Customer Reviews

Polk Audio LSi9 Bookshelf speakers Cherry finish

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
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Wonderful clarity and really elegant sound and style in beautiful boxes. That said, you still need a sub (although the bass is good) to polish off the sound. By the time you do that and put the speakers on stands (heavy for their size)and adjust them and/or the stands to find the best angle for your favorite listening place, you start wondering why you didn't just buy floor speakers. In my case, I move around the world a lot and they are quality and small enough to ship in my air freight and the sub can come later. Still......

If you like classical music or other genres which require high-definition sound, LSi9 is a serious option to consider. You don't need to spend thousands of dollars to get the decent sound. With appropriate upstream components and cables, LSi9 will be a Transparent Source of Clear Sound. Interestingly, strings sound almost like flutes with them, without that excessive "metal feeling", producing clear and open notes. However, be advised that these speakers demand perfection from all other components of your system. I can clearly hear the difference in sound after changing cables, for example, and the difference is not subtle at all! You will also hear all the flaws of suboptimally recorded CDs. While the range frequencies which they reproduce is very balanced and many people say there is no need for subwoofer, actually a good musical subwoofer like Polk PSW12 will help to bring your speaker system to the full-range reproduction. I've spent the entire evening fine-tuning the subwoofer parameters to make it a "transparent complement" to the well-balanced LSi9, avoiding any coloration of the sound. To my ears, the crossover should be set to about 70 Hz for classical music (setting it higher for rock music may be acceptable), and the sub volume - to close-to-zero level. While setting the volume of the sub, try to experiment with switching it on an off repeatedly. At the right volume level, you should only notice a gentle "extra fullness" of the sound, without any distortion of the sound balance provided by LSi9 themselves. The combination of LSi9 with finely blended subwoofer will give you a outstanding speaker system.

P.S. (Apr. 17, 2009). Still, many people consider the Lsi9 sound a bit "dull", so please listen to them (people? speakers? both?) before ordering!

Very pleased with these, they are very soft and with lots of bass, you won't need a SW.

The GRAND problem is that you will need a Monstruos amp for these Energy Vampires to deliver all their potential.

Great but not THAT great, next time i'll go with Monitor Audio.

I broke the cardinal rule: I bought these speakers blind (deaf?), without demoing them. I saw an ad on Audiogon. The price seemed right, and I was in a hurry to get some speakers for a secondary system in our new home. I simply went by the countless positive reviews found on the internet. As soon as I got them, my wife gave them a strange look which let me to believe they were doomed from the start. They seemed a little big for our little "music" room and the cherry finish looks a bit cheapo, compared to our Focal electra 1007 be. After initial setup, they sounded a little dark and unfocused. Then I realised that I had set them wrong, with the tweeters facing outwards. A quick rearranging and they were making some pleasant sounds. The LSi9s make a nice warm and relaxed sound with plenty of bloom in the upper and low bass. No, they don't need a subwoofer unless your are a teenager who listens to Fergie or regaetton.

I am thinking now that they are too much for that little room. They can sound a bit boomy in a small sound, but hooked to high end electronics (electrocompaniet, Cary, EAD) they can really come alive. still , they ultimately sound a bit dull.
I can't help going back and forth between rooms to compare them to the Electras. It's not fair. the Electras cost much, much more. The electras are more open, more controled in the bass and much better treble.
the
electras are also benefiting from the open living room space.. But the LSi9's have very musical qualities and pinpoint imaging. If you are on a budget, these speakers will be perfect for a medium sized living room and with low volume, they will sound very pleasant. I don't thing they sound that good at high volume leves, because of the tonal balance being tilted towards the bass. Do listen to them if you can and choose the darker finish.