Sunday, December 25, 2011
Q. I’m buying a new home-theater system and need wall-mounted bookshelf speakers. I’ve seen you speak highly of both the Polk Audio LSi9 and Axiom Audio M22 speakers. Are there significant differences?
L.M., Minneapolis
A. Both are great choices but there are indeed significant differences between the Polk and Axiom models.
The Polk LSi9 speakers are big, heavy and very finely crafted with real wood side panels. They are rated at 4-ohms and as such require a powerful receiver. With proper amplification, the sound is sublime, with a rich tonal palette rendered with lots of fine detail and perfect balance.
The LSi9 was recently discontinued and replaced by a new, higher-end model that I have yet to review, the $1,500/pair LsiM. You can now find the LSi9 on clearance for $699/pair vs. the $999/pair MSRP. This is a truly wonderful deal, but if you are building a whole surround system the matching LSiFX surrounds and LSiC center channel are $999 and $559, respectively. That puts you around $2,300 before you have purchased a subwoofer and a beefy $1,000-plus receiver to drive the five 4-ohm speakers.
If you are willing to spend the money I am sure you will be thrilled, but be advised that to get the sound they are capable of will require an expensive receiver and very substantial wall mounts to support the LSi9’s weight of 33lbs/each. Given their weight I usually recommend stands vs. wall mounts for these speakers. Get more details at www.polkaudio.com.
The $498/pair Axiom Audio M22 is in its third version, the M22v3. I recently tested its smaller stablemate the M3v3 and found them to be a noticeable improvement over their predecessors, which were no slouches to begin with.
Axiom speakers have always been extremely transparent, dynamic and detailed, bringing out sounds you never knew existed in your recordings. This tremendous clarity has led some to comment that Axioms can sound bright at times. The new v3 models preserve Axiom’s best qualities while adding even more detail to smoother sound, along with a touch of warmth that will end comments that Axioms sound bright.
At 8-ohms they are easy to drive with even a very modest receiver and the Axiom QS4 surround speakers are one of the best-designed speakers of its kind. You can get an entire Axiom M22v3 home-theater system with a powered subwoofer for as little as $1839 delivered. They can be customized in many different simulated and real wood finishes and a variety of grills, which make them easy to match to any dZcor. Learn more at www.axiomaudio.com.
Armed with the information I have provided, I suggest you visit both websites and take a look. You won’t go wrong either way.
Contact Don Lindich at www.soundadviceblog.com and use the “submit question” link on that site.
2011, McClatchy-Tribune News Service
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