs are A+, Midrange is A-/B+, Bass extension/quality A- for the size, Construction quality A.

Weaknesses:

None at this price bracket... although I would like more veneer variety.

Review:

These are great great speakers. I have compared them to various speakers in DIRECT AB comparison both at the hifi shop and at home... and I found to prefer these LSI7 over much more expensive speakers. I posted a full and thorough review/comparo on the hometheaterforum board... feel free to read it to get a better idea of how this LSI7 stacks up against the competition. Overall, you cannot beat these for the price! http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htforum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=203484 GREAT JOB ON THESE POLK!!!

by Dale Martin, October 5, 2004

Strengths:

Clarity, design, and most of all, tremendous sound. Better speakers, than the over-priced B&W's

Weaknesses:

None!

Review:

I have been buying Polk speakers for years, and have never been disappointed, with any of their products. The Lsi 7's blow the competition out of the water. Superb quality,design,and sound. I think these will be the last speakers I will ever buy, the hunt is over!

by Sean Patton, February 22, 2002

Strengths:

Very well constucted with sound that will blow you away. Yet it is small enough to be "Wife" friendly. Great speaker for any new audiophile.

Weaknesses:

NONE. At this price range you will not find a better bookshelf speaker.

Review:

All I have to say is WOW! I stumbled on to these a few weeks ago at my local audio store. I was seriously looking at the LSi9's as my main speakers for my new HT system and asked to compare them with a lower end model. So the guy breaks the LSi7's out of the box and informs me that they just got these in and he had yet to listen to them. We hooked them up and both of us were amazed at how well they sounded. We played some James Bond movies, then stuck in a few CD's ranging from rock/metal to pop to opera...these baby's did not miss a beat. When comparing them to the LSi9's we noticed that the 9's were a tad bit clearer. Maybe it was because of the extra 5 1/4 speaker, but I decided to go with the 7's. Money was never really an option, I just thought I was getting a great speaker at a very good price. I got them for 700$, while the 9's were running 900$. One of the best speakers on the market today. Polk has developed a really great line of new speakers.

by edmond, June 18, 2006

Strengths:

Suitable for any kind of music, particularly soft music and vocals.

Weaknesses:

Its bass is strong and deep but not the kind of punchy. A powerful amplifier is required.

Review:

Just got a pair for stereo music. In the first impression, its highs and mids are much better than its bass. But, when I mounted the speakers on wall. its bass become much deeper and stronger. Excellent performace.

by erwin lowe, May 2, 2003

Strengths:

clarity and focus, build quality too

Weaknesses:

not very deep bass due to its small box

Review:

surprising quality from polk, i must say. the design is neat and the cabinet is well-built. the sound has good clarity and detail and sounds rather coherent as well. it sounded better than some highly-reviewed british speakers i were looking at which surprised me. they may not be exactly cheap but i rank them to be among the very best at this price range

by chip dayton, April 21, 2004

Strengths:

power for their size

Weaknesses:

seem to go too trebly at high volume, must ajust treble balance to as much as minus 4 or 6 for some music, no big deal

Review:

Upgraded from R20's so I could really crank rock DVD's. They do the job I wanted and as the other reviewer mentioned they are "wife friendly". This is important! This is not a joke!

by Skisoverboards, June 23, 2004

Strengths:

VOCALS! These speakers achieve the softest most realistic vocals of any in the price bracket

Weaknesses:

HEAVY very heavy.

Review:

I went to a store to listen to the new LSi line. I listened to the 9s and the 7s, between the two all I noticed was a small clearity diff and I would imagine the 9s perform better in a big rom, but we were in a small one, and I have an apartment. I ultimately decided to get the 7s. I was also surprised to find the store I went to was closing out the line for no particular reason, and they were $50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SCORE.

by RAY, March 21, 2002

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Review:

THOUGHT THEY SOUNDED GREAT THEN i HEARD THE NEW B&W DM601S3\'S . SORRY GUYS THE B&W\'S JUST KICK ASS.AND i PAID A LOT LESS

by Michael McKay, November 10, 2004

Strengths:

Great imaging, very clear mid-range, detailed treble without being too bright

Weaknesses:

Mid-bass peak (especially noticable when wall mounted), needs good electronics

Review:

I bought a factory refurbished set (for an excellent price), and started comparing them in my 2-channel music system for a week or so (assuming they were already broken in). I was quite impressed with the overall sound, especially the imaging. I was a bit disappointed in the mid-bass, which seemed slightly emphasized and a bit congested. Compared to my longstanding reference speakers (ADS 810), I preferred the LSi7 from midrange on up. No real surprise that the ADS bass went deeper (twin 8” woofers), but my 25-year-old speakers also had better bass transients and provided more accurate details in the mid-bass (especially with complex recordings – say Yello’s Goldrush). Later I toyed with a subwoofer, but found that event with a 120Hz cross-over, I could not get the Lsi7 to sound like I wanted. I wall mounted them in the master bedroom, but they lost a bit of the involving quality I had enjoyed in my main music system. I attribute this mostly to the old receiver I’m using (late-70’s JVC). I noticed a more prominent mid-bass peak, but a couple detents at 250Hz with the JVC’ graphic EQ mostly tames this. Still a very nice speaker for the money, but the current installation does not allow it to shine. Finally, I have been shopping for new LRC speakers for my home theater. I don’t think the Lsi7 will cut it there, but I still need to do some extended listening to the Lsi9. Right now I’m leaning towards the Klipsch RB-75 or NHT M5 – both of which seem to be a bit more “live” to me (the M5 also images better).

by Benny, May 18, 2005

Strengths:

Imaging, dynamic quality, flatness, ie: uncolored, and amazing build quality... beautiful in every aspect. Looks alone warrant respect, and the sound is there as well.

Weaknesses:

MSRP is too high considering that the Lsi9's and floorstanding versions are not terribly much more. 4 ohm Nominal impedance does not bode well at all with cheaper components especially recievers which 90% of the world uses, not separates. None the less my Onkyo 105 watts per channel high-current reciever has made these speakers sing effortlessly so far...

Review:

These speakers have really good definition and soundstage. I have owned some of the polk RT series: RT35's, RT600's, and the RT800's. I traded my RT800's for these Lsi7's with a friend. The sound of these Lsi7's is impressive, yet somewhat different characteristics reveal themselves if you are only used to the older "cheaper" (in price) series of polk. The sound is still very true to the o.g. recording and uncolored by my standards. On my Onkyo reciever, "TXDS-777," I am very pleased with the sound output with ZERO bass or treble adjustments. These speakers preform admirably simply being amplified without "tweaking," which I believe is a true testament to quality sound. The paramount question in my mind is: are these worth $900.00 for the pair? No, not for me; when the monitor series offers pleasing sound that is ALMOST as satisfying. Summary: these speakers are incredible in sound , build quality, and performance. p.s. never heard better bookshelf speakers in my 24 yr old life.

by Jamite, October 1, 2005

Strengths:

Very detailed with silky smooth highs.

Weaknesses:

Not exactly easy to power speakers. These really need decent power to even come close to what they are cabable of. At first I was powering them off a low end receiver and was a little dissapointed but once I hooked up my NAD to them they opened up nicely.

Review:

Great speakers. MSRP is a little high but there are ways around that... for the price I got mine I can't think of a better speaker (won't mention what I got them for but it was a crazy good deal). Careful before buying these; once you get these the ineviatble upgrading bug will set in and you will and your wallet be hooked to audio. The talked about mid-bass hump can be fixed through placement and isn't really a big problem. If you enjoy quality sound these should work well but if you are looking for something to shake your house you might consider something along the lines of Klipsh =)

Doug Schneider
GoodSound!.com, July 2002

"[LSi7s] offer performance that can better that of many costing more than $1000."

"[The] cabinet is crafted with jewel-like precision. It's smaller than many speakers at this price, but it's built to a high standard...I haven't seen a more solidly constructed cabinet at anywhere near the LSi7's price."

"...it's a small, exquisite speaker that can play with exacting precision. It's designed for listeners who value refinement and detail over sheer output capability...The first thing I noticed about this speaker was its clear and defined midrange. The LSi7 is smooooth, but, at the same time, marvelously textured and detailed..."

"The LSi7 is a highly resolving minimonitor that performs up to the standard of far more expensive speakers...[and] represents a solid value."

[ Open Review ]

Quebec Audio Video
August/September 2002

"It is rare for personalities in the audio/video realm to implicate themselves to the point of appearing in ads for their products. Matt Polk is one of these, in which he pushes the effort up to objectively inform consumers about certain qualities every acoustic speaker should possess. I call upon this critical spirit he invites us to join and propose the results of my application of one of their latest model, the LSi7."

"Here are the results I arrived at with the LSi7: a stunning result in the bass for a 13cm, a mid range lightly reserved but with precise timbre, and a natural and sweet (soft) high. These speakers are open and transparent, as well as capable of impact. This might explain that I had a sound stage of medium dimensions, without experiencing the phenomenon such as feeling the air between the musicians during a recording. But it also explains the massive and substantial sonority.

Finally the LSI7 are speakers that are very well conceived and realized with an evident concern for controlling the parasitic resonance. Their strong woodwork and their ingenuous ports minimize the frequent problem of midrange coloration. The transducers of the LSi7s are exemplary in this type of configuration and offer dynamic sonority with substance. Once broken in, these are the sort of speakers that have always made me want to listen more often to music. A little more expensive than the average of the small 2 ways, they are largely worth this little supplement."

(Our apologies to the author for our clumsy French to English translation)

Robert Reina
Stereophile
March, 2003

"In the areas of detail resolution, high-frequency performance, soundstaging, and wide-range dynamics, I doubt there's another affordable speaker that can approach the overall performance of the Polk LSi7."