Cylontymany
Super Member
What series had the best emits?
Best Emits
- Thread starter Cylontymany
- Start date
uvafan420
LiKe It LoUd
Be ready for all kinds of opinions. This is like asking what amplifier is best, or what flavor doughnut you like. Everyone hears differently. Some do not even like Emit tweeters of any kind, some like all of them etc...
However, if you believe the glamorously written literature Infinity published, the High Energy EMIT (that found in the Epsilon, Sigma etc...) they considered their best tweeter. There is also literature on the EMIT-R dispersing sound better etc...
We do have to keep this fact in mind though. Out of ALL the driver designs, Arnie took one with him to Genesis.
This is not to say Infinity's version of the EMIT-R to be better than that of the High Energy EMIT, but possibly he saw much more potential in it's characteristics.
Personally though, I like the High Energy EMIT and the EMIT-R. I have noticed over the many years though of listening to all kinds of speakers (berylium tweeters etc...) the higher quality (better choiced) amplifier you choose the more potential you get from all of the drivers, not just the tweeters.
However, if you believe the glamorously written literature Infinity published, the High Energy EMIT (that found in the Epsilon, Sigma etc...) they considered their best tweeter. There is also literature on the EMIT-R dispersing sound better etc...
We do have to keep this fact in mind though. Out of ALL the driver designs, Arnie took one with him to Genesis.
This is not to say Infinity's version of the EMIT-R to be better than that of the High Energy EMIT, but possibly he saw much more potential in it's characteristics.
Personally though, I like the High Energy EMIT and the EMIT-R. I have noticed over the many years though of listening to all kinds of speakers (berylium tweeters etc...) the higher quality (better choiced) amplifier you choose the more potential you get from all of the drivers, not just the tweeters.
mars_volta
Super Member
I prefer the older EMIT-K type. I don't like the EMIT-R nearly as much.
okeeteekid
Well-Known Member
I like the High Energy EMIT, they play much lower in frequency giving more body to all sounds they produce... Much like a dome tweeter, to me other EMIT's are thin sounding compared to the HE, the HE EMIT's have close to the dynamics of a dome tweeter, don't know why the EMIT-R's didn't use neo magnets.
okeeteekid
Well-Known Member
I compared the kappa 8 that uses the EMIT-K to the ren 90 that uses the HE EMIT, here's one example, when playing music with bells the K8 made the bells sound airy with a little jingle jingle but when played through the ren 90 those same bells sounded more full and like they were right there in front of you....way more body to the bells on the HE... Almost dome like, the K8 Emit does have a little more air to them than the HE EMIT has, If infinity would have put a SEMIT in the speakers that came with HE tweeters that would have been something special.
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uvafan420
LiKe It LoUd
Basically what you hear, in a listeners point of view obviously , is a classical rock speaker type (airy) as compared to a Classical/Jazzy style speaker (taking the technical aspects out of it). Take the Renaissance and play loud classical rock etc... and it is just not the same imo. It is also why you will hear varying versions of what one likes in a driver.
To me (in this price point), and taking into account Infinity's competition of the time (at approximate price points), most notably the B&W 801 S3 at 5K, they should have melded the size presence characteristics of the Kappa 9 line with some of the Renaissance features instead of making two different speaker lines (at a more B&W 801 price point of course (3.5-5K). Say a new Renaissance with 2 12" Watkins woofers, or a new Kappa .1 series with High energy emit, EMIM, which ever you wanted to call it don't really matter. In other words, B&W went all out in one speaker price point, and Infinity made two different lines of speakers to have to choose from and cut the costs to mid sub 5K ranges. The 801 sounds phenomenal with Jazz/Classical, and has Kappa 9 (or more) bass output (down to 20Hz).
But I guess with such a speaker, the Sigma type models would have just been a huge overpriced paper weight. As who would choose that over a Renaissance with 2 Watkins 12" woofers (and I mean in each cabinet)? heh...
Certainly none of that is taking into account Infinity's Beta type speakers of course (those price points). They (the Beta), to me, are one of the best speakers ever made at a realistic price point. It is just a shame it takes more room than my current listening area had for them.
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okeeteekid
Well-Known Member
I have the IRS Epsilons and have listened to the IRS Betas and here are my thoughs, as with the K8 and the ren 90 I heard the same difference between the Beta and the Epsilon Tweeters, overall they sound very similar but the bass on the Betas is.. Well I wouldn't say more accurate.. just more, Actually I went back and forth through e-mail with a guy that owned both the Beta and the Epsilon, he said they sounded very similar to him aside from the bass output and the fact that the Beta could play a little louder but he felt that the Epsilon sounded better in a smaller room so he sold the Betas.
uvafan420
LiKe It LoUd
Absolutely. They share many of the same driver technology obviously. More of those drivers produce more output (your findings). Not really any sound quality benefits per se from a technical standpoint.
But don't forget the power that visceral impact brings to any music. Being able to just flow through any loudness level of music with ease. That makes a big difference in quality of the sound too (not just what drivers the speaker incorporates). And like you said, what you need in a speaker is greatly determined by room size. Pretty much the reason Infinity made the Epsilon, as most room sizes would accommodate it more readily. Of course you got a great deal on your speakers, as I remember on here when you bought them. But at their retail price they were ALOT, and Betas could be bought for less on the used market back then. Actually speakers prices (now) in general are absurd. Everything getting made in China, but prices don't drop when they do.
IRS Betas in my current listening area would have been way to much, and taken up way to much of my listening room's space. They also would have blocked my projector screen heh. In such cases as that the Epsilon is a much better fit.
okeeteekid
Well-Known Member
I agree with you, ask yourself how much it would cost to equal the sound of these old infinitys if you had to replace them with something new.
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uvafan420
LiKe It LoUd
Lots of Moola... I would hate to think what I would have to dish out just to replace my 9.1s, much less the Beta, Epsilon lines. There is a youtube video out there of someone comparing the Beta to the Focal Grand Utopias (a 150Kish speaker set) which is interesting. The only scary part of owning older Infinity's and the prices not being higher than they are on the used market, is obviously parts.
But buying any of the older Infinity speakers at todays prices is like thievery. And I would not say Infinity up until Arnie left, I would say up until Christie left Infinity. Which is when they began to stop using drivers and philosophies the original Infinity group used. Arnie's outlook and design philosophies on loudspeakers went all the way into the .1 Kappa, Renaissance, Sigma, Epsilon lines imo. And we have to remember, Harmon bought Infinity way back in 1983. So a Harmon buyout was not technically Infinity's downfall, it was more the loss of Arnie and Christie together. An example of successes in being owned by Harmon can be seen in Revel. A Harmon company that still produces awesome loudspeakers today.
okeeteekid
Well-Known Member
I have a pair of revel f12's that I think sound very good for their price point but when you compare them to the epsilons they sound like someone threw a thick quilt blanket over them, funny you would only notice it when comparing the two speakers otherwise the revels sound great, with the epsilons you hear all the good and all the bad.
uvafan420
LiKe It LoUd
If you ever see a pair of Revel Ultima Salon 2 in say an audio store or something, I would compare them to the Epsilon. Never heard them myself so would be interested in the differences of those two speakers. A modern 20K speaker against the Epsilon. If the Epsilon is better, you could always make light of that with the sales rep lol....
moebuster
Super Member
theres a pair of 'SEMIT tweeters on ebay and they are pricy as compared to any other "emit" i've seen before.
Newk_Yuler
Active Member
Infinity used the SEMIT driver as a smaller EMIT mixed in production with EMIT K in some of the RS x000 models in the late 1980s (same period in time). The smaller EMIT from the x000 show up occasionally on eBay with varying prices. Usually less expensive than a good set of EMIT K. SEMIT can be a lot more expensive because they were pulled from much nicer speakers.
audiomagnate
Addicted Member
I have 2.5s and my buddy has a pair of AV23's that use the EMIT-R and I have to say I love the highs that come out of his speakers. I'm going to try a pair out for supertweeter (8K+) use.
StimpyWan
Addicted Member
Just curious; are the speakers Onix Strata Mini's?
Since I own Monsoon FPF-1000 speakers, I always wanted to hear the Mini's. I expect the Mini's Emit-R sounds much better than my Monsoon's planar tweeter. Probably has much better dispersion.
Take care!
Newk_Yuler
Active Member
A set of RS 5000 turned up on eBay that's an example and I figured I'd post to see if anyone knows why Infinity did this. The last image of RS 5000 with EMIT K came from Infinity Classics.
audiomagnate
Addicted Member
Yes! Onix Strata Mini's. They're fantastic. He replaced his megabuck SF Cremonas with these and couldn't be happier. That's when I first heard the EMIT-R. It's almost plasma-like in its presentation. I love that tweeter!
