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Polk LSi speaker system

Polk surprises with the LSi speakers
By Tony Davey

December 2002

If there is one aspect to this mad and crazy world of hi-fi that I do not envy, it is the role of speaker manufacturers. Not only do they have to produce speakers that are sonically pleasing to the ear, but aesthetically they must be pleasing to the eye also.

The Polk Audio LSi series speakers have been developed as an all-purpose speaker. Whether your interests rest in home theatre, multi-channel audio (SACD and DVD-A) or “pure” 2-channel stereo, there is a model to suit your tastes and your room. I have auditioned these speakers solely in their capacity for multi-channel usage, with a mix of home theatre and surround sound music.

The review models provided were 1 pair of LSi15’s, a 115cm high floorstanding speaker, 1 LSiC, a dedicated centre speaker 17cm high and 55cm wide and 1 pair of LSi9’s, 39cm high “bookshelf speakers”.

Each speaker has two 150mm dynamic balance drivers and a 25mm Ring Radiator Tweeter. The LSi15’s are also equipped with a side mounted 200mm bass driver.

I’ve said it before, first impressions count and out of the box these speakers left me with only one impression: yummy.

The Lsi15’s stand just under 4 foot tall and are finished in a high-gloss veneer. Despite their “size”, their footprint is remarkably small as they are only about 9 inches wide and 13 inches deep. Useable frequency range is rated down to 30hz (at -3db), plenty low enough for use without a sub (well…).

The Lsi9’s took me by surprise. They have the same gloss finish and width as the 15’s, but are over two inches deeper. This is not a speaker that is destined to be put on a shelf tucked away in a corner, as this is a worthy stand-alone speaker.

The LsiC has the same gloss finish as the rest of the Lsi series, which may prove too reflective for use with a projector. At 180mm high is not going to be too overwhelming on top of a reasonably large television

Performance
Just like you wouldn’t expect peak performance from a new car fresh off the lot, the same thing can be said for new speakers out of the box. Although the sound was not displeasing they felt like they needed to stretch their legs a little. Load in Queen's We Will Rock You (in DTS), turn the volume up on my Denon AVC-A1 and go shopping. Once warmed up I was rewarded with a rich full sound with detail galore.

For home theatre, I tested the LSi series with The Patriot. You can be assured that with a Roland Emmerich film, there will be plenty of surround sound activity and the bass levels are likely to be sufficient to communicate with marine mammals.

The Patriot did not disappoint and neither did the LSi speakers. For the review, I sampled the movie both with and without my Velodyne CT150 sub-woofer.

Without the sub, the LSi15’s did an admirable job rendering the bass from the 6 pound guns of the red coats. The explosions were sharp and deep. My sub certainly added depth, but the 15’s were not left wanting. For support to the backing track, the LSi15’s sounded tremendous. I liked the way the LSi15’s brought out the characteristics of the backing orchestra.

The centre channel sounded natural, particularly with Mel Gibsons voice. His voice has a real depth to it and it can be difficult for speakers to portray the tone, particularly in this movie. The LSi C presented it well, with full depth and body.

The surrounds were magnificent. Placement with direct radiating speakers is crucial, but once correctly placed you are well rewarded. Direct radiators may arguably not be as spacious as dipoles, but the LSi9’s did a remarkable job at adding depth. The Patriot is full of surround activity and while the LSi9’s were sharp as a pin for all the whiz-bang sounds they were equally adept at the subtle. Wind noise, distant explosions etc sounded perfect, they were there, but you couldn’t quite place them.

For multi-channel music, I turned to my recently acquired Queen DVD, We will Rock You in DTS. Freddie sounded marvellous, his voice is unique in its character and tone, and the LSi series rendered it with gusto.

There is some method to Polk’s madness when creating a series with essentially the same components, they all have the same “tone” and sound movement from one speaker to the other blended seamlessly.
When I was setting up my Home Theatre, speakers that weren’t “a big back box” were few and far between. If I was to start all over again, these would certainly satisfy the aesthetics factor as well as being sonically brilliant to listen to.

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