YES THEY ARE THE REAL DEAL. Real glad to see that this line is getting some of the visibility it deserves.
I have owned these speakers for 2 years, and purchased them in part because of that 2002 Golden Ear award from Absolute Sound on the LSI 15, and partly because ( I admit it!) of their classy looks. I sincerely think that the LSI 15’s are a steal, the best of the LSI series (surpassing the LSI 25 IMHO, and are way under priced. They smoke my previous ‘’ almost $ 4,000.00’’ (name withheld to protect a well-established and much-respected brand...) previous speakers in the area of imaging , mids, and top-end refinement. Their downside is mainly this : They suffer from lack of ‘’audiophile grade’’ prestige, and this is their ONLY flaw at this price point. Polk is one of the larger companies out there and they have finally come out with a line to get the most of their R&D.
To their credit, it is a hard challenge to manufacture affordable speakers that sound good. That’s what they did with their current ,’Circuit City type’ products.
However, for once, they put the same objectives in an ‘’no-excuses’’ design with the LSI series. The results are even more impressive. I would have to spend 3 times the price, in my opinion, to better them, and then not necessarily on every parameters.
So yes, they are ‘’the real deal’’, but for real folks only. If you need boutique prestige brands, look elsewhere! The LSI-15 should satisfy even jaded audiophiles. I hear the recent upgraded lacquer finish and real wood cabinetry makes these even better looking.
Too bad that Polks are only available in chain stores – that in turn do not carry this more expensive LSI line because high-end audio is not their typical market.....Polk, if you are reading this – Get in the specialty stores or sell direct ( but keep the price reasonable will you? !)
I have owned these speakers for 2 years, and purchased them in part because of that 2002 Golden Ear award from Absolute Sound on the LSI 15, and partly because ( I admit it!) of their classy looks. I sincerely think that the LSI 15’s are a steal, the best of the LSI series (surpassing the LSI 25 IMHO, and are way under priced. They smoke my previous ‘’ almost $ 4,000.00’’ (name withheld to protect a well-established and much-respected brand...) previous speakers in the area of imaging , mids, and top-end refinement. Their downside is mainly this : They suffer from lack of ‘’audiophile grade’’ prestige, and this is their ONLY flaw at this price point. Polk is one of the larger companies out there and they have finally come out with a line to get the most of their R&D.
To their credit, it is a hard challenge to manufacture affordable speakers that sound good. That’s what they did with their current ,’Circuit City type’ products.
However, for once, they put the same objectives in an ‘’no-excuses’’ design with the LSI series. The results are even more impressive. I would have to spend 3 times the price, in my opinion, to better them, and then not necessarily on every parameters.
So yes, they are ‘’the real deal’’, but for real folks only. If you need boutique prestige brands, look elsewhere! The LSI-15 should satisfy even jaded audiophiles. I hear the recent upgraded lacquer finish and real wood cabinetry makes these even better looking.
Too bad that Polks are only available in chain stores – that in turn do not carry this more expensive LSI line because high-end audio is not their typical market.....Polk, if you are reading this – Get in the specialty stores or sell direct ( but keep the price reasonable will you? !)