Infinity Primus P162 Bookshelf Speaker Review

[admin]

The Infinity Primus P162 Bookshelf speakers have been selling like hotcakes at the Audioholics store - that's just a fact. They've got a lot of buzz right now. If I was designing a set of budget bookshelf speakers and I wanted to sell, I'd focus on a few things. Great center image, wide soundstage, and the lowest response I could muster. Well, Infinity hit the nail on the head with this one. These are the perfect entry level speakers.

Discuss "Infinity Primus P162 Bookshelf Speaker Review" here. Read the article.

 

[Seth=L]

I wish they would come out with something more like the Intermezzo and Interlude lines again.

Thanks for the review.

 

[tbergman]

I think a smaller version of these are going to make there way to my surrounds soon. Probably the P142, but maybe the P152.

 

[WmAx]

The review questions the dynamic abilities of the tweeter used. Well, I don't know what caused the problems the reviewer heard, it could be the crossover itself was saturating the tiny xover coil causing distortion in this speaker system. Or, the simply fact that the natural response of the tweeter has a rising upper range that will simply be perceived as 'harsher' due to perceived imbalance as you raise absolute SPL according to basic Fletcher-Munsoon curves. But using the tweeter directly connected in an active system with a 200 watt RMS amplifier (to each tweeter), no dynamic limitations are present until you get into extreme SPL ranges. The midwoofer and tweeter used in this speaker, used with the right crossover, are suited to pretty much any level of speaker system, in terms of actual performance. But you do need to cross the midwoofer at about 90-100Hz to allow it to retain transparency at very high SPL. The mid-woofer and tweeter use very thick ceramic layers(extreme heavy anodized to build up a 20%ceramic/40percent alu core/20% ceramic) that total about 40 % of the thickness of the diaphragm. The increased stiffness raises the frequency of break up mode as well as this structure having superior dampening ability, resulting in drivers that have near perfect piston-like behavior within their used bandwidths. The mid-bass for example does not even require a notch filter, unlike most metal diaphragm mid-bass/mid-range drivers. However, one can still use a notch filter ( I do ) if they want to seek perfection.

I analyzed the behavior of the drivers in a pair of Primus 160, which besides color scheme, should be identical to the 162. I ended up using the mid-range and tweeters in a reference quality, no holds barred monitor system designed to be absolute neutral. I could have used any drivers ( I have many very high quality drivers on hand ), but after discovering the potential these offered, I decided to go ahead and use them.

Now, even though these drivers have extreme potential, the cabinets and crossovers used SEVERELY restrict the performance. I use extreme low resonance cabinet systems along with a fully active DSP crossover system combined with high power amplifiers in my application.

-Chris

 

[Rickster71]

Enjoyed the review Tom.

Any chance of a comparison review between The Speaker Co's TSBL 6.5
and the P162?
http://www.thespeakercompany.com/TSBL-65-2-way-Bookshelf-Speaker-Pair-P46C6.aspx

Thanks,
Rick

 

[RequiemX]

Enjoyed the review Tom.

Any chance of a comparison review between The Speaker Co's TSBL 6.5
and the P162?
http://www.thespeakercompany.com/TSBL-65-2-way-Bookshelf-Speaker-Pair-P46C6.aspx

Thanks,
Rick

That would be a great comparison review.

 

[spyboy]

The Infinity Primus P162 Bookshelf speakers have been selling like hotcakes at the Audioholics store - that's just a fact. They've got a lot of buzz right now. If I was designing a set of budget bookshelf speakers and I wanted to sell, I'd focus on a few things. Great center image, wide soundstage, and the lowest response I could muster. Well, Infinity hit the nail on the head with this one. These are the perfect entry level speakers.

Discuss "Infinity Primus P162 Bookshelf Speaker Review" here. Read the article.

"Selling like hotcakes at the Audioholics store..."

I'm sure the brisk sales have nothing to do with the fact that the P162 is the top rated bookshelf speaker by none other than Consumer Reports right now. The brief review is in the December 2008 issue on page 39 and is also available in a little more detail at CR's web site.

For whatever reason, your findings about bass do not jive with CR. As they use an anechoic chamber I trust their findings.

Second, the peak you measured at 15,000 Hz has little effect with most music sources. In fact, given how little fundamentals are at 10,000 Hz and above, a peak at 1,500 Hz would have had a far more audible effect.

Of course, when one reads between the lines it seems that the P162 was pushed pretty hard.

I owned a pair of Infinity bookshelf speakers for a while, and found them to be very natural sounding and suitable for Left, Center and Right.

At a delivered price of $181 at Crutchfield, they are a very good value with solid response past 15 KHz. As with just about any bookshelf of this size, a subwoofer is recommended.

Remember, we are not talking Totem Mani 2 here; the tax on a pair of Mani 2's would be more than a pair of these P162's.

Consumer Reports states the P 162 had "very good sound, with very good bass." No mention of listening fatigue.

You really missed the boat on this one.

 

[gene]

"Selling like hotcakes at the Audioholics store..."

I'm sure the brisk sales have nothing to do with the fact that the P162 is the top rated bookshelf speaker by none other than Consumer Reports right now. The brief review is in the December 2008 issue on page 39 and is also available in a little more detail at CR's web site.

For whatever reason, your findings about bass do not jive with CR. As they use an anechoic chamber I trust their findings.

Second, the peak you measured at 15,000 Hz has little effect with most music sources. In fact, given how little fundamentals are at 10,000 Hz and above, a peak at 1,500 Hz would have had a far more audible effect.

Of course, when one reads between the lines it seems that the P162 was pushed pretty hard.

I owned a pair of Infinity bookshelf speakers for a while, and found them to be very natural sounding and suitable for Left, Center and Right.

At a delivered price of $181 at Crutchfield, they are a very good value with solid response past 15 KHz. As with just about any bookshelf of this size, a subwoofer is recommended.

Remember, we are not talking Totem Mani 2 here; the tax on a pair of Mani 2's would be more than a pair of these P162's.

Consumer Reports states the P 162 had "very good sound, with very good bass." No mention of listening fatigue.

You really missed the boat on this one.

All hail Consumer Reports. God forbid reviewers have different opinions. Heck Consumer Reports also loves Boses speakers so I suppose its all a matter of personal taste and we all know there is no accounting for taste

 

[spyboy]

All hail Consumer Reports. God forbid reviewers have different opinions. Heck Consumer Reports also loves Boses speakers so I suppose its all a matter of personal taste and we all know there is no accounting for taste

You better believe all hail CR. Wanna buy a Chrysler Sebring convertible?

How about something from General Motors?

The sound engineers at CR don't have their heads in the clouds, (or another popular location). They put the speakers in their anechoic chamber and let the instruments do the rest.

Certainly more than can be said for your testing methods.

And last but not least, this is not supposed to be a discussion about someones opinion.

But, don't let that stop you from bashing an organization that has vastly more and better resources to test and report on everything from TVs to speakers to cars and hundreds of other items.

Audio engineers are not hard to come by. Audio pros who have visited CRs AV test labs come back very impressed. Look up Gregg Loewen.

CRs speaker tests go back at least 25 years and the anechoic chamber still tells the truth.

 

[lsiberian]

I think a smaller version of these are going to make there way to my surrounds soon. Probably the P142, but maybe the P152.

These are suitable matches for your betas. I highly recommend them for your setup.

Get the smaller ones unless you do multi-channel listening

 

[lsiberian]

"Selling like hotcakes at the Audioholics store..."

I'm sure the brisk sales have nothing to do with the fact that the P162 is the top rated bookshelf speaker by none other than Consumer Reports right now. The brief review is in the December 2008 issue on page 39 and is also available in a little more detail at CR's web site.

For whatever reason, your findings about bass do not jive with CR. As they use an anechoic chamber I trust their findings.

Second, the peak you measured at 15,000 Hz has little effect with most music sources. In fact, given how little fundamentals are at 10,000 Hz and above, a peak at 1,500 Hz would have had a far more audible effect.

Of course, when one reads between the lines it seems that the P162 was pushed pretty hard.

I owned a pair of Infinity bookshelf speakers for a while, and found them to be very natural sounding and suitable for Left, Center and Right.

At a delivered price of $181 at Crutchfield, they are a very good value with solid response past 15 KHz. As with just about any bookshelf of this size, a subwoofer is recommended.

Remember, we are not talking Totem Mani 2 here; the tax on a pair of Mani 2's would be more than a pair of these P162's.

Consumer Reports states the P 162 had "very good sound, with very good bass." No mention of listening fatigue.

You really missed the boat on this one.

Not entirely. Certain types of music actually can be fatiguing with the tweeters included in these speakers. Especially brass. This is because of the incredible reproduction the tweeters have in that range IMO. A person anti high frequencies will not like these speakers.

 

[lsiberian]

All hail Consumer Reports. God forbid reviewers have different opinions. Heck Consumer Reports also loves Boses speakers so I suppose its all a matter of personal taste and we all know there is no accounting for taste

Some people like bad burgers.

 

[nibhaz]

You better believe all hail CR. Wanna buy a Chrysler Sebring convertible?

How about something from General Motors?

The sound engineers at CR don't have their heads in the clouds, (or another popular location). They put the speakers in their anechoic chamber and let the instruments do the rest.

Certainly more than can be said for your testing methods.

And last but not least, this is not supposed to be a discussion about someones opinion.

But, don't let that stop you from bashing an organization that has vastly more and better resources to test and report on everything from TVs to speakers to cars and hundreds of other items.

Audio engineers are not hard to come by. Audio pros who have visited CRs AV test labs come back very impressed. Look up Gregg Loewen.

CRs speaker tests go back at least 25 years and the anechoic chamber still tells the truth.

Whoopi Do

CR speaker ratings don’t necessary jive with data and parameters derived from perceptual research. Prior to 2006 CR’s methodology was flawed.

Check out this blog, and read more than the single article linked.

 

[Matt34]

I think this is first for someone to use CR for a reference to home audio reviews.
Besides that point, it's an apple to oranges type of comparison with one review done using in-room measurements and the other in an anechoic chamber as pointed out by spyboy. Is there really a right or wrong here and how can you say it is using two completely different methods of measurement then comparing them against one another?

Edit: cause i aren't speller good

You better believe all hail CR. Wanna buy a Chrysler Sebring convertible?

How about something from General Motors?

The sound engineers at CR don't have their heads in the clouds, (or another popular location). They put the speakers in their anechoic chamber and let the instruments do the rest.

Certainly more than can be said for your testing methods.

And last but not least, this is not supposed to be a discussion about someones opinion.

But, don't let that stop you from bashing an organization that has vastly more and better resources to test and report on everything from TVs to speakers to cars and hundreds of other items.

Audio engineers are not hard to come by. Audio pros who have visited CRs AV test labs come back very impressed. Look up Gregg Loewen.

CRs speaker tests go back at least 25 years and the anechoic chamber still tells the truth.

 

[nibhaz]

The primus line is great for its price point, nay a steal at its price point.

I put a set of the older 150s against the B&Ws I use for surrounds and it was a dead heat. The B&Ws only did better than the 150s when ran full range, when used in 2.1 configuration I couldn’t really make a true preference call. Not bad for speakers that I picked up at one third the price of the B&Ws.

 

[lsiberian]

The primus line is great for its price point, nay a steal at its price point.

I put a set of the older 150s against the B&Ws I use for surrounds and it was a dead heat. The B&Ws only did better than the 150s when ran full range, when used in 2.1 configuration I couldn’t really make a true preference call. Not bad for speakers that I picked up at one third the price of the B&Ws.

For others. Don't ever run these full range. I fear you may blow the speakers. I suggest a 100hz crossover to be on the safe side.

 

[Seth=L]

You better believe all hail CR. Wanna buy a Chrysler Sebring convertible?

How about something from General Motors?

The sound engineers at CR don't have their heads in the clouds, (or another popular location). They put the speakers in their anechoic chamber and let the instruments do the rest.

Certainly more than can be said for your testing methods.

And last but not least, this is not supposed to be a discussion about someones opinion.

But, don't let that stop you from bashing an organization that has vastly more and better resources to test and report on everything from TVs to speakers to cars and hundreds of other items.

Audio engineers are not hard to come by. Audio pros who have visited CRs AV test labs come back very impressed. Look up Gregg Loewen.

CRs speaker tests go back at least 25 years and the anechoic chamber still tells the truth.

I apologize for being harsh, but from reading just your two first posts on this thread I have concluded you must be some form of troll, conscious or unconsciously.

and I do not like you...

 

[tbergman]

These are suitable matches for your betas. I highly recommend them for your setup.

Get the smaller ones unless you do multi-channel listening

Yeah, pretty sure I'm going to pick up the P142's sometime. I'm really liking the betas and these should be a good match for some surrounds that won't cost too much and will do for my system until I get out of school.

 

[gene]

You better believe all hail CR. Wanna buy a Chrysler Sebring convertible?

How about something from General Motors?

The sound engineers at CR don't have their heads in the clouds, (or another popular location). They put the speakers in their anechoic chamber and let the instruments do the rest.

Certainly more than can be said for your testing methods.

And last but not least, this is not supposed to be a discussion about someones opinion.

But, don't let that stop you from bashing an organization that has vastly more and better resources to test and report on everything from TVs to speakers to cars and hundreds of other items.

Audio engineers are not hard to come by. Audio pros who have visited CRs AV test labs come back very impressed. Look up Gregg Loewen.

CRs speaker tests go back at least 25 years and the anechoic chamber still tells the truth.

It's great that you can sum up a loudspeakers performance on a single measurement in an anechoic chamber. Seems like we and other reputable publications are wasting our time writing 5-10k word reviews on loudspeakers along with doing a full battery of objective and subjective testing.

Anechoic chambers are nice to have as it simplifies the measurement process but you can still get just as good and meaningful results in-room if you know what your doing.

We have an article on that:
http://www.audioholics.com/education/loudspeaker-basics/subwoofer-measurement-part-1

We also have many articles on loudspeaker power ratings and compression effect such as this:
http://www.audioholics.com/education/loudspeaker-basics/loudspeakers-power-ratings-part-iii-the-test-results

I'am sure Consumer Reports writes about these topics often and in such great detail, usually the page after the condom test results

The only question that remains is why are you still here? I highly recommend you STOP reading this site and get all of your info on A/V gear solely from Consumer Reports or the Robb Report or wherever else you think offers better quality content and test results. Honestly if I found a better news source I'd be watching/reading that, not hanging out at this crappy place listening to a bunch of know nothings.

 

[lsiberian]

Yeah, pretty sure I'm going to pick up the P142's sometime. I'm really liking the betas and these should be a good match for some surrounds that won't cost too much and will do for my system until I get out of school.

Hey T I suggest you look at a sub first. It will net you a much bigger jump in performance. I'm guessing you have a small budget. I suggest a Dayton sub.