Viability of Infinity IRS Beta's today?

[Zero Cool]

I'm curious if an old set of Infinity IRS Beta's can hold water against speakers today? Can they even be restored? I know of a set that has been in storage in there boxes for a great many years. I would bet that the woofer foam has all rotted out at this point. But that can be redone fairly easily if the woofers still work, and most importantly if the servo woofers still work!

I have no idea what sort of condition they are really in as it would be quite and undertaking just to un box the things. refoaming the woofers is about $20 each x 8 so you would be shy of $200 right off the bat. and then there is no guarantee the panels are all working.

Do these hold any value still today? would they be worth pursuing??


Zc

[dave_gerecke]

Hey ZeroCool,

Here's one mans opinion of the Beta's:

BobbyShred's Vintage Infinity Speaker Page

And Stereophile:

Infinity IRS Beta loudspeaker | Stereophile.com

I would think they would be worth it. Even if you don't keep them, if you get them for a decent price and repair them, I would guess that they would still fetch a few schekels.

Peace,

Dave

[Zero Cool]

Thanks for that link! there was a link on that page to Watkins who refoams the woofers and sells new Servo woofer pairs. That may help should this deal swing!

Zc

[dave_gerecke]

Hey ZC, glad to help out. To be honest, I am jealous of you. If you get them for a good deal, even if you spend $1k or so to repair the woofers, if the rest of the drivers are good, you just purchased what is regarded as one of the best speakers ever made. Good Luck!

Peace,

Dave

[Zero Cool]

I dunno if it will really happen. there are a lot of politics involved but I have inquired about them so will see where it goes from there.

[wintermute]

I'm pretty sure it is this model infinity that changed my view of audio for ever! My memory was that there were 6 12" woofers per side, but I've never found an infinity speaker with that so I think that memory is false.

The sound was so clean and pure, the soundstage was amazing I felt that Jennifer warnes was in the room singing live.

I went home and listened to my lowly system and almost cried.

The speakers alone were $35,000 AU. This was sometime in the early nineties I think. The entire system that had been set up I think was over $100K AU

It was the first (and only) high end system I have heard. I swore I would not listen to another unless I was able to afford something as good

Tony.

[Merlyn]

Wintermute - The IRS Betas were around $12k US in 1990, 4 Watkins woofers per side. The IRS Reference Series sounds like what you heard. I still have my Beta's, do not listen to them as much as I did when my VTL300's were running the electrostatics (I think I blew up a transformer), I have an old Adcom & SAE A502 standing in temporarily. They are everything people say, but when driven properly, voices & strings in particular will surround you with pure magic.

[wintermute]

Hi Merlyn so there was a system with six x 12" woofers per side then! I've not managed to find them when googling. They were stunning speakers

Tony.

[Merlyn]

Infinity IRS Beta - (4) 12" per side

Infinity IRS V - (6) 12" per side = oh look, here's a pair for sale - or you could buy a house ;~)

Infinity IRS V s reference standard | Full range | AudiogoN

[wintermute]

Hmmm I suspect what I saw/heard may have been a special order. I'm 99% sure that the non-bass columns were electrostatics (pretty much the same height as the woofer columns), but they were paired with the 6 X 12" woofer columns.

Tony.