Polk Audio LSi 15 - are these the REAL DEAL ???

AudioKicks, take that money you saved on the speakers and buy the best electronics you can afford for them. Every single upgrade you do from now on, you'll hear with those speakers. As for people laughing at you, pay no attention, or better yet...if it still bugs you let them come over for an audition.

My Uncle owns $8k Oskar Kithra's with Blue Circle amplification and Sony ES source, his jaw dropped when he heard my modest setup with those speakers, the speakers are actually the cheapest part of my equation, but he stuttured the words Polk, a few times. Even a few dealers that have heard them don't deny there a stunning value, its that stimga which makes them hard to sell, that and the fact that some yahoo could come walking over from Circuit City and ask for a crazy discount.

YBA Passion
SimAudio i-7
Classe CAP 151
Portal Panache
Blue Circle N series

among others

audiokicks - It's funny you mention SimAudio because I use one of their intergrateds to drive the LSi9's and a buddy I know online uses a W-3 with Anthem pre with great results...but hearing and audio is subjective, I wish you luck

I talked with one of the heads at Polk Audio, off the record. In Canada at least, they had presented the entire line to many independants. The number 1 response given upon listening? "These are great speakers, tremendous value...but if I carry these, B&W will yank there line from my store". Politics play a big part. It could be considered Polk Audio's own fault when they decided to sell more downstream and leave many independants out to hang many years ago with the SDA's.

What amp and source are you currently driving your speakers with audiokicks?

I own the Polk Audio LSi9's and use them with a JW modded Museatex DAC and transport, with decent amplification they can do things that many other speakers in their price point simply cannot. They do tend to shock people when you listen to them. From what I understand Polk Audio tried really hard to bring back an "Audiophile" speaker trying to appeal to a forgotten market when they shifted more downmarket.

The reason their such a secret imho has more to do with distribution networks and not really quality of speaker. Most of the dealers that carry these speakers focus on price rather then quality and usually don't have the quality electronics to really show people what their capable of. I have heard from a person in the industry that remarked the LSi15's embarrassed a number of higher end offerings from B&W, Krell and Thiel 3yrs ago at CES. During that demo I think the LSi's were using all Ayre electronics. Again not the kind of electronic's you'd find at most dealers showrooms who carry Polk Audio.