...
BUT, the construction, yes I have a serious problem with that. First of all I would like to see the components mounted on a PCB with traces rather than point-to-point wiring. The cables should be attached to post or else hard wired to a PCB via through holes. The caps should not be stacked on top of each other and held down with glue. They should all be mounted on a PCB and maybe secured with tied wraps. The leads coming off the inductors look hideous and they seem to be touching the case of the inductor. This looks at best like a build up in the research lab rather than a production run. I can't believe this came from the factory this way. This must of been somebodies home brew modification? Replacing parts would be difficult with this "rat's nest".
I would agree that that isn't the prettiest crossover I've ever seen, by a long shot. A bit too crowded, for one thing, although minimizing distance between capacitors makes sense, they should be kept apart from the inductors.
I would always prefer point-to-point wiring in a crossover, and don't understand why you would want a circuit board there. Circuit boards are mostly for the benefit of the manufacturer, and possibly the repair(wo)man, but they bring no sonic benefits over point-to-point. If anything, they degrade the sound by adding additional connection points between conductors.
IRS is #1 rsI#2 just my 02
I am still learning a lot about these Infinity's. I didn't realize that the Ren 90's were some of the best Infinity's out there. I thought the IRS Beta's, IRS Gamma's RS-1's, RS 2.5, RS 4.5 and the Quantum Source Lines were the better units of the Infinity drivers.
Actually I think the Ren 90's can lay claim to being the best monopole speaker Infinity ever made under $14,000 (ie: under the Epsilon). That would be the fairest way to rate them.
I would agree. I'd rank nearly all of the IRS and the earlier RS series speakers as superior to any Renaissance model, including the 90s. But the 90s are the top of that line, which is the best of the "later" Infinities.
The BEST speakers Infinity ever made were the IRS Vs, without any question, period. Quite possibly the best speakers ever made, anywhere, by anyone, although some might dispute that.
I would consider most of the models you mentioned as having better sound than the 90's. I would also add the RS-IIb's to that list. I've heard the RS-IIb's and I think they sound better, mostly due to the IIb's having better bass and by their abillity to project more sound, but that's only my opinion.
The term "better" is subjective. Some people do not want a huge speaker. Some people prefer a speaker that projects less bass. Some people don't want to spend $10,000 for a pair of speakers, that would give them a small sound quality improvement over the 90's. For those types of people, the 90's would "better" fit their needs.
I dare say that some people would even consider the Bose 901's or some hard rocking CV's to be better!
OF course, if you interpret "better" to mean "most suitable for a given application", then at times some tiny speakers might be better. One assumes that "best" or "better" in the broader context here means "sound best when appropriately positioned in an appropriate environment"; that is, capable of producing the best sound, when properly set up.
No offense intended, but the addition of "monopole" knocks out a huge percentage of what most people would consider Infinity's finest speakers - IRS, Beta, Gamma, RS-1, RS-IIB, RS-4.5, in fact virtually all their top of the line speakers prior to 1990.
If you want to redefine the question as to whether the Ren is the best "monopole" Infinity, then they very possibly might be better than anything except the Epsilon (I've never heard a Sigma or an Omega, so can't comment). But, in reference to the OP's question, while I think the Ren is a fine speaker, no way do I consider it Infinity's finest speaker.
David
+1
To ask what their best "monopole" speaker is, is an entirely different question than to ask what their best speaker is. Most of the best Infinity speakers were dipole, for the simple reason that you can get a better, more realistic sound from a dipole than you can from a monopole, all else being equal.
None taken, and my addition of "monopole" was intentional and made in the full knowledge that this knocks out the above dipole models you referred to. Dipole speakers emit rear radiation as well as front, placing even greater importance on room acoustics. Honestly, how many people do you know have dedicated, acoustically tuned listening rooms who are able to get the most out of dipole speakers? Not too many in my experience, and for those of us who do not have an ideal listening room, or who have not employed room tuning devices, dipole speakers create more problems than any perceived benefits in the form of out of phase room reflections and other sonic ills. So for that reason, I feel Infinity's best monople designs deserve to be considered amongst Infinity's best speakers ever made..
So to summarise, I don't think, nor was I trying to imply that the Renaissance 90 is Infinity's finest speaker...it's just Infinity's finest speaker in my (and doubtless many other's) imperfect listening space
I'm not sure that a finely-tuned listening space is really all that critical to obtaining the sonic benefits of a dipole. A certain minimal room size is needed, because the speakers have to be positioned a few feet out in front of the rear wall, and still leave some distance between the speakers and the listener, so they are not appropriate in very small/short rooms. But as long as there is sufficient room length, dipoles need not be any pickier than monopoles. EXCEPT, perhaps, to the extent that they are capable of producing a significantly more realistic soundstage, and therefore you may find it easier to hear when things are not quite right. [i.e., they reveal more detail about location.]
Actually, dipole speakers have certain advantages over monopole designs w/ regard to room interaction. The dipole radiating pattern has a null 90 degrees off axis which makes placement relative to side walls not as critical. As you state the back wall reflection does need to be dealt with and teh speakers do need to be positioned somewhat out into the room. So far as I can tell that seems to be the preferred placement for monopole speakers as well. I suppose I do have some bias as my Infinities are Gammas and RS-IIs, but I find both relatively easy to place in my room.
Just my $0.02
J. Tucker
IRS Gamma
RS-II
ADS L710
Exactly what I was getting at above; dipoles aren't that difficult to place nor as demanding of room perfection, because they are less influenced by side wall reflections. Placement is just as critical with them as with monopoles, if you want the best sound, but the sweet spot for dipoles is usually significantly bigger than for monopoles, and they'll usually sound good over a larger area, even if the "complete magic" only kicks in for a portion of that area.
