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Vintage Polk / Infinity Comparisons

jdjohn

jdjohn

New Member
I have lines on Infinity RSIIIa's and RS5000's, but already have Polk SDA-2Bs and Monitor 10A's in-the-house.

In theory, the RSIIIa's (being 3-way) should outperform the SDA-2B's (technically only 2-way plus a passive radiator woofer) in the mid-range, but will they? I've never heard EMIT tweeters, so am curious about those.

And I'm wondering if the RS5000's are really closer to Monitor 7's than the 10's. Again, the 3-way vs 2-way is applicable.

I use separate pre and power amps, with a McCormack DNA 125 currently driving the SDA's, although I have some other amps in the bullpen as well. The smaller speakers are for a secondary system.

Thoughts as to whether the Infinity's would be upgrades? Thanks for any input.

P.S. We can leave out cost in this particular comparison. I'm just interested in potential sound quality differences.
 
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I've been a long time Polk fan. And I've owned/own several pair of Polk speakers. And as much as I love Polk speakers. I gotta admit, the RSIIIa's I picked up a few years ago (and rebuilt the XO's) are a more musical speaker to me. The EMIT's are just incredible to me. I can not speak to the RS5000's though. I do own Monitor 7 and 10's. And they are no slouch. I would not try to compare speakers by being 2 or 3 way though.

So to me, the RSIIIa's would be an upgrade to you 2B's.
 
Hi halo, and thanks for your reply. In my searching, I read some of your comments here on AK...and on the Polk forum ;) You seem to be one of the few folks that has actually owned RSIIIa's that I have come across.
Have you done any upgrades to your Polks? Just wondering if there might be an apples/oranges thing if comparing upgraded Infinity's to stock Polks...?
 
I owned a pair of RS5000. The midrange driver is a horrendous pain to refoam (and it will need it if original). The driver load is pretty good but the cabinets are garbage (vinyl veneer, thin, poorly braced, etc). That being said, they're not bad if you can get them for cheap.

I have not owned the RSIIIa but I do have a pair of RS4b and they are quite nice. The cabs are substantial and the sound is lovely top to bottom. They are in a different league than the RS_000 series.

Compared to Polks? Hard to say. The highs from the EMIT are magical but they take some guts to drive and are fairly directional.
 
Great feedback, Ross. Thanks very much. I think I'll pass on the RS5000's. Polk Monitor 10s are solid...and tough. I actually have two pair, and even though the cabinets are not pristine on either pair, they are still solid speakers. I'm actually re-capping one pair soon out of necessity (i.e., to get the Peerless tweets working). I stocked-up on NOS Peerless replacements as well ;) I hear you on the cabinet build; there is a big difference between using 1/4" boards vs 3/8" boards in a speaker cabinet. The M10's use 3/8"...and have internal bracing, so yeah...

I might have to pop on the RSIIIa's. I can get them sufficiently powered, but since you brought up 'directional', I kind of doubt that the Infinity's can beat the soundstage of the Polk SDA technology. And then there the handsomeness factor. The beading-style vertical trim on those RSIIIa's is very attractive...always important when trying to convince the wife ;)
 
Look into how much power the Infinity's need. IIRC some of the RS series need some serious power and amps that can handle 2 ohm loads.
 
Good point regarding power. Here are my in-house options: McCormack DNA 125, PS Audio Delta100, B&K EX-442, Carver M1.0t, Adcom GFA-555. Surely one of those would suffice.
As you can tell, I am equipped with common-ground amps that are necessary for the SDA's.
 
Haven't heard the RSIIIB but I used to own a set of RS6001, Kappa 6.1, Kappa 5.1, Reference Five, Reference Six, SDA 2B, SDA SRS, and now currently own SDA SRS 2 and Monitor 7. I like Infinity and Polk speakers. :)

The SDA 2B is a great speaker and if set up properly will do things that other speakers can only dream of. In my opinion, all SDAs (and the Monitor series too) have a nice even, tonally balanced, and smooth sound, not to mention the awesome soundstage. They're even sweeter with updated tweeters. The RS5000 is no match for the SDA 2B. I'd leave that alone.

However, I'd recommend getting the RSIIIB and comparing. To me, vintage Infinities have a more "scooped" sound. Heavy on the bass; bright, crystal clear highs from the EMIT. They're very fun and I like them a lot, but never sounded as balanced to me as the Polks. But the RSIIIB gets a lot of respect. It's a serious speaker. Plus, everyone needs to own an EMIT equipped speaker at least once in their lives. ;)
 
Thanks, Rex. These are actually RSIIIa, not b. I am picking them up today :) I forgot to mention that also already have a pair on Infinity Column II, and I concur (at least with these) on the 'scooped' sound. The Column IIs have two 10in woofers in each cabinet, with one mounted in the bottom and firing downward, so PLENTY of bass from those bad boys. They also have two tweeters on each, with one mounted on the back. Stock are piezo tweeters, but the front ones on my pair have been replaced with what look like compression horns...not sure how good they are...patiently waiting for an original pair to pop up on eBay, but I'm also open to suggestions for replacing all four to match. Another 'feature' on the Column IIs are square glass plates that fit on top of the cabinets. I guess that was convenient for snorting lines ;)

I'm looking forward to hearing the EMITs. I'm actually buying these RSIIIa from the same guy that sold me the SDA-2B. He's an older Korean gentleman with LOTS of high-end vintage gear. His prices are a little high IMO, but his stuff is good and in good shape.
 
Nice! Let us know what you think of them. The RSII and RSIII are on my bucket list of speakers to hear. I have the WTLC, which is the predecessor to the Column II. I like them a lot. These have 8" woofers in the front and downward positions and a Walsh tweeter up top, so probably have less impact than the Column II but likely a similar overall sound.
 
I have a set of RSIIIa's and Quantum 3's that I've kept at my best friends house since moving back to AR 6 years ago. I've also owned SDA SRS 2's that sounded great and were completely gone thru; new Solen caps/Mills resistors, new Polk soft domes and even 8 of the new mid/woofers. But, they were just sitting idle so they went away a few years back. Both pairs of Infinity's, along with a pair of JBL L100t's are run off of a Soundcraftsmen A5002 amplifier. Not at the same time, of course. 250wpc does them all well.

If you have a Carver M-1.0t, you should consider doing the MKII Opt 002 upgrade that really takes that amp to an entirely new level. 460 watts per channel and better lower impedance stability and the sound quality is outstanding from bottom to top. You won't be hurting for power and SQ.
 
John, as far as mods or upgrades to Polk's....I've rebuilt a few crossovers. And upgraded some to the RDO194 tweeters. Imo, going from the SL2000 to the RDO is the single biggest bang for the buck with these speakers you can do. There is not a whole lot of difference between the RSIIIa and b. The RSIIIa/b cabinets are a helluva lot nicer in build quality and finish than the 2B.s And the IIIa is not that tough a load to drive. I have driven them on a run of the mill Onkyo AVR before with good results. But I normally run them on a 165wpc Onkyo Integra M504 amp. And it never complains a bit. And while I don't normally listen extremely loud. I've had the IIIa's so loud (in a 18x30 room with vaulted ceiling) it was hard to stay in the same room with them.

Plus with your Polk's, easy to acquire tweeters, the old SL2000 or the newer much better RDO. This is a drawback with the IIIa's. EMIT's are getting harder to come by and price is going up. And, to my knowledge, no suitable replacement or upgrade tweeter. No need to refoam your Polk midwoofers, the IIIa's will require new foam if not already replaced.

The RSIIIa cabinets are real oak. Top and sides. Sounds like the RS5000 is a cheaper cabinet at least. But if it were me, I'd go with the IIIa's I think. Well actually I'd buy both pairs....but I'm a speaker hoarder so yeah.... ;)
 
I got them yesterday and hooked them up...very impressed so far! I need to position them better (just slid them in front of the SDAs) and play some more of my reference material, but even in casual listening last night, I was hearing small details that the Polks had hidden. No doubt it is the EMITs revealing more detail.

Appearance-wise, they are a full foot taller than the SDAs, not as deep (less than a foot in depth), and of course have the upward rake angle and their own built-in stands. Besides the technical difference in the tweeters, I really think that rake angle is allowing more detail to be audible when comparing to the SDAs. I should probably have those Polks on spikes. Btw, the woofers on these Infinity's have new surrounds.

Halo, when I got the Polk SDAs, I did the SL2000/ RDO194 tweeter swap, so good there, but I need to seriously evaluate upgrading the crossovers. With the RSIIIa's in the house now, I can safely take the SDAs out-of-action without suffering ;) I really wanted to get the pair of RS5000 as well, but I have to balance a happy home life with my audio addiction :) Now, if I could find a home for one pair of my Polk Monitor 10A's, that would free-up some space!

My McCormack DNA 125 is driving the RSIIIa's easily. I couldn't find the sensitivity spec on these, but they *seem* to be a little less sensitive than the SDAs, which are just under 90db. Can anyone share that spec on the Infinity's? The rest of the chain in my main system is currently a Dual 1249 tt (w/ a Grace F9 cart), a Project PhonoBox DS+ phonostage, Logitech SB Touch, all going into a Peachtree Audio novaPre hybrid preamp, before the power amp.

AV Guy, I agree that I should upgrade the Carver M1.0t. It has the typical, or at least not uncommon, Carver hum - mechanical, not audio chain - and the on/off thump, so it needs attention in a few ways. I was able to procure a C-1 preamp as well several months ago, so those two together are a nice little system just waiting to be enjoyed.

Tonight, I'll put the RSIIIa's into a better position, and then play some reference material, which normally includes Nickel Creek, Eva Cassidy, and Pink Floyd. After that, I should be able to provide more feedback on these big boys.
 
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Awesome! No doubt that EMITs will reveal more than the RDO-194 on the Polks. The question will be which sound you prefer.

Yes, spikes will help your SDAs tighten up their bass. Updating the crossovers is overrated in my opinion. It's difficult, expensive, and only has marginal improvements. I think people tend to overstate the difference it has. I did it on my SDA SRS 2 and if I had the choice to do it again, I'd skip it. Replace the tweeters had a much greater effect on sound quality.

Glad you like the RSIIIa. Looking forward to more comparisons against your Polks. My next purchase will likely be RSII. Comparing those to my fully upgraded SDA SRS 2 should be a hoot.
 
John, glad you are liking the Infinity's. As far as rebuilding crossovers. I am for it myself. At least in some cases. When I first got my RSIIIa's. I was disappointed in them tremendously. I stuck them in my speaker/junk room for a few months. Then one day I decided to open them up. I found some of the caps were off spec by a lot. One cap had completely come apart! I did not go with super high end caps, guess probably mid grade. Think I spent around $250 on parts. And its very simple to rebuild them. If you can solder you can rebuild them.

Before rebuild, they sounded like they had wet blankets covering them. After rebuild, they really came to life. The EMIT's were great. Bass was tighter. Night and day difference. AND, on the IIIa's. The crossover is attached to that back panel. Unscrew it and lay the panel down. And everything is right there for you. Point to point wiring. Redoing IIIa's is much easier to do than IIIb's. IIIb's you have to pull the bottom woofer and go in. My IIIa's have actual binding posts. Where I've seen some IIIa's that have spring clips like the IIIb's. IF you rebuild the crossovers and if yours have spring clips. I'd go ahead and upgrade to binding posts if it were me.

I'd love to have some of the bigger Infinity's!
 
The RS5000 are ok. They arent very big. Decent bass and highs but I really prefer the RSbs. Real veneer, rubber surrounds, bigger mid, bigger EMIT, and that funky blue watkins woofer.

I would usually take nice pair of Monitor 10s over either of those just because of the deep bass.
 
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Okay, I've gotten a pretty good sense now of what the Infinity RSIIIa's can do, and it's quite impressive...at least for me. I haven't heard nearly as many speakers as you guys probably have, so it's all relative. It was only a little over a year ago that I started getting interested in this hobby, and I had a really hard time letting go of my old Cerwin Vega D-3's that I had bought brand-new back in the early 90's. I refoamed them early last year, and thought they were the bomb, but as I delved deeper and listened (actually auditioned in-home) brand-new Wharfedales, B&Ws, and Klipsches, I knew the CV's days were numbered. Before almost settling on a pair of new Klipsch R-26F, I decided to try some vintage Polks, and after hearing them, those Klipsch went right back to Best Buy. A pair of Polk Monitor 10As were first, and then the SDA-2Bs quickly followed, both purchased off CL. I have picked-up some other speakers as well along the way, but anyway, back to these Infinity RSIIIa's.

Halo said earlier that he thought the RSIIIa was 'musical', and I completely agree. These speakers are IMO very quick, displaying excellent separation of the instruments, as well as separation of the notes that each instrument plays; eighth and sixteenth notes, etc, really stand out on their own. And, the modulation of the notes comes through in more detail than I've heard with other speakers, including the Polks, in general. There is simply more movement in the music with the RSIIIa. In addition to hearing more modulation - think of hearing a last-second guitar string bending, or an extra pluck of a mandolin that you never noticed before - the music sounds more dynamic with crescendos being louder, and quieter passages being more...well, quiet. I'm sure this is a result of the Infinity EMIT tweeters compared to the Polk silk dome tweeters. The Polk tweeters are a little brighter...the EMITs a little smoooother IMO and not quite as loud. Bass is tighter and more lively with the Infinity's, but I have to say that the Polks dig a little deeper. With the music cranked up, I *feel* the bass more with the Polks - amazing when you consider they are passive radiator woofers. As already mentioned by Rex, spikes would probably help tighten the bass on the Polks. Soundstage with the RSIIIa is more vertical, with the Polks being more horizontal, especially with the SDA technology. I'm sure the backward tilting stands on the Infinity's helps with the vertical soundstage.

The RSIIIa are very power-hungry, big, and gaudy. Shoot, I thought the SDAs were big and maybe a little obnoxious, but the Infinity's are almost a little too much...but I still love them. I think we all get accustomed to the size of our speakers, but if you really look at them fresh like a new visitor to your house, a four-foot speaker will raise some eyebrows. Anyway, the sensitivity/efficiency of the Infinity's must be lower (like mid-to-upper 80db), because it seems to take a little more volume/gain to get them singing. I could give them more wattage with a different power amp, but wattage doesn't necessarily equal volume. I think my wife will adjust to the size of these, and she admits they sound good, so gaudy or not, they are definitely staying.

I haven't checked the condition of the crossovers yet, but will, and from my reading, it appears that I have the earlier version of the RSIIIa with outer tweeter fuses, and screw-down binding posts.
 
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Never thought of the IIIa's as gaudy, they look pretty handsome to me, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.
 
Please don't get me wrong here. I don't consider gaudy as ugly...just rather extravagant. A huge diamond ring or big mink fur coat can be considered gaudy, yet also beautiful. The vertical beaded mill work on the wood is a very nice touch.
 
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