Kappa's

looks like an even better deal

elroy

How about trying these out in your system Todd? I'm a big fan of Infinity speakers.

I would love to, but since my last purchase, I think be broke for awhile. I think I have heard these before, a guy with a yammi m-2, but back then it seemed harsh and bright, but, of course It was cranked up, in a tiny brick room,

there is the certain cool factor with those.

elroy

I have no idea why but I just can't get excited with the Infinity brand.

As with many other things and other brands, Infinity does seem to create either a love'em or a hate'em reaction. I am certainly no fan of the current Harmon/Infinity crap, and I can't really warm to the true "vintage" Infinities. However, the mid- to to hi-end Infinity models from the late 80s and early 90s will always have a special place in my heart. I am talking about the original RS Kappa series (not the .1 and .2 models), the Renaissance 80/90, the original Modulus sat/sub combo, and the IRS models (80's: V, Beta, Gamma, Delta; 90's: Omega, Sigma, Epsilon). The other series leave me a bit cold (except maybe RS-I and RS-II). They may sound good, but they don't hit me on an emotional level.

From my experience most critizism of the Infinities is focused at two issues... brightness of the EMIT tweeters and wild impedance curves making them difficult to drive and even earning some models a reputation as "Amp Killers". There is some truth to both of these issues, but also a lot of rumor and hearsay that has been blown out of proportion.

The manual for the RS Kappa series states that they are very revealing speakers and warns that if you have any weak links in your system you will hear it through these speakers. During my audiophile youth (I use the term "audiophile" loosely) I neither took the time to listen critically, nor had the variety of equipment available to really begin to understand how various equipment interacts and can effect the presentation of the music. Now, many years later, I have more experience with my RS 9 Kappas, and have heard a (slightly) larger variety of gear through them. Here is what my RS 9 Kappas have revealed to me...

- A quality music source is critical. This includes both the player as well as the quality of the recording.

- Once I had improved my source, I began to notice that in fact some of my equipment actually IS better when it is fully warmed-up.

- With a good source passed through a fully warmed-up amplifier there are in fact audible differences between different speaker cables.

Can the Kappas sound bright? YES!!! They REVEAL the brightness in my Carver TL-3220 CD Player (really bad), Marantz DV4001 DVD Player, and PS Audio 5.6 Preamp (in active mode). They REVEAL the grain in the upper octaves of my Adcom GFA-5802 power amplifier when it is cold. However, send the output of my Adcom GCD-750 HDCD Player or PS Audio Ultralink Two DAC through the PS Audio 5.6 preamplier in "straightwire" mode onto the fully warm GFA-5802 power amplifier and into the RS 9 Kappas via Monster Cable Z3 speaker cables and the result is smooth, well balanced... MUSIC!!! So from my experiences I would say the EMIT tweeters are "revealing", and will expose any bright, harsh, or grainy link in your system.

It is true that due to both wild impedance curves and relatively low efficiency many of the most respected Infinity models are difficult to drive. In fact, my RS 9 Kappas are among the most notorious, carrying that "Amp Killer" reputation. There is no explaining this away. It is the price all of us early-Infinity fans pay for the sonic benefits these speakers offer. That said, the "amp killer" reputation is somewhat overstated, depending on your desired listening level, room size, etc. Some models, such as my RS 9 Kappas, include a switch which limits the impedance drop ("normal mode", adds a resistor in series with the woofers), and allows less capable amps to be used at the expense of some lower bass performance. I have used this feature most of the time I have owned my RS 9 Kappas, and bass performance is still excellent. Of course to tap that extra bit of potential ("extended mode") you need an amplifier capable of delivering high levels of current (ideally you need two for bi-amping). However, I would never suggest to someone that they should avoid the RS 9 Kappa just because their amplifier dictates that they use "normal" mode. This speaker has so many other great qualities, even in normal mode, to be avoided due to amplifier concerns.

As far as the RS 8 Kappa is concerned, I think it is an often underrated speaker that suffers in the shadow of its bigger RS 9 Kappa brother. The 8 is not as demanding of amplifiers as the 9, and suprisingly its bass performance with only one woofer, while not as good as the 9 in extended mode, is arguably better than the 9 in "normal" mode. If I were local, and these 8 Kappas were in good shape (especially important for the mids and mid-bass which are rare even on EBay) I would be all over them. Although I might try to talk the guy down to $400. ;-)

Rob

Thanks for your thoughts on these, I guess the reason I didnt like them when I heard them was becaus of what you stated, I just didnt hear them with the right components.

i am pretty sure I dont have all the right components for run a set of these, but I am extremely happy with my vandersteens, they seem to sound good no matter what I throw at them.

of course I did think that $500 was a pretty good price for these.

elroy

Oh I would expect your recently acquired Yamaha gear to be up to the task. I am not familiar with any of the other pieces you own, or those Vandersteens, so I really can't offer much insight into how the RS 8 kappas would work for you.

What I continue to realize more and more is just how important it is to be familiar with the other equipment that is being used in an equipment review. While I may praise a given component due to its synergy with other gear in my system, it may in fact perform horribly in your system. This is why reading a review is as much of an art (and has as much to do with experience) as writing one.

Rob

well, you are right when it comes to my speakers and power section, I havent posted or written about my panasonic dvd player that I took from dingus, just cause it has an optical out, and my $7 optical cable, I do like my entech number cruncher,

although I am a newbie to these vodoo type pieces of equipment "DAC's". and I do know that the entech is an entry level dac. btw, took it from dingus also. hmmm pretty much everything I listen to is from dingus, cept for the speaker cable and mx2000.

he will understand this, when I call him a dick, and he hates the smiley's too. I work with him I can call him names, and he will call me something I will have to look up in the dictionary,

for the folks who dont know, dingus and i joke around all the time so I probably shouldnt even go there, but oh well.

elroy