Infinity Kappa 9 vs Kappa 8...Pros and Cons?

CarnahanBB

Super Member
Anyone out there heard both in a manner which acquits itself to a fair comparison? If I'm not mistaken I've heard some prefer the 8s? Any and all input will be greatly appreciated! :thmbsp:
 
There were a topic on audiogon forum from which I got that all is the matter of an amp.
 
There is a few reasons one would say such a thing.

I suppose the main reason would be they heard the Kappa 9 with an amp/amps that did not have the ba*ls to drive the speaker correctly.

To anyone with decent ears and a clear level head, there is no comparison. The 9 does everything better.

It is the same with the Kappa 8.1 and 9.1. I have an 8.1 for parts.
 
Well, a guy who was interested in a pair of JBL L36s and a Kenwood receiver I had for sale had a pair of Kappa 8s he had purchased brand new in 1990. Long story short, I brought home a mint pair of Kappa 8s and $350 and he took home my gear. Really couldn't be happier! They're really no match for the QLS-1s but I have to say they really have the Infinity sound. More listening to come but I'm very pleased overall. Woofer refoam to follow as well. Are these trickier to refoam than a poly or paper cone woofer? Advice?
 

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Well, a guy who was interested in a pair of JBL L36s and a Kenwood receiver I had for sale had a pair of Kappa 8s he had purchased brand new in 1990. Long story short, I brought home a mint pair of Kappa 8s and $350 and he took home my gear. Really couldn't be happier! They're really no match for the QLS-1s but I have to say they really have the Infinity sound. More listening to come but I'm very pleased overall. Woofer refoam to follow as well. Are these trickier to refoam than a poly or paper cone woofer? Advice?

@ carnahanBB - Nice to see that the Kappa's are not pushed up against the wall.
 
Sounds like a good deal, those Kappa 8's are great sounding speakers, and they don't require such a large room. I find them really good for rock and pop music. As far as placement I doubt that is the OP's final resting spot for them, more probable just checking them out, I think they are a bit far from the wall to get much of the dipole effects from them.
 
Sounds like a good deal, those Kappa 8's are great sounding speakers, and they don't require such a large room. I find them really good for rock and pop music. As far as placement I doubt that is the OP's final resting spot for them, more probable just checking them out, I think they are a bit far from the wall to get much of the dipole effects from them.

Yep, just checking them out. They need a reform so they won't be able to stay up here for long. Frankly, I'm highly impressed thus far. Switched them back to extended mode. Much better much more linear bass response. How much better are the 9s?
 
I have the 8's and they need to be bi-amp'd for a great performance. The 9s are amazing 2 but it all depends on what you are going to drive them with
 
So now that you have the new speakers are you going to send me those QLS1's with new mids in them ? Lets see Neb. to CT .. shipping ... LOL !!!! just kidding..

John M
 
Congrats on those Kappas CarnahanBB, are those IMG woofers (injection molded graphite) ? If so they are similar to the crescendo's I just refoamed and were a bit more tedious than my QLS1s were to refoam due to the angled foam and also the number of drivers I had to refoam in the crescendo's (6) but with a bit of patience they turned out great and do really well in my medium sized room, something I never accomplished with the bigger Infinity's. I have heard that the Crescendo's and Kappas share some of the driver models. I hope you enjoy those as much as I am my latest Infinity's.
 
I am sorry that I can't really answer that truthfully. I simply don't have a pair of great amps to drive the 9's in a manner that I found them to what their potiential could be. I can say from the amps that I used, which were the same as what I used for the 8's they have quite a bit of extended highs over the 8's, and where I found the problem the most was trying to good clean tight bass. I would think a good pair of mono blocks for the bass, and for the top end because of the extended range on the SEMIT you better get a very clean amp that is what others might refer to as musical.

If you plan on buying a pair of Kappa 9's you better plan on spending a lot more for the amps than you will have to spend on the Kappa 9's. But if you shop smart those same amps should also be a good set up for your QLS-1's.
 
So now that you have the new speakers are you going to send me those QLS1's with new mids in them ? Lets see Neb. to CT .. shipping ... LOL !!!! just kidding..

John M

I like the Kappa 8s but they're not going to move my QLS-1s out of the picture! I've invested a good deal of time, energy and money into those suckers and in my opinion they're quite remarkable but man do they make these Kappa 8s look efficient!
 
Congrats on those Kappas CarnahanBB, are those IMG woofers (injection molded graphite) ? If so they are similar to the crescendo's I just refoamed and were a bit more tedious than my QLS1s were to refoam due to the angled foam and also the number of drivers I had to refoam in the crescendo's (6) but with a bit of patience they turned out great and do really well in my medium sized room, something I never accomplished with the bigger Infinity's. I have heard that the Crescendo's and Kappas share some of the driver models. I hope you enjoy those as much as I am my latest Infinity's.

Thanks!

Yes, they are the injection molded graphite woofers...that's what I was worried about as I've heard they are not very flexible and I was concerned the glue wouldn't adhere as well to that surface as it would to paper or poly. So far the 8s are impressing me a great deal. A different sound for sure (point source versus what amounts to a line source in the QLS-1s).
 
I am sorry that I can't really answer that truthfully. I simply don't have a pair of great amps to drive the 9's in a manner that I found them to what their potiential could be. I can say from the amps that I used, which were the same as what I used for the 8's they have quite a bit of extended highs over the 8's, and where I found the problem the most was trying to good clean tight bass. I would think a good pair of mono blocks for the bass, and for the top end because of the extended range on the SEMIT you better get a very clean amp that is what others might refer to as musical.

If you plan on buying a pair of Kappa 9's you better plan on spending a lot more for the amps than you will have to spend on the Kappa 9's. But if you shop smart those same amps should also be a good set up for your QLS-1's.

Even though they may not be the world's best sounding amps I'd like to think that two 565s and a 555 II would be enough for the 9s. I'm using the 565s on the Kappa 8s and they drive them with total authority and frankly they've never even got warm. I think they were having a tougher time with the Watkins in the QLS.
 
I'm in the middle of this discussion, so to speak, having two pairs of Kappa 9's and a pair of Kappa 7's. The 7's are a great speaker and much more amp-friendly than the 9's, but the 9's are absolutely amazing when driven properly--but that clearly limits your amp selection. I use four Krell class A monoblocs for my one pair of 9's with great results, and am still experimenting with amps for the other pair, but they are demanding mistresses...
 
I'm in the middle of this discussion, so to speak, having two pairs of Kappa 9's and a pair of Kappa 7's. The 7's are a great speaker and much more amp-friendly than the 9's, but the 9's are absolutely amazing when driven properly--but that clearly limits your amp selection. I use four Krell class A monoblocs for my one pair of 9's with great results, and am still experimenting with amps for the other pair, but they are demanding mistresses...

I'm guessing 4 Krell monoblocks would certainly alleviate any amplification problems! Unless I find out I have a very wealthy uncle out there amps of that caliber are out of my price range.
 
Even though they may not be the world's best sounding amps I'd like to think that two 565s and a 555 II would be enough for the 9s. I'm using the 565s on the Kappa 8s and they drive them with total authority and frankly they've never even got warm. I think they were having a tougher time with the Watkins in the QLS.

It depends on if you wish to get the most out of the speakers. I really will never understand how people spend 50K on a BMW and not think about or be able to afford the impending future maintenance on the vehicle. When buying a vehicle one needs to look at all aspects of owning it. It is sorta like speakers or anything else for that matter. Buy the ones that you can afford and properly power.

It don't matter the brand of amp, but as Infinity put it in their owners manuals. Using a high current amplifier, one that basically doubles it's output into 8,4,2,1 ohm is the only way you will get the full benefit of the speaker. It is also in the owners manual of my Kappa 9.1 Series II. They also need a high current amp. BTW, high current is the start. Next comes sound quality in a high current amp. And yes, sound quality and high current in one amp usually means $$$$

Will it sound ok on the 9? Sure. But better on the Kappa 8 with the 565's. Does that make the 8 a better speaker? Certainly not.


I have found the best for my personal preferences to be tubes on top and high current on the bottom. But to each his own...
 
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the 9 simply has a supertweeter and an extra woofer, so the only differences you'd expect would be at the frequency extremes (and less of a difference in the high end since the regular EMITs can play up to 30kHz themselves). by and large the 8 and 9 should sound very similar. this thread is the first time i can recall reading about AKers implying that the 9 completely outclasses the 8. in fact, some have previously stated that the 8's bass is easier to accomodate in some rooms, giving it a potential advantage beyond being easier to power.
 
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