Infinity speakers vs today

[Khari]

Hi folks, first post here. I'm learning about speakers and amps, etc now, and will probably look to purchase soon.

I'm curious about something. For some reason the Infinity Reference Standard speakers have caught my attention. Everything I read is that these speakers produce great sound, but I usually read it by people who are owners of Infinity loudspeakers. How do these speakers compare to high end speakers of today? Is it mostly nostalgia that drives the demand for these today?

 

[chef free]

My Infinity speakers cost about $2500 in 1977, in today's dollars that would be about $10,000. I've heard some $10,000 speakers that sounded better and some that only sounded "different". Of course I only paid $1400 for my speakers...

Have you heard a pair of RSIIb or RS 4.5? If you like the Infinity sound then get 'em!

 

[swechsler]

I think it's more like the quality you can get with vintage Infinities at their current prices, vs. what you'd have to pay today to get the same quality out of new speakers. There certainly are companies making comparable speakers today (not, alas, Infinity) with improvements on the planar technology that makes up the EMITs. Personally I've never made any comparisons; when I can get the sound I desire from vintage or near-vintage equipment at bargain-basement prices, why would I even bother looking for new stuff?

 

[Bahamayellow]

For me I had Infinity speakers since the 90s. I was more into movies than music at the time but liked my Infinity 2000.6 reference speakers for music also. My friends all had nice systems with different speakers but for me I wanted to hear that true Infinity sound. I searched Craigslist one day and a really nice set of Kappa 8.1s came up for sale. Although in 1992 these were about 2000 dollars there was no way I could afford them at the time. I could afford them now at 550 in 2015. I auditioned them and instantly knew I wanted them. What I didn't expect was the power requirements needed to drive them correctly. I have them pretty close where I wAnt them after a year of changing things. Once u get the bug with Infinitys u really can't stop. I picked up a nice pair of Kappa 9s so now I have been wrestling with those. Lol. I do like the technology and design of newer speakers. With smaller cabinets newer materials computer designs large sound can be achieved from a smaller box. I would take a listen to them and see what u think.

 

[Infinity!]

Like above posters have said, do what sounds good to you and what you can afford. I have listened to many newer speakers that sound pretty amazing, but they still cant touch my Kappa 9's or my IIb's... ESPECIALLY for the price. Paid $2,000 for both pairs combined, and there is no need for a sub with either of them (if properly powered). Keep your eyes out on craigslist and ebay, good deals do show up now and then.

Now there is definitely some nostalgia that comes along with owning some vintage Infinity's! But then again i'm only 22 years old and (unfortunately) never lived in the time these speakers were being made. Like many fellow ak'ers told me, once you hear and EMIT tweeter, there is no going back... so beware!

Let us know what you decide to do. Good luck!!

 

[bshorey]

Hi folks, first post here. I'm learning about speakers and amps, etc now, and will probably look to purchase soon.

I'm curious about something. For some reason the Infinity Reference Standard speakers have caught my attention. Everything I read is that these speakers produce great sound, but I usually read it by people who are owners of Infinity loudspeakers. How do these speakers compare to high end speakers of today? Is it mostly nostalgia that drives the demand for these today?

I'm a big fan of vintage Infinity, especially those EMIT tweeters. The TOTL speakers they were building, maybe from the mid 70's through the late 80's or even later, were pretty much as good as you could find back then. And a lot of the rest of the line used a lot of the same technology, EMIT/EMIM drivers, Watkins dual voice coil woofers, the list of innovative technology is pretty long.

You can find some really nice vintage high end Infinity's for $500 - $1500. Kappa 8's, 9's, RS 2.5's, Quantams, etc. I think you'd have to spend a lot more than that to find something comparable in a modern speaker.

bs

 

[slimpikkins]

Agree with all above. I like fixing them almost as much as playing them (be ready to do some fixing...). i ended up with a free pair of rsIII. Since then I've bought and sold many pairs of Infinitys. The ones I most likely will never sell are the QLS1. They do the most right out of what I have imho. Their soundstage just blows me away every time I listen to them. The Infintys I like to buy are the real sweaty ones with rotten foam, crud all over them, never been recapped or opened up and most likely haven't made sound in a decade.

Not everyone likes Infinity. There are the maintenance issues, (broken emits, rotten foam, cracked polydomes...) some find them bright and most are very inefficient. Infinity sound to me is slightly more treble and bass with a very smooth midrange. Tight bass and treble is what my ears like to hear. Some may find the high end to be too high. The older ones (quantum and earlier) not quite as much but have this same "quality".

To get the most out of the bigger Infinitys you will need a robust amp. There are not too many Japanese receivers of the same time period will do the big ones justice. Infinity thought if you could afford their top speakers then you could afford an amp to go with them. So if you are lucky enough to find a pair of the bigger ones save some coin for an amp if you don't have one already. Btw welcome to AK!
Jim

 

[dlucy]

I have enjoyed my recent journey through quite a few sets of speakers. The prices for vintage speakers and availability (here on AK, locally from Craigslist, and broadly from eBay) make it a great time to inexpensively audition many different speakers in order to find what you, personally, like best.

I've bought, auditioned, and sold JBL L series, Boston Acoustics A series, Polk Monitor series, Infinity SS, the RS, and now Kappa series. For me, the JBL and Polks are fine for rock especially loud rock, the Polk and Boston Acoustics did a much better job with jazz and low-volume-but-very-dynamic music, and the Infinity RS and Kappas did the best for everything. I've chosen Kappa 8s and I'll be sticking with them in my main system.

The specs on newer speakers, especially Definitive Technology "little" speakers, read really well. When I'm rich, I'll experiment with newer speakers like those, but for now my ears are really happy with the Infinitys.

 

[Listnnthdark]

Nostalgia ? .. The heck u say .. LOL
Simple comparison from my very limited experience
My Kappa 6.1 cost me 200.00 in perfect shape . For 200 in the new speaker market Id be looking at an entry level small 2 way design ..
My only " Reference Point with regard to this is that more than a few moons ago I bought a new pair of Paradigm Atoms .. The label on the box stated
:" High Definition " Loud Speakers . They were quite good but absolutely no comparison with the emiited kappa . ( The Paridigm atom never dreamed of detail like the kappa provides .). Not a fair comparison as the K 6.1 while not totl is also far from entry level . Its really about bang per buck . Not nostalgia
On the other hand I believe that many on this forum who are of similar age .. Had a similar Audio epiphany many many moons ago ..And The Dream Was Born .
For me it was when I decided to go speaker shopping in the year 1984 .. Had my mind blown by what I heard .. Polk > Boston >B+w > and Infinity .. I recal walking through an audio store in Berkeley Ca called Pacific Stereo where a gorgeous pair of RS 4B first beguiled me .. but alas they were out of my leage
But good things come to those who wait .. ( and survive ) and now that I could afford to upgrade I don't even have a desire ( currently ) to do so .
But , I have the Infinity virus in me now and at some point a pair of EMIMMED Infinitys may have my name on them ..
RS 2b ? 2.5 ? Rennaisance 80 ? and it all started with a dream ..

 

[Khari]

Good info, all. Thanks, guys. I think I'm going to get the IRS. Now to figure out which amp(s)!

 

[432HzBob]

I am a solid Old Fashioned Infinity fan after rediscovering them 25 years later and being long removed from the college days.
The last pair I had I blew up (and the MCS receiver driving them) on the cannon shots of the 1812 overture.
It was glorious.
Having played with various speakers in a housing situation that finally permits it, the Boston Acoustics, B&W's, Dynacos, Missions and 70's C-Series Pioneers still work well and see a little time in the rotation based on the strengths of each, but for day in and day out use, the RSB's I restored do everything well for all types music I listen to on all formats from streaming to vinyl.
At much lower volumes the B&W's and Dynaco's probably sound more full in body but anything over 30 watts or so and up, the Infinities are preferred once they "come into their stride", like a turbo on a WRX finally taking hold.
Be warned, even with the small 4ohm, 3 way infinities from the late 70's-early 80's, the "Golden Nudell Era", be sure to bring a good amp!!
I burned up a Mitsubishi A4200, Pioneer sx-626, 828 amd then a 950 on mine.
The Infinities are still rocking strong after seperating the wheat from the chaff.
They work my Luxman R-115 pretty good and it's rated high current 120hp at 4ohm nominal.
The Luxman and a Denon PMA-1315R are the only 2 amps I have now that can go to to toe with the RSB's until literally deafening level.
I am certain they dip below 4 ohm during many songs.
You will fall in love with the EMIT tweeters and don;t be afraid to experiment with different tweet models as you would the V1 and V3 tubes in your pre/amp.
Each iteration of EMIT has a little different character and sweet spot to it.
I would also probably suggest a model that is at least 3 way as that midrange makes a BIG difference in sound with most music....IE: Female vocals and Hendrix guitar. Someday we will luck into a deal on some RSII's or other of the "Big" models and see what they can do.
Surely there is better nowadays from several manufacturers, Nobody can doubt that, but if you don't mind a little project work in addition to just plopping on an album and don;t have big $$ to throw around, grab a pair of older infinities, polish them up, slap in a few new caps on the XO, silicone the surrounds and give them some wattage in your cottage!!

 

[mark warren]

there are some really good buys on infinity speakers on ebay right now!

 

[slimpikkins]

there are some really good buys on infinity speakers on ebay right now!

I noticed late summer and up to now some really nice deals on speakers. Not just Infinities...too bad I do not have anymore room.

 

[fredgarvin]

Just to chime in, I had a lot of experience with jbl 100, bic formula 4 and some time with ESS and Klipsch. When I first hear the Infinities in a showroom it was instant attraction. I've since moved on to similar types such as vmps, with planar mids and the emit spiral ribbon tweeter. Used vintage infinities are a great value. However, the reliability ofthe polydome tweeter leaves a lot be desired.

 

[asilker]

I have owned pairs from the Q, 90's reference, kappa, and crescendo series as well as a bunch of comparable models from Genesis, paradigm, JBL, Advent, etc etc (check out my thread to see some of the ones I liked best). The QE are my favorite.

Like above posters have said, do what sounds good to you and what you can afford. I have listened to many newer speakers that sound pretty amazing, but they still cant touch my Kappa 9's or my IIb's... ESPECIALLY for the price. Paid $2,000 for both pairs combined, and there is no need for a sub with either of them (if properly powered). Keep your eyes out on craigslist and ebay, good deals do show up now and then.

Now there is definitely some nostalgia that comes along with owning some vintage Infinity's! But then again i'm only 22 years old and (unfortunately) never lived in the time these speakers were being made. Like many fellow ak'ers told me, once you hear and EMIT tweeter, there is no going back... so beware!

Let us know what you decide to do. Good luck!!

Hey ho from another young guy. Which pair do you like better between the two? And what kind of electronics are you running into them?

 

[nicholas9976]

Agree with all above. I like fixing them almost as much as playing them (be ready to do some fixing...). i ended up with a free pair of rsIII. Since then I've bought and sold many pairs of Infinitys. The ones I most likely will never sell are the QLS1. They do the most right out of what I have imho. Their soundstage just blows me away every time I listen to them. The Infintys I like to buy are the real sweaty ones with rotten foam, crud all over them, never been recapped or opened up and most likely haven't made sound in a decade.

Not everyone likes Infinity. There are the maintenance issues, (broken emits, rotten foam, cracked polydomes...) some find them bright and most are very inefficient. Infinity sound to me is slightly more treble and bass with a very smooth midrange. Tight bass and treble is what my ears like to hear. Some may find the high end to be too high. The older ones (quantum and earlier) not quite as much but have this same "quality".

To get the most out of the bigger Infinitys you will need a robust amp. There are not too many Japanese receivers of the same time period will do the big ones justice. Infinity thought if you could afford their top speakers then you could afford an amp to go with them. So if you are lucky enough to find a pair of the bigger ones save some coin for an amp if you don't have one already. Btw welcome to AK!
Jim

I lust after the massive IRS V, but would have to commit to a new house to house them. What other smaller Infinity models would give a similar sound quality (detail, timbre, frequency response, but not scale of sound obviously) that I could try first to see if the sound of the big boys is likely to be to my taste?

 

[Estring]

I have Infinity WTLC, Qb and Holosonic speakers as part of my 7.1 sound system. I fell in love with Infinity when I bought the WTLCs almost 40 years ago. I am sure there are modern speakers that sound as good or better, but I am very happy with what I have.

 

[Swann36]

I've some 1978 Infinity Quantum Jrs' and they are great driven by my Cyrus Pre into Mono Xs' , I've tried some Klipisch RP-600M's and stuck with the Quantum Jrs', my other speakers are Kef LS50s' and the Quantums give them a good run for their money and best them for presence

 

[swechsler]

It's worth noting that until the late 1990s, Infinity was considered the largest high-end speaker manufacturer. The Quantum Juniors probably could have been considered "entry-level high end" back in their day.

 

[rdka]

I lust after the massive IRS V, but would have to commit to a new house to house them. What other smaller Infinity models would give a similar sound quality (detail, timbre, frequency response, but not scale of sound obviously) that I could try first to see if the sound of the big boys is likely to be to my taste?

You will have to commit some money to amplifiers. Most of the big infinities need to be bi-amped. So buying 2 good quality amps with the power requirements is not inexpensive. It will cost you more than the speakers.