[chgolatin2]

I recently went to a high end audio shop, got a chance to audition the Lsi9 by Polk, its a bookshelf speaker but this thing is heavy, in fact too heavy.  Cost about 1k or so.  but I was highly impressed by its performance wondering if anybody could share their experience?  I may sell my VR2's speakers and get me those.   

[rhart]

I have a pair of lsi7s in my office (amp Bryston B60 or 2blp Pro). The ring radiator tweeter is really smooth and the speakers image really well. Not the last word in resolution, but not far behind my PMC FB1s. The lsi9s will go a little lower in frequency than the Lsi7, but then the Lsi7 has fewer parts in the crossover and a simpler design. Some prefer that.

It seems to me that the lsi series in under-appreciated around audio circle probably because they're Polks. That said, for $1000 you can buy better bookshelf speakers. You can, however, buy new lsi9 speakers on ebay for $500-$600. I would not pay more than $500 on a new pair.

[Affordable$$Audio]

I owned the LSi9 and as nice as they are, they suffer from a mediocre crossover.  I had the chance to hear them against many other speakers and as detailed as the bottom end was, the upper mids and the terrific Vifa ring radiator tweeter is very constrained.  Several Polk forum members have modified the crossovers with outstanding results.  SkiingNinja.com offers a mod that is outstanding. if you really want them, buy a used 2nd generation model, and modify.  the out of pocket cost will be less than new and you'll own a much better monitor.

[Pez]

It might be a fun DIY project to rip out the crossover guts and build a better one.  A lot cheaper too.

[Danny Richie]

The Ninja sent a pair over to me for measurements and evaluation.

The crossover quality was not too good and that was the reason for them being here. There was a lot of improvement to be had by upgrading it but the question was should it be redesigned or just upgrade the parts quality and stick with the stock design.

The response was a little peaky in the 600Hz to 1100Hz range but over all it was fairly smooth.

My biggest concern with it was the really low impedance. It dropped to 2.47 ohms at the tuning frequency (about 60Hz), and was 3.64 ohms at 192Hz.

I couldn't fix that or the choppy response in the upper mid-range. So we decided that a redesign wasn't worth it and Sean was going to just upgrade the parts in the existing network.

Nice build quality of the cabinet thought.

[Zero]

The LSi-9 was the loudspeaker that gave me the audiophile bug way back in 2001/2002. It's amazing to think that even after 9 years in service, the LSi-9 still represents a solid value in its highly competitive price class.

[face]

I had fun upgrading a pair for a friend.

[cujobob]

You can get tremendous speakers for a grand.  Personally, I'd go another direction.  A few years back, I couldn't really say that, though.

[Zero]

Cujo,

I'm just curious - what other speakers would you look at in the $1000 and under price class? I don't mean for this question to come across as challenging...  I'm just wondering what other options people see in this range, particularly from companies who sell their product in big stores all across the world, employ well over 50 people, etc.. etc.. 

[cujobob]

I buy I.D. because the value is much higher.  From many/most I.D. companies, you can demo for 30 days anyhow...(and bookshelf speakers don't usually cost much to ship).

I'd look at G.R. Research N2X/N1X speakers (either built yourself in P.E. boxes or by the Skiing Ninja), Ascend Sierras (no idea how many people they employ), the new Selah Audio speakers coming out at around $1,300 with the RAAL tweeter, or a few other options (or used).

Don't care how many people are employed by the company I buy from because I can't control that nor do I know that they aren't operating like Monster.  If a good product is offered at the right price, customers and employees will follow.  Warranty and product reliability are, of course, factors.

[chgolatin2]

I was just stating that I was highly impressed with the Lsi's, being a Polk Audio product I didnt imagine such a good quality speaker

[satfrat]

I was just stating that I was highly impressed with the Lsi's, being a Polk Audio product I didnt imagine such a good quality speaker

Yep, what I heard you say in your thread opener all right. 
 
Cheers,
Robin

[Zero]

Hello Cujo, Thanks for offering your take on things.

There is no doubt that I.D brands play a critical role in today’s hi-fi world. There are tons of great I.D companies out there making great hi-fi. Best of all, the low-overhead business model usually result in products of excellent value. At the very end of the day, it’s hard to argue against having great variety along with great prices, and that’s exactly what I.D brands give us!

However, there is another side to the value coin. Companies like Polk Audio are at the forefront of giving the ‘average consumer’ a way to experience better sound. Their products have been starting-place for many audiophiles. To do this however, requires a largish company (as far as audio companies go) and a lot of overhead. What I find impressive about the LSi-9 is how good of a value it offers despite the many hands that are involved in the process of building it, getting it out to stores, selling it, and supporting it. When a company like Polk manages to build a product that can (still) compete with more recent offerings from the likes of say, Ascend Acoustics (I had the pleasure of reviewing the Sierra 1 a few years ago), I find the whole thing to be worth a strong tip of the hat.

That said, I want to make it clear that I am not promoting one side or the other on this matter. There is no right or wrong way to go about it, and heaven knows that I’ve owned (too much?) gear from both mainstream and I.D brands.   I'm merely wanting to use this opportunity to express why I reserve so much respect for speakers like the LSi-9.

[cujobob]

I can certainly understand that point of view.  In order to purchase an I.D. speaker, one needs to know what type of sound is even available.

When they came out, they were a good value compared to other BM speakers in similar price ranges.

Polk wasn't a 'high-end' name so their performance surprises people.