Infinity reference 6 from 1991 opinions??

geph0007

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Has anyone owned the infinity Reference 6 from the early 90s?/ How does it compare to other speakers you may owned or compared it to? Thanks
 
the reference six are some of the last great infinitys. a 4-way with IMG cones, sealed cabinets, the superb emit-r tweeters, and one of the best mids infinity ever spec'd. a hard combo to beat. amp-wise, they are user friendly and, though they do want 100 watts or more, they don't have low impedance issues of many of their brethren. they will show the limitations of upstream components. most complaints blamed on the speakers, typically result from flaws upstream. i've owned my sixes for over 20 years and they are keepers. easily the best sounding of the 7 different models of vintage infinitys i own. replacement drivers are readily available, and they are undervalued in today's market. hard to do better.


reference six spec's:

frequency response: 35Hz - 40,000Hz
crossover frequency: 200Hz, 1,500Hz, 4,000Hz
sensitivity: 90dB
impedance: 6 ohms
power rating: 35 - 225 watts
woofer: 10" IMG (902-4599)
mid-bass: 6" IMG (902-4338)
midrange: 5" IMG (902-4585)
tweeter: EMIT-R (902-4578)





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I Googled "Infinity Reference 6" and looked at the images. This AK thread for the Reference 4 from the same series is the first thing that showed.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=394496

There are classic Infinity owning AKers who readily disrespect the EMIT-R (as in the thread linked above). The EMIT-R is superb? I've always wondered but Arnie took the EMIT-R design to Genesis Technologies, or so it seems. Someone needs to compare an HK EMIT-R to a Genesis Tech EMIT-R.

I wonder how the series in the OP compares to the Crescendo series from the mid 1990s. Not having heard either, they look similar. It seems the cabs were cheapened. They're square boxes with no externally apparent attempt at sonic enhancement. They look like they're covered in the cheaper oak veneer that the late 1980s mid level RS x000 series got. A look at the terminal plates on the backs of the speakers will say something about the quality too.

These 1990s series are design stragglers past the classic Nudell era and no more than a passing curiosity AFAIC.
 
+1 loquatious.
I have 2 pair, oak and black, plus replacement Emit-r's and the 4" drivers.
They do so much right, and are easy to drive. Try 10 watts of tubes, (KT88 SE-UL amp shown) they really shine. Maybe not the greatest "rock n roll" speakers, but vocals and piano's just WOW. Very easy to listen to for long periods w/out tiring my ears. :music:

As you can see, I am using them for front mains for my 7.1 system, as well a music w/ the tube amp. They voice match well w/ the RS series.

My RSIIIa's, do a better job with most things, but here they have no WAF, and they don't fit or look pleasing with this dacor.
When you give your better half the tops of your speakers to decorate, they accept them better..:thmbsp:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=523340&d=1404166174
 
first of all you guys need to get your nominclature straight. the early 90s reference series spelled out the model number. a "reference six" not reference 6, not RS6. a reference series four is a completely different animal than a reference standard 4.

people have been slow to catch on to how good these early 90s infinity reference series are. a lot of people dismiss them as "oh, those HK infinitys are no good" but they fail to realize arnie stayed on as president of infinity well after HK bought infinity, and he kept infinity independent and continued to push the innovative design philosophy that made his (and infinity's) reputation. these reference series represent the last technological advancements that went into production before arnie left and the bean-counters finally took over (and are probably are the reason they took over).

people also seem to forget that when and arnie finally said "sayonara" and went off to found genisis, the technology he took with him was the emit-r and the graphite (soon to be kevlar) coned drivers that HK deemed too expensive to produce, and they became the foundation of the genisis line.

IMG cones, sealed cabinets, and emit-r tweeters are a hard combo to beat. the emit-r has vastly better vertical dispersion than the ribbon type emit (30º vs 18º). i personally prefer the acoustic suspension sound (and the rounded-edge looks) of the reference series sealed cabinet to that of their cousins, the ported crescendo series (a line which was actually designed more by the circuit city audio chain, where they were exclusively sold, and produced by infinity). the reference series are pure infinity, and have much more accurate bass and none of that ported cabinet boominess.

the reference series are very user friendly compared to other vintage infinities. they don't have to be bi-amped, don't have low impedance issues, don't have poly drivers that become brittle with age, don't have beamy ribbon-style emits prone to diaphragm problems, don't have a boomy ported-cabinet sound, don't have tinsel wire problems, don't have parts so rare you can't easily find replacements, don't need a mandatory cap replacement, yet can be had at bargain prices in an otherwise inflated market. in essence they avoid all the pitfalls of other vintage infinitys without sacrificing superb sound.

some like to claim the cabinet construction is questionable, however construction quality of mine are equal to, or better than any of the other infinity speakers i own (including those from the 70s and 80s). my only issue is they have vinyl veneer. not that anyone has ever noticed they were not real oak, because the veneer looks real enough, but i'd prefer real wood. after 22 years my sixes still look like new.

the reference fours, fives, and sixes are undervalued in today's market. i have a pair of each. given the right amount of power, i prefer the reference six to either the RSIIIa or the RS6000. the five is almost as good as the six. for a small 3-way, to my ear the reference four beats both the Qb and the RSb. the reference one, two, and three have no emits, and are nothing to get excited about. fours are a little light on the bass, but great on mids and highs. the fives and sixes are serious speakers.




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Wasn't this Reference series under the Kappa point series at the time?

It's a shame the early 1990s Reference series got cheap veneer. The visual presentation may have been enough to get prospective buyers to pass without listening to them. Long time Infinity fans were use to seeing a prettier speaker in the upper models with cabinet engineering designed to produce sonic enhancements. They may not have been represented well enough by the retailers by then, too. The market was changing, showrooms were evolving and Infinity was going into its 1990s decline. I well remember Circuit City was crap for Infinity in the 1990s.

I don't see the early 1990s Reference series often in eBay. Either fewer manufactured or the owners hold onto them, or both. I'll be watching for them a little more closely.

The big tip of the day for classic Infinity fans is to watch for this series, grab a nice set and take them to the workshop where you replace the cheap veneer with something a lot nicer.
 
How about putting a couple coats of Miniwax Polyshades stain in Oak shade over the veneer to make them more attractive !
 
I disagree with loquatious's opinion on the reference series, with the exception of the emit-r, the RS (reference series) that is concurrent, (my rs 525 were purchased new in 1994) is far superior (just think what they would sound like with emits!) the cabinet construction of the reference series is reminiscent of the SM series, with completely un-braced thin boxes that to my ears, colored the sound in a bad way.

I'm an infinity fan, but I'd only take a pair of reference series to harvest the emit-r driver. I do not know if the other drivers are the same as say, the crescendo line, or the rs line, or the kappa line.
 
I guess we will see !

I'm waiting for the second coat to dry. I've used a slightly darker oak satin shade then the veneer.
 
Post some pictures! Did you sand the veneer first to get the gloss off of it? If not, I wouldn't think the stain would stick. I'd be surprised if this turned out well, but I'm happy you're trying it. Looking forward to seeing the results.

For the record, I've been very impressed with the Reference series sound quality. They are definitely worthy of their EMITs. And yes, they use the same IMG drivers as the Crescendo. I don't think the construction quality is too bad either. Not quite as good as some other Infinities (like the Crescendo), but better than some more expensive speakers of the time. I preferred my Reference Five over my RS6000, and the Reference Six was of course better than the Reference Five.
 
first of all you guys need to get your nominclature straight. the early 90s reference series spelled out the model number. a "reference six" not reference 6, not RS6. a reference series four is a completely different animal than a reference standard 4.

people have been slow to catch on to how good these early 90s infinity reference series are. a lot of people dismiss them as "oh, those HK infinitys are no good" but they fail to realize arnie stayed on as president of infinity well after HK bought infinity, and he kept infinity independent and continued to push the innovative design philosophy that made his (and infinity's) reputation. these reference series represent the last technological advancements that went into production before arnie left and the bean-counters finally took over (and are probably are the reason they took over).


Pardon for reading around in some old threads. What a perfect statement about the Reference Six. I could not have said it any better. They have been in my collection for some years and are keepers!:banana:
 
One of my best thrift store finds EVER..$20 + new surrounds for both the woofer and midranges...i did a complete refurbish/dissasembly before light sanding and high quality paint.
These are now being powered by my Sansui A-60 amplifier, NAD CD and FX Audio DAC X6MK II...this is an amazing speaker for light jazz/soft rock and very underrated.
 

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Those drivers use a different surround…it’s not as stiff as the standard foam…when I restored a set for my brother in law sent them to bill and that’s what he told me…
 
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One of my best thrift store finds EVER..$20 + new surrounds for both the woofer and midranges...i did a complete refurbish/dissasembly before light sanding and high quality paint.
These are now being powered by my Sansui A-60 amplifier, NAD CD and FX Audio DAC X6MK II...this is an amazing speaker for light jazz/soft rock and very underrated.
Ok to all Infinity owners have reference8.1. -2 have 1" emitr x 3"domex 10" replaced 3"dynaudio D76 and emit with morel 29. Both screw in no routing needed. Morel 29 just new screw holes drii. Same crossover. But thinking new crossover or electronic cover. Sounds good but might sound better
 
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Ok to all Infinity owners have reference8.1. -2 have 1" emitr x 3"domex 10" replaced 3"dynaudio D76 and emit with morel 29. Both screw in no routing needed. Morel 29 just new screw holes drii. Same crossover. But thinking new crossover or electronic cover. Sounds good but might sound better
Sorry that "OK" type err
 
T

Ok to all Infinity owners have reference8.1. -2 have 1" emitr x 3"domex 10" replaced 3"dynaudio D76 and emit with morel 29. Both screw in no routing needed. Morel 29 just new screw holes drii. Same crossover. But thinking new crossover or electronic cover. Sounds good but might sound better

it’s not an infinity speaker anymore…it will be something else…not a route most of us would go with…
 
Has anyone owned the infinity Reference 6 from the early 90s?/ How does it compare to other speakers you may owned or compared it to? Thanks
I had the 6's for a few years but dropped down to the 4's for two main reasons. The bass on the 6's were too dominant in my listening space and the physical size of the 4's worked better for me. Don't feel I gave up much given my room size (13'x14') and volumes I listen to. Had I a much larger and better dampened room the 6's would have been very good indeed. Admittedly the crossovers on my 4's were rebuilt using Mundorf and Clarity capacitors, Mills resistors and air-core inductors which cleaned the sound up nicely.
 
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