LCR7 XL Setup and Measurements

As I mentioned, the one thing I was really worried about with the Snell Acoustics LCR7 XL was their height. Looking at them, I thought I might have to worry about them falling off my Studio Tech stands. While I can mass-load the stands, I haven't simply because I have to move them so often. While the Snells only weigh 26lbs, they are solid and well balanced. When I placed them on the stand, it was as if they became part of the stand! I honestly forgot they were bookshelves as I was climbing behind them to get to cables and other gear (and thrown Legos). Never once did they falter, tip, or even hint that they might go over. This is surly an interaction between the sturdy stand construction and the Snell even weight distribution.

I set the LCR XLs about 8 feet apart and 8 feet from my prime listening position. The were wired with Ram Electronics HS series cables and powered by either a Denon AVR-2307CI pushing Seymour AV Ice Block 5001 500 Watt Ice Block Monoblocks or the Emotiva RSP-1/RPA-1 combo. Source was either a Denon DVD-3910 via analogue to the Emotiva combo or HDMI to the Denon or PS3 to the Denon. Digital cabling was provided by Impact Acoustics and analogue by Blue Jeans Cable.

The first thing I do when I set up a pair of speakers is play with positioning. Even before I did any measurements, I knew that the LCR XLs should be placed off axis. Pointed directly at me, the high end of the speakers was piercing and bright. Way too much for my taste. With the speakers off axis, I found the sound much more pleasant and remarkably accurate (I'll reserve the rest of my comments for the listening section). I ended up with the speakers pointed nearly directly forward with just a slight toe in of maybe 5 degrees. The sweetspot of the LCR XLs was frankly amazing with a very wide but defined center image that could be discerned from a number of seats in my home theater.

I was definitely glad that I had external amplification with the Snell Acoustics LCR7 XL as they did seem a bit power hungry. While their efficiency was the main culprit, part of this was because I couldn't get them to distort and therefore could turn them up higher without thinking they were too loud. I've experienced almost immediate listener fatique with other speakers of lower quality. I’d turn them up to a "reasonable" level and within a few moments I'd have to turn them back down because of ear fatigue from screeching tweeters and compressing woofers. With the Snells, I could turn them up to reference levels and beyond without any hint of fatigue or compression. While your midlevel receivers may be able to technically power these, I'd suggest springing for an amp. Of course, anyone spending $6k on a pair of speakers probably has already done so but just in case.

While I was reviewing the Snell Acoustics LCR7 XL in a 2-channel configuration, I couldn't help but wonder what they would sound like in a full surround setup (or at least three across the front). While I've often used review speakers in conjunction with my reference speakers, rarely do I find them so outclassed as I have with the Snells. My RBH 515C center channel has melded well with most other speakers. In fact, the only time it hasn't is when the other speakers couldn't keep up. With the LCR7 XLs, it was obvious that my RBH center channel speaker was outclassed. Of course, with the RBH a fraction of the price, you'd expect that. But I've reviewed speakers in this price range before and never noticed so much of a difference. The LCR7 XLs were just so much clearer and more dynamic.

Measurements & Analysis

For laboratory measurements I used the Sencore SP395A FFT Audio Analyzer and a Sherbourn 2/75B amp, I measured the Snell Acoustics LCR7 XL's in-room on- and off-axis frequency response with 1/12th octave resolution.

Snell LCR7 XL 1 Meter Frequency Response (1/12th Octave) On Axis
Note - this is NOT a 1 watt measurement

As you can see, the LCR7 XL measures incredibly flat on axis except for a bump around 15kHz with a fairly dramatic dropoff below 80Hz. Snell specs these speakers to 75Hz which seems around right from these measurements. The high end bump was a little disconcerting however. The lighter line is with the boundary compensation turned on. It does a very smooth job of reducing the bass output below 500Hz by about 3dB.

Snell LCR7 XL 1/2 Meter Frequency Response (1/12th Octave)
Pink - On axis, Orange - 15 degrees off axis, Yellow - 30 degrees off axis

What's important in this graph is again how flat the frequency response is between 80Hz and 10kHz but also how it flattens out with the 30 degree (yellow) line. I did a few informal tests with the mic around 4" away from the speaker and at 35-40 degrees off axis, the response was nearly ruler flat all the way up to 18kHz. Off axis is definitely where you want to be with these speakers unless you like a little more high end energy or have lost a little hearing in that range.

Snell LCR7 XL Impedance

The Sencore consistently measures impedance one ohm low. I measured the impedance at the terminals at about 4 ohms which lines up well with the Sencore and Snell's specs.