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Kappa 8.1 vs RS IIA

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Nikkoholic

Active Member
Anybody ever heard Kappa 8.1's and RS IIA's speakers side by side or owned both? I'm in search of some additional vintage Infinity's and these are on the list of considerations.

The Kappa 8.1's seem to have the cabinet style similar to the Ren 90's vs the older Kappa series that were thinner and angled back.

I recently purchased a pair of RS IIIb's and like these, but the highs are pretty strong. I'm still playing with the settings though.

Also own a pair of QLS-1's so a comparison to any of these speakers would be helpful.
 
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I've not heard the K8.1's but I own RS-IIb's. I'd have to choose the IIb's. I like sealed box design speakers for their tight, fast, articulate bass, which IMO is essential to match properly with the speed and resolution of the EMIT tweeters. The K8.1's are a ported design, so for me that's one strike. The bass is more extended with the IIb's as well. The IIb's will win hands down in the midrange due to the 3 EMIMs. If the Kappa's were the original model, the choice would be more difficult, but I think I'd still end up with the IIb's.

I also own IIIb's, and I find them to sound a lot like the IIb's, but the IIIb's are less extended in the bass and not as sweet in the mids. I have never thought of the IIIb's (or IIb's, for that matter) as sounding bright, but they do not suffer poorly recorded material well at all. Those EMIT tweeters are ruthlessly revealing, and will faithfully reproduce what they are fed. Good recordings sound amazing; but bad, compressed, or overly equalized recordings sound flat, shrill, and edgy.
 
You've made my decision. That's were I was leaning; just needed some solid justification. Now I just have to find some.

Is there much difference between the RS-IIa' and b's? Looks like just the low frequency crossover drops from 175 Hz to 150 Hz according to specs. Anything else?
Thanks
 
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Nikkoholic said:
You've made my decision. That's were I was leaning; just needed some solid justification. Now I just have to find some.

Is there much difference between the RS-IIa' and b's? Looks like just the low frequency crossover drops from 175 Hz to 150 Hz according to specs. Anything else?
Thanks
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That's the crossover point from one woofer to the other. Other than that, I'm not aware of any differences.
 
The RSIIb woofers are in series, they both have the same crossover point. The woofers cross over to the low EMIMs at 150Hz.

I believe the other difference between IIA and IIB is that the IIA drivers use samarium cobalt magnets, while the IIb drivers use more powerful (but peeling-prone) Neodymium magnets.
 
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