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RS 4 and 4B differences

Rod G-6000

Rod G-6000

Do I See Silver?!!
I know that the RS 4's were the earlier model before the 4B's and had a fuse on the back above the mid and tweeter controls.
The 4's only have a small amount of space below the bottom woofer and were offered with optional stands from Infinity while the 4B's had more space and bases for them. I believe the 4's are somewhere around 10" shorter than the 4B's?
Has anyone heard both? Is there any significant sonic differences with
the 4 having smaller cabinet size and volume?
 
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I had a set of 4b's many years ago, awesome speaker!

I don't believe there is too much difference between the two, mostly cosmetic. The 4's had orange printing for the front text and the 4b's had gray and looked more subtle. From pictures of original 4's I have seen, they look EXACTLY the same size as the 4b's I used to have. They both have the dual 8" drivers with a mid and EMIT tweeter.

From what I know of the two I wouldn't prefer one over the other, I would love to have either.
 
nakmandan said:
I had a set of 4b's many years ago, awesome speaker!

I don't believe there is too much difference between the two, mostly cosmetic. The 4's had orange printing for the front text and the 4b's had gray and looked more subtle. From pictures of original 4's I have seen, they look EXACTLY the same size as the 4b's I used to have. They both have the dual 8" drivers with a mid and EMIT tweeter.

From what I know of the two I wouldn't prefer one over the other, I would love to have either.
Click to expand...

If you open the link above that Sir.Byrd posted and click on the 4/B, the top pic on the left side is the only one of an RS 4. All the others are pics of 4B's.
There is a significant difference in size whe comparing the 2.
Anyhow, I'll be heading out this Saturday to pick up a set of the RS 4's. The only thing they need...... is a new home.
 
Rod G-6000 said:
If you open the link above that Sir.Byrd posted and click on the 4/B, the top pic on the left side is the only one of an RS 4. All the others are pics of 4B's.
There is a significant difference in size whe comparing the 2.
Anyhow, I'll be heading out this Saturday to pick up a set of the RS 4's. The only thing they need...... is a new home.
Click to expand...
Indeed, you are correct. I never noticed the difference in cabinet size until you pointed it out. I always thought because the driver sizes were the same that the cabinets would be the same. Curious....
 
I had a pair of 4b's years ago...my first pair of really good speakers, and I'd like to have a pair again some day to add to my collection.

The driver complement for the RS4 and RS-4B is identical. Due to the larger cabinet size, the RS4B will have slightly deeper bass extension (38 Hz vs 40 Hz). Per the Infinity website, both have the same crossover frequencies, so they should sound pretty much identical in all other respects.
 
Thanks for the info Tedrick.
They should do well. The 5B's I have are 43 Hz and I feel they have excellent bass response.
I'll let you know on Sunday when I get a chance to hook them up and take some pics.
It'll be a 9hr. round trip on Saturday to get them, but to avoid shipping damage and for the price I'm getting them for will be well worth it.
 
Rod G-6000 said:
Thanks for the info Tedrick.
They should do well. The 5B's I have are 43 Hz and I feel they have excellent bass response.
I'll let you know on Sunday when I get a chance to hook them up and take some pics.
It'll be a 9hr. round trip on Saturday to get them, but to avoid shipping damage and for the price I'm getting them for will be well worth it.
Click to expand...
No worries, glad I could help. And good luck on Saturday. Hope the karma is with you :yes:.
 
Rod G-6000 said:
Do you think the RS 4's will be an "upgrade" in comparison to the RS 5B's I have now?
Click to expand...
Bass should hit just a little lower on the 4's, the slightly narrower cabinet might help the 4's to image a tiny bit better than the 5B's, and the 4's can handle a bit more power. But overall it's probably more of a lateral move.
 
Tedrick said:
Bass should hit just a little lower on the 4's, the slightly narrower cabinet might help the 4's to image a tiny bit better than the 5B's, and the 4's can handle a bit more power. But overall it's probably more of a lateral move.
Click to expand...

Great. I love the 5B's and the 4's will be replacing a set of RS 5000's.
 
I have the 5Bs and 4Bs and IIIBs. I really felt the 4Bs were a pretty good investment over the 5Bs. I felt less so about the IIIBs. I really feel the 4/4B is probably a sweet spot among the lesser members of the RS series. As tedrick says the 4s are mighty fine only the bass duties change up to the IIIBs. Then you step up to the Emims in the IIBs. I use my 4Bs daily although relegated to casual use. I use the IIIBs occasionally to rock out. The bass seems a little tighter on the 4s compared to the 5s. When you get your 4s the difference in sound will be much greater than the differences between the 4s and IIIs. Of course it could all be psychological. Lot of sound out of a much smaller speakers with the 4s. Let us know your opinion.

Bill
 
My experience going from 4b's to IIIb's was just the opposite. With the extra bass extension and slam from two 10" woofers, I felt like the IIIb's were a definite step up from the 4b's, and getting the IIIb's (for a great price, no less) really lessened the blow of giving up the 4b's in my divorce. But since the 4b's were my first 'real' pair of speakers, I still have a soft spot for them and would like to have a pair in my stable again some day.
 
Tedrick said:
My experience going from 4b's to IIIb's was just the opposite. With the extra bass extension and slam from two 10" woofers, I felt like the IIIb's were a definite step up from the 4b's, and getting the IIIb's (for a great price, no less) really lessened the blow of giving up the 4b's in my divorce. But since the 4b's were my first 'real' pair of speakers, I still have a soft spot for them and would like to have a pair in my stable again some day.
Click to expand...

I guess I just expected as much difference between the 4Bs to IIIBs as I experienced between the 5Bs and 4Bs. Having said that I really like the tight bass of the Infinities but as a personal preference I do not like very loud bass. I think the 4B to be a better balanced speaker according to my personal preference. The IIIBs are great speakers but when you set up the 4Bs in the same room beside these giants the little speaker gives it a real run for the money. In my life the 4Bs are used daily the IIIBs are set up in the same room as my maggies and the maggies (noted for their lack of impact in the bass) get more use than the IIIBs. I hope I never expressed this as anything but personal preference. I paid $175 for my 4Bs and $375 for the IIIBs. I consider both worth much more than I paid. I would still like to step up to the better RS speakers, but even the IIBs are very expensive and rarer still than what I have. Long post and all I'm not saying the 4Bs are a better speaker but they are darn close to the IIIBs. If WAF is a concern the 4s could be a better choice.
 
No, no misunderstanding whatsoever, and I agree with you on bass preferences. I like, tight, fast, articulate and extended bass with no boom or muddiness. It's the main reason I don't care for most ported speaker designs.

When it comes to vintage Infinity's, it's all good :banana:. I was just relaying my experiences with the same speaker models, which I'm ashamed to admit happened a long time ago (almost 20 years now). I bought my 4b's new (on sale) in about 1987, got separated in late 1989 and bought the IIIb's in 1990.

And you are 100% correct about the WAF thing. My wife was fussing again last night about the IIb's in our living room :nono:.
 
Luckily my wife's CV D9s sitting boldly out in the living room allow me lots of leeway in the waf. I really don't like the boomy bass of the D9s, but this one concession to her allows me to populate the rest of the house with my systems. I constantly threaten to move the D9s to her sewing room liberating the 5Bs in there to go either on my computer giving me a IIIB and 4B surround for the living room, or a 5B 4b surround. But the facts are the D9s do a very good job for movies with a very small amp. An NAD 912 is plenty at 30 wpc. And I would hate to use the infinities in a surround system. They are made for music. Anyway for the OP great speakers very close brother to one of my favorite speakers. Enjoy for sure.

Bill
 
Rod G-6000 said:
Do you think the RS 4's will be an "upgrade" in comparison to the RS 5B's I have now?
Click to expand...

Interesting question about the 5 vs. 4. I bought mine while an audio salesman for a few months in late '83. I don't recall my store handling the 5's, but we did have the III & the 6 (the B versions were not introduced at the time, although it was rumored the RS4 was nearing the end of its production). If we didn't sell the RS5, it may be because it was so close to the RS4. My recollection is that the RS4 was a sweet spot between the 6 & III with regards to performance, size, and price. Of course sweet spots are highly personal.

Thanks guys for pointing out the difference between the 4's & 4Bs. My RS4s still have their original matching stands, and the speakers still give us a lot of pleasure in the 2nd system.

Rod, look forward to hearing how you trip went, and look forward to some pictures.:thmbsp:
 
Just got in a couple of hours ago and the RS4's made it home safely. What a long day of driving but Vermont was nice.
I was going to post a couple of pics but it keeps telling me I can't even though I've deleted many of my attachments.
 
Im going to have to do a little work to these. The surrounds appear to be original and feel soft and thin. They'll need to be replaced. One has a chip in the lower left rear of the cab. The other has a small ding in the upper right rear which happened today before I got there. The owner set them up on the stands so they were ready when I arrived. As soon as I arrived he told me he knocked one of them over by accident and was really pissed at himself. The ding in the corner isn't so bad but he was using banana plugs and when it fell, the plugs hit the floor and cracked the crossover plate. I should be able to seal it up without a problem but will keep an eye out for a replacement. It looks as if 2 of the EMIT's and one of the Polydome Mids have been replaced as they have blue mounting plates instead of red like the crossover plate. All drivers work as they should along with the control pots. The cabs cleaned up well and are very presentable. The Infinity stands are in good condition but in my opinion need some spikes if on a capet.


Lets try some pics. Only have a few at the moment. Gotta get some sleep now.

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