Arkay
Lunatic Member
They're here and they're MINE, Bwaahaahaa! (Delta/Gammas) (Now with PICTURES!)
I've mentioned this in a couple of posts over the past week or two, so this won't be any suprise to some here.
Last month, a guy in a shop here tipped me off that they were getting in a pair of Infinity Delta/Gamma speakers this month. Been on my short-list of desireable speakers for a while. I don't have room for Betas or 1Bs (I won't even mention IRS Vs ), but Delta/Gammas are a lot easier to make room for.
I went back a day or two later and said I wanted them, could they please hold them for me when they arrived? "YES," the guy said, and I went away happy.
Originally they were expected "by the 8th to the 10th", but when I went in on the 8th, I was told they'd arrive by next Wednesday. Oh, I can wait...
But then a day or two ago, I got a feeling I should do something to make SURE I would get first crack at these. I went and talked to them, and the guy assured me that he'd hold them for me, but if I really wanted to, I could put a deposit down. Acting on instinct, and after hearing they were coming from Japan and the seller claimed that they were in near-mint condition, I put nearly a thousand bucks down. The shop owner said I could examine them and if I didn't want them, he'd give me the deposit back, so the risk was more on him than on me, anyway.
Today I got a call from the shop telling me that the speakers had arrived!
So this evening I went there, and sure enough, there they were, with a pair of RS IIbs in front of them. The RS IIbs I mention for two reasons. First, the woofers had very strange surrounds, not foam nor rubber nor cloth, but what looked like 4 semi-circles of pale deerskin chamois leather. WTF? The guy in that shop said they actually sounded fantastic that way. Live and learn.
The other reason is that the guy who bought the IIbs saw the Delta/Gammas when they arrived, and went nuts trying to buy them, offering hundreds more than I was paying and begging, pleading to the shop guys to let him buy them. The shop guy had to show him the shop's copy of my receipt for the speakers, before he would accept that they had actually been sold. He stared at it for a moment, sighed and finally gave up trying. The shop owner told me that under the guy's pressing, if I had not put down that deposit, he probably would have caved in and sold them to the guy, before I had a chance to see the things. Thank God for instinct!
I don't blame the other guy for trying, though. These things are almost "time machine" perfect. They almost gleam. The diaphrams for the SEMIT, EMIT, EMIM and L-EMIM are very bright, smooth and shiny, with absolutely no corrosion. The wood frames are smooth, glossy and utterly unblemished, except for a very small bit of white paint or plaster on one top corner, which started coming off under my finger when I rubbed at it; I think it bumped something when they were unloading the speakers. Even the corners of the grills are clean and sharp and un-worn, and I couldn't detect any dust on the frame or grill cloth. I doubt there are cleaner Delta/Gammas out there, and not many as clean as these. I'm thrilled with the shape they are in. Leave it to the Japanese to know how to take care of audio gear!
The guys in the shop were talking about how good they were, how surprised some of them were at how they trounced many speakers they'd heard that were better-known (at least here) or which sold for many times the price. They decided that I knew my stuff, for having grabbed these early and unseen/unheard. More credit than I deserve, but a reflection of what is and isn't as well-known here. JBLs and Tannoys and Rogers such are almost a dime a dozen, but early Infinities are quite uncommon, compared to in the States. Anyway, I digress...
After physical inspection, I listened to them for a couple of hours, during which time I also paid the balance owed, making them entirely mine. They were as wonderful-souding as one would expect. They were being played with the house amp, designed by the guys from the shop. It's on a par with the high-end amps that surround it (more on that later), and sounded great. Another couple guys were there, and we had some good discussions about the speakers, how they compared with others, etc... They all agreed that they were pretty much blown away with how good they sounded, well beyond what they would have expected. I wasn't, but I've heard them and other big old Infinities before, and know what they are capable of. In fact, I was thinking how they'd improve with the addition of the servo box, and in a different environment that wasn't cluttered with other big speakers and stuff.
I had already agreed to leave them in the shop for a little while before bringing them home. This gives the shop guy a chance to enjoy them, and also gives me a chance to back and audition them with a whole bunch of very rare, excellent amps they have in the shop. I'll be able to compare the 101M with the MX-10000 (Important to me because I'm considering buying the MX-10000), and to hear others like Krell, Gryphon, Onkyo, etc... over the coming days. Should be fun!
I was at pains to emphasize that they had to be responsible for keeping the speakers in the same virtually pristine condition, which they agreed to, but I'm not really worried on that score. If I didn't have faith in them, I wouldn't have left the speakers a minute longer than necessary. I did take a few snaps with my phone, and I'll see if I can post them for anyone interested. The shop itself is full of neat, rare/uncommon stuff that one rarely sees outside of perhaps the Vintage Audio website.
Anyway, this was the most expensive pair of speakers I've ever bought, but also the finest, and in really, really, really nice condition, almost unbelievably so for their age. I'm thrilled to have them, not least as they bring me one step closer to a "final" system. Just a couple more bits to go (phono stage is my biggest remaining target, plus a great rack to house it all in) and then I won't care if I never get another upgrade. There won't me much better to upgrade to, anyway.
Just wanted to share this. If you made it this far, thanks for putting up with my drivel.
OH, afterward I walked around a night-time flea market, and picked up a bunch of CDs for a quarter apiece, including several DSD discs, HDCD discs, etc... including stuff from Brahms to the Police, even some Jazz. Listening to a few of them now, and some are really good. Sure couldn't beat the price! Some days just go well, I guess!
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go do a little ...
I've mentioned this in a couple of posts over the past week or two, so this won't be any suprise to some here.
Last month, a guy in a shop here tipped me off that they were getting in a pair of Infinity Delta/Gamma speakers this month. Been on my short-list of desireable speakers for a while. I don't have room for Betas or 1Bs (I won't even mention IRS Vs ), but Delta/Gammas are a lot easier to make room for.
I went back a day or two later and said I wanted them, could they please hold them for me when they arrived? "YES," the guy said, and I went away happy.
Originally they were expected "by the 8th to the 10th", but when I went in on the 8th, I was told they'd arrive by next Wednesday. Oh, I can wait...
But then a day or two ago, I got a feeling I should do something to make SURE I would get first crack at these. I went and talked to them, and the guy assured me that he'd hold them for me, but if I really wanted to, I could put a deposit down. Acting on instinct, and after hearing they were coming from Japan and the seller claimed that they were in near-mint condition, I put nearly a thousand bucks down. The shop owner said I could examine them and if I didn't want them, he'd give me the deposit back, so the risk was more on him than on me, anyway.
Today I got a call from the shop telling me that the speakers had arrived!
So this evening I went there, and sure enough, there they were, with a pair of RS IIbs in front of them. The RS IIbs I mention for two reasons. First, the woofers had very strange surrounds, not foam nor rubber nor cloth, but what looked like 4 semi-circles of pale deerskin chamois leather. WTF? The guy in that shop said they actually sounded fantastic that way. Live and learn.
The other reason is that the guy who bought the IIbs saw the Delta/Gammas when they arrived, and went nuts trying to buy them, offering hundreds more than I was paying and begging, pleading to the shop guys to let him buy them. The shop guy had to show him the shop's copy of my receipt for the speakers, before he would accept that they had actually been sold. He stared at it for a moment, sighed and finally gave up trying. The shop owner told me that under the guy's pressing, if I had not put down that deposit, he probably would have caved in and sold them to the guy, before I had a chance to see the things. Thank God for instinct!
I don't blame the other guy for trying, though. These things are almost "time machine" perfect. They almost gleam. The diaphrams for the SEMIT, EMIT, EMIM and L-EMIM are very bright, smooth and shiny, with absolutely no corrosion. The wood frames are smooth, glossy and utterly unblemished, except for a very small bit of white paint or plaster on one top corner, which started coming off under my finger when I rubbed at it; I think it bumped something when they were unloading the speakers. Even the corners of the grills are clean and sharp and un-worn, and I couldn't detect any dust on the frame or grill cloth. I doubt there are cleaner Delta/Gammas out there, and not many as clean as these. I'm thrilled with the shape they are in. Leave it to the Japanese to know how to take care of audio gear!
The guys in the shop were talking about how good they were, how surprised some of them were at how they trounced many speakers they'd heard that were better-known (at least here) or which sold for many times the price. They decided that I knew my stuff, for having grabbed these early and unseen/unheard. More credit than I deserve, but a reflection of what is and isn't as well-known here. JBLs and Tannoys and Rogers such are almost a dime a dozen, but early Infinities are quite uncommon, compared to in the States. Anyway, I digress...
After physical inspection, I listened to them for a couple of hours, during which time I also paid the balance owed, making them entirely mine. They were as wonderful-souding as one would expect. They were being played with the house amp, designed by the guys from the shop. It's on a par with the high-end amps that surround it (more on that later), and sounded great. Another couple guys were there, and we had some good discussions about the speakers, how they compared with others, etc... They all agreed that they were pretty much blown away with how good they sounded, well beyond what they would have expected. I wasn't, but I've heard them and other big old Infinities before, and know what they are capable of. In fact, I was thinking how they'd improve with the addition of the servo box, and in a different environment that wasn't cluttered with other big speakers and stuff.
I had already agreed to leave them in the shop for a little while before bringing them home. This gives the shop guy a chance to enjoy them, and also gives me a chance to back and audition them with a whole bunch of very rare, excellent amps they have in the shop. I'll be able to compare the 101M with the MX-10000 (Important to me because I'm considering buying the MX-10000), and to hear others like Krell, Gryphon, Onkyo, etc... over the coming days. Should be fun!
I was at pains to emphasize that they had to be responsible for keeping the speakers in the same virtually pristine condition, which they agreed to, but I'm not really worried on that score. If I didn't have faith in them, I wouldn't have left the speakers a minute longer than necessary. I did take a few snaps with my phone, and I'll see if I can post them for anyone interested. The shop itself is full of neat, rare/uncommon stuff that one rarely sees outside of perhaps the Vintage Audio website.
Anyway, this was the most expensive pair of speakers I've ever bought, but also the finest, and in really, really, really nice condition, almost unbelievably so for their age. I'm thrilled to have them, not least as they bring me one step closer to a "final" system. Just a couple more bits to go (phono stage is my biggest remaining target, plus a great rack to house it all in) and then I won't care if I never get another upgrade. There won't me much better to upgrade to, anyway.
Just wanted to share this. If you made it this far, thanks for putting up with my drivel.
OH, afterward I walked around a night-time flea market, and picked up a bunch of CDs for a quarter apiece, including several DSD discs, HDCD discs, etc... including stuff from Brahms to the Police, even some Jazz. Listening to a few of them now, and some are really good. Sure couldn't beat the price! Some days just go well, I guess!
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go do a little ...
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