Just picked up a pair of Infinity Kappa 600

[Ottellii]

I recently traded up a pair of altec lansing 890 bolero speakers for a pair of Infinity Kappa 600. The difference in sound is quite large. As a new member of the audiophile community, im definitely starting to notice things about audio that i didnt before. Some music sounds absolutely fantastic out of these speakers, yet some other music not so great. It seems to me like these newer speakers really expose albums with lower production quality.

Im running them with a marantz 2240 and a pioneer pl-400 with a nagaoka mp110.

I mainly use records or my fiio m11.

What are your thoughts on these speakers?

 

[swechsler]

Welcome! We have a large contingent of Infinity fans here (we even have our own subforum), but the Kappa 600s are the newer, post-EMIT range. I haven't heard these speakers, so can't really comment, but have you seen this review on Audioholics? They made the same complaint as you about exposing poor production quality. That's going to be the case with most high-end speakers.

 

[Ottellii]

Welcome! We have a large contingent of Infinity fans here (we even have our own subforum), but the Kappa 600s are the newer, post-EMIT range. I haven't heard these speakers, so can't really comment, but have you seen this review on Audioholics? They made the same complaint as you about exposing poor production quality. That's going to be the case with most high-end speakers.

Oh wow, yeah ill definitely check this out. It's hard to find what i want when everything in this hobby is mostly subjective, so i took a chance on these speakers. The altecs sounded really comfy and warm, but they were missing that detail that i get from a lot of newer stuff. Do you have any suggestions of where to look incase i were to sell the infinities and get speakers around the same price ($600)? Or where to look if i want to upgrade and get something nicer in the future?

 

[swechsler]

"Where" as in where to shop? Or what models to look for.

Dollars & Sense is really the appropriate subforum for discussing buying & selling, but the usual suspects are: eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, LetGo, USAudioMart and Audiogon. That's assuming you're in the US. If not, I'm sure you're aware of what marketplace websites are available in your area.

 

[Ottellii]

"Where" as in where to shop? Or what models to look for.

Dollars & Sense is really the appropriate subforum for discussing buying & selling, but the usual suspects are: eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, LetGo, USAudioMart and Audiogon. That's assuming you're in the US. If not, I'm sure you're aware of what marketplace websites are available in your area.

Oh sorry, i meant in terms of specific brands / models to look for. I can go to the other subforum.

 

[swechsler]

There are so many models in that price range that it would be well nigh impossible to give you a list. Regarding Infinity, I can tell you that most large earlier Kappa models cannot be gotten that cheaply. You might be able to find a Kappa 6, 6.1, 7 or 7.1, but the prices of 8s and 9s have skyrocketed. The oft-overlooked Crescendo series can sometimes be found for that price.

Outside Infinity, my advice would be to check the sales websites and see what's available. Then, if you find something that looks interesting, do a little googling (you'll probably end up back here, since almost every piece of stereo equipment ever made has been discussed here at some point). If don't find enough info, make another post.

When shopping, it's important to determine if the speakers still have their original drivers. Asking the seller is usually not sufficient, as they may lie or simply make an assumption if they're not the original owner. You have to compare pictures of the drivers of the speakers for sale and compare with other pics online. And again, if you're still not sure, ask here. We've gotten pretty good at this, and we love to help.

One other thing I should mention: before you start upgrading your system, become familiar with its sound and try to determine what you'd like to improve. Simply upgrading from one set of speakers to another just because you heard the others were good is not the way to go about it. Instead, establish a game plan; then you can get opinions from others as to whether the new components you're considering will do what you want.

Good luck!

 

[Ottellii]

There are so many models in that price range that it would be well nigh impossible to give you a list. Regarding Infinity, I can tell you that most large earlier Kappa models cannot be gotten that cheaply. You might be able to find a Kappa 6, 6.1, 7 or 7.1, but the prices of 8s and 9s have skyrocketed. The oft-overlooked Crescendo series can sometimes be found for that price.

Outside Infinity, my advice would be to check the sales websites and see what's available. Then, if you find something that looks interesting, do a little googling (you'll probably end up back here, since almost every piece of stereo equipment ever made has been discussed here at some point). If don't find enough info, make another post.

When shopping, it's important to determine if the speakers still have their original drivers. Asking the seller is usually not sufficient, as they may lie or simply make an assumption if they're not the original owner. You have to compare pictures of the drivers of the speakers for sale and compare with other pics online. And again, if you're still not sure, ask here. We've gotten pretty good at this, and we love to help.

One other thing I should mention: before you start upgrading your system, become familiar with its sound and try to determine what you'd like to improve. Simply upgrading from one set of speakers to another just because you heard the others were good is not the way to go about it. Instead, establish a game plan; then you can get opinions from others as to whether the new components you're considering will do what you want.

Good luck!

Thanks so much!! my marantz is coming back from being serviced this weekend, so im excited to spend some more time with my setup. Wish i could go to a store and test out a bunch of gear.... some stores ive checked out already didnt have the nicest customer service.