Q: Infinity Primus 140 vs. Polk Monitor 30 / or other under $200 & 1-ft. tall spkr

[Steve1000]

Q:Infinity Primus 140 vs. Polk Monitor 30 / or other under $200/pr. & 1-ft. tall spkr

I currently use an old pair of Pinnacle AC 400s and a cheap Sony subwoofer in a small living room system. I'm okay with the Sony subwoofer for now, I adjust it by ear and am pleased. The sytem is used almost exclusively for music enjoyment, so low low bass is not a concern. Amp and sources are not an issue. The living room is easy to fill with sound. It'll never be a critical listening area, since I've got three small children, A/C and kitchen noises, etc. Imaging? Sound quality above 10 khz? Utra-low bass? DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH! The finer points of audio reproduciton are out the window. So I'm looking to just make the sound obviously better for under $200.

I'm hoping to keep a new pair of bookshelf speakers under $200 a pair and under a foot high. The sound from the old Pinnacle AC 400s is actually decent (they are a relic from a failed attempt at surround sound in an old house many years ago). Right now I'm thinking I could get substantially and obviously better sound on the cheap, though, given improvements in speaker manufacture in recent years. I'm leaning toward the Infinity Primus 140s (about $140) and am considering the Polk Montor 30s (about $180) also. I want obviously better sound with no fuss, like buying a color TV for an obviously better picture, etc.

The room is pretty open and irregular with rugs and couches and curtains and the acoustics are actually pretty decent, aside from the noise floor. The speakers are placed on surfaces above ear level on wooden furniture about 8 inches to a foot from the back wall, well away from any side walls.

Is a LARGE AND OBVIOUS improvement over the Pinnacle AC 400s likely? Would the Infinity Primus 140 be a good candidate? Are the Polk Monitor 30s pretty good? Are there any other candidates? I tend to prefer subjectively smooth mids and slightly bright highs and neutral mid-bass.

I've given the Infinity Primus 150s (but not the 140s) and Polk Monitor 30s a decent listen and felt that they were both very good, exceptionally good for the price and size actually, but have not had them in-home.

Thanks for any help.

 

[dcrot1]

I have not personally listened to the Primus 140's, but I do however have a pair of the Primus 250 towers and I am very pleased with them....., very smooth/full sound out of two 5 1/4" drivers...., so I would think that if the bookshelves stay inline with the towers that you would be very happy with them....

 

[Takeereasy]

I have heard both those speakers and I'm of the opinion that the Polk is the better of the two. However if you want to save yourself some money and get a product that several people here are going batty for then you may want to pick up a pair of BIC America DV62SIB for well under $150 US shipped. I'm really not crazy about either of the two bookshelf speakers you've mentioned so I'm a little biased but I don't think you could go wrong by trying out the BIC.

 

[Steve1000]

Thanks for the feedback.

I have not personally listened to the Primus 140's, but I do however have a pair of the Primus 250 towers and I am very pleased with them....., very smooth/full sound out of two 5 1/4" drivers...., so I would think that if the bookshelves stay inline with the towers that you would be very happy with them....

 

[Steve1000]

Thanks. Do you have a sense (in a sentence or two) for what you feel to be the primary shortcomings in the Infininty Primus 140 and the Polk Monitor 30?

From the manufacturer's home page, it appears that the BIC is too big (over 14 inches tall) for what I need.

I have heard both those speakers and I'm of the opinion that the Polk is the better of the two. However if you want to save yourself some money and get a product that several people here are going batty for then you may want to pick up a pair of BIC America DV62SIB for well under $150 US shipped. I'm really not crazy about either of the two bookshelf speakers you've mentioned so I'm a little biased but I don't think you could go wrong by trying out the BIC.

 

[WmAx]

Thanks. Do you have a sense (in a sentence or two) for what you feel to be the primary shortcomings in the Infininty Primus 140 and the Polk Monitor 30?

From the manufacturer's home page, it appears that the BIC is too big (over 14 inches tall) for what I need.

Note: The Primus 150's low frequency capability is on the border of making crossover to a remotely located subwoofer difficult. The Primus 140, with even less LF capability, makes this task simply difficult. If you choose the 140, have a high probability of being forced to accept a compromise of either (1)Low frequency center point of crossover integration with subwoofer, but with only low SPL output ability. [or] (2) Moderate SPL output with a mid-bass integration problem due to a high crossover point. Additionally, the subwoofer may become resonant[contributing further to the integration problem] if required to respond to midbass range, as they are not usually designed to operate within this band.

-Chris

 

[jaxvon]

You might want to consider the Axiom M2Ti speakers. They're $280/pr and come in at 11.5" high.

 

[Takeereasy]

Wmax is right about the bass shortcomings, but it wasn't just lack of bass that drove me away. Harsh sounding highs, shoddy sound reproduction, muddy, seeming to be of cheap construction, living on their brand name alone are all terms I'd use for those speakers. That is my opinion only and someone on the site recently quoted what opinions are like. I will say this, I used to think that for $200 (about $250 Cad.) all you could get is crap and that all speakers in this price range were similar. That upset me because this was my price zone at the time (not that I'm far out of that zone now). Then I heard a pair of Paradigm Atoms. Small awesome sounding speakers that were going for $229 Canadian and I got some hope again. Atoms have an MSRP of $200 US so you should be able to knock a few bucks off at a dealer. The smaller BIC 52sib should fit your hight requirement and is pretty cost effective. You should throw those into the hunt. Speaker listening is very subjective at best but I do believe that the Atom is a superior product to the polk and infinity speakers you listed. Sorry for going over the two sentences. Please note that the negatives apply more to the Infinity than to the Polk, but I really don't like that polk either.

 

[Steve1000]

Thanks again. So what are your reservations about the Polks?

Please note that the negatives apply more to the Infinity than to the Polk, but I really don't like that polk either.

 

[Steve1000]

My "subwoofer" is really more of a woofer. The listed crossover range is from 50 hz to 200 hz. IIRC Infininty lists the bass response of the Prmus 140s down to 100 hz. I would be listening only at moderate volumes in the living room. My subwoofer / woofer seems to work fine with my Pinnacles when I set it by ear. I have no need or interest or use for A/V theater-style loud and low bass. I just checked my sound meter and my enjoyment and practical use peaks out betwen 70 and 80 db peaks in the living room, and usually I'm running quieter than that. Might these factors mitigate the problems you mention? Maybe getting nicer speakers is overkill and old the Pinnacle AC 400s are fine for the purpose. I am just looking for much better sound easily obtained.

Would you agree with Takereasy's shoddy construction muddy sounding resting on their reputation etc. criticism of the Infinity Primus 140s? I can't really imagine the Harmon group doing this. I had assumed the 140s would share the production values of the Primus 150s. No?

Note: The Primus 150's low frequency capability is on the border of making crossover to a remotely located subwoofer difficult. The Primus 140, with even less LF capability, makes this task simply difficult. If you choose the 140, have a high probability of being forced to accept a compromise of either (1)Low frequency center point of crossover integration with subwoofer, but with only low SPL output ability. [or] (2) Moderate SPL output with a mid-bass integration problem due to a high crossover point. Additionally, the subwoofer may become resonant[contributing further to the integration problem] if required to respond to midbass range, as they are not usually designed to operate within this band.

-Chris

 

[Steve1000]

Thanks. Those look nice. Any summary of the general sound signature?

You might want to consider the Axiom M2Ti speakers. They're $280/pr and come in at 11.5" high.

 

[WmAx]

Would you agree with Takereasy's shoddy construction muddy sounding resting on their reputation etc. criticism of the Infinity Primus 140s? I can't really imagine the Harmon group doing this. I had assumed the 140s would share the production values of the Primus 150s. No?

The Primus 150 is a very well designed speaker for the price. Overall, it's 3rd party measurements show it to be unquestionably a highly performing speaker in several very important areas. It has one chink it it's armour: I did audition a pair in nearfield position with various music at one point. The one problem was a resonance in the lower midrange[I would subjectively consider this to create a muddy sound]. Putting my ear near the cabinet walls revealed the problem: the cabinet wall was transmitting a narrow band of energy, thus causing an audible resonance. But this is easily fixed: just take a screwdriver, remove the drivers, and apply 3 or 4 layers of common self-adhesive roof patching strips(available at your local hardware store) inside. Also, if upon opening, you find that very little acoustic dampening(stuffing) is used, you can add this too. IMO, it's worth doing this, because it's frequency response, polar response and resonance behaviour(CSD)[besides the easily fixed cabinet problem] were very good, and comparable to much higher priced speakers. You can't fix these things with a quick and cheap modification.

-Chris

 

[Steve1000]

Okay, I'm thinking of getting the Primus 150. The Stereophile review and measurements look very good and are very encouraging. I've listened to it and it sounds nice. I'll just have to eat the extra size and deal the the WAF implications. Any discouraging comments from the peanut gallery or alternate recommendations?

The Primus 150 is a very well designed speaker for the price..
because it's frequency response, polar response and resonance behaviour(CSD)[besides the easily fixed cabinet problem] were very good, and comparable to much higher priced speakers. You can't fix these things with a quick and cheap modification.

-Chris

 

[jaxvon]

Check out the reviews at Audioreview.

Also, remember that Axiom has a 30-day in home trial, and their shipping to you is free, so it'll be $280 out of pocket. Plus, since the speakers aren't that expensive, if you decide to send them back, it shouldn't be too bad for shipping.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I have heard both those speakers and I'm of the opinion that the Polk is the better of the two. However if you want to save yourself some money and get a product that several people here are going batty for then you may want to pick up a pair of BIC America DV62SIB for well under $150 US shipped. I'm really not crazy about either of the two bookshelf speakers you've mentioned so I'm a little biased but I don't think you could go wrong by trying out the BIC.

If size is not an issue any longer, I highly recommend the 62's. I've owned a pair for over 15 years, and have heard few that sound as full and rich. There is a popular modification for $20 to update the crossover to make them sound even better. I've never needed it, but I may have a generation of the 62's that weren't as sibilant. Check out the reviews, especially the negatives. There's no need to spend over $200 for a pair of bookshelves (especially if you've never heard these). The center channel is also a huge hit.
http://audioreview.com/cat/speakers/bookshelf-speakers/bic-america/PRD_124289_4290crx.aspx

 

[Steve1000]

I picked up a pair of Primus 150s today. For $160 a pair these things are absolutely freaky. For well-recorded classical music the sound is beautiful and breathtaking. Jazz is perfectly balanced and lush and smooth etc. etc. Thanks for the good advice, again! A major major upgrade from my old Pinnacles.

I found a relatively well-set-up Circuit City enclosed show room and A/Bed the Primus 150s with all of the speakers in the room. I preferred the Primus 150s to all the Polks in the room of any price. The only speaker that sounded better to me immediately was a $500-each Infininty Beta speaker, but I really wasn't sure if the Primus 150 might be more accurate. In fact, I think the 150 was more accurate. I think the Beta's highs were a little hyped. Man, I have the 150s playing in my living room now, just beautiful.

In the showroom the 150s low end seemed obviously lacking compared to the floor-standing models, but in my own living room the bass sounds great without any supplement, because the overall sound is just so well balanced I guess. I am so glad I got these. One thing you notice is how the sound anywhere in the room sounds great, not just in the sweet spot. I'll fire up my low-brow subwoofer tomorrow, but I am just enjoying these incredibly right now on their own. This is one of my all-time audio buying thrills. I'm so glad I didn't get the 140s, even if it was a match for the 150s, there's no way I could have got that extra octave of bass to sound this good and perfectly integrated into the sound. Did I mention thanks for the good advice again?

I don't much like Stereophile magazine, but they nailed this one, IMHO. These are absolutely, for my taste and uses, the nicest sounding speakers I've ever had.

http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/404infinity/

http://www.stereophile.com/budgetcomponents/404infinity/index4.html

This is a whole new chapter in music enjoyment for me. For $160!

The Primus 150 is a very well designed speaker for the price...
-Chris

 

[dcrot1]

Yeah, like I said... I have a pair of the primus 250 towers, and they are extremely nice...., they have clean highs and the midbass is tight....., coupled with a sub(infinity csw-10) they are unbelievable. What makes it even better is I only paid $160 for my primus towers brand new!!!