The Legendary (?) Infinity IRS V


I heard these in NYC circa late 80's and thought they sounded and looked amazing in rosewood. Does anyone have any experience living with these speakers? By today's high end standards, could they be a good buy at a fraction of their original $65,000 list? Were many made or sold?
cwlondon
tubegroover - definitely make a trip to hear the infinity's - yule be impressed, if they're set-up half-way decently. whenn i heard the irs-lll's, they were in a moderately-sized room - say, ~18x30x9, & they floated a very reaslistic soundstage, very detailed & transparant & accurate. doug
i've heard the irs 5's and hp's current fave, the 12,000-driver pipedreams. both company's "flagship" products are/were handmade one-offs, each having its own soinic signature that must be "tuned" to the enormous spaces (by volume) they require(d). perhaps, as the 1st time you ever encountered a naked dancer with silicon-filled breasts, you'll be impressed, even bowld over with these behemoths. in time, tho, you'll figure out they're just fakes that will sag like the rest of 'em in due time.
I never heard them however I was recently inquiring about an SP-10Mk2 from a gentleman who lives within driving distance of me who bought a pair for a song. He has owned them for several years and has tweeked them extensively. He also has a large room to support the system. He is heavily into analog (15,000 albums!)and says that these speakers sound close to live. He also has a Steinway Grand Piano that he plays. Claims that the IRS 5's come closer to replicating the sound of the piano than any system he has heard. Has been an audiophile for over 30 years. I plan on visiting him in the future and will give my impressions when I do. Have always been curious about this system. They were the reference of Harry Pearson before the fire at Sea Cliff and considered with the Wilson Whamm the best of the best.
I remember reading a review, years back.They wern't even recommended,unless you did--- such and such.The Elotrovoice Patrician;also ancient but spectacular for the time could give you such a headache.Sort of like a 40 Ford,wonderful to look at,but compared to today's hardware;---
i heard the 1rslll's, basically the same speaker, & they were quite amazing. i've seen 'em on the used market for ~$10k-$15k. a good deal, if in good shape, but still not chicken-feed. doug