Originally posted by: Tiamat
Originally posted by: nicolaskl
Front
From the side
Speaker
More speaker
In action
Infinity Intermezzo speakers (4.1t and 3.5c in the front, plus the 1.2s subwoofer, and 2.6p for 5.1 surround).
Denon 2807 receiver and 1930ci DVD player.
Emotiva XPA-5 amplifier
Toshiba HD-A3
HTPC
PS3/Wii/360
Wow, nice setup! Any comments on the Intermezzo line? I haven't heard them myself, and don't think I can even find them to audition in my area!
Thanks! They're no longer sold, so not surprising you can't find em. The first Intermezzo speaker I bought was the subwoofer, at an Ultimate Electronics going out of business sale about 4 years ago, I think that's roughly when they were discontinued.
I think the Intermezzo line might be one of the most unappreciated speaker lines ever. Which is partially Infinity's fault but mostly audio snobs fault. Infinity's fault because the Intermezzo line was priced so close to the Prelude line. If you're already spending a huge wad of cash might as well spend a little bit more and get the flagship Preludes. I think the Preludes are more aesthetically pleasing also.
But mostly audio snobs fault since a large number of them seem to turn up their nose at loudspeakers with the same logo on them as 99 dollar car audio speakers. And I guess Infinity/Harman International agrees, hence the existence of the Revel brand. That really seems counterintuitive to me though, as the profits on mass producing relatively low quality items is going to provide a lot more monetary/physical/manpower infrastructure to make really top notch items better as well.
Their MSRP scared people off as well I think. Though during the sell off after discontinuation I think you could buy them for about half MSRP, which isn't a bad deal. And on the used market the prices have been roughly halved again, making them a spectacular deal IMO. I think MSRP of the five speakers and subwoofer totaled $11,800. I paid about $3,000 buying everything used except the subwoofer.
As far as the speakers themselves:
I think they're amazingly accurate. The ceramic/metallic composite (CMMD) drivers are a big chunk of this, as are the designers philosophy (which prompted the creation of the composite drivers). They published a white paper on the construction that's pretty impressive and certainly seems to me to explain why it's a far superior material than any kind of paper or kevlar or untreated metal. I think this kind of accuracy can be a turn off for some, and I understand why, but I think it'd also be a breath of fresh air for a lot of people.
The bass is extremely tight, musical, accurate, etc. Which is what I'd expect from 3 sealed 12's made of the C.M.M.D. Before I had the towers I just had the single 12" paired with B&W bookshelves, and it wasn't enough for me for HT. Add two more though and you're in a whole different ballpark. That said, I'm still thinking about replacing the subwoofer with a monster from Epik or SVS. For music nothing will change since I run it 2.0 channel and the 2 12"s are more than enough, but for HT I think a ported 13-15" will add a little to the headroom and room pressurization that you just can't get with a sealed 12.
I bought the five speakers all at once but the bookshelves (2.6p) showed up first and I was really, really impressed with them coming from B&W 602 S3s. For around 350 - 450 on the used market I think they're an insane deal. And if you get the passive version (they also make a version with a built in 250 watt amp) there's no reason to not buy used. Everything is metal except the driver surround, not much to wear out or get dinged up.
The only bad part is the amplification in them appear to be a little finicky. I don't know how widespread it is but I've seen others on the internet comment on it and I've had two problems myself so it's definitely a possibility. The 850w amp in one of the towers was either broken when I got it or broke immediately after I got it. I think the latter. I think the former owner probably ran the 12"s as subwoofers and fed them off his sub out, whereas I run them as true 4 ways, running only speaker wire to them, and I think the problem was in the circuitry there. I bought them from a company that sells used audio (in Canada) and he reimbursed me for the repairs, but it ended up being a big hassle. Sent it into the shop Infinity recommended and they sent it back and it blew again immediately. I think they only tested with sub inputs and not the speaker level inputs. Send it back and they fixed it right and it's still going strong.
I guess the size is a potential bad part as well. They're over 4' tall and weigh about 100 lbs each, and the boxes they come in (which I have to save in case I move because I don't want them beat to hell) is the size of a refrigerator. For that reason I could see myself going back to a bookshelf/sub combo some day (I really like Ascend's Sierra 1), but hopefully I wont have to.
tl;dr: they're pretty kickass, anyone thinking about spending 2 or 3 grand on speakers should definitely try and audition them, anyone thinking about spending 400 and doesn't mind used should buy the 2.6p or 2.6 bookshelves, they're the best I've ever heard in that price range.