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Why are so many Infinity IRS beta systems for sale the past year ?

Why are so many Infinity IRS systems for sale the past year ?
What are the Infinity IRS beta owner upgrading to ?
I still love my aging Infinity IRS beta system. I am still pretty happy with it. After overcoming the "12"woofer surround" issues solved by doing it myself after looking at all other terrible options . Now having concerns with my ageing amplification , my Rowland 7 are still great for the base especially after 2h warm up the pass labs 250 is at time a little "sickish" had it check but still just ok on the re Ch. So I looked into some alternative amplification but kind of skittish about whats available since the panels can drop to very low resistance and suck the live out of many amplifiers.
So after that, is there a new alternative speaker and amplification that makes the IRS beta owners move in a new direction ?
I have not heard to many set up that would make me look for a new system.
128x128awahl
13 responses Add your response
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 
I've seen a number of pairs RS-1b's lately too. I sold mine because I heard the Eminent Technology LFT-8b, a speaker I could get new for less than I could sell the RS-1b's for. Since the LFT is the better speaker, it was a no brainer!
brf
1,715 posts
 
I would assume that a lot of original owners have reached retirement age and no longer have the room, plus stereo integration into the common household living area has changed significantly since the late 1980s
ebm
9,311 posts
 
Was a wonderful speaker but its time has come and gone.If you have the room and the right amp,preamp and cables it can still sound wonderful in the right room.Enjoy!!
toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
Speaking to your amplification concerns, I’d imagine some of the newer class D amps could handle them. They put out a lot of power in a small package, run cool and can often handle difficult loads.

That is, if you want to keep the infinity's...
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cleeds
5,947 posts
 
I haven't noticed many IRS Beta systems for sale. Of those I have seen, many have been bastardized with substitute parts and even alternate cabinets, so it's hard to tell exactly what the seller is offering.

I have an IRS Beta system that replaced an RS1-B system. Yes, the woofers need to be refoamed every decade or so, and it's smart to keep some spare parts on hand. But I plan to keep my Betas for at least as long as I remain in my current house. I've heard many fine speaker systems since I bought the Betas, but none have ever made me want to change speakers. The Betas continue to reveal the improvements of my component upgrades over the years and they are, truly, an integrated, full-range speaker system. I can't imagine what they'd cost to manufacture today, although the price of the Genesis systems that are comparable offer some hint.
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tonykay
1,301 posts
 
I think brf hit it on the head. I have recently retired, we’re building a new, larger house and my wife would like to see my beautiful stand mounted Sonus Faber speakers disappear. I guess it’s just a sign of the times. 
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,911 posts
 
i retired a year ago and have never owned more big hifi gear in my life !
still married to a saint
we were an Infiniti dealer and moved quite a bit of product
i think cleeds post is spot on
care and feeding of an aging product
not an easy load
difficult to get exactly right in setup but rewarding of that attention to detail

i would say enjoy them

kuul69
2 posts
 

Speaking of aging like this response Tomic is 💯 right a very rewarding set of speakers IF you get the right gear to compliment them , otherwise they tell tales on inferior or gear not suitable. They may be $10K for the speakers now same as the original price. But if you can get 50K of carefully chosen gear to run them then you get a system that would cost well over 200K to get close , I’ve made listening  rooms for both Our best Audiophile stores in Sydney  & I’ve had the chance to listen to some top end gear I wouldn’t swap my betas for some 250K speakers I listened to running the same amps . I was lucky to have had someone who tried so many combos with these speakers to get my setup near perfect every step up was amazing leap. They are extremely accurate & a downside will show any harshness in any components in the chain. But get it right 😁

russ69's avatar
russ69
3,501 posts
 

Well, the Infinity ribbon drivers have their own unique sound but after 40 years of listening I moved on to something else. 

jafant's avatar
jafant
19,602 posts
 

As above, the IRS System takes a large to very large listening space plus high powered gear to fully compliment (drive) properly.  To my knowledge, there is only 1 place in the U.S. that can fully service Vintage Infinity in Orange County, CA.

Imagine to cost of packing/shipping if One lives outside of the state of California.

 

Happy Listening!

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 

The short answer is they are awful loudspeakers. They are incapable of imaging correctly just like the Nearfield Pipedreams. They can go very loud and cast a "big" impressive sound but that is about it. They are very big background music speakers. You are much better off with Magneplanar 20.7s or bigger Sound Labs. Both require large subwoofer systems.

macnet
2 posts
 
kuul69

As you mentioned "' I was lucky to have had someone who tried so many combos with these speakers to get my setup near perfect every step up was amazing leap.''

What are these combos, which you are using with this speakers IRS Betas. I am also a proud owner of Infinity Betas

ervikingo
152 posts
 

Beta owner here also!

Threshold 12 e on bass and Manley Snappers on Mid/High

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