Polk LSiM speakers 58% - 67% off..

707's at 100-lbs. are quite large for many rooms. For most average rooms, the 705's will work just fine.

The same thing goes for the large RTiA9's, most could use the RTiA7's and be fine. A better match for that average size listening room. At $600 on sale for a pair, they are an excellent deal!

 

Larry, I'm with you on this post, I'm not sure what kind of look Polk was going for on these black speakers shown, possibly the utility look? Whatever it is, it's not very good.

 

My wife recently filed for divorce and she is NOT getting my 707's!!!

Of course, I'll have to move them, and put them in an apartment, and not be able to play 'em as loud, and...

 

I thought that they came up with a "different" look than they had before.

I do get the feeling that the new look will be their "signature" look for the immediate future.

It will be interesting to look at Polk's product line after the RTi and the LSiM's are a thing of the past.

Will they just become a Best Buy, mid-fi type of speaker line?

 

I think you are correct on this, since the SDA-SRS, SDA-CRS, SRS 3.1TL, Monitor 12, SDA-1C, SDA2 and other speakers in that time period, their perception simply fell off. I realize many people now look back on the SDA-SRS and in retrospect consider them a poor design with the connecting cable, but I really did enjoy mine and wish I had never sold them, as they really defined his speaker vision, and are most certainly a memorable part of Polk's serious designs. I sold a walnut and oak pair of the SDA-SRS to two of my best friends, wish I had them now, along with the JBL L- 300! I believe they really wanted to get back on the "serious speaker" designer list with the LSiM series of speakers, but never achieved their goal, too many inexpensive Best Buy models created after Matthew Polk's departure, however the LSiM has always been so underrated, I'm glad I finally did purchase the 703 and 707, thanks to your recommendations!


What a "cool" speaker, lots of music played on these!



This loudspeaker "might" be viewed as their flagship of all time, time will tell!

 

I think that time will surely tell that the LSiM series was their flagship speaker line. I doubt if the will ever try to duplicate it again.

The same thing will be true for the M-Series by Boston Acoustic's. I have that flagship line also.

I have a complete 5-channel set up. The M-350's for the Front, the M-340's for the rear and the M-Center.

They are like a smaller version of the LSiM series. In fact, I had been using the M-350's for my rear channel stereo and HT speaker's.

I have the LSiM large center channel speaker, so I have a matched front HT set.

The M-Series had been selling for fantastic prices after BA discontinued them. Some member's here did take advantage of those close out prices.

The M-Series is now long gone and the LSiM series is not far behind. Get a pair while you can!

 

You should know Polk Audio's internal nickname for the SDA-SRS speakers was the Singing Refrigerator Series.

I sold a pair of SRS. They sounded great, both in the store and in the customer's house. Set up in a home theater system, with all of Polk's best speakers of that era to complement the SRS, and driven by a ton of power, the system in the customer's house played very loud and cleanly. It was awesome.

Every time this thread is revived, I look at the bookshelf LSiM speakers and think I really should buy a pair. I have a pair of LSi 9 speakers that I just love as the mixdown monitors in my home studio but I'd love to hear what the LSiM 703 would sound like instead. At this price, it's hard to say no.

 

Just went for a pair of 703s! They will be replacing RTi A1s that I've had for 5 years and loved. From what I've read, seems like the Marantz PM5005 I'm using will be a little on the weak side but will hopefully get the job done for now (I have a small listening area).

 

I went from the RTi A1s to the 703s. Prepare to be extremely happy! Congratulations on the upgrade.

 

Your Marantz will be fine with the 703' as long as you are not trying to pressurize an auditorium.

 

I recently ordered a pair of the LSiM 707 speakers and the LSiM703 speakers. One of the 703s had some very small cosmetic abnormalities that were a factory problem. It took some time to get this resolved, but all looks good, as a new one will hopefully be on it's way to me. In talking to the people in Baltimore at Polk Audio, I was told the LSiM series of speakers will have one final manufacturing run in the next two weeks to a month and it's a DONE DEAL, the series will be a discontinued series. The rep I spoke with owns a pair of the 703s and 707s, just like me. He is as high on these loudspeakers as I am. We both believe this series of Polk loudspeakers is truly their crowning glory. He went on to say, if I think they sound good now, just wait 60 hours of break in for the magic to happen! I just wanted people to know just how good this series of Polk speakers truly is. If you are like me and have waited and waited, DON'T wait too much longer, as they are now in their LAST production run, and the rep did not tell me how many of each series is in the last run, but after this run, the LSiM series is history. If you are looking for a magnificent bookshelf speaker, "if you want to call it a bookshelf speaker" now is the time to get your 703.
I would really not classify the 703 as a standard bookshelf speaker, as it is large, robust and you will need a well built cabinet, and that applies to stands as well, you will need a sturdy stand with a large platform. If you want a magnificent floor stander, then the 705 or 707 will be your choice. Now is the time for you to find your deal or forever hold your peace! I trust that brings everyone up to date on a great piece of Polk's history.

 

Have you received the 703s?

 

Yes, got got them set up yesterday morning! They look great. I don’t have them on stands yet and I have them too close to the wall and I’ve only used them for maybe 8 hours. Despite all that, I think they sound pretty great. Definitely more bass on these vs. RTi A1s. I’m looking forward to a lot of listening with these.

Do you have any recommendations for good stands for the 703s? Seems like they will need a hefty platform.

 

@snowwhat - I know there are a lot of stand threads around. I’d look to those. Mine are currently on junk stands and I need to deal with that issue as well!

 

After all the glowing reviews I finally ordered a pair of 703s. I have had them for about a week now, but have only used them about 8 hours.

I purchased the midnight mahogany cabinets, if I were to do it again I would order the cherry finish instead. The cabinets are not unattractive, but they don't really stand out either, and the power port gives them an odd semi-profile. If your room is really bright you can see the burgundy(?) color. But in a normal to low light environment they look solid black. I think the Cherry finish would create a much more attractive contrast.

The sound character is very different from the Polk's I have owned in the past, which is a good thing! But I think I need to break them in a bit before I really start to judge them.

They were double boxed and arrived in really good condition. I didn't notice any flaws or defects of any kind. The only issues they had was there was still some polishing compound that needed to be wiped off, and the enamel smell was quite strong for the first day. So no real issues.

Right now they are on temporary stands (Pyle Dual Studio Monitor 2). The stands are currently set to 30 inches tall. With the tweeter in middle, the 703 requires taller stands than most speakers this size. My B&W stands for example are 24 inches tall. So placing the speakers on most stands or end tables won't elevate them to the correct height; the manual calls for 30"-36" stands. With the speaker weighing 30lbs and the tapered shape of the speaker, finding good cheap attractive stands may be a little more difficult than usual. I am always disappointed when manufacturers do not make matching stands available for their speakers.

 

@snowwhat - update?

 

Why not go to Lowes or Home Depot and get some cheap lumber and build your own, I think I had $45.00 in these including the sand I filled them with. You can then make the base the exact size you need, and filling them with sand makes them dead as a hammer, and solid for a heavy speaker like the 703!

 

About a week in, and I think they sound really great! They seem a lot fuller and more detailed than the RTi A1s I had (not a surprise I guess!). They really sound great. I put on an old McMaster Blue Note CD yesterday and I couldn't believe how good it sounded.

Still no stands, and I may be awhile until I get there since I may be moving again soon and I'd prefer not to move a bunch of sand/etc. in addition to all the other stuff I have.

@Litejazz53 I wish I could build my own stands but I don't have the facilities.

 

Well after a month, I decided to return the 703s.

They are nice bookshelf speakers, and for the $600 I paid for them; they are a very good deal. But they are not giant killers. The imaging is quite good. But the sound is too laid back for my taste. I prefer to listen to music at moderate levels and that is not this speakers forte. It reminds me of the Elac UB5s, in that there was a definite volume sweet spot. The Polks have a much (and I mean MUCH) bigger sweet spot, but it is still louder than I prefer most of the time.

I purchased the 703s to possibly replace my old B&W CDM1NTs. While I did like the 703s on there own, in a side by side comparison I greatly preferred the B&W sound. The B&W was like standing in front of the stage, where as the Polk was at the back in the crowd. The sound, especially at moderate volumes was not very engaging. Of course a great deal of my impression is tempered by what I already have and the expectations that creates. But I would be listening to an Album or HR tracks and feel like things were missing. Or often I would have an, "is that it?" reaction. If on the other hand trumpets make the hair on your neck stand up or fender squeaks make your teeth ache, you will love these speakers. They seem incapable of making harsh sounds at socially acceptable volumes. You can still hear detail, but it is very laid back.

The B&Ws do not go as low as the Polks, but a subwoofer fills in the B&Ws shortcoming where as I have no good way to liven up the Polks, short of sheer volume. The sound was definitely not fatiguing, but I experience zero fatigue listening to my Tannoy and B&W speakers, and seldom experienced fatigue with even the Klipsh speakers I do and have owned. YMMV.

 

Will a Yamaha R-N803 be able to do these justice, also how big of an upgrade are they from a set of B&W 602

 

Now 70% off the 705's @ $450 each. Crazy price.
https://www.adorama.com/pklsim705b.html?emailprice=t

 

That's because Polk is coming out with a new model line to replace the LSiM. The North American announcement will be at Rocky Mountain.

 

Interesting. I wish I had a spare room for another pair of these at this price.

 

Plus there’s a $100 rebate on each speaker through Slickdeals, so tempting!