Polk LSi, Axiom and other bookshelves comparo (1 Viewer)

[Joey_V]

exactly what i am saying.... so how can u say that the polk lsi are worth only 49/pr if u do say that they are 20% of the full retail?

 

[John Garcia]

I believe I did say at $199 price point...which is probably at or below cost. That makes them an extreme bang for the buck already, which is why I bought three pairs. Polk is trying to raise their image, but I don't think they are quite there yet. Very good yes, but truly competetive in the high end market, I'm not so sure.

IMO, at nearly the price point of the Studios, I don't feel they are as good as the Studios, so I say they are overpriced. While I may prefer the tweeter of the LSis, to that of the Studios, I don't feel the overall sound is at the same level of other speakers at this price, internet direct aside. Seriously, my MS 902s are noticably clearer throughout the range and their MSRP is almost half that of the LSis (though the MS cabinets are not as nice), this is also why I say they are overpriced.

I am not saying they are bad speakers, because they aren't. I am simply saying they are not as good as I think they could be. The midrange drivers are lifted directly from the RT line, and they sound very similar, though with what sounds like an improved crossover. At the price point, I personally, would be buying something else is all I am saying.

 

[Joey_V]

john,
i agree with you that the midrange could be improved on the lsi - i know the drivers are similar to that of the RTi, im not sure if they are the exact same though (although the similar surrounds around the driver does make me suspicious of the RTi and LSi resemblance). however, in my audition, i found that althought the LSi loses a bit of ground to the Studios, I felt that the tweeter more than made up for this.... which is why i say that the LSi are worth it. I guess if I could have the best of both worlds, I would transplant the LSi tweeter (vifa) onto the Studio itself .

I feel that our disagreement on whether the studio or lsi are overpriced is simply a direct result of which sound you and i find more appealing personally.

speakers are a very personal thing - and for my use: close range (within 2.5 feet from the speakers, since the speakers are used as computer speakers)... the LSi cause me ZERO fatigue. Also, at this close proximity to the speakers, i have realized that the extended soundstage of the Studios would be useless anyway :frowning: !

thus, i chose the LSi as my speaker of choice. Could others do better? Sure! Could others do worse? Sure!

The thing is, compared to my Axioms, I found the speakers that image better, provide a deeper and wider soundstage, better bass extension, AND a sweeter treble... the Studios were my second choice.... to tell you the truth John, I was very close to buying the Studios... it is just that the sale pretty much sealed the deal with the LSi7 (i can get 4 speakers in surround config. whereas with the Studios, i could only get two).

i will bring my LSi7 to do a head to head against the Studio 20s in a few days (or weeks) depending on my schedule.

The Studios arent bad - they are def. worth the price. BUT, i also find the LSi7 worth the price as well.

 

[Mike_Gr]

Comparing two speakers that are $400 apart is a somewhat fair comparison if A costs $1,600 and speaker B costs $2,000 (25% difference). However, when that same $400 represents a 100% increase in price, it becomes a comparison rendered on a non-level playing field, IMO.

Good review.

 

[Joey_V]

i understand where you are coming from Mike - but i figured that with these internet brands is that they lack markup. the fact is, the M22 are always said to be "worth" several hundred more than their retail price - talking to Alan Lofft (Axiom resident expert) - he mentioned that if the Axiom m22s would be sold in dealer stores, they would be sold for 700$. The LSI7 are retailing at $700.

In my review between the two (LSi7 and M22), i wanted to see the quality comparisons between the two "equal" speakers.

 

[John Garcia]

Technically speaking, price aside, the M22 should be compared to the Studio 40 and LSi9.

My A/V-1s are $750, fully assembled, and are very similar to the LSi7, but I have not done a back to back with them yet. When I did a back to back with my A/V-2s though (same drivers, nearly the same x-over as my 1s, but they are 4 Ohm, the 1s are 8 Ohm) there was no comparison at all, the A/V-2s had considerably more depth and detail. Midrange clarity is where the A/V-2s shine, which is exactly why I bought them.

 

[Michael R Price]

John, I'm just curious, what do you think of the A/V-2 bass or lower midrange quality in comparison to other speakers?

 

[John Garcia]

The 2s excite my room pretty well, but extension is not really that deep, not even as low as the 20s it seemed like, but I think that was done to keep the lower midrange cleaner. Deep male and female vocals sound very good at moderate listening levels, still sounding realistic, though not perfect. Bass is about average for this type of speaker; not bad - but not impressive, there is no "kick" to them. The LSis seem to have that kick and respectable extension. The 2s blend beautifully with my sub crossed over at 80hz though. I tend to run them full range with SACDs and they keep me happy, because I'm after clarity not thump.

 

[Michael R Price]

Thanks, I had been very curious because I had a strange impression from listening to them at a DIY meet last year. It seems more reasonable now. I just don't think I'm a "small midwoofer" kind of guy.