paulBAW
Stunt Coordinator
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2003
- Messages
- 57
Well enough of this Paradigm love fest, I got my LSi9's today and have had several hours to listen to them. They aren't fully broken in yet. But there are a few things I can tell right away.
I auditioned these speakers a number of months ago on an 2ES Sony receiver and a budget DVD/SACD player. All interconnets were Fisher Price quality. Yet I could still tell these were high quality speakers and the tweeter was so smooth, it couldn't be over looked. I rolled the dice and ordered a pair.
I got them out of the box and they were as I remembered. Short DEEP little gems. The finish is top notch. I inspected for any scratchs or dents. I then hooked them up to a HK 525 A/V receiver and an HK DVD player. I had a few buddies around and we played some Nirvana on the floorstanding Infinity Alpha's. I then took the same "unplugged" disc and I threw it on the LSi9 bookshelves. Yah, for the hell of it I decided to A/B a bookshelve speakers against a same priced Floorstanding speakers. Right away I noticed how much better the tweeter was. If you really appreciate mid range and high's do yourself a favor and check this speaker out. These speakers sound NOTHING like the R or RTi series of Polks. If the RTi's were white then these speakers are black. They sound that different.
The LSi's have the ability to toy with vocals and make them float in the room. The soundstage is quite large. The detail made me laugh to myself a few times. I was amazed at how well it was detailed yet still ultra smooth. As we continued to listen I felt more comfortable about the volume and I started to see just how far I could get. I was at about -10 on the HK 525 and the speakers were still singing without any strain. Everything remained smooth and detailed. The room we were in was rather large. 30x20. The speakers were about 2ft from the wall and bass was acceptable. A couple people were asking if I had the 10" Velodyne sub right next to it on at a very low volume. I had shut it off, yet people were still checking it. The bass response was decent. This speaker won't try and do things it can't do however. Despite what my buddies thought, a couple times I could tell it just gave up and rounded out some very low octaves. After 20minutes I turned it off. Putting the Infinity's back on we all realized how sloppy it was, and sometimes too punchy.
When I got home I put a few CD's on and listened for a good 30-40mins on my last listen to my trusty old PSB 400's. I've had PSB speakers for over 12years now. I must say they have always served me well. Having heard my last track on the PSB's, I grabbed the Polk Audio's. I set them up on my old PSB stands. Might I recommend solid metal stands for these speakers. Even though they are 2inches shorter then my old PBS's the footprint is much deeper. The weight is greater as well. My PSB stands will do for now, but I will need metal stands. Finally I was going to hear them on a setup im more comfortable with. I used AR master series speaker wire, and plugged them into the sturdy banana's on the back of the LSi9s. I put the volume at the same spot on the NAD intergrated, got up, sat back and then enjoyed.
Again, I can't say enough about the high's and mid range of these speakers. The detail and smoothness is first rate. The bass is much tighter too. The PSB's had alot of rolloff which sometimes covered up midrange and midbass. The Polks wont do that. They go down when they have to but they dont drop unless the recording demands it. I listend too everything from Chemical Brothers "I come with us" to Hole's "Live through This". On techno oriented tracks the LSi9's will keep up with the punch. They are a punchy speaker in that regard. Playing Organ music on these speakers won't impress but they do have punch. I started picking through more of my CD's. The Police on SACD. Sound less edgy. Sting's voice was more focused yet, the intrumentals seem to have more space. I noticed they did have a better presense when I had them playing earlier away from the wall. They do like breathing room. But all in all I was very impressed to say the least.
In conclusion I'm thrilled. I have been a huge Canadian speaker fan. I've owned two sets of PSB's. Built a home theater system for my folks years ago using Paradigm Monitors. But I can honestly say, I've gone another direction and I have no regrets. If you asked me two years ago, or even a year ago about Polk Audio, I might have uttered, muddy, washed out, too direct, do you like wet blankets? But I can say the tide has turned. These speakers are darlings. And could easily compete with any speaker at it's price point regardless of name. I knew it when I heard them and I trusted my instincts which has paid off. Even in the midst of having been an audio snob and labelling manufactors. If you can audition these speakers please do. They are worth it. And just because they dont say "PS..." or "Digm" at the beginning or end don't discard them. That would be a total mistake. These speakers are that good, and then some. I consider myself one of the few lucky LSi owners that have taken the plunge and bought a truely performance driven speaker.
PS: My next upgrade is going to be a power amp, I've posted a few threads regarding suggestions, i'll leave the door open on this thread too.
I auditioned these speakers a number of months ago on an 2ES Sony receiver and a budget DVD/SACD player. All interconnets were Fisher Price quality. Yet I could still tell these were high quality speakers and the tweeter was so smooth, it couldn't be over looked. I rolled the dice and ordered a pair.
I got them out of the box and they were as I remembered. Short DEEP little gems. The finish is top notch. I inspected for any scratchs or dents. I then hooked them up to a HK 525 A/V receiver and an HK DVD player. I had a few buddies around and we played some Nirvana on the floorstanding Infinity Alpha's. I then took the same "unplugged" disc and I threw it on the LSi9 bookshelves. Yah, for the hell of it I decided to A/B a bookshelve speakers against a same priced Floorstanding speakers. Right away I noticed how much better the tweeter was. If you really appreciate mid range and high's do yourself a favor and check this speaker out. These speakers sound NOTHING like the R or RTi series of Polks. If the RTi's were white then these speakers are black. They sound that different.
The LSi's have the ability to toy with vocals and make them float in the room. The soundstage is quite large. The detail made me laugh to myself a few times. I was amazed at how well it was detailed yet still ultra smooth. As we continued to listen I felt more comfortable about the volume and I started to see just how far I could get. I was at about -10 on the HK 525 and the speakers were still singing without any strain. Everything remained smooth and detailed. The room we were in was rather large. 30x20. The speakers were about 2ft from the wall and bass was acceptable. A couple people were asking if I had the 10" Velodyne sub right next to it on at a very low volume. I had shut it off, yet people were still checking it. The bass response was decent. This speaker won't try and do things it can't do however. Despite what my buddies thought, a couple times I could tell it just gave up and rounded out some very low octaves. After 20minutes I turned it off. Putting the Infinity's back on we all realized how sloppy it was, and sometimes too punchy.
When I got home I put a few CD's on and listened for a good 30-40mins on my last listen to my trusty old PSB 400's. I've had PSB speakers for over 12years now. I must say they have always served me well. Having heard my last track on the PSB's, I grabbed the Polk Audio's. I set them up on my old PSB stands. Might I recommend solid metal stands for these speakers. Even though they are 2inches shorter then my old PBS's the footprint is much deeper. The weight is greater as well. My PSB stands will do for now, but I will need metal stands. Finally I was going to hear them on a setup im more comfortable with. I used AR master series speaker wire, and plugged them into the sturdy banana's on the back of the LSi9s. I put the volume at the same spot on the NAD intergrated, got up, sat back and then enjoyed.
Again, I can't say enough about the high's and mid range of these speakers. The detail and smoothness is first rate. The bass is much tighter too. The PSB's had alot of rolloff which sometimes covered up midrange and midbass. The Polks wont do that. They go down when they have to but they dont drop unless the recording demands it. I listend too everything from Chemical Brothers "I come with us" to Hole's "Live through This". On techno oriented tracks the LSi9's will keep up with the punch. They are a punchy speaker in that regard. Playing Organ music on these speakers won't impress but they do have punch. I started picking through more of my CD's. The Police on SACD. Sound less edgy. Sting's voice was more focused yet, the intrumentals seem to have more space. I noticed they did have a better presense when I had them playing earlier away from the wall. They do like breathing room. But all in all I was very impressed to say the least.
In conclusion I'm thrilled. I have been a huge Canadian speaker fan. I've owned two sets of PSB's. Built a home theater system for my folks years ago using Paradigm Monitors. But I can honestly say, I've gone another direction and I have no regrets. If you asked me two years ago, or even a year ago about Polk Audio, I might have uttered, muddy, washed out, too direct, do you like wet blankets? But I can say the tide has turned. These speakers are darlings. And could easily compete with any speaker at it's price point regardless of name. I knew it when I heard them and I trusted my instincts which has paid off. Even in the midst of having been an audio snob and labelling manufactors. If you can audition these speakers please do. They are worth it. And just because they dont say "PS..." or "Digm" at the beginning or end don't discard them. That would be a total mistake. These speakers are that good, and then some. I consider myself one of the few lucky LSi owners that have taken the plunge and bought a truely performance driven speaker.
PS: My next upgrade is going to be a power amp, I've posted a few threads regarding suggestions, i'll leave the door open on this thread too.
