LSis on clearance, are they discontinued? (1 Viewer)

[John Garcia]

I noticed yesterday that Fry's is clearing out LSi-7s, and guessing other models. Have they been discontinued and if so, what is replacing them?

 

[DrewSmith]

Not sure about Fry's Polk's RTI line is being pulled from Circuit City, maybe also from fry's I am speculating on that though.

Tweeter will now carry the RTI Line and LSI Line.

Circuit City is going to get the New Polk line of Monitors 10,20,30,40,50,60,70's. I assume this is going to replace the current R Series.

 

[GrahamT]

The LSis may just be refurbs at frys.

 

[MarkWC]

I believe Tweeter will have exclusive rights to the higher Polk lines now that they have completely dropped Boston Acoustics, or rather Boston Acoustics dropped Tweeter because their sales reflected such a low figure of their total sales volume while paying a high commission.

I find it disappointing, but oh wells............

 

[John Garcia]

Dropped in, they are refurbs. $199/pr, ebony only. Fry's is not getting rid of the lines, apparently it was a one time deal since they do not carry the LSi line normally. Went on sale a few days ago, and most of them are already gone locally. Even as refurbs, I picked up two pairs at that price, for friends.

 

[Danny Tse]

Pics for the new Polk Audio Monitor Series are up!!

 

[John Garcia]

Wow, for $199, I went back, picked up another pair and got the free sub too. Gonna sell the sub unopened and two pairs, keep a pair of these things for myself and sell off my current speakers. I'm pretty impressed with them, and definitely at the price. Very clean sound right out of the box, good detail and depth. Gonna throw some tough stuff at them now...

 

[Sami Kallio]

Did you also get a free sub from Fry's if you buy $xxx of Polk speakers? I know they had this at CC.

 

[John Garcia]

AFAIK, the free sub deal works wherever Polk are sold, even online.

They don't quite extend as deep as my Mordaunt Short 902s (in my room), though they are rated to go lower and the upper midrange is not quite as clear, but the LSis have more depth. I can throw a lot more power at them and they still sound effortless, in fact they sound better when being pushed harder, despite being 4 Ohm (my integrated is 4 Ohm stable). Deep male and female vocals remain clean and don't sound strained at all, even at higher levels. Gonna spend a few days with them and see how they do. for now.

I wanted 9s, but they aren't on clearance...looks like it is only the 7s.

 

[Sami Kallio]

Yep, every authorized Polk dealer, including Fry's. Have to go back tomorrow as I bought 3 pairs of LSi7's in cherry.

 

[GregBe]

I love Fry's. If you are patient, and are willing to wait for closeouts, you will find awesome deals. A few weeks ago, I purchased a H/K DPR1001 originally priced at $1500 for $270. I also purchased a Cambridge Soundworks P1000 sub for $300.
John, I am curious how you would compare those LSI's to the Cambridge Soundworks bookshelves. I know you have heard them, and would appreciate any insight. I just purchased my CSW's, but at that price for the Polks, I may just have to jump at them.

Greg

 

[John Garcia]

Most of the stores locally were down to 1-2 pairs, if you think you will want them, I'd jump on it quick. I managed to get one pair of cherry and the two ebonys.

The LSis are more punchy, and seem to have more detail than the CSWs, to my ears. I haven't listened to the M50s in a while, but the M60s I heard about 6 months ago had more bass extension than the 7s, and I heard them on the same integrated amp I am using right now for the 7s.

The 7s say they are -3dB at 53 Hz, but it doesn't sound like they go that low to me. My 902s are -3dB at 55Hz but have more audible bass at the bottom. I'd say they'd be worth the price compared to the M50s, especially if you could turn around and sell the 50s (which I may be able to help you with).

They are not quite as clear in the midrange as my A/V-1s or 2s either, but still impressive. Good imaging, good soundstage and the soft ring radiator tweeter sounds great. The midrange seems to be a bit soft, or flat. Not colored, just not so pronounced.

I just swapped the included flat jumpers (they are biwirable) out for some solid Audioquest wire and the tweeter jumped up a notch in clarity, much the way my 902s did.

 

[John Garcia]

Greg, let me know if you can't get a hold of a pair (or don't want to fork out the $$), I may drop this pair off for you to listen to and compare for yourself, since I don't need them until Sat/Sun, when I will be setting them up for a friend.

Just did a quick back to back with the 7s and my A/V-2s with my reference SACD (Patricia Barber Cafe Blue) on my MA500 monoblocks, and there is no question, the 7s don't compare in detail or depth. Again, my A/V-2s have a -3dB of 55Hz, and they just sound like they have a lot more exension.

 

[GregBe]

John,
Thanks for the offer . I just went out to the Santa Clara store at lunch and listened to them and compared them to the M50's and M60's. They sounded terrific. You are right on with your comparison. They were definitely more detailed and punchy than the CSW's. I felt they had more bass than the M60's, but maybe that was just the tightness of the bass I was hearing. Anyway, I liked them a lot better, and for $200 I had to go for it.
For now, I hope they will somewhat match my MC400 center channel which has two 5 1/4" drivers with a 1" silk dome tweeter. Hopefully, I can hook them up tonight and compare.
Do you know if they will be closing out and discounting the LSiC center channel anytime soon?
Greg

 

[John Garcia]

I was wondering the same thing, and was going to mention that, since the LSIiC is not exactly cheap. I have a buddy who works at Fry's, and he will let me know if they get any LSiCs in on clearance, because the friends I am selling these speakers to will be in the same boat when they need to pick a center up.

Good thing Fry's is now carrying CSW speakers so you could compare them right there.

 

[Raj_asaurus]

I REALLY REALLY wish i had a frys...i feel like puking having bought some used RTi38s for 220 just last week. :frowning:

 

[gene c]

Be patient, I'm sure one will pop up eventually. They are like the Wal Mart of consumer electronics. You have to know what you want before you go in because even though I'm sure there are sales people who know a little about this stuff, most seem to know even less than I do! And don't buy any "open box" items (I did. Big mistake). No way of knowing how many little fingers have been playing with those knobs and buttons. But boy, they sure have some great prices once in a while. And the place is HUGE! And BTW, last month a salesman in Fremont told me you don't have to take the free sub. You can apply the $200 towards any Polk product (another pair of LSi7's please). Offer ends May 31st.

 

[Edward J M]

Hi John:

Great score - I also wish I had a Fry's locally. I would have jumped all over it.

Almost to a person, LSi owners report big gains after break-in. Not saying they will ever match A/V-2's overall, but you should hear an improvement in clarity and depth over time.

Regards,

Ed

 

[John Garcia]

I ran them for almost 1 day straight, mostly at a low level, to give them a little break in time before serious listening. Compared to the first time I hooked them up and the next day, I could hear a slight mellowing of the tweeter, midrange sounded the same.

Last night, I took that pair over to their new owner and hooked them up to her Marantz SR5000. I listened to them for about an hour, back to back with her Titans, and they really do sound good. Quite a bit better than the Titans, as expected.


Both my A/V-1s and 2s have the Sonicap upgrade, so I don't think the 7s will be able to match them. They can hold their own though, especially for the price .

 

[GregBe]

I have a question about amplification and the LSi7. I have a Harman Kardon DPR-1001 which is their digital path receiver and has 50 watts per channel. HK says it should have no problem with a 4 ohm load. I understand the need for better amplification for these high quality speakers as mentioned earlier.

My question is this. Obviously I would not be getting everything out of these speakers, but would they sound bad? Would I be better off spending that same $200 on a lesser speaker that is not so demanding. I am sure if these speakers were full price, my money could be better spent elsewhere on not such a demanding speaker, but what about at these prices. Upgrading my receiver or amp is not an option right now.

Thanks
Greg