Please tell us how it goes. Some of us love a good classic Infinity Kappa discovery story.
Not so sure my story merits being considered classic but I'll give it a shot. I must admit that before I saw these 8k's for sale locally a few days ago, I hadn't really paid much attention to Infinity’s offerings. I've been content with my four vintage ESS speakers for quite a while, and felt that they met my needs just fine.
My interest and passion for audio equipment began when I was assigned responsibility for hooking-up my family's new Superscope receiver in the mid-70's at the age of five. I had been running the 8mm projector for home movie night since I was three, and causing general electrical and mechanical mayhem at home and in public places (always taking things apart, flipping switches and pushing buttons whenever presented with the opportunity) since about the same age, so I guess I got a bit of an early start. After years of tinkering with a wide range of receivers, amps, components and speakers I never lost that sense of wonder and awe over the possibilities that exist…which brings me back to the events that transpired these past few days.
I spent a couple of days reading about the Kappa series, of the numerous testimonials to their capabilities and sonic virtues, and was intrigued to say the least. I made an appointment with the seller and went to audition the speakers at six thirty last night. We met at his house, I followed him downstairs to the (concrete) basement and told him that he should pick what to play for my first listening experience; he chose live Alice in Chains. The speakers were placed about 8 feet apart, roughly five feet from the back (cinder-block) wall, and a comfy reclining chair was placed about five or six feet to their front and center, but I didn’t sit down.
My initial impression of the speakers was, overall, quite positive: they were as visually striking as I was expecting, and they definitely produced a very solid and dynamic soundscape as the tunes began to pour forth. I thought what I heard was a crunchy flaw in the mids on the right (which he insisted was intentional and was just how that guitar sounded) so I suggested that we move on to Floyd…which sounded fantastic without any crunch…and then he put on some Tower of Power. I really liked what I heard but I wasn’t quite as overwhelmed as I had expected to be. Nonetheless, my mind was already made up. Did they sound better than what I was accustomed to? Definitely. Did I want to take them home with me? Absolutely!
The sequence of events which followed occurred very quickly: tweeters, domes and foams were scrutinized, an offer was made and accepted, money changed hands and suddenly I was on my merry way home with my new speakers safely packed into the back of my Jeep. I glazed-over after the money was exchanged, though I do remember being spoken to and replying – I was just too busy envisioning everything that would have to happen next. The drive home is a blur even though it was only last night.
Upon returning to my house, disconnecting the ESS', unloading the 8k's and hooking everything up...I decided that my inaugural "test" song would be Dire Straits’ "In the Gallery." I dialed the volume knob on my preamp to 50%, sat back in my chair and let 'er fly. Almost immediately I went from feeling a sense of fear and cautious optimism to being utterly overwhelmed with, and in awe of, what I was hearing! The sheer detail and brilliance of the music flowed over me, enveloped me in its luxurious, velvety embrace...commanded my attention and earned my respect. I wasn't expecting to be so completely blown away from these things, but I was (and probably always will be every time I fire them up). I suspect that getting the speakers out of the concrete basement and into a proper room is what really brought them to life...and this bodacious amp probably doesn't hurt, either.
I couldn't sleep last night from the excitement of what lay in store today, finally couldn't take it anymore and got out of bed at five this morning to resume my experimentation and adulation. The only real experimentation I've done, though, has been to switch between "expand" and "normal" modes. The presence controls are all set to flat. I don't have any EQ between my source and the amp. I haven't gotten it back up to 50% on the volume knob like it was last night...and don't really feel the need, though I'm sure at some point I will be tempted to push the envelope of what's possible with having these speakers married to this amplifier. There’s no distortion whatsoever, no sense of over-driving or starving anything…and while my amp seems to be slightly warmer than it used to be, as expected, I’m satisfied that it’s in no danger of self-destructing.
Thus far today I have sampled some of my all-time favorites: Alan Parsons Project, Brian Eno, ZZ Top, Tangerine Dream, Amon Duul, Gary Numan, Shadowfax, Jean-Michel Jarre, Genesis, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Zeppelin, Kraftwerk, Yggdrasil, Shpongle, Moody Blues, Steeleye Span, Thomas Dolby Yello and Peter Gabriel. I’ve only scratched the surface and have, beyond any shadow of a doubt, already been able to discern new musical components and quite a few flaws in just about every track. I can’t believe how much of my favorite music I had been missing! I can't wait to (re)listen to everything in my library...and discover a whole bunch of new stuff that I don't even know about yet! My infatuation with and love for music has been reborn and I have these 8k's to thank for that.
So that's it from me, for now. Not much of a story, really. Just the tale of a very fortunate geek who is one step closer to finding that ever-elusive sonic perfection that he's been chasing after for decades. I can only begin to imagine what other technological wonders the future holds in store and have no no doubt that it's going to be fun finding out.
Happy listening, y'all.