Polk LSI15 compared to Paradigm Studio 100 V4



Hi guys,

I have a question on speakers there for coming to you the experts.
I have a yamaha RXV 1500, a sunfire signature amp(425 watts 8ohm), second amp(sunfire TGA5200, 200watts into 8ohm), cd player(Emotiva ERC-1) two subs both velodyns(15 and 10 inch)
So now I am looking for front left/right speakers.
In your opinion which one will give me better sound quality for both HT and Music. Music being a range of every thing rock, pop, country, vocals and smooth jazz)

I will greatly appreciate all the help you can give me

Hope to hear from you all

Fernando
fernando1
That's my point. A receiver is the first & last thing
wrong. I (by the way I don't own Polks any more)used a
Wyred 4 Sound amp and the sound was amazing from the bottom
up. I have also used other high quality amps & pre's with them.
I'm just saying I have heard the speakers at their best
and they are better than a lot of high end speakers, so if you hear muddy & veiled sound from them, something else
is probably the culprit. (Like a receiver) That's all I saying!
Oh and BTW...Loomisjohnson, Of coarse I don't doubt
what you heard, and to be clear, I know you did not
mention anything about a receiver. Others did. Again my only point here
is, the IMO the last thing the LSi's are...is veiled & muddy.
Not perfect of coarse, but with the right electronics, they
are crystal clear & clean.

Happy Holiday's
telescope et al:
in fairness, i didn't hear the lsi15s coupled with top-flight electronics--my recollection is they were auditioned with a yamaha avr; i've also heard them with a low-to-middlin nad integrated. it could very well be that (unlike focal, paradigm, rega and other personal faves) the polks are particularly sensitive to the front end and that they could sound completely different with a high quality amp. now, coincidentally, i was shopping at fry's electronics last week and i briefly heard the polk lsi7s and lsi9s, which were powered by a generic avr playing a dvda. the lsi7s were quite good--open, detailed--while the larger, more expensive lsi9s sounded awful. front end synergy is undoubtedly important. ergo, the only reliable indicator of what would sound "better" in the op's system would, of course be, to pair the speaker to the op's system.
I have been auditioning speakers not to replace the Lsi 15's but possibly replace speakers in a 2nd system.

Out of those auditioned, none left me feeling like I was missing out on anything over what I already have except a pair that list at 9 grand. Also, I auditioned speakers that list well over 12 grand and did not feel as though I was missing out on anything. These auditions were with high end costly electronics. Maybe the speakers with exception of the one pair were not positioned optimally, etc.

This tells me that the Lsi 15's is a quality product and very musical. Apparently musicality and performance is not necessarily associated with cost or brand name.
As I was reading this post I was shocked to hear folks comparing the Polks w/ an AVR receiver to other speakers w/ pre-power combos or integrated amps. This is no way to make a valid comparison. I've never been a Polk fan or Polk hater, only because I never considered them for one reason or another. If I was I would want to listen in a better environment. I'm glad someone cleared this up.

To clarify, I now own a pair or Polk RTA11t (circa '91) mated to a Cambridge Audio 640 V2 amp and my wife and I are listening in amazment at the articulate, captivating, audiophile sound they are producing. Much better than other more expensive speaker amp combos I've heard.

I would definetly consider Polks in the future, but only with good amplification other than the H/T AVR receiver variety as they are usually mated with. Is it that the CA 640 integrated amp is that good (reviewers think so), or that Polk made audiophile speakers at one time, or that I hit on a excellent combo? I don't know, maybe all three, but I'm blown away by the sound I experiencing now.