Classic Infinity IRS Beta at 2014 RMAF

Newk_Yuler

Active Member
Heads up for classic Infinity aficionados inclined to attend the 2014 RMAF in Denver. Paul McGowan is having his pal Arnie Nudell set up a pristine set of IRS Beta in the PS Audio room (#550). Great for us to have a current high end audio manufacturer who still believes in classic Infinity awesomeness. Probably helps a lot to have Arnie as a friend and former work associate. Amongst the rest of the cutting edge hifi at RMAF it's a unique opportunity to go somewhere to listen to a set of classic Infinity's finest.

http://www.psaudio.com/pauls-posts/hotel-system/

It does not cease to amaze me that Paul McGowan considers classic Nudell era Infinity to be choice over the speakers he and Arnie designed and sold together under Genesis Tech.

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Wow, thanks for posting that. Should be fun. I guess I know which floor I'm headed to first this year.

G~
 
I assume in his view the Betas hit the sweet spot between portability and fidelity compared to e.g. Kappa 9's or Ren 90s' at one end and IRS V's at the other.

Anyways just fantastic endorsement of the high end Infinity's of the past.
 
Nice, maybe if more people get exposed to Betas and find out how good they sound, it will inspire some manufacturing of some of the L EMIM midrange drivers...:thmbsp:
 
Nice, maybe if more people get exposed to Betas and find out how good they sound, it will inspire some manufacturing of some of the L EMIM midrange drivers...:thmbsp:

Hey, Auburn Washington! Right down the street from me.
 
I will be there. I can't wait to hear the Direct Stream DAC with Paul's new Perfect Wave Amplifier PS Audio has been working on for probably the last two years. I had the pleasure of listening to Music Room One with the IRS V's without the new DAC and Amp and can't imagine what it sounds like now. I've been waiting for the new amp before returning for a visit. He is a very gracious host and one of the most interesting people you'll ever meet.
Paul's passion for achieving the best possible listening experience is bringing us audio that is beyond what people have ever heard. The best part is, he's using speakers designed and built over 25 years ago to help him achieve it. And yes SC427, wouldn't it be nice if someone picked up on why Paul uses classic Infinity speakers and started to build replacement drivers for our treasured Infinity's. Better yet, I think Paul should do it so it get's done right. Maybe those of us visiting room 550 at RMAF should mention it to him. He certainly has the contacts to figure out how to get it done.
 
Paul's passion for achieving the best possible listening experience is bringing us audio that is beyond what people have ever heard. The best part is, he's using speakers designed and built over 25 years ago to help him achieve it. And yes SC427, wouldn't it be nice if someone picked up on why Paul uses classic Infinity speakers and started to build replacement drivers for our treasured Infinity's. Better yet, I think Paul should do it so it get's done right. Maybe those of us visiting room 550 at RMAF should mention it to him. He certainly has the contacts to figure out how to get it done.[/QUOTE]

:thmbsp::thmbsp: +1
 
yeah they need to remake the drivers for all the classic Infinities. I wish I could do something to help make that happen.
 
It was a delight to see and hear the Betas again. I visited the room three times during the course of the show. It was quite busy, and there was a lot of fascination with the speakers. I always like to end RMAF on a high note, so the Betas were the last thing I listened to, after spending quite a bit of time with the Linkwitz open baffles and the Sanders electrostatics, fantastic speakers all.

I had never met Arnie Nudell before, but I struck up a brief conversation with him in acknowledgement of the fact that the Beta was the speaker that ignited my high-end audio passion when I was a teenager in 1989. He seemed very approachable and in good spirits at the show.

Paul McGowan is very easy to talk to, and seems quite open to sharing the IRS V experience in his music room. Last year, the first thing I said to him was, "please say the IRSs are okay after the flooding". (remember the floods in Boulder last year?) The speakers and the factory were fine, of course.

I took away several impressions of the Betas, some good and some questionable, to be honest. It's interesting how my memory of that transformative Beta experience 25 years ago compared to what I heard this time, colored by much more experience in high end audio, and a range of expectations....and two totally different listening rooms, one in a high end audio retailer and the other a motel suite. The only other time hearing the Beta in between was in a smallish room in a home, where the bass was quite out of control and it was not very enjoyable.

A couple of times walking through the hallways of the Marriott on the 5th floor, I could feel the rumble in the floor in the low 20's Hz region. I knew what was going on.....the servo system was showing it's stuff!

The final song I listened to was a Bruce Springsteen ballad, I don't know the name but I'll have to find it. It was beautiful, emotional, and as I left I gave the Betas a 'thank you' for bridging a gap between a love of being involved in making music to a passion for high end audio.

Thoroughly enjoyable. A couple pics to follow.....

G~
 
Nice room!
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I never got the chance to find out if any upgrades were done on the Infinity's
but they sure sounded great. The sense of cohesiveness to the music from the Betas was world class.
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Mike
 
The Betas were simply amazing. I sat in the sweet spot for about 5 pieces. I closed my eyes and it felt like I was at a live performance. They simply disappeared and I could see each musician and singer in their appropriate place. The new PS Audio amplifier is special and the new DAC lived up to everything the critics have been saying about it. I have visited Paul's Music Room 1 with the IRS V's before the new DAC and amplifier were part of the system. I need to stop in and listen again soon so I can hear them with these components. Now it's to the wanted ads to get a second job so I can afford to obtain all these components.:tears: Guess I'll just have to make the 45 minute drive to Boulder a couple times a year for now.

By the way, Scott's "Sprout" is worth $799. I could not believe how simple and yet how amazing it was. I am getting one of those for Christmas.
 
Three more photos of the Betas.
 

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This coverage makes me smile and wish I was there to ask about the history of those Betas. Would have asked what if any 'upgrades' may have been made. Things like crossover updates etc.

Does anyone see the Servo unit? I am not sure I see it from the pics but it might be on the second shelf down???? If not, what crossover was used?


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There were two posts from Paul about how he obtained these. The first being this one: It’s always interesting to me this challenge of audio shows. For the upcoming event in Denver we purchased a pristine pair of IRS Betas. These are the junior versions of what plays in Music Room One. To some, the IRS Betas are better than their larger brother, the IRSV because of the Large EMIM driver on the Betas the IRSV doesn’t have. I should also point out these speakers are a quarter century old. Yet, few modern systems I have heard in the ensuing years come even close. Such is the level of progress in speaker design.

The second one I can't find right now, but I remember him saying the gentleman that he purchased these from, had purchased them brand new way back when as an extra set or something. But he put them in storage and they were never opened until Paul purchased them. I could be wrong about the exact details but basically they are NEW OLD STOCK from somebody. I doubt if any modifications were made to these at all since Paul did not have these for long before the show.

Yes the Servo unit is the black box on the second shelf. Arnie Nudell himself set this system up for Paul.
 
... But he put them in storage and they were never opened until Paul purchased them. I could be wrong about the exact details but basically they are NEW OLD STOCK from ....

Thank you for the information. Wow just wow!

Wish Arnie would come to PA!



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