Polk Audio LSiM703 Bookshelf Loudspeaker, 36Hz-40kHz, Pair, Mt. Vernon Cherry

2021-06-24T13:01:55

Smooth rich sound. Works great for my desktop setup listening to Qobuz.

JERRY E.

2020-07-22T18:04:00

These bookshelves can deliver pretty deep bass for the size.

RANDY U.

2020-03-19T20:00:00

It is beyond my non-engineer background how Polk can obtain the sound these "bookshelf" speakers can produce. I am replacing my old PSW 100 sub soon. Pulled these out of the best packaging I have ever seen, love the cloth shroud and thick styro at. al. Next hooked them up to older Sony ES amp and ES disc changer and immediately was so happy I ordered direct and paid half the big box store price. Surprisingly punchy bass and mids for an enclosure, absolutely beautiful midnight black, and crisp highs. My brother bought a pair of Elac towers and these sound better than those. Cannot wait to pair them with a newer sub, not sure which Polk I will purchase, but likely a 10" or 12"(large 25' x 15' great room). Kudos to your engineering team and I await my newest sound experience. Oh! I may need another pair before they are gone and some quality stands so my guest can see what they are hearing!!!

MikeAppState82

Originally posted at

2020-02-12T18:05:40

Admittedly I'm a high-end-audio neophyte, but coming from garage-sale speakers to these, coupled with a capable amp and DAC, I'm consistently stunned. I'm hearing bass lines I'd never heard before, and the timber and resolution that comes from any vocal song I push at it never fails to wow me. Being in a choir myself, I know what it sounds like near and among singers, and I've never heard such fidelity before in my life. I can't speak for other brands at this time, but I certainly have a new-found respect for Polk Audio.

Nick W.

2020-02-10T11:09:49

DIsappointed. Very small soundstage - it doesn't go much farther than the physical cabinets; these speakers do not disappear. Decent center image. I did try several different speaker placements with them (As much as possible, but the sound didn't change much). Bass extension is good. Sound is actually well balanced from top to bottom. Good range for a "bookshelf" speaker. Details are somewhat reclusive though. I've heard of them being described as "polite" and I guess that's what is unappealing to me about them. The sound is kind of laid back overall. Possible that they'd pair better with bright sounding electronics behind them? These are definitely not "bookshelf" speakers but I would refer to them as stand-mount speakers. Mt. Vernon cherry looks lighter in direct sunlight, almost too light for me. The fit and the finish is very good, though, and the cabinets are inert when you rap your knuckles on them. These are quite heavy so not too easy for me to move compared to other "bookshelf" speakers.

Victor P.

2020-02-02T07:08:00

Great speakers, I got a pair of this and each speaker is best thing I ever bought

HAN L.

2020-02-02T07:07:13

This speaker is good and it has exceptional 3-way woofers and tweeter. Beautiful design and quality will make you happy

HAN L.

2019-12-30T19:00:00

I have Def Tech, Acoustic Research, Klipsch, Sonance, Elac, Yamaha (all the top end models of each brand), and these speakers "SMOKE" them all! Was hesitant as I bought some low end POLK for my son to play around with, took a chance on these versus SONUS FABER, and couldn't be happier. Truly a beautiful peace of sonic engineering.

SeanM

Originally posted at

2019-12-23T09:08:29

Let me first preface my review by saying this is the most expensive piece of audio equipment I have ever regularly used. My second and third being a decent 5.1 home theater kit at my parents place and a set of Sony WH-1000XM3 noise cancelling headphones. The Polk speakers sound markedly better than my 5.1 system and give the subwoofer a run for its money when on the floor. Just comparing the stereo speakers, the Polk make what I can only describe as a wall of sound that, when sitting in the correct place, envelops you more immersively than any other speakers I use. The Polk sound better in every way. Comparing the Polk to my headphones is interesting because the two emphasise different parts of music. The biggest place where the Polk win is in reproducing distinct sounds. Where the headphones mix deep sounds, the Polk makes it clear the difference between a rumbling roll of base and a less pronounced beat of a drum. I like both in different ways, but the Polk win in clarity and separation.

Bryce N.

2019-12-16T07:10:05

Great speaker

Charles S.

2019-11-27T08:11:48

I was looking for a pair of high end bookshelf speakers to replace my andrew jones pioneer fs52 towers as my front L/R in my 7.1 hometheater for a few months before buying these. I enjoyed the FS52s for a time but they lacked true high end performance especially in music. I spent time looking at options from klipsch (RP 600M), KEF Q350s and SVS ultras but came across these speakers on sale for 450 a pair. After doing my research I felt like I should at least give these a try and I have not been disappointed. Honestly they have breathtaking sound. They have an excellent high end and midrange but lack significant bass presence.The lack of bass could be that I am running them on a budget AV receiver that only outputs 100 watts per channel or it could be that I'm used to a dedicated subwoofer. Either way it doesnt matter because I have them crossed over at 60 Hz and I let my SVS PB2000 take over the low end. With a sub I think it would be hard to find a better speaker for the price.

Mitchell H.

2019-11-26T16:49:11

Love these speakers. And for $ a pai....i bought two pairs. And three pairs of the 702's for when i do my 9.2.4 system.

steven t.

2019-11-20T07:13:40

Wonderful speakers!! Absolutely beautiful physically and sound-wise. They took a couple of weeks to break in, which I've never really believed in though. They smoothed out and the bass increased. Wonderfully detailed sound excellent imaging. These are the biggest bookshelf speakers I have ever seen also.

Matthew C.

2019-11-18T09:17:03

I really like the sound and it is well balanced.

AMIT R.

2019-11-17T09:27:58

These high quality 3-way bookshelves from Polk Audio are outstanding! The build and finish (I have the Mt. Vernon Cherry) are first class. The sound is full, balanced, and detailed without being fatiguing. I'm using these in a 2-channel vinyl set-up including a Marantz PM8006 and Pioneer PLX-1000 turntable with Ortofon 2M Blue Cartridge and I'm in "analog bliss". I have approximately 40-50 hours on these and I can tell they are beginning to really open up, as most well designed speakers take a little break in period. They sound great right out of the box, but have patience and they will reward you with even more refined sonics. These speakers were competitave at their initial release price point, but are unbelievable at the closeout price. Buy them and enjoy!

NEIL G.

2019-11-14T12:06:23

Really nice speakers and got them at a great price. I also got the 706c center to match with them. Very clear sounding, love them. I have experience with Klipsch and also other Polk speakers such as owm3 and atrium4. Compared to all these the LSiM have great bass as they can go down below 40Hz

Amol D.

2019-11-14T09:11:06

It looks amazing, and sounds amazing. A little too big for my tastes though.

HYUN B.

2019-11-08T13:54:48

Awesome speakers

KENVIN D.

2019-10-07T23:08:12

love it has good sounds and good quality

David T.

2019-10-04T10:34:07

I Love the sound and quality

David T.

2019-09-23T16:46:19

I've been using Polk's RTiA3 line for years and finally had the money and sale to upgrade to the LSiM703's that I have always wanted. Let me tell you, this is a major upgrade. If you use these in a small room, you almost can't tell there is no subwoofer. They do well with some space between the speakers and the walls, and the soundstage is incredible when set up right. I'd buy these again in a heartbeat. If you look around, there is a listing on adorama for $449 shipped. You might need to google "lsim703 adorama reddit" to find it.

Michael E.

2019-09-06T12:41:22

I've lusted after LSi speakers for over 20 years. Finally ceased the opportunity to get some for my home theater. They fully delivered on my expectations. Sound sensational and I believe they after an exceptional value at the price that I purchased them at.

Timothy S.

2019-08-15T11:21:10

Totally met my expectations fantastic sound in a small package perfect for my needs and great-looking

William B.

2019-05-29T20:00:00

I've had a pair of these for a few weeks now and am completely happy with them. They are magnificent looking and have a sweet, warm, detailed sound. At their sales price, they are a tremendous value. How good are they? Well, they acquit themselves very well against two pair of similarly priced tower speakers that I own, like very much and listen to on a regular basis: the Q Acoustics Concept 40s and Definitive Technology 8040STs. And this comparison includes bass performance. For example, I have the powered bass units in the Def Techs set at the 12 o'clock volume position, and the 703s still deliver more and better defined bass. Despite this, I now have a 10-inch Emotiva sub supporting the 703s, and they sound even better. By the way, I have them set up in a smallish basement family room, driven at least temporarily by a budget Sherwood receiver. The other day I had them cranked up as much as I dared (with the subwoofer hooked up, and I was blown away. They are big and fierce, as pretty as they look. I conclude that any receiver can drive them to comfortably loud levels and sound great. However, if you have them in a big room and/or want to push them to very high levels, a bigger amplifier is advisable. Also, I have them sitting on a pair of very affordable Rockville 28 inch stands (with 10 pounds of sand in the column of each stand). They sit perfectly on the large platforms provided (not too big or small) and seem very stable.

Willis

Originally posted at

2019-03-11T21:41:04

I got these on sale and in my opinion they are the best bang for the buck for anyone looking for quality and inexpensive speakers at this price point (at sale price). I've had the previous Polk Audio LSi speakers so I knew what to expect even though I have moved on to other speaker brands. I was pleasantly surprised that the LSiM series has improved a lot over its LSi predecessor in sound quality and power handling. My standards are pretty high being current owner of B&W 705s2, B&W HTM71s2 and B&W 685s2 + Rhytmik L22 x2 direct servo subs for home theatre, and Philharmonic Audio BMR for dedicated 2 ch music system. I bought the LSiM 703 for bedroom 2 ch music and they did not disappoint. I have tried the grossly hyped ELAC B5, B6, B6.2 and many other bookshelves but none of them made the cut, so I kept my LSi7 for bedroom duty, until now. The LSiM 703 is a versatile all around speaker due to its high dynamic range and musicality. It is neither veiled nor harsh. It's tonality is just right, laid back, with the right amount of mid bass and bass extension unheard of among bookshelves (apart from the Philharmonic Audio BMR). Bass is tight and fast which is what I prefer on bookshelves over towers. It sounds excellent for any type of music I've thrown at it in 2ch mode. When these LSiM 703 go on sale again, just buy them if you are in the market for bookshelves. The attached photo shows the LSiM 703 (left) beside my current bookshelves I mentioned above: Philharmonic Audio BMR (center) and B&W 705s2 (right).

FD A.

2019-02-19T07:59:06

Really amazing sound from some not so little bookshelf speakers... Had polk rti4 s for about 15 years and wanted to upgrade my front section of my home theater... Can't believe all the details and clarity that come out of these things at high and low volumes... The build quality is amazing on these things with the cherry wood mdf enclosures....for the price on sale you really can't beat these speakers.. I think the best part is you don't have to fuss with them to get to sound good.. Can't wait to get my L series center channel to complete my front section

steven f.

2019-01-30T04:16:23

This speaker came packed very well in just a few days. Sounds great--awesome deal!

Tom T.

2019-01-18T16:50:04

You can’t go wrong with these Polk Audio LSiM Speakers . . . Don’t have the right words to describe how these speakers sound . . . Highly recommended !!! See my photos and video . . . You’ll be the judge . . . I wish I have the bundle deal that Adorama did last July ! ! !

BIENVENIDO J.

2019-01-17T15:30:31

Never in my adult life have I ever seen or lifted a book shelf speaker so solid and heavy! I am stunned and see now why they are so good in sound and durability!

Dayl B.

2019-01-14T14:09:37

I replaced my 40y/o Bose 901s with rebuilt preamp. I don’t consider myself an audiophile. I wanted smaller, lower speakers with less of a tip over risk. I read many reviews from self-styled audiophiles at different sites and they are most all fantastic and appear authentic. These speakers are small but heavy, more than 30lbs each. The wood veneer is impeccably finished and real. They run great on my 4O y/o amp, wattage forgotten. They have a unique feature in that you can run the high and low speaker sounds separately from different amps or from the same amp with a second set of wires. I just run them the old fashioned way for audio only with one set of wires and they have a wonderful clean, clear sound with ample base. They also seem to have a backward facing driver of some sort. I splurged for the ISOacoustics ISO-200 speaker stands to keep the speakers low. I am not disappointed with the combination. When it’s time to downsize, these could be a great choice.

Howard F.