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So I have an upgrade question

zappafan2

zappafan2

Well-Known Member
Hey guys I am hoping to get some opinions from you all. I have got some RS-5s that I really love ( the first line with oak columns 2 woofers, emit, and polydome) they sound great in my listening room but you know how the " what is better" thoughts go. My room is roughly 12x 14 with 9 ft. ceilings,carpeted,curtains,books,love seat,lots of media and I am just wondering what Infinities farther up the chain I may want to keep an eye out for. I have my speakers about 18 inches from wall and equilateral triangle of about 7ft between speakers and my head. I feel the speakers are set up great they honestly just disappear at times in my sweet spot and I love the infinity sound, I also have a set of klipsch that I use as well at certain times, but when I am serious listening at higher levels the Infinities are my go to. What are some ideas for moving up the line? Smaller Kappas? Rens? Any thoughts are greatly welcomed and thanks in advance, also throwing in a few pics of my room.IMG_1171.jpg IMG_1173.jpg IMG_1172.jpg
 
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zappafan2 said:
Smaller Kappas? Rens?
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That's a couple of proper step-up models although the 6 Kappa are probably somewhat marginal to the RS 5 you have (as far as comparable size goes). The Kappa is a better quality speaker and sound a bit better against any in the mid tier series the RS 5 come from. IMO that series (also including the III A&B in a higher tier) had a unique, not quite as appealing sound because of the smaller mylar Polydomes and some with cheaper crossovers that the Kappa series easily surpassed. The Rens are very well designed and probably shouldn't be missed if you have an opportunity to get them for a good price in good shape.

I have two sets of 6 Kappa stacked for a bunch of years in a bedroom-office about the size of your room. Desk instead of a bed with enough clutter along the walls to deaden the room. Running on small, well designed Tripath amps. Making spooky-good clarity and stereo imaging. It never gets cranked above something you can talk over. Purists will argue issues with stacking speakers like that but it provides a lot more sound presence at lower volume.

I spent quite a bit of time as an Infinity fan nerd-boy in the local up-scale stereo store listening and comparing all those speakers. Except for the Rens that came a little later after Arnie left Infinity and the stereo store mutated into something more like a 1990s Circuit City or Best Buy. The Kappas were the best of them that I heard. The Rens have been called some of the only "properly designed" Infinity speakers by real speaker engineers on Usenet back in the day although I can't point to quotes. That was a long time ago.

FWIW I would avoid 7 Kappa in favor for 6 or 8 Kappa. Don't be afraid of Kappas just because "Kappa Polydomes will go to crap... Oh noooes!" Although you don't want to invest in Kappas with deep yellow or brownish Polydomes unless you're confident in a replacement path. I realize you probably know that if you've been hanging around here for a while. I'm done collecting Infinity speakers unless something appears under my nose I can't resist.

:blah: - That's what you get for asking. I had a couple strong premium margaritas with supper tonight and I don't care.
 
I'd jump into it with either the RS 2.5 or RS IIb. Have to move your pictures up a bit. Oh, and the Klipsch would have to go bye-bye.
 
If it were my system the quad cabinet Infinity IRS Beta line arrays would be the upgrade path for me,once you go properly amplified & set up line arrays no other type speaker system will sound even adequate,my 1st pair of Mcintosh line arrays turned into 5 pairs over the years because the sound stage is so massive with clarity no other design type can equal,ive seen the betas as low as $4k in excellent condition.
 
zappafan2 said:
Thank you, I guess I am on the right path keeping an eye out for Rens or Kappa, why not the 7 just out of curiosity?
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I own kappa 7s. I will try to answer your question baste on what I have read on this site and others.
Kappa 7: imbalance with the mid do to strong 12 inch woofer. Mid range not bold enough.
Kappa 6 : Better balance with 10 in woofer with mid range.
Kappa 8: the balanced solution. Added a mid bass with the mid range. Issues with 7s resolved with the 8s.
This is open to be corrected.
Hopefully this helps.
 
I’m a big fan of the kappas. I would spring for the 8s if you come across any. I’m running 9s in a small room. I have a demo of them on the link below yours asking about Kappa 8s give you and idea what your getting into. you may have to flip the speakers to the other wall and sit farther away. Here’s my set up with the 9s I’m about 8 ft away from speakers

C5F1B56E-4221-459D-B63E-0FBDD88B9399.jpeg
 
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Well I think the 9s would be too much, I can not move the room around the way it is set up. I really messed up about 6 months ago, a pair of RS II for sale locally for$500 I went to work and thought about it and the next morning sold, I Know I Know:whip:
 
I’ll throw my hat in the ring and agree with others here, for that space the RS 2.5 or the Kappa 8....8.1 would sound really good in your space. I’d really lean on the Kappa 8 sounding sublime there. Most can be found for bargain prices if your at the right time and place. Good hunting :thumbsup:.
 
I'll jump in too with a recommendation for the Kappas. I have RS5Bs and RSIIIBs and the Kappa 6s I just picked up are a clear step up from the RS's. Even with the cost of sending the Polydomes to Miller Sound and a recap of the NPEs, the Kappa 6s were well worth it. I have the K6s in a room just about the same size as yours and they are just right size-wise.
 
You know you like the sound of the RS5, try an RSIIIa/b, they can be quite close to the walls and still sound good. Or, for a bigger step up, the RSIIb, RS2.5, or Kappa 8, they might need a larger space...
 
zappafan2 said:
Thank you, I guess I am on the right path keeping an eye out for Rens or Kappa, why not the 7 just out of curiosity?
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What CDELON wrote in post #6. 100%.

I had a set of 8 Kappa in that space and I found them a bit large. I had to elevate them to get the drivers high enough to breathe in the room and I found the driver separation to be a bit too wide to gel at an ambient volume level with them that close. Although that elevation isn't an issue for you because there's nothing between you and the speakers with them on the floor. The 8 need some space away from the wall (dipole with rear EMITs) and that just made the spread worse because they were closer to the listening spot behind the desk. You'll need to keep that in mind with any of the Infinity dipole models. That's all just my opinion, of course. There are other guys in this thread who are completely happy with the bigger speakers in a smaller area. If you like to rock out with Frank a lot the bigger speakers will move a lot of air for you and take you further to irritating your neighbors. You'll also need bigger competent amps to drive them.

I consider the 6 Kappa a nearly perfect bedroom or small living room Infinity. The RS 1.5 is the right size too, plus some and needing a bigger amp to crank them. The RSII is one model I'd love to have but they need a room big enough to position them away from a wall. Similar to the 8 Kappa. Always thought the RSII seemed to have a ton of potential compared to the RS 1.5 with the 3 cone mids in full dipole. Expecting great dynamics like the 1.5. Although I've never heard them.
 
I really appreciate all the suggestions guys, keep them coming. I guess not many think the Rens would be a good move ? I really like my system and think it sounds great, my kids are out of college and I am ready to hit the upgrade path and get my dream system. Since I was 18 I have lusted after McIntosh and one day I will have it lol I have rotated a few mid fi speakers in and out but the RS-5s have remained since I like them so much, just want to move to the next level and I can be patient for a good pair to show up if I have a few things in mind. Thanks again guys!
 
zappafan2 said:
I really appreciate all the suggestions guys, keep them coming. I guess not many think the Rens would be a good move ? I really like my system and think it sounds great, my kids are out of college and I am ready to hit the upgrade path and get my dream system. Since I was 18 I have lusted after McIntosh and one day I will have it lol I have rotated a few mid fi speakers in and out but the RS-5s have remained since I like them so much, just want to move to the next level and I can be patient for a good pair to show up if I have a few things in mind. Thanks again guys!
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I (mis)judged the size of your room to be pretty good sized from looking at the pics , to be larger than the actual 12X 14 measurement.
I'd try to improve bass frequency improvement(lower, fuller response)
Good bass response will improve midrange quality and your music listening enjoyment
I like speaker placement to be off the side and back walls in general, regardless the speaker model.
That said overkill in a smallish room has got to be taken into account.
Good luck!
 
seifreit said:
I'll jump in too with a recommendation for the Kappas. I have RS5Bs and RSIIIBs and the Kappa 6s I just picked up are a clear step up from the RS's. Even with the cost of sending the Polydomes to Miller Sound and a recap of the NPEs, the Kappa 6s were well worth it. I have the K6s in a room just about the same size as yours and they are just right size-wise.
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Hey 7.62 when we gonna see a video of those 4.5s. The RMAF is next weekend. Moved up a month and at a different location.
 
I’ve tried to avoid this, unfortunately I’m having terrible issues with the lower back and tremendous pain issues. I’ve had to sell of a majority of my gear and have almost sold the 4.5’s 3 times. For some reason I can’t let them go. I offered Jazzman a trade but I’m still not sure if I can do it. He’s the only one I trust that wouldn’t part them out.

So I need a risky operation that has a 50% chance of paralysis from the waist down, until then monthly doctor visits and a steady diet of morphine and other heavy stuff is expensive. I should have shot a video while I had them bi-amped briefly, Glorious Sound is all I can say. So the reality is I will end up keeping them but it’s going to be some time before I can replace the gear to properly power them and shoot a video I feel will be worthy of posting.

And I don’t want to interfere with zappafan2’s thread, so please out of respect let this be.
 
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