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Speaker Asylum General speaker questions for audio and home theater. |
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Speaker Asylum General speaker questions for audio and home theater. |
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Model: RS-5b Category: Speakers Suggested Retail Price: $700 Description: traditional three way Manufacturer URL: Infinity Systems Model Picture: View
Review by jonbee (A) on April 14, 2007 at 20:13:41
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for the RS-5bI bought a pair of RS-5bs listed on Craigslist, in good condition except for the rotten woofer surrounds. The picture shown is the rs-4b. The rs-5b has one 10" woofer rather than 2 8"s in the 4b, and is about a foot shorter.The speakers date from 1985, a period in which Infinity made some classic speakers. I owned some of their more ambitious designs in those years, so it seemd like it might be fun to fix these up and give them a run. I replaced the surrounds and damped the woofer baskets.
I expected them to be pretty good mid fi, but I wasn't prepared for what I heard. Most importantly, the midrange was fast, detailed, natural, and had terrific in room presence. It separates instruments and layers in the mids in a most engaging way. In this regard, I felt it was a true high end performance.
The bass was lively,and went down to around 40 hz. in room, but with an excess of midbass punch. Great for rock n rollers, but not quite accurate. Still, it had the pacing to get the toes tapping. Pretty nice.
The emit tweeter is a known quantity. Detailed, fast, and airy, it nevertheless had a bit too much edge. I have found this to be the case with this driver generally.
So what we have here is a very good midfi speaker, whose faults are pretty easy to live with, particularly if you prefer a punchy, upfront sound. They truly excel at putting the music into the room in a lively fashion. At the used price in good condion of $200-250, these are without competitiion from new models. My previous candidates for best medium sized vintage bargains were the B&O S60, S75, and the JBL L80T. I think these Infinities edge them both by a small margin, per my tastes.
If you find good pair cheap, they would be a great choice in any budget situation where a medium size is desired. Replacement of xover caps, wiring, and adding cabinet damping may well take these up another level, at a bargain price.
Product Weakness: Highs a bit sharp, bass a bit too punchy. L-pads can get noisy. Product Strengths: Fast, open, low coloration midrange. Nice detail definition overall, decent bass extension. Very inexpensive used for the quality.
Associated Equipment for this Review: Amplifier: sony avd-500 all digital amp/player Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): none Sources (CDP/Turntable): See Sony Speakers: review Cables/Interconnects: Mapleshade Helix Music Used (Genre/Selections): Lots, every kind Room Size (LxWxH): 16 x 12 x 8 Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner
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Topic - REVIEW: Infinity Systems RS-5b Speakers - jonbee 20:13:41 04/14/07 (6)
- Infinity Systems RS-5b Speakers - Dman 13:40:02 04/16/07 (0)
- Another Infinity model not often seen -- and for sale. - free.ranger 21:58:56 04/15/07 (0)
- Infinity Systems RS-5b Speakers - ka7niq 00:15:43 04/15/07 (2)
- That's good to know- I suspected that might be true... - jonbee 07:22:58 04/15/07 (1)
- Re: That's good to know- I suspected that might be true... - ka7niq 10:38:11 04/15/07 (0)
- I forgot to mention the real wood veneer, and solid wood... - jonbee 20:35:59 04/14/07 (0)
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