Infinity Kappa 7's. Go or stay?

[slevestain]

I purchased 2 Infinity Kappa 7 about 14 years ago. I am now wanting to upgrade to home theater. My question is, should I keep my Kappa 7's as front left and right and add center, surrounds, and sub. or start over from scratch.
If I could incorporate the 2 Kappa 7's what would be a good match for the center, surrounds and sub?
I also need to upgrade my receiver as I currently have a Yamaha RX-1130. I would like any suggestions in that area too.
In answer to the replies I received...the Kappa 7's are in excellent condition. I was wondering if Axiom, Paradigm, or B&W would be good additions to the Kappas. Center, surround and sub.???

 

[Leprkon]

I purchased 2 Infinity Kappa 7 about 14 years ago. I am now wanting to upgrade to home theater. My question is, should I keep my Kappa 7's as front left and right and add center, surrounds, and sub. or start over from scratch.
If I could incorporate the 2 Kappa 7's what would be a good match for the center, surrounds and sub?
I also need to upgrade my receiver as I currently have a Yamaha RX-1130. I would like any suggestions in that area too.

The Kappas are great-sounding and are beatifully-made. If there is no dry-rot on the foam surrounding the primary cones, they would be well worth using as the cornerstone of your HT.

the guys at onecall still carry the Kappa line for center speakers (and have a nice deal on it right now)

http://ww2.onecall.com/PID_22945.htm

rears are not nearly as critical, so you could either get some Kappa bookshelves from the same place, or any good quality bookshelf or indoor/outdoor (Infinity Outriggers work well as they are very easy to mount on a ceiling or wall or Outrigger Juniors if there is a WAF to consider).

subs are even less critical to match. most have a variable crossover that lets them blend in with any set of speakers. you can get good quality subs from Velodyne (the decent digital models are currently available at internet-competitive prices at your local Circuit City), www.outlaw.com, and HSU.

Infinities are, to me at least, a very nuetral-sounding speaker that works well with Yamaha. A Yamaha HTR-5790 ($ 500-ish) or RX-V1500 ($ 600-ish) or RX-V2500 ($ 700-ish) would be a solid pick. There's some pricing links here on Audioholics that can get you the best possible prices.

 

[Rob Babcock]

It might be tough to find a good match for those Kappa's- it's been a long time since they've been in production. I'd suggest you might be better off getting new ones.

BUT, those are some damned nice speakers, slevestain. What kind of shape are they in? Are the surrounds still good? Are the tweets original? You might consider keeping them around for a 2nd, stereo-only system, if that's practical in your situation. After all, if you need a new reciever anyway, why not move the whole thing? You can get better overall performance for HT by buying a matching set designed for that purpose. But those Infinity's are still elite music speakers, IMO, and would compare very favorably to anything you're likely to find for under $1500 or so.

Lastly, if theyr'e in good shape those Kappa 7's can bring a good price on Ebay or sites frequented by vintage gear fans. If you decide to sell them, drop by Audio Karma. You'll find mostly guys into the older but still great vintage gear there. (Hmmm...the link doesn't seem to be working right now- it's >audiokarma.org<).

 

[anamorphic96]

If im not mistaken the Kappas where REALLY tough loads to drive. Maybe an exteranl 2 channel would be something to consider as well. Just a thought I could be mistaken.

Glenn

 

[Yamahaluver]

Used to drive Kappa 9 with a pair of Yamaha MX-1000, excellent speakers that can generate serious amount of SPL with clarity as long as the amp hooked up to them could keep up, the EMIT-R tweeters did a mighty fine job of imaging as well.

 

[Rob Babcock]

No store near me carried the Kappa 9's, YL. But oh the hours I spent drooling over the 7's... Believe it or not, when I was in college the local BB carried them. They powered them with a Halfer (DH-100? It was a long time ago) and augmented the bottom end with an inexpensive CV sub, but the sound was sublime. They were a bit out of my price range back then, so I had to settle on some SM-150+'s, but I always wanted the Kappas.

 

[MStaz]

I have the same dilemma!

I love my Kappa 7s and they are in excellent shape. My fear is that I will overdrive my rear surrounds trying to drive the Kappa 7s unless I buy comparable speakers. But if I do that I fear that speakers that large may be overkill for rears. I was looking at the new Infinity Beta 40s. They sound good but not as good as my Kappas.

 

[Jason Coleman]

Slevestain-

You're not working a spoonerism on your name, are you?

Jason