Need advice on Infinity Primus

[Sam1024]

Hi,

I am in Bangkok and looking for a home theatre system for around $1200 - $1500 system. On one of the shops I tested Infinity Primus system with following set and really liked the sound.

Sub Woofer: PS210
Speakers: PS253 + P153 + PC251
Receiver: Harman AVR 156

My TV loung dimensions where I install these are 21 ft x 18 ft. Please help me understand following:

1) The reviews that I read on the internet were just ok. I also read on one website that PS210 has a very short life and msot people were complaining that they had to get it repaired/repalced in 1-2 years time. Is this true?

2) Are these speakers too old?

3) How is the Harman receiver?

4) I can also upgrade to PS212 sub woofer, Does that make sense to do this?

5) Are there any good alrernates that I can consider instead of this system in the same budget?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[jonnythan]

The speakers are great. The sub probably not so much. The receiver is pretty low-end. Hard to give other recommendations given your location.

That said, you'll probably be perfectly happy with the setup, especially given your budget. Spend more on the sub.

 

[GranteedEV]

1) The reviews that I read on the internet were just ok. I also read on one website that PS210 has a very short life and msot people were complaining that they had to get it repaired/repalced in 1-2 years time. Is this true?

Either way, I have a feeling you can do a good bit better on the subwoofer front, regardless of how long it were to last.

Maybe get in touch with your nearest SVS distributor:

Dealer Information - SVS

2) Are these speakers too old?

Nope.

3) How is the Harman receiver?

As a harman product i'm sure it's well and fine, however I would recommend looking into a Marantz SR5006 as well as I suspect setup will be less of a hassle.

4) I can also upgrade to PS212 sub woofer, Does that make sense to do this?

Definitely, especially for home theater. For music alone you'd be better off just getting the P363 mains IMO.

5) Are there any good alrernates that I can consider instead of this system in the same budget?

For the time being, I recommend saving your money on the subwoofer and center, and upgrading to the P363 main speakers. They should have plenty of deep bass (until you add a true 12" vented sub) but more importantly they use a 4" midrange which helps them sound better than the P253s.

 

[Alex2507]

My first Infinity PS210 sub did have to go in for warranty repair. A transistor and diode needed to be replaced. Infinity was great about it considering that I could not find my receipt at the time and it was right on the edge of the warranty period which I remember thinking was very generous. My second PS210 has been going strong for years without any issues. I recommend getting the PS212 as it tested favorably in a review over at HTS and both my PS210's are rather boomy at around 40Hz-50Hz.

I had the PS253 speakers and upgraded to the PS363's. It was a huge step up. I sold my PS253's to a friend and they still sound great especially considering the price but the little extra for the PS363's was completely worth it.

I also use the PS153's as surrounds but have a PC351 center. A lot of people say that it is better than the PC251 but I'm not convinced. My friend who I sold the PS253's to has the PC251 and it sounds fine. If you can listen to them that would be best otherwise let size and budget determine which one you go with.

In my opinion the Primus line is the best thing going in that price range.

 

[Sam1024]

Thanks for the inputs guys. One consideration I had was that assuming if I upgrade to both PS212 and 363 speakers, then:

1) Do I also need to upgrade the rear speakers to 163?

2) As I understand Center PC251 will be ok with this setup so I am assuming I dont need to upgrade that?

3) Also if I upgrade to 363 and PS212, do you think that I will also have to upgrade Harman AVR 156 so it might not support the 363s? Or do you think it will support 363s also?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Alex2507]

Thanks for the inputs guys. One consideration I had was that assuming if I upgrade to both PS212 and 363 speakers, then:

1) Do I also need to upgrade the rear speakers to 163?

2) As I understand Center PC251 will be ok with this setup so I am assuming I dont need to upgrade that?

3) Also if I upgrade to 363 and PS212, do you think that I will also have to upgrade Harman AVR 156 so it might not support the 363s? Or do you think it will support 363s also?

Thanks for the help.

1. The 153's are fine as surrounds regardless of your sub or mains

2. I think I already chimed in on that topic. I think the PC251 is fine and so does at least 1 other person that I know of who has owned both.

3. The 363's are probably more sensitive/efficient than the 253's. Look at the spec's to be sure but you will be fine with any Harman rec'r and the 363's. If anything look for a rec'r that has pre-amp outputs so that you can add an amplifier later on if you choose to do so.