IRS Beta bass amp/system ideas thoughts etc

funhungryman

New Member
Recent acquisition of very very nice IRS Betas. Like, last night....I made the decision to build a front end from scratch...
I am going with a Sonic Frontiers Power 2 (sovtek KT88s) Possibly Transparent Audio Reference cables to the mid/highs.

Recommendations on bass amplification?
I currently run vintage Mac tubes on several systems, but I want something that will be strong and effortless without spending more than say $2k.

I am also considering class d, I have had extensive maintenance on my macs due to
age (worth it!!) but would prefer to avoid that. I have several Mc2100s but I strongly believe I can do better.......so new stuff? Old stuff?

TT/DAC/Pre amp suggestions. I am an open book...prefer warm, natural tones (ie early mac tubes) Listen to blues, folks, rock, some modern and jazz primarily....but I will put on anything interesting!

Also, I live in a rural area, there is some local availability but, I have a 5 hour drive to SF. But I have family there so I am down that way ~5x a year

Respectfully,
Walt
 
Yes....original owner...w/ boxes, manual, servo....woofers were all refoamed, refinished, cabinets rebraced....and an extra helping of camaraderie and well wishes, the seller even offered to help with acoustic recommendations and positioning them....on top of a very very fair price!
 
These can be very finicky, positioning-wise, but they're said by some to be the best Infinities ever (even better than the IRS V). It might very well be worth taking advantage of the seller's offer to help position them.

I had a chance to get a set at an excellent price but even then couldn't justify it (plus my wife would probably have had divorce papers in hand the next day).

Have you read the Stereophile review? See links here.
 
Best part is they are very late production so some of the early bugs are worked out....they sounded amazing in his house
 
I read everything I could find! Yes, my only reservation (aside from the totality of the investment) was complexity....I plan to leave my mac tube/JBL apollo C51s in place while I sort these out
 
OK.....were all grown ups right, UN ****ING BELIEVABLE :bowdown:.

IT sure warms my heart that these kinda deals can be found........just damn.
 
To the OP, Congratulations! Awesome. And I wonder how long the ceramic vase stayed on top of the left bass tower? It would have rocked off in no time for me! :rockon:

Oh yea, did anyone see these hybrid IRS-Beta's on eBay (not mine)? Very interesting, in that the cabinets looked very decent. Like a manufactured design. I'm not sure if they sold or not? They may still be there?

INFINITY MINI IRS 1 2 s-l1600.jpg
 
To the OP, Congratulations! Awesome. And I wonder how long the ceramic vase stayed on top of the left bass tower? It would have rocked off in no time for me! :rockon:

Oh yea, did anyone see these hybrid IRS-Beta's on eBay (not mine)? Very interesting, in that the cabinets looked very decent. Like a manufactured design. I'm not sure if they sold or not? They may still be there?

View attachment 1114637
That's the work of Magicmarksy. He was a member here a number of years ago. A very enthusiastic Infinity fan, he could be a bit forward; he got into it a few times with some other members and eventually left. I've spoken to him on the phone a time or two, and he seemed approachable and knowledgeable.
 
That's the work of Magicmarksy. He was a member here a number of years ago. A very enthusiastic Infinity fan, he could be a bit forward; he got into it a few times with some other members and eventually left. I've spoken to him on the phone a time or two, and he seemed approachable and knowledgeable.

Dr Marks is quite the character. He lives in the same town as my brother. I've always thought about visiting him, but my brother is my priority, when I visit. :)
 
That's the work of Magicmarksy. He was a member here a number of years ago. A very enthusiastic Infinity fan, he could be a bit forward; he got into it a few times with some other members and eventually left.
That's a polite way of putting it. On the Infinity Yahoo group he actually "got into it" with Bill Watkins...
 
Swechsler....THANK YOU! I had read the stereophile review(s), though admittedly NOT in German. The Hi Fi News and Record Review; however, was not only a pleasure to read but reaffirmed my dodgy judgement when it comes to spending absurd money on the esoteric, just because.....I hope you are not a shrink, because you would spawn an entire generation of the self indulgent....oh wait...millenials ;)
 
But....and it’s a big ole BUTT....What about modern amplifier reccomendations for the “bottom” end....

I kill me, really I do....next show at 11, please tip your waitress....‍
 
Spectacular! What a find.

Currently, there is some BIG Mc iron in BT that would drive those woofer columns effortlessly.
 
Several years ago I had the IRS Gammas. I used Adcom GFA-5802 to power the servo controlled woofers. Worked well for me. Not sure what your taste in amplification is other than Mac tubes, but I would not think tube amplification would be suitable for the woofers. I might be inclined to look at a hybrid such as the PS Audio BHK amplifiers.
 
Just now saw this !
I have a Mac 2500 driving the woofer towers and let's just say it's breathtaking!

Bob
 
Just now saw this !
I have a Mac 2500 driving the woofer towers and let's just say it's breathtaking!

Bob
One of my key concerns is the Damping Factor on older Amps, I know that speaker cables can be a huge factor here. What type of cables are you running and have you tried different configurations?
 
I was told the Beta towers would "eat " most mortal amps because they routinely dipped below 2 ohms.
I was using a Adcom GFA 555 that the original owner of the betas was driving t be woofers with but I wanted something that was more suited to 2 ohm loads plus had output protection in case of failure.
The 2500 with autoformers came highly recommended.
Been very happy with it.

I run 12 gauge SJ about 15' long runs.

Bob
 
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