comparison ar9 vs. ar9lsi - quick response appreciated..!

[kkc]

I have a choice of either buying an ar9lsi or an ar9. Because of distance I cannot audition the speakers - different locations and pretty far.

Can anyone tell me what the differences are in sound etc?

Thanks in advance.

[dingus]

take it with a grain of salt because i am biased, but the only reason in my mind for taking the lsi version is if your room does not allow for proper side clearance needed for the AR9. also the lsi is not bi-ampable.

[Diamonds&Rust]

Back just after the Earth cooled I spent a lot of time in front of a pair of AR9LS and my pair of AR9s. Bizarrely, this friend was living in a house I had moved out of, so the speakers were in the same room as mine had been... in the same spots.

Notice they were not the LSi, just LS.

If the AR9's bass was incredibly articulate, the 9LS was just as deep, but didn't speak as clearly and did not have quite the same effortlessness about them. They sounded like they were having to try to rattle the windows.

The LS imaged a lot better, not only in "depth of the image" but also seemed to be better dispersed. And MUCH more forward and less "laid-back" than my 9s.

The LS were "punchier" by a mile. But when they played a pipe organ pedal tone they sounded like they were having a hard time. Could it have been an amplifier issue? I suppose, but my uncle's would similarly "shake stuff" without the note sound like anything. He was so proud of those... showed off for me - Berlioz Requiem, Telarc... he turned it up way too loud for the room we were in and, yeah, they shook stuff.

The 9LS were also really glaringly, really offensively, truly annoyingly honky and nasal and... YUCK. I thought it was the poly midrange and put the blame there, but I suspect it was just a bump in the crossover that they fixed with the LSi version.

Best of all worlds? (I'm guessing of course) The sound of the dual woofers in the original 9s with the tweeter/mid plate and upper crossover of the 9LSi.

Both have their impressive points and both have their weaknesses. If you are mostly interested in "inner detail" and perhaps a little less (memory is a horrible thing to trust...) downward pull on harmonics (uh, I mean that female voice is less testosterone laden) then get the LSi.

If you are mostly interested in last octave "authority" and "effortlessness" if upright bass, John Bonham's kick drum at 110db, or really big pipe organ pipes you almost can't hear, get the 9s. Either is capable of endangering the objects de artsy stuff on your shelves. Either is capable of doing justice to The Chicago Symphony or Pink Floyd - the 9LSi may be a little better if you're listening to Sarah Brightman or Crosby, Stills, and Nash.

The 9s cost a fortune to put new caps in.

Again, I'm assuming the annoyance was cleared-up with the "i" version. I really did not enjoy listening to the LS version.

So I'm *guessing* at what the LSi version sounded like after the "ieeeeeee!" factor was removed.

Sorry, that's the best I can do, but since you didn't get many responses, I thought I'd throw in what I could remember.

Bret

I have a choice of either buying an ar9lsi or an ar9. Because of distance I cannot audition the speakers - different locations and pretty far.

Can anyone tell me what the differences are in sound etc?

Thanks in advance.

[kkc]

Bret, Dingus.... thanks very muzch indeed for sharing your experiences. It is a great help. Rgds.

[Guest Pacer]

I was looking to buy a pair of AR9 LSI's but came upon a pair of AR9's that were refurbished with new woofer and lower mids surrounds and new capacitors at an attractive price and bought them. I am a big fan of bass response in a speaker system and these are terrific. The 9's do not seem to have a lot of mid and upper level acoustic dispersion and this is probably because of the acoustic blanket ( a thick, black wool composite sound absorbing material around the upper three speakers). Perhaps the 9's are designed for larger rooms because lord nows they play loud if properly amped. Have not heard the LSi's but from what I have read they are easier to place in most rooms and do not have the acoustic blanket. I have chosen to leave the acoustic blanket intact as removing it will reduce the value of the speakers and I plan on a bigger place someday. Don't think you will go wrong with either choice. Pacer