Infinity has rarely played the modification game. Only when a new product developed production…
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There are certain manufacturers for whom every new product implies the promise of countless modifications, Usually a month or so apart, culminating inevitably in a version so far removed from the original that it must be assigned a new model designation—usually a letter suffix ranging from A, to D. By the time E is envisioned, another CE Show is approaching, so the decision is made to give the unit an exterior facelift and a brand-new model number. Presto! A new product for CES.
JGH returned to the Infinity RS-4.5 in June 1980 (Vol.4 No.6):
More on the continuing saga of the 4.5, now into its fifth modification in a relentless attempt to conquer the sounds of trombones and cellos...
The latest version is better than any of the previous ones, which is only to be expected after all. The original hardness is completely gone, the stupendous low end and high end remain unscathed and while that elusive (at least for the 4.5) capacity for vulgarity when called on has been improved, the system is still more lushly polite than aggressively outspoken.
We…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Three-way sealed-box loudspeaker system with active Bi-Channel crossover/equalizer for connection between preamp and power amp(s); Drive-units: two 12" Watkins, dual–voice-coil woofers, four EMIM (electromagnetic-induction-midrange) units and four EMIT ribbon tweeters (one rear-facing) Crossover frequencies: 150Hz, 5kHz (lower crossover point adjustable). Frequency response: 24Hz–32kHz ±3dB. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Power handling: 100Wpc minimum power required.
Dimensions 65" H by 27" W by 15" D (loudspeaker); 10" D by 14" W by 2" H (equalizer…
During the time of the Native-American Comanches, a young brave had to undergo many trials by fire before he earned the respect of the tribe's adults. He was violently beaten by the men, humiliated by the women, and forced to endure physical torture such as the slow flaying of the foreskin with smoldering pine saplings drawn from the fire. Alienated from the tribe, exiled until he proved his manhood, he had to survive on wriggling cream-colored larvae and infrequent rainwater. Legend speaks of these Indian youths, dehydrated and disoriented, crawling around on their hands and knees and…
Well, this may sound absurd, but I actually had to replace the VTLs with another amp because I couldn't concentrate on writing their review! Every time I began to write, my mind would wander like it used to in algebra class, only now I was free to blow my work off and kick back without getting beaned in the head with an eraser. I tried putting on CDs I don't even like (Merry Christmas From Wayne Newton, Curb D2-77348. Seriously.) to try and focus on the review, but my attention kept snapping back to the music. As good as some of the other amps may have been, only the VTLs were able to…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: 25W monoblock amplifier. No specifications given.
Dimensions: 9" W by 4" H by 6" D each.
Serial number of review sample: T25M399/400.
Price: $1200/pair (1991); no longer available (2006). Approximate number of dealers: 25.
Manufacturer: Vacuum Tube Logic, 4774 Murietta, Suites 9&10, Chino, CA 91710. Tel. (714) 627-5944. Web: www.vtl.com.
Sidebar 2: Measurements
The VTL's input impedance at 1kHz was a hair over 100k ohms, while its sensitivity was high, at just 71.6mV for 1W into 8 ohms, both factors making it suitable for use with passive preamps. The lefthand amplifier was 0.5dB less sensitive, however, as can be seen from the Tiny Triode's frequency response at 1W into 8 ohms (fig.1). This showed a slight rolloff in the extreme treble, reaching –0.4dB at 20kHz. The limited HF bandwidth can also be seen in the shape of a 10kHz squarewave (fig.2), which features a mild droop to the leading edges.
Fig.1…
Foreword by Sam Tellig: I wanted to like the Sci Fi Teslas. I originally heard these speakers at Dave Wolf's store in New Canaan, Connecticut—no longer in business, alas.
To say that the Teslas imaged like gangbusters would be an understatement. These speakers disappeared—particularly when used with a great tube amplifier, like the VAC PA90. With the VAC amps, the music just hung there, suspended in space. So what if the upper midrange was a little scratchy? So what if dynamics were somewhat limited and the bass was—well, not all there? These speakers were doing some amazing things.
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The two bass-midrange drivers are mounted to the extended front fascia with what Sci-Fi calls "RIDS," for Resonance Isolation and Damping System. Mike explains that there are two ways to reduce driver basket resonances: mass-loading and decoupling. Mass-loading involves tightly securing the drivers to a heavy, inert cabinet; a good example of this is the deader–than–Andy Gibb Wilson WATT. However, this approach tends to be very expensive, so Mike has opted for the latter method; the woofer baskets on the Tesla are decoupled with two soft-foam gaskets, one between the driver basket and the…
Some weeks later, the third and final pair of Teslas arrived, along with the Trillium amps. Mike explained that the reason for the bass hump in the original review pair was that, unbeknown to him, his padding supplier had switched from polyester to Dacron; the padding wound up with only a third the fibers of the original stuff. A switch back to the original padding, plus more of it, plus a retuning of the port, was said to have gotten rid of the hump. Additionally, the tweeter was given a series 1 ohm resistor to bring it down a bit.
Mike said to just set up these Teslas exactly where he…