does anyone have much info on these speakers? they look nice, and supposedly the tweeters are nice, i cant seem to find much on the internet about these other than saw 2 completed auctions on ebay for $450+ i came across a pair in perfect condition for sale, coming with some polk surrounds and a denon reciever all for about 350. you guys think its a great deal? i looked them up on infinity's site but they only have data for the kappa 6.1s (which are giant speakers 3x the price of these)
heres a picture, theres more in the same directory.
http://lflss.net/speakers/infinity/100_0232.JPG
heres a picture, theres more in the same directory.
http://lflss.net/speakers/infinity/100_0232.JPG
Absolutely georgous sounding speakers at that price. A friends parents have a set hooked up to a NAD amp. Buy them..Heck buy 2 pairs and send a pair to me.
Perhaps it was the amp, but the only negative I found was that for a 10" bass driver, they really didn't push out the sort of decibels that you get out of other similar size and vintage speakers, like JBL TLX18, but this will never be a problem in a small to medium room.
Perhaps it was the amp, but the only negative I found was that for a 10" bass driver, they really didn't push out the sort of decibels that you get out of other similar size and vintage speakers, like JBL TLX18, but this will never be a problem in a small to medium room.
Those appear to be in great shape. The polydome midranges are nice and clear. If you look at some being sold on the auction sites, many of the polydomes appear to have turned white and opaque. I'm not sure why, but some folks have suggested it affects the sound as they change.
I have a pair of the kappa 9.1 series II's with 2- 12 inch woofers in each, and a pair of the old Qb for my rear speakers and IL-50 for my center pair. The old ones sound better than the new ones to me. Just be aware that they will have a stong magnetic field so you will not want to put them too close to a tube TV.
I always liked the older Infinitiy speakers. You should be able to drive them OK will any amp that can handle low impedence. Even my junkie old Sony receiver would drive mine; however, I cheated by having cooling fans to keep the amp from melting down. It would get quite hot without them. My Parasound amp stays nice and cool even at moderate volume.
Randy
I have a pair of the kappa 9.1 series II's with 2- 12 inch woofers in each, and a pair of the old Qb for my rear speakers and IL-50 for my center pair. The old ones sound better than the new ones to me. Just be aware that they will have a stong magnetic field so you will not want to put them too close to a tube TV.
I always liked the older Infinitiy speakers. You should be able to drive them OK will any amp that can handle low impedence. Even my junkie old Sony receiver would drive mine; however, I cheated by having cooling fans to keep the amp from melting down. It would get quite hot without them. My Parasound amp stays nice and cool even at moderate volume.
Randy
The Kappa series are a very good sounding 20+ year old speaker. As with all Infinity box speakers they need to be up on sturdy spiked stands (8-10" for 6 Kappas) and well out away from all walls..though at different distances from back and side walls...and with several feet of space all around them.
They should be fired straight forward, and be 2/3rds the distance apart as they are from your listening area. Ideally they should be 2/3rds of the way out in the room as measured from the rear of the cabinet to the wall behind them...and 1/3rd of the way to the wall in front of them. If you are 10 ft away from their front plane, then place them 6.5 -7 ft apart measured at their inner side. Leave a foot or two from your listening spot to the wall behind you for added image depth and presence.
I know it sounds like a lot of measuring, and a lot of room space, but you only have to set them up once, and it does make a big difference. Obviously your results may differ due to room dimensions, but I think these measurements are a good starting place.
The 6 Kappas (same for the 5,7,8, and 9's too) also respond well to a slight tilt backward (no more than a few degrees). Tweeters should be at the same height as your ears when seated for smoothest dispersion and widest sound stage.
6 Kappas are a sealed box speaker and as such will not produce heavy, exagerated, one note bass like a ported speaker, they will however produce clean, smooth, well articulated, bass down to their LF rolloff.
The better the power supply in the amp (high current, low distortion, good headroom, Mosfets) along with high quality source components, the better they will perform.
Most receivers (old or new) need not apply....However the SX 1250 Pioneer is an exception. Stay with separates...I use big Bryston amps and the synergy is excellent.
Remember that Kappas have an Emit tweeter witha 1/4 amp fuse, and they can be blown quite easily with clipping from an over driven under powered amp. Good luck finding NOS Emit etched diaphrams if you do blow a tweeter.
Last but not least, the 5 and 6 Kappas are not designed to shake a house...if you need that kind of output, get a big set of Cerwin Vegas, or bigger Kappas, and have at it.
The 6 Kappa is a much more refined speaker, and will do well with classic rock, Jazz, and synth rock in a mid sized room at reasonable levels.
No Rap, and No crap, and you'll be ok.
IMO the 2 way 5 Kappa is the jewel in the Kappa line. It has the Emit tweeter, a fast 6.5inch woofer, a large, sturdy, sealed, enclosure..and when driven with good electronics and an analog front end...they are special.
And yes, it is correct to put the number before the name...eg: 5 Kappa, not Kappa 5.
Also, the .1 versions (5.1, 6.1, 7.1 etc) had round Emit R tweeters, smaller cabinets, different x-over points, driver material changes, and other revisions....and just don't sound as sweet as the originals...IMHO
That's my 2 cents worth.
R.I.P. Bobby Shred
Thanks.
They should be fired straight forward, and be 2/3rds the distance apart as they are from your listening area. Ideally they should be 2/3rds of the way out in the room as measured from the rear of the cabinet to the wall behind them...and 1/3rd of the way to the wall in front of them. If you are 10 ft away from their front plane, then place them 6.5 -7 ft apart measured at their inner side. Leave a foot or two from your listening spot to the wall behind you for added image depth and presence.
I know it sounds like a lot of measuring, and a lot of room space, but you only have to set them up once, and it does make a big difference. Obviously your results may differ due to room dimensions, but I think these measurements are a good starting place.
The 6 Kappas (same for the 5,7,8, and 9's too) also respond well to a slight tilt backward (no more than a few degrees). Tweeters should be at the same height as your ears when seated for smoothest dispersion and widest sound stage.
6 Kappas are a sealed box speaker and as such will not produce heavy, exagerated, one note bass like a ported speaker, they will however produce clean, smooth, well articulated, bass down to their LF rolloff.
The better the power supply in the amp (high current, low distortion, good headroom, Mosfets) along with high quality source components, the better they will perform.
Most receivers (old or new) need not apply....However the SX 1250 Pioneer is an exception. Stay with separates...I use big Bryston amps and the synergy is excellent.
Remember that Kappas have an Emit tweeter witha 1/4 amp fuse, and they can be blown quite easily with clipping from an over driven under powered amp. Good luck finding NOS Emit etched diaphrams if you do blow a tweeter.
Last but not least, the 5 and 6 Kappas are not designed to shake a house...if you need that kind of output, get a big set of Cerwin Vegas, or bigger Kappas, and have at it.
The 6 Kappa is a much more refined speaker, and will do well with classic rock, Jazz, and synth rock in a mid sized room at reasonable levels.
No Rap, and No crap, and you'll be ok.
IMO the 2 way 5 Kappa is the jewel in the Kappa line. It has the Emit tweeter, a fast 6.5inch woofer, a large, sturdy, sealed, enclosure..and when driven with good electronics and an analog front end...they are special.
And yes, it is correct to put the number before the name...eg: 5 Kappa, not Kappa 5.
Also, the .1 versions (5.1, 6.1, 7.1 etc) had round Emit R tweeters, smaller cabinets, different x-over points, driver material changes, and other revisions....and just don't sound as sweet as the originals...IMHO
That's my 2 cents worth.
R.I.P. Bobby Shred
Thanks.
we must all be bored to continue this thread
Wow, another chronicler of the obvious... thanks for the factoid.
Wow, another chronicler of the obvious... thanks for the factoid.
As far as which cabinets were bigger between the old and newer .1 series of kappa speakers, the newer series were bigger on whole. As you go up in model the size difference becomes more substantial. Where the 8.1 and 9.1 cabinets are cosiderably deeper and have more mass than the older series. Have you ever read the dimensions of these models, even the 5,6 vs the 5.1, 6.1?
I bought both the RS Kappa 9 and 9.1 when new. Had various models of both series over the years. And I must say, my absolute favorite when driven by worthy amplifiers was and still is the 9.1. I currently use a Krell KSA-250 on my current 9.1 set, and the woofers are very well controlled, tight. Much better and more bass response than the Kappa 9 gave me with high current amplifiers. The mids and highs seem to be more cleaned up, with a much clearer and realistic soundstage. People often lust over the EMIM, and having had the Betas for some time, I like them as well, but the polydome is no slouch itself. I think they add a lot of realism to the music.
I prefer the -r (round) tweeter. One look at the top of the line Genesis 1.2 speaker now will tell you which Arnie must have prefered as well. It is like those stories you hear of people at first not liking an emit tweeter of any kind, until they start to hear many more nuances in the music than they ever heard with other tweeters. People sometimes don't like change, so they say they prefer the older without honestly scrutinizing the new. And then there are those stuck in the old Infinity days where their speaker has to be from the first days of Arnie at Infinity before they are worthy speakers. But Infinity made great speakers all the way to the last of the great, the Epsilon.
I bought both the RS Kappa 9 and 9.1 when new. Had various models of both series over the years. And I must say, my absolute favorite when driven by worthy amplifiers was and still is the 9.1. I currently use a Krell KSA-250 on my current 9.1 set, and the woofers are very well controlled, tight. Much better and more bass response than the Kappa 9 gave me with high current amplifiers. The mids and highs seem to be more cleaned up, with a much clearer and realistic soundstage. People often lust over the EMIM, and having had the Betas for some time, I like them as well, but the polydome is no slouch itself. I think they add a lot of realism to the music.
I prefer the -r (round) tweeter. One look at the top of the line Genesis 1.2 speaker now will tell you which Arnie must have prefered as well. It is like those stories you hear of people at first not liking an emit tweeter of any kind, until they start to hear many more nuances in the music than they ever heard with other tweeters. People sometimes don't like change, so they say they prefer the older without honestly scrutinizing the new. And then there are those stuck in the old Infinity days where their speaker has to be from the first days of Arnie at Infinity before they are worthy speakers. But Infinity made great speakers all the way to the last of the great, the Epsilon.
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.