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Polk Audio LSi 15 - are these the REAL DEAL ???

I just came back from a friend's listening room where he has a nice set-up. Some megabuck amplifiers and digital front end, and for speakers, I had not noticed the manufacturer, but I assumed they were the ''esoteric, expensive kind''. After 20 minutes, he left the room to answer the phone, I stood up to check what the speakers were.What's this? Holy smokes ! POLK AUDIO LS i15 !!! I was floored by the sound, but more by the fact that a Polk speaker could find it's way into such ''high end'' company.

They sure sounded good, no make that excellent, but is it because of the excellent surrounding components or are they simply a well-kept secret ?

I am very much interested in hearing if others have also found these speakers to be good sounding for the money and if they really belong in a high-end system, or is the combination I heard just a fluke?

Any input will help as I'm looking for speakers right now, thanks all !
audiokicks45ee
rcprince
2,830 posts
 
The Polks you heard were actually favorably reviewed by the high-end press, most notably Anthony Cordesman in TAS, I believe. They are pretty good speakers, as you found out yourself with your own ears. And how they sounded to you is what really matters, when you come down to it.
thedautch
329 posts
 
I actually owned these speakers once upon a time. I found them to be just the slightest bit forward, and not quite the last word in microdynamics. Overall, though, I'd say they were a 9 out of 10 (especially at that price point).

I had to upgrade all the way to Merlin VSM-MM's ($8,000) to better the LSi 15's by a truly meaningful margin.

So for many systems, and many sonic preferences, they could really be a quality choice. The near-full rangeness of them was a nice benefit as well.
race4aliving
1 posts
 
When I went speaker shopping a few months ago, I promised myself I would not spend more then $6,000.00 for my new speakers. So I set out and listened to ALOT of really nice speakers but, I ended up buying the Polk LSi15's..and im glad I did they sound great with my Accuphase.
I bought them because, for my ears the whole sonic prefomance [sound stage,imaging,etc.]was just better on average then all the others I'd listened to.
they are a 4 ohm speaker so you might want to keep that in mind if you are thinking of buying some. So yeah... I think they are the real deal.
miner42
698 posts
 
I found them to be lacking in the low end but what can you expect with an unpowered 8" woofer. I was waffling between the LSi25's & B&W N804 - got the 804's for a mere $350 more.
My previous Polks - RT20p - had probelms with internal amp and voice coils on the 8" powered subs. I was concerned about quality but Polk's CS was always a pleasure to work with.
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