I live in the small town of Stillwater Oklahoma, home of the Oklahoma State Cowboys. For a small town we have a large speaker selection, Polk, Energy, Paradigm, Jm Lab, and Celestion. Not exactly your run of the mill low end audio. I finished finals yesterday and had some time to burn so I wondered into one of these home audio stores and just sat in one of their audio rooms threw on some jazz and relaxed. When comparing the four speakers they had in the room the results shocked me. Im not thinking about buying any of these speakers but I thought I would post my results on the comparison for anyone who might be thinking about it.
Polk-Lsi15
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/lsi15/
Polk-RTi10
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/rti10/
Polk-RTi6
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/rti6/
Celestion
http://www.celestion.com/products/fseries/f30.html
Karman Harman Receiver AVR 340 7.1
MONSTER MP HTS 3500 MKII REFERENCE POWER CENTER
Sony CDPCX455 400 Disc MegaStorage CD Changer
[CENTER]Music[/center]
60's Jazz, Coltrane,, Miles Davis.
Rock -Creedence Clearwater Revivial, Eagles, Doobie Brothers
Classical, Mozart
Hard Rock- Metalica
Auditioning speakers is one of my favorite things to do, it not only fine tunes what im looking for in a speaker but gives me better input and understanding to the descriptions made by others on this forum. An audition is rarely better than it was yesterday. Maybe it's because the sales man left me alone and didn't care if I jammed all day with his speakers, or maybe it was the mood I was in, but more then likely it was one of those rare times when a speaker I was expecting not to be a great performer really blew me away. What drew me into the room quite honestly was the Coltrane playing. I do love my Coletrain. The room was nothing special, 20'x25', white carpet, red painted walls, a couch in the middle, just the way I like it. While some enjoy soundproofed rooms because they show how a speaker can sound I like a room that resembles mine at home to show me how a speaker will sound in my home. What surprised me when walking into the room is how I could not tell which speaker was playing the music, given they are close together but normally I am still able to tell, walking closer I found the culprit to be the Celestion F30.
My first impressions of the Celestion were its size, at 35.4 inches I found that I received its optimal sound stage sitting on the couch. Compared to the LSI15 it was tiny. What really impressed me about the look of this speaker was the thing was covered in a real wood veneer. It was sturdy but relatively light, when I looked up its weight on the internet it was 13 pounds per speaker which tells me the build quality could be higher, probably not much internal bracing which will hurt when playing at higher volumes. When it came to the sound I was blown away. The highs were nice and the lows could give some umph of it called for it. What impressed me most was how the sound did not seem to come from speakers but from thin air as though Miles Davis himself were in the room. Vocals were clear and I hear each individual instrument that was being played from the drums to the trumpet. For the price I was not expecting a soundstage as wide as what I heard, from just sitting and listening at MODERATE volumes it was difficult to find any flaws at in this neutral speaker. The durum's on the Eagles Hotel California were realistic and pleasing to listen too with the right volume not muffled or over excaudate. Creedence Clearwater Revivals Looking out my back door made me almost fall asleep it was so relaxing. Metallica Enter the Sandman showed me some different results. I think these speakers most resemble are Epos in that they really excel on Jazz, Classical, and Classic rock however start to show some weakness in hard rock. Don't get me wrong the song sounded great but what this song showed me is that harder rock and higher volumes start to deteriorate the soundstage just a bit. Overall I was really impressed by the performance of these speakers and for the price tag of 2-3 hundred dollars they are right up there in my book with the x series in price vs. performance.
The next speaker in line was the Polk Rti6, which was the only bookshelf speaker of the group. I grew up with Polk speakers listening to Fleetwood Mac, Elton John and the Eagles. Being a past owner myself I am no stranger to the sound. My dads Polk towers from the 80's will still surprise me with the details they bring out in every song. The ability Polk has is not seen in the Rti6, I think Polk really dropped the ball with Rti6 and almost all of the Rti center channels. After hearing the Celestion the Rti6 sounded as though it had a potato sack placed over the top. The lows were not good even for a bookshelf speaker and the mids seemed to be a bit muffled. The highs were clearly the highlight of this speaker but it really disappointed on its performance. The Rti6 took the relaxation out of Coltrane by limiting its soundstage, could definitely tell the location the sound was coming from. The speaker sounded as though it was trying to hard to push out the sound not letting it effortlessly flow out. It's best performance was on Metallica where it rolled along at a decent pace. After about 15 minuets of continues playing my ears became fatigued and I switched to the Rti10's.
My first impressions of the Rti10's were how deep they went. The stands give the look of these speakers a really hi end feel, with wood veneer on the side which looks great. My only complaint about these speakers at is that the front with the cover off looks a bit cheap to me, I think if they would of continued the veneer all the way around it would of been allot nicer. This however is only personal opinion. The sound of the Rti10 holds up to all expectations, the bass is definitely there and goes pretty deep without trying too hard. The mids are strong and the tweeter compliments the mids and lows with seamless high end detail. My impression of the Rti10's that held up throughout the audition was a speaker that was good at everything had few flaws but seemed to excel at nothing. This may seem harsh but I reassure you it's not in facts its pure magic to the ears, have you ever listened to a speaker and over all it sounded great but it lacked one thing which kept you from being in bliss, this speaker didn't have that. By being good at everything I was able to just sit back relax and get caught up in the music which really is the ultimate goal. I would describe these speakers as being a tad bit warm to my ear. When Coltrain came on the Sax was sexy, the drums hit quick and hard and the mood was once again tranquil. The soundstage was very nice, I could hear each individual instrument and they all sounded like they should. The highs were high but not harsh on the ears and the lows were in no way strained. Much the same feelings were given on CCR's Looking out my back door. The voice was realistic and not second to the background music which is my biggest complaint about the center that goes with this series. Metallica really ROCKED with these speakers, no pun intended. Out of all the music I think the harder the rock got and the higher the volumes the more detail and precision came from the Rti10's. Really a nice speaker.
The Lsi 15 was clearly in a different class than any of the other speakers as far as looks and sound, of course for the price tag it should be. The size of the Lsi 15's demanded attention, at around 46 inches tall they are enormous. The black piano finish looks very high end and the wood veneer really complements the piano finish. Over all these things are a work of art. As I mentioned alone I was left alone so I quickly tried to pick up these things and I must say it was HEAVY. So far it was everything I was expecting to find for the price tag. When I put on Coltrane and Miles Davis the magic was in the air. I was able to close my eyes and move my head back and forth like a blind person grooving to the music. I really enjoyed the great detail and soundstage that came from these goliaths. The base was clean well placed, the mids and highs were great but neither made more of a statement then the other which is the way I like it. The balance was perfect, like a work of art. I think for an apartment these would be the better speakers because the bass is enough to be satisfied without a sub for music. They expressed the full soundstage of Metallica and once again made me miss back home with CCR's looking out my back door. The improvement was noticeable over the other three speakers but it wasn't night and day which shouldn't take away form the Lsi15 but compliment the other thr...., well two.
Conclusions
What I found in the Polk's was pretty much expected, solid performance for the price and as far as music goes it takes a good deal more money to beat them in the their price range. What surprised me was the Celestion and its performance compared to the Polk's. When quickly switching between the speakers I found the Celestion had a overall performance that to me was equal to the Rti10's. The soundstage was a little more embracing and their ability to disappear was breathtaking. Another notable characteristic was how forgiving they were. If you enjoy Kef, Paradigm, Epos, or NHT I definitely recommend you give these speakers a listen. If my x-ls are anywhere near the sound, which judging by the reviews they will be, I will be keeping them for a long time. Also if large towers are not your cup of tea then run on over and take a gander at the Celesion. They didn't outperform the Lsi15's but honestly not many speakers below there price range do. The Lsi15's opened up new parts to songs I have rarely heard before. I thought they almost outperformed my dads Polk's which in the 80's would of been in the same price range. I should have more reviews when my x-ls's come in, possibly in comparison to the speakers mentioned previously, Paradigm's, Energy's and if you really wish to those sweet Pioneer satellites being sold at Wal-Mart. I talked to the owners of the shop and they said they had no problem with me bringing my speakers in to compare so I thought that was cool.
Equipment
Polk-Lsi15
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/lsi15/
Polk-RTi10
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/rti10/
Polk-RTi6
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/rti6/
Celestion
http://www.celestion.com/products/fseries/f30.html
Karman Harman Receiver AVR 340 7.1
MONSTER MP HTS 3500 MKII REFERENCE POWER CENTER
Sony CDPCX455 400 Disc MegaStorage CD Changer
[CENTER]Music[/center]
60's Jazz, Coltrane,, Miles Davis.
Rock -Creedence Clearwater Revivial, Eagles, Doobie Brothers
Classical, Mozart
Hard Rock- Metalica
Auditioning speakers is one of my favorite things to do, it not only fine tunes what im looking for in a speaker but gives me better input and understanding to the descriptions made by others on this forum. An audition is rarely better than it was yesterday. Maybe it's because the sales man left me alone and didn't care if I jammed all day with his speakers, or maybe it was the mood I was in, but more then likely it was one of those rare times when a speaker I was expecting not to be a great performer really blew me away. What drew me into the room quite honestly was the Coltrane playing. I do love my Coletrain. The room was nothing special, 20'x25', white carpet, red painted walls, a couch in the middle, just the way I like it. While some enjoy soundproofed rooms because they show how a speaker can sound I like a room that resembles mine at home to show me how a speaker will sound in my home. What surprised me when walking into the room is how I could not tell which speaker was playing the music, given they are close together but normally I am still able to tell, walking closer I found the culprit to be the Celestion F30.
My first impressions of the Celestion were its size, at 35.4 inches I found that I received its optimal sound stage sitting on the couch. Compared to the LSI15 it was tiny. What really impressed me about the look of this speaker was the thing was covered in a real wood veneer. It was sturdy but relatively light, when I looked up its weight on the internet it was 13 pounds per speaker which tells me the build quality could be higher, probably not much internal bracing which will hurt when playing at higher volumes. When it came to the sound I was blown away. The highs were nice and the lows could give some umph of it called for it. What impressed me most was how the sound did not seem to come from speakers but from thin air as though Miles Davis himself were in the room. Vocals were clear and I hear each individual instrument that was being played from the drums to the trumpet. For the price I was not expecting a soundstage as wide as what I heard, from just sitting and listening at MODERATE volumes it was difficult to find any flaws at in this neutral speaker. The durum's on the Eagles Hotel California were realistic and pleasing to listen too with the right volume not muffled or over excaudate. Creedence Clearwater Revivals Looking out my back door made me almost fall asleep it was so relaxing. Metallica Enter the Sandman showed me some different results. I think these speakers most resemble are Epos in that they really excel on Jazz, Classical, and Classic rock however start to show some weakness in hard rock. Don't get me wrong the song sounded great but what this song showed me is that harder rock and higher volumes start to deteriorate the soundstage just a bit. Overall I was really impressed by the performance of these speakers and for the price tag of 2-3 hundred dollars they are right up there in my book with the x series in price vs. performance.
The next speaker in line was the Polk Rti6, which was the only bookshelf speaker of the group. I grew up with Polk speakers listening to Fleetwood Mac, Elton John and the Eagles. Being a past owner myself I am no stranger to the sound. My dads Polk towers from the 80's will still surprise me with the details they bring out in every song. The ability Polk has is not seen in the Rti6, I think Polk really dropped the ball with Rti6 and almost all of the Rti center channels. After hearing the Celestion the Rti6 sounded as though it had a potato sack placed over the top. The lows were not good even for a bookshelf speaker and the mids seemed to be a bit muffled. The highs were clearly the highlight of this speaker but it really disappointed on its performance. The Rti6 took the relaxation out of Coltrane by limiting its soundstage, could definitely tell the location the sound was coming from. The speaker sounded as though it was trying to hard to push out the sound not letting it effortlessly flow out. It's best performance was on Metallica where it rolled along at a decent pace. After about 15 minuets of continues playing my ears became fatigued and I switched to the Rti10's.
My first impressions of the Rti10's were how deep they went. The stands give the look of these speakers a really hi end feel, with wood veneer on the side which looks great. My only complaint about these speakers at is that the front with the cover off looks a bit cheap to me, I think if they would of continued the veneer all the way around it would of been allot nicer. This however is only personal opinion. The sound of the Rti10 holds up to all expectations, the bass is definitely there and goes pretty deep without trying too hard. The mids are strong and the tweeter compliments the mids and lows with seamless high end detail. My impression of the Rti10's that held up throughout the audition was a speaker that was good at everything had few flaws but seemed to excel at nothing. This may seem harsh but I reassure you it's not in facts its pure magic to the ears, have you ever listened to a speaker and over all it sounded great but it lacked one thing which kept you from being in bliss, this speaker didn't have that. By being good at everything I was able to just sit back relax and get caught up in the music which really is the ultimate goal. I would describe these speakers as being a tad bit warm to my ear. When Coltrain came on the Sax was sexy, the drums hit quick and hard and the mood was once again tranquil. The soundstage was very nice, I could hear each individual instrument and they all sounded like they should. The highs were high but not harsh on the ears and the lows were in no way strained. Much the same feelings were given on CCR's Looking out my back door. The voice was realistic and not second to the background music which is my biggest complaint about the center that goes with this series. Metallica really ROCKED with these speakers, no pun intended. Out of all the music I think the harder the rock got and the higher the volumes the more detail and precision came from the Rti10's. Really a nice speaker.
The Lsi 15 was clearly in a different class than any of the other speakers as far as looks and sound, of course for the price tag it should be. The size of the Lsi 15's demanded attention, at around 46 inches tall they are enormous. The black piano finish looks very high end and the wood veneer really complements the piano finish. Over all these things are a work of art. As I mentioned alone I was left alone so I quickly tried to pick up these things and I must say it was HEAVY. So far it was everything I was expecting to find for the price tag. When I put on Coltrane and Miles Davis the magic was in the air. I was able to close my eyes and move my head back and forth like a blind person grooving to the music. I really enjoyed the great detail and soundstage that came from these goliaths. The base was clean well placed, the mids and highs were great but neither made more of a statement then the other which is the way I like it. The balance was perfect, like a work of art. I think for an apartment these would be the better speakers because the bass is enough to be satisfied without a sub for music. They expressed the full soundstage of Metallica and once again made me miss back home with CCR's looking out my back door. The improvement was noticeable over the other three speakers but it wasn't night and day which shouldn't take away form the Lsi15 but compliment the other thr...., well two.
Conclusions
What I found in the Polk's was pretty much expected, solid performance for the price and as far as music goes it takes a good deal more money to beat them in the their price range. What surprised me was the Celestion and its performance compared to the Polk's. When quickly switching between the speakers I found the Celestion had a overall performance that to me was equal to the Rti10's. The soundstage was a little more embracing and their ability to disappear was breathtaking. Another notable characteristic was how forgiving they were. If you enjoy Kef, Paradigm, Epos, or NHT I definitely recommend you give these speakers a listen. If my x-ls are anywhere near the sound, which judging by the reviews they will be, I will be keeping them for a long time. Also if large towers are not your cup of tea then run on over and take a gander at the Celesion. They didn't outperform the Lsi15's but honestly not many speakers below there price range do. The Lsi15's opened up new parts to songs I have rarely heard before. I thought they almost outperformed my dads Polk's which in the 80's would of been in the same price range. I should have more reviews when my x-ls's come in, possibly in comparison to the speakers mentioned previously, Paradigm's, Energy's and if you really wish to those sweet Pioneer satellites being sold at Wal-Mart. I talked to the owners of the shop and they said they had no problem with me bringing my speakers in to compare so I thought that was cool.
