Through the growth years, Infinity became a major force in the High End. Cary Christie is the only one of the original players still associated with Infinity in 1995, now part of Harman International. His relationship, however, is now as an independent designer and consultant with Christie Designs, Inc. (footnote 1). I corralled him by phone on a clear fall day in Santa Fe, and a…
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When Cary Christie, Arnie Nudell, and John Ulrick founded Infinity Systems more than 25 years ago, high-end audio as we know it today didn't exist. Hi-fi was audio, though the reverse wasn't necessarily true.
We were also going through a recession during those years—I would say during the last four or five years. There was a tremendous growth requirement in what I call the "bread-and-butter" product—like the Infinitesimal 4, the Infinitesimal Micro, a couple of international reference lines—just a whole lot of product development. We were also trying to express ourselves in automotive; we did this with the digital amplifier again, because that's where we felt a digital amplifier would be most effective—in a car, where you need the efficiency. So there was an awful lot of high-tech development as…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
The impedance plot of the Paradigm Studio Monitor (fig.1) shows a rather high average impedance which should be no problem for any amplifier to drive; it only drops below 4 ohms for an octave or so centered at 100Hz, to a minimum of 3 ohms. The cabinet is tuned to a low frequency of approximately 25Hz—the dip in the saddle between the two typical reflex resonant peaks in the bass. The impulse response in fig.3 shows a small amount of high-frequency ringing typical of metal-dome tweeters, but it is well damped. The reflection just after the 4ms mark is probably…
Sidebar 3: Specifications
Description: four-driver, three-way, floorstanding loudspeaker with quasi-3rd order, resistive port bass loading. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) metal-dome tweeter, 5" (130mm) polypropylene-cone midrange, two 8" (210mm) polypropylene-cone woofers. Crossover slopes and frequencies: 2nd-order at 275Hz, 3rd-order at 2.5kHz. Frequency response: 30Hz–20kHz, ±2dB (on axis). Sensitivity: 90dB/W/m (room). 87dB/W/m (anechoic). Nominal Impedance: 6 ohms (4 ohms min). Amplifier requirements: 15–300W.
Dimensions: 43.5" (1105mm) H by 12.25" (320mm) W by 16.5" (420mm) D. Internal…
Sidebar 1: Associated Equipment
Four power amplifiers were used in the course of this evaluation: the Threshold S/550e, the Mark Levinson No.23.5, the Audio Research Classic 120 monoblocks, and the PS Audio 100 Delta. The preamplifier was the Rowland Consummate, and the CD player was the Wadia WT-3200 driving the Audio Research DAC1-20 converter. (CD was the primary source in this audition.)
Interconnects were AudioQuest Lapis between CD and preamp and for the unbalanced link between preamp and power amp with the ARC and PS Audio amps. For balanced hookup to the Threshold and…
On Wednesday, July 22 (Raleigh) and Thursday, July 23 (Pineville), 5–9pm, Audio Advice (8621 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh; 11409 Carolina Place Parkway, Pineville) will host its annual Digital Living event, while on Friday, July 24, 6–8pm, Vintage King Audio (2826 Dogwood Place, Nashville) will host an evening seminar with AudioQuest's Steve Silberman, focusing on the tools and resources needed to turn a computer into a true high-resolution music source.
Audio Advice, July 22 & 23
Manufacturer representatives from Bowers & Wilkins, Classé, Control4, Devialet, Rotel, Sonance, Sonos…
John Atkinson wrote abut the M28 in August 2015, (Vol.38 No.8):
When Michael Fremer reviewed this $30,000/pair power amplifier in the May 2015 issue, he admitted that he had difficulty getting it to sing with his Wilson Alexandria XLF speakers, especially before the review samples had broken in. "Out of the box and dead-of-winter-right-off-the-truck cold (but given a day to reach room temperature)," he wrote, "the M28s sounded more tube-like, more 'soft and loose' than 'fast and tight.' Though it was consistent in these and other regards from top to bottom, the M28s didn't exactly provide…
High-end audio dealer Audio Den of Long Island (2845 Middle Country Road, Lake Grove, NY 11755) is hosting a music evening Friday, July 24, 5:00–8:00pm, to launch Technics' new Premium and Reference series integrated amplifier, network player, and speakers in North America.
The Akiko Jazz Trio will be performing live and there will as well as hors-d'oeuvres, drinks, wine, a sake tasting, and giveaways. A representative from the Technics factory will be on-site to answer any questions and demonstrate the company's amplifier technologies.
Stereophile's Herb Reichert has…
Sly and the Family Stone: Live at the Fillmore East, October 4th & 5th, 1968
Epic 88843023712 (4 CDs). 2015. Sly Stone, orig. prod.; Bob Irwin, reissue prod.; Vic Anesini, mastering. AAD? TT: 3:27:31
Performance *****
Sonics ****
Epic 88843023712 (4 CDs). 2015. Sly Stone, orig. prod.; Bob Irwin, reissue prod.; Vic Anesini, mastering. AAD? TT: 3:27:31
Performance *****
Sonics ****
The first thing you hear is not Sly Stone's keyboards or harmonica. Not Freddie Stone's guitar. Not Greg Errico's amazing drumming. Not Larry Graham's slapping bass. Not the voices of Rose Stone (also keys) and Cynthia Robinson (also trumpet). Not Jerry Martini's saxophone.
No. The first thing you hear is pure energy: the nuclear reaction…
Most of us have experienced the proverbial curveball that comes out of nowhere to smack us right in the head. My most recent such encounter was pitched by Stereophile contributor Steve Guttenberg.
Steve's whammy arrived amid an e-mail exchange among Stereophile writers concerning a rather clueless column in another publication on the dearth of women audiophiles. After asking how many female audiophiles each of us knew, Steve G. defined what he meant by audiophile: "a person who frets over their system, agonizes over choices, loves gear, and sometimes music. You know, the kind of person…