Infinity RS 1B - How does the 'old dream speaker' compare to today's speakers?


Just saw again a photo of the 4 RS 1B towers, which 40+ years ago was my 'best speaker in the world' (yet never heard one). 

I know there a quite a few owners still out there, and would assume they had a chance to compare them side by side to modern "Audiophile" (say $10k or more if needed) speakers. 

How do they compare? 

Or maybe links to source material where that question is discussed? 

 

kraftwerkturbo

I have two pairs of RS1B woofer towers, and I have been listening to Infinity EMIMs and EMITs for decades. They are still pretty good but I needed a change after all these years so I have been listening to other speakers. I really like my Triangles and just stopped short of ordering a pair of Signature Deltas.

Have several irs infinity have rebuilt some of the ribbons rewired and changed to electronic crossovers.they are tri amped.that is one amp for woofers and one for mids and one for tweeters. 200 hz to 5000 hz for mid frequency range.5k above for tweeter. If you buy a used set plan on doing this.new speakers many of which have ribbons for mids and tweeters.the ribbons are faster in response mass is momentum x velocity and the ribbons ie kapton or metal are light and move fast and are responsive because thier weight. Some have lower spl so many in line array increase spl. They have good horizontal dispersion but poor verticle.one more reason for line array.i like the sound of ribbons some like cones.find someone who has a set and listen.enjoy the music.

I heard the new IRSs when they were formally introduced.  It was the first truly mind-boggling experience I had as a young audio enthusiast (a developing "audiophile").  They single-handedly catapulted me into the arena of realizing concert-hall realism (quality AND quantity) IS possible at home. A 40+-year career followed, and continues today.

We provide performance mods for audio equipment and recently reworked a pair of modest Infinitys.  There is a replacement EMIT diagram that at least as good as the original.  

I can't image these being anything less that spectacular with the right equipment pairing in a large room.

Have several irs infinity have rebuilt some of the ribbons rewired and changed to electronic crossovers.they are tri amped.that is one amp for woofers ...

The planar drivers in the Infinity IRS systems (IRS 1-V, Beta, Delta, Gamma) were not ribbons. All of the IRS systems were intended to be biamplified and were shipped with electronic crossovers that included an active servo system for the bass. Maintaining the servo is essential to get the bass performance for which these speakers are famous.

I love line source speakers.  Keep in mind you must have a room they will work well with. Expansive sound means a larger room.