Description
Up for sale are a pair of Polk LSi9 audiophile grade bookshelf speakers in excellent condition. The LSi9s are a 2.5 way, ported, design, with two 5.25 woofers and a 1 ring-radiator tweeter, all magnetically shielded for use in home theaters. The mid/woofer is made of foamed polypropylene that includes tiny bubbles of air to better suppress cone resonances. There are three ports: two 1 in diameter positioned on the front baffle next to the offset tweeter; the other 2 in diameter “Power Port” and positioned on the rear of the speaker. This fires into a diffusor that allows the speaker to be positioned close to the wall behind it. The ring-radiator tweeter is a unique ring-shaped diaphragm supported at both its outer and inner circumferences, with the voice-coil positioned midway between the two. Such a mounting is said to push the first breakup-mode resonance beyond the upper limits of audibility, which simply means it reduces and eliminates what little heard distortion may ever occur. Two sets of binding posts are provided to allow biamping and biwiring. The walls of the LSi9's enclosure are made of MDF and internally braced, and finished in high-gloss laminate. Two cheeks are attached to the enclosure's side panels to provide further damping; which are veneered in cherrywood, and very attractive. Sound The speakers were, at the time they came out, Polk Audio's flagship line and quality. The very first time I heard them in the audio store, I was blown away at a), how these little bookshelves filled the entire listening room, with 0 distortion and handling higher volumes and pressures with ease, and b), how incredible the soundstage and imaging was - for a little 2-way bookshelf speaker! And you know what's changed? Absolutely nothing! They still sound amazing! Listening to these you will immediately notice four areas in which the LSi9’s performance excelled: 1) Continuous and extended dynamic range on all types of music, from the softest passages to the loudest bombast. Although I've heard some affordable speakers that excelled at microdynamic resolution and others that had dramatic capabilities in high-level dynamics, this is the first affordable speaker I've heard that excelled at both. 2) Extraordinary retrieval of detail and ambience. 3) Pinpoint image specificity on a wide, deep soundstage. 4) Detailed, extended, airy, and natural high-frequency resolution. Specifications - Description: 2.5-way, stand-mounted, reflex-loaded loudspeakers. - Drive-units: 1 high-performance ring-radiator tweeter, two 5.25 Dynamic Balance with aerated polypropylene-cone woofers. - Cast aluminum driver baskets and rubber surrounds (shielded) - Two Rear-firing ports for precise deep bass - Sensitivity: 88dB - Nominal impedance: 4 ohms - Recommended Power: 20-200 watts - Frequency response: The overall frequency response is 38Hz-27kHz and the -3dB frequency response is 50-26kHz - Dual 5-way binding posts for bi-amp/bi-wire - Dimensions: 14? H by 8 5/8 W by 10? D. Weight: 21 lbs each. - Finishes: Cherry wood. - Original Retail Price: $820/pair OK, now it's time for geek talk: The most remarkable innovation and best part of the Polk LSi line of speakers is built around the Vifa ring radiator tweeter that is often found in speakers that are much more costly, such as Krell, Audio Physic and Mission top-of-the-line offerings. The ring radiator contains a series of innovations in tweeter design that make it able to deliver flat response at high dynamic flat responses at high dynamic levels without breaking up, and that means openness and clarity of detail without stridency or harshness. This minimal-distortion tweeter is able to capture details at high or low levels that signify spatial cues. Such measurable performance translates to the presentation of a wide and deep sound stage, at any listening level, with a high degree of stability. The ring radiator is the speaker designer's ideal, a tweeter that displays exceptional dynamic range without distortion or losing focus or resolving power. Something that everyone has been desiring and left wanting when listening to the old standard issue dome silk tweeter: a flat, accurate, loud tweeter. One clue to its performance is that while many tweeters require a 3 circular cutout on a baffle board, the ring radiator requires a 4 cutout - meaning what you're getting is a nearly 7 area magnet for a 3 hole, and slightly more than a 12 area magnet for a 4 hole. So, while only 25% larger in area, the magnet may be nearly twice as strong! These are the little things you notice while reading the spec sheets on various tweeters! LOL. As you might imagine, for a voice coil of approximately the same diameter, bigger, stronger magnets usually generate greater control. John Atkinson, Stereophile's editor and resident audio engineer, after testing the LSi9s tweeter performance, described it as superbly clean over most of the region shown. Just jumping into the audiophile game, and don't want to break the bank? These Polk Audios served me well, and they sound AWESOME still today! For a very very reasonable, low cost of entry. These things punch way above their price point, sounding as good and often better than speakers that cost twice the original retail price (these cost $820 per pair when they came out!).
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