Polk Audio LSi9

Bookshelf speakers

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Item# 107LSI9C

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Polk Audio LSi M 703
$749.99

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Accessories

Our take on the Polk Audio LSi9

by Julie Govan

Enjoy engaging sound from these carefully crafted bookshelf speakers

Crisp classical music — check. Complex and layered jazz — got it. High-energy rock, vibrant R&B, lifelike country — no problem! That's because the Polk LSi9s are a part of the critically acclaimed LSi series — a line of speakers that's surprised audio reviewers and audiophiles alike with superb design and powerful, true-to-life sound reproduction. The LSi9 bookshelf speakers are a marvelous way to enjoy incredibly open, beautifully full, and above all, natural sound from a compact cabinet. After all, not everyone who loves great audio has the space (or budget) needed to fill a room with tower speakers.

Clear highs and smooth mids

Polk's Ring Radiator tweeter produces crystal-clear highs.

From the 1" Ring Radiator tweeter you'll get the crystalline, transparent highs that give precision to music and home theater. Careful cabinet design and dual 5-1/4" drivers round out lower-end sound very nicely. Other innovations — an anti-diffraction grille for spacious, accurate imaging, ARC Ports for controlling cabinet resonances, and a Power Port for reinforcing bass — team up to bring you a deep, realistic soundstage. A Soundstage! review of April 2002 noted of the LSi9, "Both [its midrange and bass] were full — impressively full for such a small speaker — and smooth. . . . Not only is it an exceedingly refined, first-class performer, it has specific sound qualities that make it stand out in its price class."

An inside look at Polk's thoughtful speaker design.

Great for home theater or stereo music setups

With this extraordinary aptitude for rendering stereo music with stunning precision, the LSi9 will shine in a multichannel home theater setup as well. Use an LSi9 pair as front left and right speakers in a small setup, or surrounds in a large one. 2 pairs of 5-way, gold-plated binding post terminals let you biwire or biamp your speakers.

Recommended center channel speaker: Polk LSiC.
Recommended surround speakers: Polk LSi7, LSi9 or LSiFX.

Read our in-depth review of Polk's LSi9 speakers.

Highlights:

video-shielded
bass-reflex
frequency response 50-26,000 Hz (-3dB)
4-ohm impedance; these speakers must be powered using high-current amplification
sensitivity 88 dB
handles up to 200 watts
dual 5-way, gold-plated binding post terminals
real wood veneer
8-5/8"W x 14-15/16"H x 15-1/4"D
warranty: 5 years
Our 60-day money-back guarantee

Priced per pair

Hands-on research from the Crutchfield Labs (what are the Labs?)

Features and specs chart | What’s in the box? | In-depth notes

Features and Specs


Enclosure Loading...	Bass Reflex
Video Shielded Loading...	Yes
Tweeter Loading...	Ring Radiator
Midrange size (inches) Loading...	N/A
Woofer size (inches) Loading...	5-1/4
Woofer Composition Loading...	Aerated poly
Woofer Surround Loading...	Rubber
Power Range Loading...	20-200
Sensitivity Loading...	88 dB
Impedance (Ohms) Loading...	4
Frequency Response Loading...	50-26k Hz
Connector Type Loading...	5-way post
Bi-amp Inputs Loading...	Yes
Height (inches) Loading...	14-15/16
Width (inches) Loading...	8-5/8
Depth (inches) Loading...	15-1/4
Weight (pounds) Loading...	---
Mounting Bracket Included Loading...	No
Recommended Stand Height (inches) Loading...	24-26
Parts Warranty Loading...	5 Years
Labor Warranty Loading...	5 Years

Product Research

What's in the box?

Download owner's manual

2 Cherry bookshelf speakers
8 Self-adhesive rubber feet
Owner's Manual
Product Registration Card
"Register Online" sheet

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team — they open the box, verify contents, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.

Driver Technology
Enclosure Design
Connections

Driver Technology

Dynamic Balance: Dynamic Balance is a proprietary Polk Audio technology using laser imaging to determine what combination of speaker materials create the least amount of resonance. Eliminating resonance in speakers results in a wide, smooth response and low distortion.

Aerated Polypropylene Woofers: Each speaker uses an Aerated Polypropylene woofer cone for wide response and low distortion. For superior durability, the woofers use rubber surrounds.

1" Ring Radiator Tweeters: Each speaker features a 1" Ring Radiator tweeter for crisp, transparent highs. The ultra-light woven Ring Radiator Diaphragm delivers flat response, precise detail and overall accuracy. A High Frequency Waveguide prevents phase cancellations for smooth, uniform frequency response and wide dispersion. A Low Frequency Waveguide promotes laminar airflow between chambers to prevent air turbulence. This feature serves the same function as Power Port for Polk's bass systems.

Cast Aluminum Driver Baskets: Cast aluminum driver baskets resist flexing and "ringing" for ultra-tight bass and coloration-free midrange.

Cascade Tapered Crossovers: The Cascade Tapered Crossover array in each speaker ensures flat midrange response and improves imaging focus, and depth. One driver is crossed over much lower in frequency and is in essence a bass-only driver. Only one driver plays the upper midrange frequency range thereby eliminating the interference effects between the two drivers. This gives you the dynamic impact of double drivers with the accuracy and life-like imaging of a single driver system.

Frequency Response Note: The overall frequency response is 38Hz-27kHz and the -3dB frequency response is 50-26kHz.

Enclosure Design

Acoustic Resonance Control (ARC): Internal cabinet resonance can impart a "thick" character to voices. Polk's patented Acoustic Resonance Control port system overcomes this problem. In addition to the Power Port venting system, each speaker has a front-firing port that is tuned to suppress the internal cabinet resonance, resulting in smooth, natural midrange reproduction.

Low-diffraction Grilles: The speakers employ open architecture low-diffraction grilles for spacious imaging.

Power Port Venting System: Each speaker has a rear-firing Power Port venting system built into its back plate for precise deep bass response. This venting system allows air velocity to slow gradually, vastly reducing air turbulence, and delivering greater bass efficiency than conventional ports.

Connections

Dual 5-Way Binding Posts: Each speaker has two sets of gold-plated 5-way binding posts connected by gold-plated jumpers. Using the dual 5-way binding posts, you can bi-amp or bi-wire the speakers.

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1-10 of 19 items >> Sort Results By: Date Reviewed | Rating | Helpfulness

5 out of 5

great speakers, great purchase

Written By Tim, Colorado Springs, CO on Friday, September 10, 2010

I've had these speakers for two years now and have been very impressed. I have two LSi-9s for my fronts, LSi-C for the center and two LSi-7s for the rears and a Polk PSW-1000 subwoofer. It is all powered by an Onkyo TX-SR806 7.1 receiver. I have Monster heavy-guage (10 guage?) speaker wire and all monster cables. My LSi-C and LSi-7s are bi-wired and my LSi-9s are bi-amped.
I listen to a lot of music, including SACD and DVD-Audio. I have tried the LSi-9s both bi-wired and bi-amped and either way, they sound great for what are supposed to be bookshelf speakers. In listening to stereo SACD tracks with the speakers bi-amped, the clarity borders on freightening. Even with standard CDs, I routinely pick up details I miss with an inferior system.
Some people try to compare the bass response to that of tower speakers (with large powered woofers), but the bass is VERY good for bookshelf speakers. If your main use is for surround sound, you should have a subwoofer anyway and towers would be a waste of money. I use my subwoofer with stereo sources, but even without the subwoofer, they sound great. For what it's worth, I was toying with splurging on LSi-25s for my fronts so that I could use them for stereo, without the subwoofer. I actaully had a Polk technical rep ADVISE AGAINST IT, saying that the LSi-9s with my PSW-1000 sub give better sound!
Bottom line, the LSi-9s are a great buy and great performers for the size and cost.

1 out of 1 people found this helpful