Why did Infinity stop using Watkins woofers? if they are so much better?

[curtpenn]

I always felt the Quantum2 had a better bass output then the QLS-1, much tighter and faster, ran them side by side for about 30 years

Bought a pair of Quantum 2s in 2005, but always wanted a pair of QLS-1s - just never found a pair close enough or cheap enough to pull the trigger. From what you say, maybe I don't need to keep looking. Thanks! Lol.

 

[MarkRSIIIa]

The amp killer thing was real.

 

[sregor]

My own take on the situation is cost and availability. The Watkins woofer dual voice coils are two different windings, so standard dual voice coil woofers can't be used, and they must be made to a separate spec. Then there are the rather large non polar caps in the crossover, which are expensive and harder to supply. Not saying these issues can't be overcome, but are a bean counters nightmare. My 2 cents...

 

[tubed]

I'm partial to the paper coned Watkins,
which I think were the only drivers Watkins built for Infinity.

 

[totem]

The amp killer thing was real.

Correct receivers were found to be inadequate along with other lesser gear, otherwise continue.

 

[Yamahalic]

None of the Kappas had Watkins woofers.

The QLS did, and some other Quantum series, the Renassaince series did as well.

Infinity made much use of the phrase 'Watkins technology', but that almost always was two woofers crossed over at different frequencies to emulate what the Watkins dual voice coil woofer did.

The Infinity IRS Omega had a redesigned Watkins DVC Woofer, albeit claimed to be much upgraded from previous designs as per the Omega White Paper, "The Omega Series woofer is the best performing Watkins woofer Infinity has ever made...Omega's Watkins dual voice coil woofer is a totally new design from its specially formulated cone to its frame."

 

[jazzmans]

The Infinity IRS Omega had a redesigned Watkins DVC Woofer, albeit claimed to be much upgraded from previous designs as per the Omega White Paper, "The Omega Series woofer is the best performing Watkins woofer Infinity has ever made...Omega's Watkins dual voice coil woofer is a totally new design from its specially formulated cone to its frame."

Thanks for that. I don't really know much about the final series of emit/emim/L-emim speakers Infinity made after the Rens. Never heard them, never seen them, as far as I recall, neither did I ever hear any Genesis speakers after Arnie went his own way, although they all 'Look' to be a continuation of the infinity speakers we all love.

 

[Bkphoto]

Infinity went with 2 woofers instead of a single dual voice coil....you can see in the lineup when this split happened....I’m gonna guess it’s cheaper to make 2 simpler woofers In house vs 1 complex From an outside firm....Again, just speculation...


Arnie was a genius, but I sometimes think he cared too much about the stat sheet....just my opinion...