I drive my 707's with an Emotiva XPA-2, generation one, 250-Watt power amp. You should not have an issue. BTW... they sound very nice with SS amplification.
Well let's just hope there won't be any need to test Polk's customer support, however good or bad. Really looking forward to hearing the LSiM series - my experience having been limited to the RTi line, with which I've been pleased so far. The slightly softer emphasis of the upper registers of the M series (compared to the RTi line as F1nut has opined in the past) would be better suited to the hard reflective surfaces of the room they're going to be used in.
I think the ring radiator of the 705's has a lot to do with that. I thoroughly enjoyed the RTiA9's. They might have been a bit brighter on top, in general, but not overly so. Adding, I don't do brightness well. The LSiM are a completely different line, drivers and everything else is different. Far more refined and extended sounding. very smooth and more laid back that the RTI's which have a more forward sound. Seriously, you won't think that they are Polk's.
I wanted to comment on the LSiM center channel speaker's. The images on the 1st page of this thread are not that large, with the center channel speakers, which are shown of the right side of the page. Polk Audio LSiM704c Center Channel Speaker in Midnight Mahogany: $250 each (67% off the regular price of $750) See specs and complete details on the LSiM704c here. This is a really nice center channel speaker for only $250! I have the larger of the two center channel speaker's, the LSiM706c and I wanted to point out how large it is and how much it weighs. The large center channel for the LSiM series is almost 29" wide and weighs just over 42-lbs! It was two inches to high to fit, so I was using my old center. Below is the LSiM series center channel speaker. This thing is huge and is normally a $1,200 speaker, that you can pick right now for $500. But the LAiM704c at $250 is a nice buy.
Wow, that was fast! Ordered yesterday and my new 707's are now sitting in my basement today! I need to unbox, set up and start breaking 'em in when I get home from work.
Finally home and hooked up! First impression - I don't need my sub-woofer anymore and they sound MUCH better than my old fronts (RBH R55Ti's)! Of course, they should too - given the price and quality difference. Thing is, this is only after, uh, 10-minutes of low level listening. I also have a 32' x 16' listening area so I need speakers with Umph. Trouble is, wifey is sleeping now and I can't give them any real juice. Aargh!!! Early in though, I'm super pleased - I like smoooth, not harsh, speakers and these fit the bill. They keep sounding better too. Not sure what they'll be like after they "break in" a bit, but I'm optimistic this will keep getting better. Tomorrow I will push them more and see what they really can do. What a buy!
What do you think of the build quality? I was really impressed at how they look and how they are built, your opinion? They are really solid and there appearance does not even suggest that they are a Polk speaker, IMO?
Grabbed a pair of the mahogany 703s Weds night to use primarily for 2.0 listening. Will replace my Boston VR1 floorstanders in the living room. Thanks for posting this awesome deal and thoughts on the LSiM line. Should be here middle of next week, super stoked. UPS be gentle!
Fantastic! Nearly flawless from what I can see so far. And despite some reports, the grills are not as "flimsy" as I expected. I like the use of magnets rather than pins that can break off or scratch the surface. These 707's are SOLID. Glad my son was around to help me bring 'em down to the listening area. Can't wait to get home, grab a nice drink and start some serious listening!
The RTi's are great speakers and they are covered with a real cherry wood veneer. I doubt that you can find any other speaker out there that can match them for $600/pr!
Well gents, sorry to say the LSiM705 didn't do it for me and next week, they are getting returned. Except for very deep bass response, the Bostons sounded far better to my ears in every way, especially in the ability to cast a broad soundstage whereby the speakers tend to "disappear" into the field. With the 705s however, the sound was clearly emanating from those tall & narrow rectangles. I also found the 705s tended to exhibit a slight "nasal" character that I didn't care for, whereas with the Bostons, the response sounded was much more even into the upper frequencies without the upper end drop off of the 705s. In some ways the 705s even reminded me of some horns I've experienced except the bass was far more resounding in the Polks than any horns ever were that I've heard. Just to be completely fair, I decided to re-open the Bostons (which I had just repacked for storage) and directly compare head-to-head directly against the 705s. Through the use of two separate amplifiers - a McIntosh MC2505 and MC240, I carefully calibrated the amplfiers so that each pair of speakers were matched at exactly the same volume level- or at least as close as can be done by ear. (I had previously reported on this and other forums my experimentation between these two amplifiers that they are virtually indistinguishable from one another after a battery of comparative subjective listening tests - not only to my satisfaction but among a number of other listeners). After everything was set up, I started over all over again, and again, my initial impressions were confirmed: In terms of overall performance, the Polks simply couldn't hold a candle to the Bostons, in tonal quality and especially the ability to throw the widest soundstage. This afternoon I invited a friend over (who, due to me, I think is beginning to become affected by the "audiophile bug"). I asked him to keep his eyes shut while I switched between the two pairs of speakers by instantly shutting off one pair while simultaneously turning on the other pair using both hands on either amplifier. All I asked is which pair he preferred. After we began with a few selections of rock and hip-hop (his choice, not mine) he genuinely could not decide which he liked better. I had the feeling he was mainly paying closest attention to the bass line since bass is the most important part of the music to him. Next we moved on to some medieval type music which doesn't have much bass content so he would better be able to gauge the midrange areas which is more important in classical. Here, he began to show a slight preference to the T1000s. Finally, I pulled out my "reference CD" a compilation of overtures by Franz von Suppe' which I consider to be one of the finest recordings in my music collection. Loading the disc, track 1 "The Light Calvary Overture" began to play. Here's the best recording for demonstrating the total performance of a speaker's abilities - bass, midrange, presence and broadness & depth of soundstage. Here we absolutely agreed the Bostons won hands down beyond dispute. While the Bostons sparkled with musical realism, sadly, the Polks just sat there, dull, lifeless and confined. It is such a shame as considering all the technological development that went into the 705s, I was expecting great things. Unfortunately, and to my utter amazement and disbelief, it did not happen. Lastly, I wasn't crazy about the 705's finish which had the feel of something "a bit smoother than sandpaper" with a slightly matte shine. It looked like real wood at a distance but not nearly as rich as the genuine thing on the RTiA line. So there it is folks. This is my honest appraisal, for whatever it may be worth. It is not to disparage the LSiM707/705 or anybody's auditory sensibilities for choosing/enjoying them but unfortunately they just didn't do it for me. Ironically, in addition to the Bostons, I also own pairs of the RTiA7 & RTiA9 both of which I consider excellent performers. Incidentally, my friend also asked to hear the RTiA7 alone (without the Snell J7 and RTiA9) in my main system (with 3 pairs of speakers). He liked the RTi A7s even more than either the Boston T1000s or the 705s. So impressed with them, he just ordered a pair today - in cherry veneer.
62caddy Glad to hear the rti a7s were preferred in your lil sound experiment as i probably would never get to audition the different models and it's very difficult to even find any place to "audition" speakers in todays world . Glad i picked a good pair. Thanks for your audition n opinion
On the Mount Vernon Cherry finish on the LSiM line. years ago, I looked at it and it had a certain look that was attributed to a clearcoat applied over top of the cherry veneer, unlike the RTi series. It was @F1nut who, in a earlier post a couple of years back, provided an explanation for this particular look. The wood on the LSiM line is not real cherry wood, like it is on the RTi line, but wood from some tree that is local to China, where they are produced. The "cherry" look is a dye in the clearcoat finish. Mine are the dark color and look black, for all practical purposes. I am very fond of my RTiA9's and never had any issues with their sound quality for either HT or stereo. And, you can crank up the RTiA9's and they will really fill a large volume room. Because the large LSiM center channel speaker is too tall to fit under my TV, I continued to use the CSiA6 center channel speaker, from the RTi line and it sounds excellent, driven by a 250-Watt mono 1st Generation Emotiva SS power amplifier. I do find that the quality of the drivers in the LSiM series is noticeably better than the driver's which are used in the LSiM line. I have Boston Acoustic M-350's which were BA's flagship speakers and I think they are excellent, all the way around and have spoken very favorably about them on the forum. At the end, I was using the M-350's for my rear stereo and HT channels. They remind me of smaller versions of the LSiM's, more "WAF", due to their more compact size and flawless piano glass finish. For their size, they play louder and cleaner than they have any right to. This is a photo from a few years back. The M-350's are the inside pair, next to the TV. There are a pair of Peachtree/Era D3's sitting on top of them. They just are not large enough to pressurize a room the way that the RTiA9's or the LSiM707's can. Sorry that they did not work out for you. As I wrote this post, I realized that there is a reason for it. You are driving them with both an under powered amplifier and a tube amplifier. Neither of which are going to work with the LSiM707's. I had a dozen tube amplifier's of all types and sizes. I am very fond of tube amplification. But, I would not run the LSiM707's with a tube amp. I ran mine with a 72-lb., 250-Watt (into 8-Ohms) Emotiva, generation one, power amp. This beast of an amp has serious power a serious power supply and it is SS. That is what you need to drive the LSiM707's.
Yeah, I think the combination of not allowing enough break-in time, and perhaps not enough power, may have contributed to your dissatisfaction 62caddy. Of course, it also just might be that you prefer a more upfront and in your face presentation. The LSiM 705s are not really that kind of speaker. At first, I wondered if they were too laid back in the treble region, but then I would put on a really well mastered lp, and they sounded great. It also took me a little while to appreciate that they are smoother and more sophisticated sounding (for lack of a better term) than other, lesser speakers I've owned. Also, they did open up some after a couple of hundred hours of use.
SandandGlass brings up an excellent point, neither of those amps has enough ummmph to properly drive the 705's.
Don't run them with tube amps... If you do, you will need something like a Rogue Cronus Magnum or the large Rogue monoblock's. Still, I would not see the point. They are not voiced with tube amps, they are voiced to run with powerful SS amps. So rather than run them with any tube amp, just run them with a powerful SS amp that has a LARGE power supply.
Wow, those Boston T1000's must be spectacular as I am flat-out loving my 707's. They sound better and better as a I put more hours on 'em too. Finally got a chance to crank them up too - clear, smooth, and not a hint of composure loss. In fact, I didn't realize how loud I was even running them until I went up a couple of floors and could still hear them playing clear as day in my basement listening area. The ringing in my ears also told me it was time to bring 'em back down to a lower listening level.
