Coming from Cerwin Vega, PSA would be a good option in a big room cranked up 11.
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Budget Tower opinions
Trying to decide if the LSiM sale is worth dumping coin. 707's or? 80/20 HT/Music. Big room. Thanks for playing! Comoing from Cerwin Vega At-15's. Sub shopping as well. FV25HP here I come!
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the lsim is not a budget speaker. It is the discontinued Polk top of the line. I think 707 sale for half off now around 2k a pair. I don't know what you can find matching in that price rage that will perform as well with the same aesthetics.Trying to decide if the LSiM sale is worth dumping coin. 707's or? 80/20 HT/Music. Big room. Thanks for playing! Coming from Cerwin Vega At-15's. Sub shopping as well. FV25HP here I come!
I don't see the point of going with the Towers over the Bookshelf LSiM in Home Theater applications. Since the Towers internal crossover is 100hz and most Subs are crossed over @ 100hz a lot of the added benefits of the towers seem wasted.
Since you say that you are pretty much deaf-forever, then I would limit the funds that you spend on towers -- your call
The JBL studio 590's ($2k a pair) or the emotiva t2+'s aren't budget speakers either.the lsim is not a budget speaker. It is the discontinued Polk top of the line. I think 707 sale for half off now around 2k a pair. I don't know what you can find matching in that price rage that will perform as well with the same aesthetics.
You have to actually TRY to pay full price for the Studio 590's lol. They go on sale half off, like they are right now, about every other month. I have them and quite like them, but they are very BIG speakers. They as shipped via freight and show up on a wooden pallet so keep that in mind.The JBL studio 590's ($2k a pair) or the emotiva t2+'s aren't budget speakers either.
Check out the PSB Alpha T20's. 
All the speakers in the poll are currently 1K +/- a pair currently. The LSiM's typically retailing for much more. That's why I'm asking. Are the LSiM's really a 1K+ each speaker worthy of scooping up at $549.00 each shipped? The T2+ are 999.00/pair regularly it looks like. The JBL's as mentioned are on and off sale quite a bit.
@zieglij01 I'm in agreement. That's why I went with your DCM recommendation. They are on a wagon heading this way as we speak. I'm just trying to decide if the LSiM's are really a 1K+ speaker worth grabbing now before they disappear. The others I can wait on as they are not going out of stock. Its the damn woulda, could, shoulda thing. Stupid Polk sale!
@pase22 Thank you for the input. I'm not sure the wife would like the looks (low WAF?). That's the benefit of the LSiM's is they look really nice.
@zieglij01 I'm in agreement. That's why I went with your DCM recommendation. They are on a wagon heading this way as we speak. I'm just trying to decide if the LSiM's are really a 1K+ speaker worth grabbing now before they disappear. The others I can wait on as they are not going out of stock. Its the damn woulda, could, shoulda thing. Stupid Polk sale!
@pase22 Thank you for the input. I'm not sure the wife would like the looks (low WAF?). That's the benefit of the LSiM's is they look really nice.
All the speakers in the poll are currently 1K +/- a pair currently. The LSiM's typically retailing for much more. That's why I'm asking. Are the LSiM's really a 1K+ each speaker worthy of scooping up at $549.00 each shipped? The T2+ are 999.00/pair regularly it looks like. The JBL's as mentioned are on and off sale quite a bit.
@zieglij01 I'm in agreement. That's why I went with your DCM recommendation. They are on a wagon heading this way as we speak. I'm just trying to decide if the LSiM's are really a 1K+ speaker worth grabbing now before they disappear. The others I can wait on as they are not going out of stock. Its the damn woulda, could, shoulda thing. Stupid Polk sale!
@pase22 Thank you for the input. I'm not sure the wife would like the looks (low WAF?). That's the benefit of the LSiM's is they look really nice.
I've never heard the LSiM's. But I've owned a lot of Polk gear over the year's. In my experience: they provide a nice value proposition in price-to-performance, particularly for 80/20 home theater to music usage... BUT that good "value proposition" is based on their (regularly available) "can't miss" sale prices, which often come around... I don't think $550 is *that much* less than other "can't miss" sale prices that have come around before. I could be wrong about that. But Polk, like a lot of other "big manufactureres" in this industry and others, as a common practice mark their stuff "way up" so that they can sell stuff "on sale"...
I don't doubt $550 is a good price. I'll bet you'll like them a lot. But I don't think anyone would be happy with them for $2,000, in comparison to what $2,000 can buy you elsewhere... JMO (and I own, use, and like a lot of Polk gear).
i agree %110 with this postI've never heard the LSiM's. But I've owned a lot of Polk gear over the year's. In my experience: they provide a nice value proposition in price-to-performance, particularly for 80/20 home theater to music usage... BUT that good "value proposition" is based on their (regularly available) "can't miss" sale prices, which often come around... I don't think $550 is *that much* less than other "can't miss" sale prices that have come around before. I could be wrong about that. But Polk, like a lot of other "big manufactureres" in this industry and others, as a common practice mark their stuff "way up" so that they can sell stuff "on sale"...
I don't doubt $550 is a good price. I'll bet you'll like them a lot. But I don't think anyone would be happy with them for $2,000, in comparison to what $2,000 can buy you elsewhere... JMO (and I own, use, and like a lot of Polk gear).
I constantly see Polk speakers for %50-%70 off
IMO if the Emotiva t2+ had a Polk badge the MSRP would be $2000-$3000 easily
I bought the LSiM 705's as the front speakers for my HT, along with a 704c center and 703's setup as surround speakers and I have been very happy with them (bought them without ever hearing them first). They are somewhat neutral and yet very detailed with a good soundstage. I paired the front LCR with an Outlaw Model 5000 and I can honestly say that they are a joy to listen to when watching movies. Had my work friends over for a movie night recently and they were literally blown away by the sound. They said it's the best theater experience they've ever had, whether in a true theater or someone's home theater, so I can say that setup properly with a good AVR and enough power they will more than impress you.
How dead set are you on getting towers?Trying to decide if the LSiM sale is worth dumping coin. 707's or? 80/20 HT/Music. Big room. Thanks for playing! Comoing from Cerwin Vega At-15's. Sub shopping as well. FV25HP here I come!
"Big room" = need big sub(s) not necessarily big speakers unless you are sitting 20ft away and trying to achieve ear-splitting 90-100db SPLs...in which case 3 x PSA MT-110s would run you just under $2100 and easily outperform the towers you're looking at without needing any external amps.
If you listen at more typical 70-80db levels, 3 x Ascend 340SE would cost $834 shipped (or 3 x Chane A2.4 in same ballpark) and also not require any external amps.
Just got a pair of LSIM 707 last week. They are huge and come in two 115 lb. boxes Once you get them out and set them up they are amazing. Absolutely stunning to look at,like a piece of sculpture.Sound is just perfect for movies and music. Dont be put off by people saying they need a lot of power. Im running them off a Yamaha 681 receiver and they are room filling loud at -26.
Crossovers don't mean the frequencies stop dead, there is quite an overlap zone-and 100 Hz would be a somewhat high crossover point. And presuming the towers have bigger woofers, that would provide higher midbass output before strain sets in. Now, towers could be more expensive, that's a different issue.I don't see the point of going with the Towers over the Bookshelf LSiM in Home Theater applications. Since the Towers internal crossover is 100hz and most Subs are crossed over @ 100hz a lot of the added benefits of the towers seem wasted.
The Polk LsiM towers are very hard to beat for the current sale price. Measurements indicate a very neutral, accurate speaker, which is the basis for great sound quality. IMO, aesthetics are very important when setting up in a living room, and, if you have the space and can accommodate them, towers will outperform bookshelves regardless if crossing to subs or not. Your just going to spend money on stands to make the bookshelf speakers sit just as high, so might as well let the cabinet of the tower be the stand. Will look a lot better, while the larger cab will improve efficiency and lower distortion down to whatever frequency you cross to subs.
Yes i know and understand how crossover works, but you're still not getting a ton of use out of those woofers in a home theater setup compared 99% of 3-way towers. For a simple 2.0 music setup these are amazing but in a home theater situation with an 80-100hz crossover Towers like the Emotiva T2+ with an 350hz internal crossover will provide substantially better midbass VS the Polks 100hz internal crossover.Crossovers don't mean the frequencies stop dead, there is quite an overlap zone-and 100 Hz would be a somewhat high crossover point. And presuming the towers have bigger woofers, that would provide higher midbass output before strain sets in. Now, towers could be more expensive, that's a different issue.
Dual 8" drivers vs a single 6 1/2" driver handling the mid-bass frequencies.
I don't see any value of going with the towers over the LSiM703 bookshelf in a home theater(specifically H/T) situation far that reason. Most towers will handle midbass frequencies between 100-500hz which is still incredibly demanding at high volumes(especially in large rooms), something the Polks towers don't.
I can't think of any other 3-way towers that uses a 100hz crossover for the bass woofers. Generally you'll see 250-500hz range(for a good reason).
Seems you keep bringing up the 100hz xover from Mid's to woofers. Since the bookshelf hits way below 100Hz and uses same mid the mid in the 707 actually has less to do and can produce the high volume you say they can't. Have you heard something you didn't like on them? Many are very happy with the sound of them.Yes i know and understand how crossover works, but you're still not getting a ton of use out of those woofers in a home theater setup compared 99% of 3-way towers. For a simple 2.0 music setup these are amazing but in a home theater situation with an 80-100hz crossover Towers like the Emotiva T2+ with an 350hz internal crossover will provide substantially better midbass VS the Polks 100hz internal crossover.
Dual 8" drivers vs a single 6 1/2" driver handling the mid-bass frequencies.
I don't see any value of going with the towers over the LSiM703 bookshelf in a home theater(specifically H/T) situation far that reason. Most towers will handle midbass frequencies between 100-500hz which is still incredibly demanding at high volumes(especially in large rooms), something the Polks towers don't.
I can't think of any other 3-way towers that uses a 100hz crossover for the bass woofers. Generally you'll see 250-500hz range(for a good reason).
That's exactly why i would choose the 703's over the 705/707 in an HT applications, the towers are not going to handle midbass(100-500hz) frequencies any better so why even bother with the towers in the first place?Seems you keep bringing up the 100hz xover from Mid's to woofers. Since the bookshelf hits way below 100Hz and uses same mid the mid in the 707 actually has less to do and can produce the high volume you say they can't. Have you heard something you didn't like on them? Many are very happy with the sound of them.
#1 ) Mid bass frequencies are going to be handled equally (707 vs 703) if you're setting the F3 around 80-100hz, so you're not benefiting(barely) from the addition bass drivers on the 705/707's. IMO the towers seem rather wasted in an HT application since the bass drivers are not helping with midbass unlike 99% towers.
#2 ) Again most towers crossover their bass drivers between 250-500hz so you're getting a huge boost in mid range capabilities with 99% of towers but not the polks.
#3 ) No matter how great a tower can produce bass a quality subwoofer will always be superior at producing clean bass below 100hz. Also subwoofers to positioned/placed for optimal bass performance (speakers are not)
If someone was to setup a basic 2.0 stereo music setup there is no better option today for the money but we're discussing HT setups not 2.0 stereo setups.
Having both the 705's and 703's in my theater, I can say honestly if I had to choose again today, I would still go with 705's up front and 703's in the rear vs. just 703's all around, and I am about 99% movies these days.
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