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Everyone loves a bargain. Everyone loves finding an undiscovered gem. But for audiophiles on a budget, finding good, reasonably priced cables isn't a luxury but a necessity. In a $1000 or $2500 system, there simply isn't money for $500 interconnects or $1000 speaker cables. Even a $5000 system—which most of my well-educated, music-loving, affluent friends view as pretty extravagant, by the way—can't accommodate premium cables like the Nirvana, Synergistic Research, or Nordost models that we reviewers rave about as "critical to getting the most out of your system."
The Alpha-Cores were also very good in terms of their reproduction of dynamics, again, particularly at the louder end of the scale, from f to ffff. Orchestral crescendos were reproduced without strain or confusion, and sharp impacts—rimshots, for example—were precise and explosive.
Where the Alpha-Cores fell a bit short of the super-premium cables was at the smaller, subtler end of the scale. Very-low-level detail, like the tonal shadings and textures that clearly identify individual instruments within a section, weren't as clear as with my reference wires. For example, the Alpha-Cores…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Flat-conductor speaker cables and interconnects.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: Micro-Purl Cu: 9287. Micro-Purl Ag: 9406. TQ2: 11.997, 11.998. Python MI2: 23.110, 23.117.
Prices: Python MI2, $287/8' biwire pair w/banana plug or spade termination; Micro-Purl, $78/1m pair (Cu conductor), $127/1m pair (Ag conductor); TQ2, $186/1m pair. Interconnect prices refer to unbalanced (RCA) termination, gold-plated plugs. Solid silver plugs and balanced termination available at extra cost. Approximate number of dealers: 69. Warranty: 3-week money-back…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: VPI TNT-V Hot Rod turntable, JMW Memorial tonearm, Benz-Micro LO4 cartridge.
Digital sources: Wadia 861, Simaudio Moon Eclipse CD players.
Preamplifier: VAC CPA1 Mk.III.
Power amplifiers: Classé CAM 350, VAC Renaissance 70/70, VTL Ichiban.
Loudspeakers: Magnepan MG3.6/R.
Accessories: Duo-Tech Cable Burn-In device, Bright Star isolation systems, MIT Z systems, PAC Super IDOS and Nirvana AC isolation and AC delivery systems, VPI HW16.5 record cleaner, Nordost ECO3 and Musical Fidelity DiskSolution CD treatments, Tiptoes, Sumiko…
Like all companies that have been in business long enough to become fixtures in the marketplace, Infinity has seen its share of changes. It has long been that audio rarity—a company with one foot in the High End and one in the mass market. For the past few years, however, and despite continuing production of the now-classic IRS in its Series V incarnation, Infinity's mass-market foot has been the more firmly planted. Infinity, now a large company, is part of an even larger conglomerate, Harman International.
Cary Christie, one of Infinity's co-founders and the only one still…
Needless to say, the gains of the left and right upper-range amplifiers must be closely matched; the same is true for the woofer amps (footnote 2). But it's also important that the gains of the woofer and upper-range amplifiers be within 6dB of each other, or adjustable to within that range. Controls on the SCU can compensate for up to 6dB of gain difference between these amps, but no more. In addition, the voltage gain of the woofer amplifiers must also be within the 21–39dB range for proper setup—which includes almost all available power amps.
I encountered four problems in my efforts…
The Epsilons driven by the Pass Aleph 0 single-ended, solid-state monoblocks continued to sound remarkable. While my auditioning with the Alephs was too brief for me to state definitively whether I preferred them to the Krell KSA-300S in this application—the Krell certainly left little to be desired—the former did appear to be incredibly fine amplifiers. They do run very hot, however—one shut down twice after several hours of use—but were easily reset by merely being turned off, then on again. Perhaps setting them up side-by-side resulted in a bit too much heat buildup, though they…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Four-way, floorstanding loudspeaker system. Drivers: 12", servo-controlled cone woofer in sealed enclosure, planar-magnetic lower midrange (L-EMIM), midrange (EMIM), and two planar-magnetic tweeters (EMITs). Also includes Servo Control Unit and crossover unit with bass level, low bass, and midbass contour controls. Crossover frequencies: 150Hz, 500Hz, 3kHz. Frequency response: 25Hz–35kHz ±1.5dB. Sensitivity: 86dB/W/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Amplifier requirements: 150W minimum.
Dimensions: 59" H by 18" W by 15" D. Weight: 150 lbs each.
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Sidebar 2: System
I listened to the Epsilons with the Krell KPS-20i CD transport feeding a Mark Levinson No.35 D/A converter through Kimber AGDL digital coaxial cable. TARA Labs Master RSC (unbalanced) connected the Levinson converter to a Rowland Consummate preamp. Amplifiers were a Krell KSA-300S stereo amplifier for the midrange and top end, and a pair of Classé M-700 monoblocks for the bass. I briefly used an NAD 208 and Krell KSA-300S for the bass, and a pair of Pass Laboratories Aleph 0 monoblocks for the mids and highs—when I was able to pry them away from Dick Olsher, whose…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
John Atkinson measured the Infinity Epsilon and provided me with the results after my auditioning was complete.
The sensitivity of the Infinity Epsilon measured effectively to specification at a calculated 85.5dB/W/m (B-weighted). The impedance of its woofer section (fig.1) indicates a cabinet tuned to about 38Hz. The load is relatively benign, never dropping below 4 ohms. However, the inevitable rise in impedance at resonance requires me to modify slightly a couple of statements I made in the main text of the review. Note that, between 20Hz and 30Hz, the…