How much better is the Original Kappa 7 over the Second Generation Kappa 7.1?

[ADVHamburg]

Is there a noticeable difference?

I am just curious since the Kappa 8 and 9 (first edition), seem to get all the attention and the Kappa 7(first edition) are not mentioned often.

I like my Kappa 7.1 (second edition) a lot, but there is always room for improvement.:yes:

Thanks!

Nel

[Augy]

Is there a noticeable difference?

I am just curious since the Kappa 8 and 9 (first edition), seem to get all the attention and the Kappa 7(first edition) are not mentioned often.

I like my Kappa 7.1 (second edition) a lot, but there is always room for improvement.:yes:

Thanks!

Nel

I have heard both but not in a side by side comparison so I guess I can't really say for sure but this is my thought....I like the original emit better than the emit r for the highs ...as far as the low end it seems to me a 12 inch woofer would move more air than a 10 inch. So If I were to guess I would probably like the original Kappa 7 better. but everyone has different ears, likes and dislikes. You would have to hear them both side by side on your present system to say which would be best for you.

[ADVHamburg]

What you say makes a lot of sense....

Getting a side to side comparison would be a little difficult for me so I guess I would have to buy a pair one of these days...

How about powering the older 7? would My old Yamaha would be OK?

Thanks for the info...

[Augy]

What you say makes a lot of sense....

Getting a side to side comparison would be a little difficult for me so I guess I would have to buy a pair one of these days...

How about powering the older 7? would My old Yamaha would be OK?

Thanks for the info...

I would think so the kappa 7 is not the ampkiller. Its the 9 thats the real killer the 8's a bit less. But you can never have too much power:D

[nailzgun]

Is there a noticeable difference?

I am just curious since the Kappa 8 and 9 (first edition), seem to get all the attention and the Kappa 7(first edition) are not mentioned often.


I have the original 7 Kappa's and at one point I thought to upgrade them when the 7.1's came out. I brought them home and did a side by side. That was a long time ago but I still have the originals. They are just way more musical to my ears.

I preferred the Emit k and I definitely preferred the base response. These speakers are much better at doing the disappearing act when listening. I have driven mine with a number of different amps over the years and have never had a problem.

My advice - if you have the opportunity to pick up a pair - do!

[Manuel64]

I have listened to the original Kappa 8's side by side to the next generation Kappa 8.2's. The Emit K and Emit R sound very similar to me, so I would rate the highs the same. I did tend to like the midrange a bit better on the Kappa 8's. I think the older polydomes are better than the next generation polycell type dome midrange driver. I'm not a big fan of dome midrange drivers in general, but the older polydomes deliver a bit more clearity in my opinion. The bass of the 8.2 was a bit more boomy compared to the original Kappa 8, but both sounded very good to my ears; I think that many people may actually prefer the bass of 8.2 better, especially if used for home theater. Overall, I think they are both excellent sounding speakers and the sound quality differences between them were minor.

[Arkay]

I like the original series better, by enough margin that I wouldn't buy the second series at all these days. [Right now I have 8 Kappas, having gone "up the ladder" from 6s ... still waiting to find a good buy on a pair of 9s. I may let the 8s go as part of my "downsizing", if I can bring myself to part with them, because I still have the RSIIs, which are significantly better than Kappas.]

[Inspiribomb]

I've always read that the original Kappa Emit-K's are better than the Emit-R's. I have the Emit-K's in my Infinity Modulus speakers, those highs are sweet and pretty tough to beat.

[Manuel64]

I remember having many discussions with friends and co-workers who owned either the original Kappas or the second generation Kappas, as to the sound quality differences between them. That is what set up a side by side comparison at a friends home between the Kappa 8's and the Kappa 8.2's. This was done at a friend's home using Adcom equipment. In the comparison, I did like the original Kappa 8's better, but it really wasn't that great a difference. The biggest difference was in the midrange, and even that was a pretty minor advantage for the Kappa 8. Perhaps my ears just aren't golden enough, but in my opinion, when any speaker costs $2000 a pair or above, there are only minor sonic improvements to be achieved beyond that price point. A $10,000 speaker system may be better than a $2,000 speaker system, but in my opinion, it is only slightly better.

[ADVHamburg]

It has been quite interesting to hear the differences of opinion regarding the performance of the original Kappa versus the second generation Kappas.

I have to say that I am really happy with the sound of the Kappas mated to the Yamaha CR-2020, but since this hobby has proven to be so addictive I am always curious.

I do not have the opportunity to do a conparison test or to hear any of the other Kappas and actually, I have never heard the other including the Renaissance 90 which I am really really curious about.

So I really appreciate all of your opinions about the matter.

[Manuel64]

ADVHamburg,

I love the Renaissance 90. I don't own one, but a good friend of mine has a pair that I love to hear when I visit. The Emim is what gives this speaker it's awesome sound. Very clear highs and midrange make this an ideal speaker for ambient types of music such as classical, new age, and many kinds of jazz. The only tradeoff with the Emim is that it does not have that solid directional punch of a good quality cone when it comes to dynamic music such as rock and movie soundtracks; so this may not be your best choice of speakers for home theater. The bass is tight, but not especially deep. The bass is probably the Renaissance 90's weakest point. Overall, I think this is one of Infinity's best bang for the buck speaker.

[ADVHamburg]

Manuel,

the Renaissance 90 sounds like it might be the the speaker for me.

I do not care much for home theater and I listen mostly to Salsa, Jazz, Classical, Latin Pop ect.


Thanks a lot for sharing your views,

Nel

[marcusm750]

How about powering the older 7? would My old Yamaha would be OK?

I'm sure it would be. The 7s were much, much tamer of a load than the 8s or 9s (the original amp killer).

I just picked up a pair of 7s for a great deal and spent last night cleaning them up and polishing the cabinets. They look absolutely beautiful now and the drivers are all working. The woofers need new surrounds but I'll wait on that 'til winter. The midrange domes have not turned milky white and are still soft. The EMIT-k tweeters both work without the "bacon in the pan" effect (sizzle). Controls seem to be clean but I'll spritz them with brake clean when I pull the woofers out.

Anyway, I tried almost all my amps with them including my trusty Dynakit Stereo 70 from either '60 or '61. They absolutely sang with the minimal 30 WPC input and the amp wasn't working hard at all. With my SM-152s, the amp's power transformer gets baking hot to the touch. Much cooler with the 7s and a beautiful sound too! :)