TEST: Polk's audiophile loudspeakers (1 Viewer)

[Alex F.]

Troy:

Hopefully your other dealer will actually have an up-and-running, broken-in set of LSi's.

Yes, I am indeed interested in the new higher resolution formats. More than I can put simply into words, in fact. I was part of the "beta" testing of the original CD format prior to its release. Along with the few other audiophiles involved at the time, we were all aghast at the sound "quality" of the format. It was a step backwards in musicality. We all pleaded for an increase in the bit rate and memory capacity in order to solve the inherent limitations of the format. But our cries fell upon deaf ears.

SACD is the direct descendent of the CD format. It provides all that was asked for originally (and could have been provided), and we now can hear the benefits. Makes one wonder if Sony and Philips deliberately imposed performance limitations on the redbook format as an exercise in planned obsolesence. Consumers now have the privilege of replacing all their performance-limited, obsolete CD players, transports, and CDs.

What Sony and Philips didn't see coming was competition in the form of DVD-A.

I have been extremely impressed with SACD's performance, as heard at a local high-end dealer. I've yet to hear DVD-A. I have decided to wait for the formats to finish their fight for dominance. Or at least to see who is the de facto winner. Once the hardware and software battles are over and one (or both, in a tie?) emerges as a winner, I will obtain a player.

As an audiophile, I have waited a very long time for digital to deliver on its promise of accurate, high-resolution sound. I just now need to wait a little bit longer.

 

[Brian Kleinke]

I'll have to check with my local HT store which carries Polk, don't know if they'll ever have the LS though :frowning:
I have polk RT25i's all around with a CS40i and SVS 20-39PC to complete the roundup.
I love the RT25i's but I fear they don't use they full potential of the Sony ES 9000 pre & amp. I'm in a tough spot since I don't have 2 systems set up, one for music and one for HT (Soon soon....). I'm planning on buying a house this year and intend to buy new speakers shortly thereafter. How do the LS work for Movies? I'm tempted to get them and use in my Theater until I set up a music system. My Fiance (very soon to be wife) is aiming for a PHD in music and actually understands what a difference a good system does
So basically I'm wondernig if I should even consider putting this in a HT setup, and how they might compare to say M&K S-150s (which are about the same price, and also in consideration for new speakers)
Brian

 

[Alex F.]

Brian:

One can most certainly utilize the LSi series in a home-theater system. Polk offers matching center and surround speakers for just that purpose. As I stated in an earlier post, the LSi's offer wide dynamic range and can play at very high volume levels, both prime requirements for convincing HT reproduction.

I'll be using the LSi-25s in our new den, which will be a combined high-end music and HT room (I am still in the process of narrowing down component possibilities). I may also obtain another set of LSi speakers for our separate, dedicated theater room. So yes, the LSi speakers are equally at home for music and HT use.

As for comparing the LSi series to M&K's products, what to choose depends on personal listening preferences. Based on the M&Ks I've auditioned in the past, I would describe the new Polks as polar opposites of M&Ks. In general, the Polks have a more laid back sound ("Row M" in a concert hall) whereas the M&Ks are far more up front (Row A) and brighter. Obtain the type of speaker that most pleases your ears.

Happy listening!

 

[Brian Kleinke]

Thanks, exactly what I was hopeing to here.... Now if I could just find them both in the same spot to listen to (Polk and M&Ks) my local dealer has the M&Ks one step down from the S-150s and I'll be asking him about the new polk line.

Brian

 

[Kevin Farley]

How would you compare these with the Vandersteen 2ce Signatures and the Magnepan 1.6s? That's what I'm looking at now...

I have EAD theatermaster ovation and powermaster 1000....

with a panny rv31...

Thanks,

Kevin Farley

 

[Troy LaMont]

Alex et al,
Well, I'm still elated from my listening session on Friday.
The dealer I went to was almost 100 miles from my house, nice Friday afternoon drive. They specialize in the complete HT/presentation solution for custom installs. They don't really cater to the typical retail customer, although I was able to schedule a listening session. Most of their business was from separate contractors for new installs. They also carried Lexicon, Snell, Pioneer Elite, Mitsubishi, Sony ES, Sonance, B&K, Boston Acoustics, and Yamaha.
The Polks were in a dedicated HT room with the following equipment;

• Polk Audio LSi25s front mains
• Polk Audio LSiC center channel
• Polk Audio LSiFX surround speakers
• Pioneer Elite VSX-36TX receiver :frowning:
• Sony Grand Wega 60" LCD widescreen projection monitor
• Sony DVP-NS700P DVD player - also used as CD transport
• No seperate subwoofer

They closed at 5p and my appointment was at 4p so I didn't want to waste too much time trying to configure things and run through timely setups so I just listened to everything 'as-is'. The room itself was approximately 13' x 15' x 10' (as close as I can guesstimate it). There were no sound treatment panels on the walls and actually one of the 'walls' was glass as it was the front wall of the entrance. This didn't seem to hinder the speakers performance. I inquired if the speakers were calibrated and the rep I was working with said they were, although I didn't really think he knew what I was talking about. I toe'd the speakers in slightly to the listening position which was at the far end of the room (I got a funny look from the rep when I did this).
Build quality
Superb! They are very solid speakers. As Alex pointed out previously, they are finished in a high gloss black piano type finish with a choice of wood veneers for the outside bottom portion. The speakers I saw/heard had the cherry finish and they looked absolutely beautiful! I tapped on the speakers with nothing but an inert 'thump' in return. The speaker terminals were 5 way gold plated binding posts and this particular model has an amp built in as well. In comparision to the RT2000s, the amps controls and build are at least a step or two above, solid feel.
Music
I started my listening session with some music. My interests are mostly in R&B and Jazz so I started with Jelly, Jelly (Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra). Right away I heard the detail of these speakers. I've heard this song on a multitude of speakers over the last year or so including B&W 802s, Aerial Acoustics 8b/7b, Thiel CS6 and Paradigm Studio 100s. The Polks exhibited a very smooth laid back sound (just like Alex pointed out) with exceptional midrange imaging and performance. I prefered the sound of the Polks over the Thiels and the Paradigms because it was much more clean and smooth. Next selection was Rush Over with Marcus Miller and Me'Shell Ndegeocello playing a wicked mean bass line. Wow, I almost felt as if I could 'see' the bass being plucked right there in the room. Vocals never sounded harsh or over exaggerated. I went on to audition some Alicia Keys, India Irie, Jill Scott, Maxwell and Cyrus Chestnut (jazz pianist). Each and every time I was in awe of the sound coming from these speakers. They are light years ahead of anything else that Polk has put out (IMO) and definitely in position to give the higher end speaker lines a run for the money. I didn't listen to any DSP surround music modes, mostly for the sake of time.
Movies
I popped in the DVD "We've Got The Whole World Listening" from Dolby. Simply astonishing, the Polks handled all the trailers with aplomb. I pushed them loud with the 100w, 8ohm Pioneer and they never faltered. Next up, The Phantom Menace, pod race scene. Vocals from the center channel was just as good as the 25s. It didn't have the depth, but I wouldn't expect it to with only two 5 1/4" drivers. Dialog was very crisp and not too bright. The 5 1/4" midranges do good with male voices and didn't sound boomy or chesty. The surround speakers were simply amazing. They offer the same driver setup (Vifa tweeter and 5 1/4" midrange drivers) and they sounded great. I would have loved to listen to multi-channel SACD or DVD-Audio with these babies. The LSi25s handled bass very well with the 10" powered subwoofer. I would definitely use a seperate subwoofer with these for movies, although they did The Phantom Menace some justice. Based on SVSs bass scence analysis, I could tell that they couldn't stand up the the pod crash scene in the cave (measuring in at around 14 Hz), but what powered towers can?
Just like Alex said, the whole system works together very well and you'd be hard pressed to distinguish any one driver from another during listening sessions (music or HT). They play very, very loud with not distortion, even with this underpowered receiver driving them.
There were several paramaters that I would have changed had I had more time.

• The receiver would have been nixed for a seperate processor/amp combo.
• I would have taken the time to calibrate the speakers with a sound level meter (which I brought).
• I would have adjusted their position better (the center wasn't properly setup on the small lip of the LCD TV).
• I would have tried a better CD transport for music.
• I would have auditioned SACD and DVD-Audio multi-channel and stereo recordings.

I truly think that Polk has a definite winner on their hands with these speakers and I'll be putting in my order for the LSi15s, LSiC and the LSiFX shortly!
Overall :star::star::star::star::star: outta :star::star::star::star::star: based on price range and my personal opinion.
Troy

 

[Alex F.]

Troy:

Glad to hear that you finally were able to audition the Polks! It's difficult to avoid being impressed by them. Polk is batting 1,000--two auditions (you and me) and two sales.

Right now I'm narrowing down my buyer's list of preamps and power amps to drive the LSi's. I'm down to three preamps and four power amps. Tiring "work" but enjoyable at the same time.

Have fun!

 

[StevieC]

Does anyone know how these new LSi speakers compare to the day when polk was not in the main stream ? They used to make some array ? speakers SRS and/or RTA .. or something like that. There were arrays mid/woofers inside. Anyone ?

 

[Alex F.]

Well, the LSi's continue to break in. I hadn't had a chance to listen to them for nearly a week, but my wife has been running them every day. Yesterday I popped in a couple of reference CDs and was a bit surprised to hear yet more inner detail on the same songs I played previously. Total break-in time is now at about 100 hours.

 

[Paul.S]

Alex F. et al.:
Thanks for your comments on Polk's new LSi line. A pair of bookshelf Polk's, the SDA-CRS+s, has been the main left and right channel in my stereo system for about 15 years. In addition to considering the largest LSi towers as possible upgrades for left and right channel when I finally take the multichannel plunge, I'm particularly interested in the LSi series' surrounds given their ability to do di-/bipole double duty (I envision the CRS+s then becoming the center back channels for THX EX and DTS ES playback). Speaking of the CRS+s . . .
StevieC wrote:

Although I can not offer any comparisons based upon first-hand listening between the LSi line and the line you are referring to above, I can comment independently on the latter since I own a pair. The CRS+ was the entry level speaker in Polk's SDA line. It stands for Stereo Dimensional Array. The cabinets of each speaker in this line featured two columns of the Polk mid/bass driver. The outer column of drivers reproduced the inverse waveform of the opposite channel's audio signal, the goal being the elimination of interaural crosstalk and the creation of a wider, deeper soundstage. In my opinion, the SDAs were/are uncannily successful in that regard. SRS stood for Signature Reference Series. The top two models on the SDA line bore this moniker. The top of the line model featured, if I recall correctly, six tweeters, sixteen mid/bass drivers and a 15" (passive) "planar" subwoofer per cabinet. I'll never forget the first time I heard the Telarc "1812" played at full orchestral volume on the SDA SRS. Hearing that is what made me audition the CRS+s from the same line (I was getting ready to go off to college at the time and--cost aside--a large, floor-standing speaker was not as practical as a bookshelf model.) Hearing the CRS+s tactile, dynamic handling of title cut of Flim & the BBs' Tricycle (which there's now an SACD of!) sold me. The RTA line came later in the, I think, mid '90s.
Glad to hear that Polk's effort to maintain their bang-for-the-American-buck reputation for value while also making a bid for increasing their audiophile market share is apparently meeting with success, as far as HTFers are concerned.

 

[Hanwook_K]

I am really tempted in the Lsi 9. I used to own a pair of LS90 and they were great. The most tightest or acurate speaker, but it was so easy and fun to listen to. I can't wait until these series get more press and reviews...

 

[Brian Kleinke]

Hanwook_K,
I picked up the LSi9s and had them for a week before returning for the LSi15s (see my other post for details)
I'd say that both of them are very very nice. You're best bet is to listen to them of course, and as they are still quite new I'm guessing we'll see more press on them in the near future.
I just know I'm happily enjoying my LSi15, LSiC, & LSiFX system
Brian

 

[Hanwook_K]

Brian Kleinke
Upgraded due to faulty tweeter I think if I was going to get a speaker it would be the Lsi9 because I really don't want a floorstanding right now. A lot of the music I listen to has limited bass anyway so the Lsi9 does extend enough for me.
It is strange that the faulty tweeter only could be audible in the Avia disc. Do you know what was causing it or what other types of music will cause the weird sound? (I don't have the Avia disc).
TIA
Hanwook_K

 

[Brian Kleinke]

I've got no clue what caused it, it was hard to even notice with avia, I had to tell my fiance exactly what to listen for before she could hear it.
The faulty tweater only gave me an excuse to get the 15s... IMO LSi9's on stands isn't as cool looking as LSi15s.... it doesn't help that I have them on either side of a monster TV (I mistakenly assumed the LSi9s could be mounted on the wall where I had the RTi25s)
I suppose I should have tried listening for the noise with normal music, but I was in a hurry once I deduced the problem since I had to pack and drive to the store which was 20 mins away.
Truth be told, I loved the 9s but it only cost me $500 more for the 15s and I would have spent (and did... I returned it) $100 on stands for the 9s. And as was stated in the "Why do we buy floorstanding speakers" thread, The 15s just look more impressive
Brian

 

[Hanwook_K]

I didn't read in your post about how different they are from the RT25i. I had a pair for short period but ended up returning them. So how much better is the LSi9/15 vs. the RT25i (I know these are really bass shy).

 

[Hanwook_K]

New Review
http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/polk_lsi9.htm

 

[Troy LaMont]

Brian,
Nice setup (I have the same one!)
Hanwook,
If you'd like to hear the Polk's in action, let me know. I just had a small local Cincy meet this past Saturday at my house. We demoed DVDs, DVD-A, some CDs and some great food!
My setup consists of the following;

• Polk LSi15 mains (cherry finish)
• Polk LSiC center channel
• Polk LSiFX surrounds
• SVS 20-39CS
• Samson S1000 amp
• Onkyo TX-DS777 DD/DTS receiver - 105 watts/channel (*Soon to be accompanied by an external 200 watt/channel 5 channel amp of the Parasound/ATI variety)
• ISF calibrated Mitsubishi WS-55805 55" HDTV
• Toshiba SD-6200 progressive scan DVD player
• RCA DTC-100 HD receiver
• Scientific Atlanta HD2000 cable box (HD cable)
• Toshiba W804 S-VHS VCR
• Xbox
• PS2
• Dreamcast

Paul,
You're welcome!
Troy

 

[Brian Kleinke]

The 25's are truely good speakers for the money, but the LSi's seem to have more detail and both the upper and lower ranges are much better. The 25's will grace my bedroom for a long time to come for I love how well they sound for such a small enclosure.
That is a nice review!
I'd be happy with any of the LSi series, one of these days I'll get a digital camera and post some pix.
Brian

 

[Hanwook_K]

Troy,
thanks for the offer, please include me in the next shootout I can bring food too. I can offer some equipment to test. BTW nice setup. My system is currently over turning right now:
nOrh 9.0 (sold) replacing with ????
nOrh CD-1
Acurus A150 (up for sale) replacing with Monarchy PM70
Kimber 4TC
nOrh silver IC
Brian,
I really liked the 25i. And for $190 for the pair is a steal. I'm trying to gauge the extra spent money on the LSI9.

 

[Brian Kleinke]

Hanwook_K,
If you have a chance to listen to the LSi9 I'd be curious how they compare to the nOrh 9. I was considering these at one point, but due to the fact they are not easily wall mounted and really wouldn't fit into my HT I decided against looking further at them. I may consider them for an audio only system. I've had the Polk RT25i's for 3 or 4 years (I can't recall exact time) and I paid a bit over $500 for the 4 speakers, which IMO was a great deal at the time. However I didn't think they were living up to the rest of my components and could use an upgrade. I considered the S-150 series from M&K, but I liked the sound of the Polk's better and it cost me less too
In case your wondering the rest of my system is:

• Sony KDP-57XBR (only Avia calibrated... someday ISF)
• Sony ES TA-E9000ES
• Sony ES TA-N9000ES
• Panisonic A-10 (for DVD audio)
• HTPC (Replaced a Denon-2800) outputingPi @540p
• Tvio
• PS2
• Xbox
• Dreamcast
• And one pronto to control them all

The old polks are being run by a Pioneer Elite VSX-33TX along with a Denon 2800 DVD Player and Pioneer Elite PD-F17.
Will the upgrade bug ever stop???
Brian