telescope et al:
in fairness, i didn't hear the lsi15s coupled with top-flight electronics--my recollection is they were auditioned with a yamaha avr; i've also heard them with a low-to-middlin nad integrated. it could very well be that (unlike focal, paradigm, rega and other personal faves) the polks are particularly sensitive to the front end and that they could sound completely different with a high quality amp. now, coincidentally, i was shopping at fry's electronics last week and i briefly heard the polk lsi7s and lsi9s, which were powered by a generic avr playing a dvda. the lsi7s were quite good--open, detailed--while the larger, more expensive lsi9s sounded awful. front end synergy is undoubtedly important. ergo, the only reliable indicator of what would sound "better" in the op's system would, of course be, to pair the speaker to the op's system.
in fairness, i didn't hear the lsi15s coupled with top-flight electronics--my recollection is they were auditioned with a yamaha avr; i've also heard them with a low-to-middlin nad integrated. it could very well be that (unlike focal, paradigm, rega and other personal faves) the polks are particularly sensitive to the front end and that they could sound completely different with a high quality amp. now, coincidentally, i was shopping at fry's electronics last week and i briefly heard the polk lsi7s and lsi9s, which were powered by a generic avr playing a dvda. the lsi7s were quite good--open, detailed--while the larger, more expensive lsi9s sounded awful. front end synergy is undoubtedly important. ergo, the only reliable indicator of what would sound "better" in the op's system would, of course be, to pair the speaker to the op's system.