InfinityDrew
Active Member
I think it's important to know that technically speaking I have very little knowledge when it comes to specs or science of what makes a speaker "Better" than another, however I think that might be helpful to someone who is just beginning to consider a purchase of classic Infinity speakers. I owned the RS-4B's first and fell in love with the sound, they do so much right that after buying and selling speaker after speaker I had finally found my taste in sound. I did wish for a little more in regards to the low end of the 4B's which provoked me to purchase the Reference Six in hopes of improvement to my occasional taste in Hard Rock, R&B and Metal. Below are my opinions when I did an A/B comparison of both speakers.
Equipment Used: Integra 60.5 Pre Amp / Ashly FTX Series III Amplifier (250w) HP Laptop Playing FLAC Hi Res Files
Music used Billy Joel - Movin Out, Dire Straits - Sultans Of Swing, Matchbox 20 - Push, Aerosmith - Living On The Edge, David Brubeck - Take Five.
SOUNDSTAGE: My first impressions of the Reference Six is that the sound was a little more full than the RS4B's, maybe it is the Six's midrange versus the 4B Polydome.. but to me, the Six's sound filled the air and I was able to hear the music better from different parts of the listening area. However when it came to separation it was no contest, the Six's were pleasant, instruments and voice were detailed but kind of blended together. The 4B's had me thinking Billy Joel's Piano was a separate part of the music that gave me goosebumps, The Guitar solo's in Sultans Of Swing seemed directional but in a good way.
BASS: To me the Reference Six low end was disappointing, the 10" woofers do not go as deep as the 8" woofers of the 4B's, the Six's bass is not bloated but doesn't have the quick, to the point, tight bass of the 4B's. I think the mid bass was more full with the Six's but in no way worth the tradeoff.
HIGHS: The Emit R's from what I have read on paper are better than the Emit Planar Tweeters of the 4B's. The High end I did enjoy from the Reference Six's, detailed, and to me a more enveloping sound and are not as directional, however the 4B's high's are airy and have a way of involving you in the sound that I can only describe as magic.. I just feel like I am a part of the music instead of just listening to it.
CONCLUSION: I do feel that the Reference Six is a good speaker, it does a lot of things well and if I had never heard the 4B's I would probably have a more favorable review of them. The Emit R is a great tweeter and the Six's play loud and clear. Although better than most, they just sounded more like other speakers of the 90's. One of the main reason's I fell in love with the 4B's is because until I heard them, I had never heard a speaker that sounded like them. I grew fatigued after an hour of listening to the Reference Six, as to where I could listen to the 4B's all day. I hate use the word magic but as I explained from the start of the review, I am not educated enough yet to explain to you what it is technically that I prefer between the two, I can only explain what my ears prefer, The RS-4B wins hands down in my opinion.
Equipment Used: Integra 60.5 Pre Amp / Ashly FTX Series III Amplifier (250w) HP Laptop Playing FLAC Hi Res Files
Music used Billy Joel - Movin Out, Dire Straits - Sultans Of Swing, Matchbox 20 - Push, Aerosmith - Living On The Edge, David Brubeck - Take Five.
SOUNDSTAGE: My first impressions of the Reference Six is that the sound was a little more full than the RS4B's, maybe it is the Six's midrange versus the 4B Polydome.. but to me, the Six's sound filled the air and I was able to hear the music better from different parts of the listening area. However when it came to separation it was no contest, the Six's were pleasant, instruments and voice were detailed but kind of blended together. The 4B's had me thinking Billy Joel's Piano was a separate part of the music that gave me goosebumps, The Guitar solo's in Sultans Of Swing seemed directional but in a good way.
BASS: To me the Reference Six low end was disappointing, the 10" woofers do not go as deep as the 8" woofers of the 4B's, the Six's bass is not bloated but doesn't have the quick, to the point, tight bass of the 4B's. I think the mid bass was more full with the Six's but in no way worth the tradeoff.
HIGHS: The Emit R's from what I have read on paper are better than the Emit Planar Tweeters of the 4B's. The High end I did enjoy from the Reference Six's, detailed, and to me a more enveloping sound and are not as directional, however the 4B's high's are airy and have a way of involving you in the sound that I can only describe as magic.. I just feel like I am a part of the music instead of just listening to it.
CONCLUSION: I do feel that the Reference Six is a good speaker, it does a lot of things well and if I had never heard the 4B's I would probably have a more favorable review of them. The Emit R is a great tweeter and the Six's play loud and clear. Although better than most, they just sounded more like other speakers of the 90's. One of the main reason's I fell in love with the 4B's is because until I heard them, I had never heard a speaker that sounded like them. I grew fatigued after an hour of listening to the Reference Six, as to where I could listen to the 4B's all day. I hate use the word magic but as I explained from the start of the review, I am not educated enough yet to explain to you what it is technically that I prefer between the two, I can only explain what my ears prefer, The RS-4B wins hands down in my opinion.
