Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Infinity Systems Renaissance 90 Speakers by Stephen Daedalus

After several months of listening to these puppies, I'm of the opinion that the Infinity Renaissance 90 loudspeakers are among the great undiscovered gems of (quasi) high-end audio. I managed to pick up a pair of these speakers new, boxed, and still sealed from a kindly gentleman (thanks, Tom, by the way!) who immediately placed them into storage after he first purchased them in 1995. Completely enamored of their sound, I later picked up a slightly used pair (less than 50 hours, I was assured) in immaculate condition *and* with a high-gloss, limited edition black piano lacquer finish. Talk about breathtaking. I've since given this pair to my father, and he's fallen in love with them, as well.

When new (from 1992-1994?), these loudspeakers retailed for close to $4,000.

The R90s sport Infinity's EMIM midrange -- a quasi-planar design that lends their overall sound a quality of transparency or airiness that I suspect rivals that of many true planar designs. The R90s are also outfitted with a planar EMIT tweeter, the sound of which is both lifelike and (unlike its predecessors in Infinity's original Kappa series loudspeakers) non-obtrusive.

What these speakers do for both the imaging *and* decay of cymbals (among other instruments) might just blow your mind. And speaking of cymbals, I've never heard a drumkit so convincingly imaged in any listening space -- even when listened to from a decidedly off-axis position. There've been a few occasions when I've found myself listening to the sound of a harmonica on these speakers -- whether it be to Van Morrison on "T.B. Sheets," to Neil Young on "Thrasher" or to Sonny Terry on "Sonny's Thing" -- and been simply overwhelmed as the Renaissance 90s melted away and were displaced by what I can only term the mimetic incarnation of a mouth harp player. And a good one, at that. And should I tell you what the planar midrange and tweeter sections of these loudspeakers can do for slide guitar? I just about had Ron Wood in my lap the other night, actually, when auditioning the Faces' "Richmond." Had to move my listening chair back a foot or two, actually. You know those Faces boys -- they're very upfront.

The Renaissance 90s are perfect for jazz, in particular, and I could just about *swear* that I've bumped into the likes of Sonny Rollins, Horace Silver, Hank Mobley and (even) Chick Corea during several of my late night listening sessions. The EMIM midrange and EMIT tweeter sections of the R90s make the Modern Jazz Quartet's **At Music Inn** (MFSL, UDCD 632) a veritable system-showpiece-type disc, and help to bring new meaning to the (sadly hackneyed) term "verisimilitude," especially when reproducing vibraphonist Milt Jackson's vibraharp, in particular. And they ain't too terribly shabby on the Oscar Peterson Trio's **Night Train** (Verve, 521 440-2), either. O.P. was, like, *right* (pointing) there.

These speakers are also *very* solid in the low end of the frequency spectrum, although if you like your music "bumpable," they're probably not for you. They'll reproduce whatever's there, and add nothing to the overall sound in the process. Their response does extend down to 27 Hz, however, and with a warmth and room-filling presence that belies the relatively dimunitive size (10") of their dual-voice coil IMG woofers.

I use an Aragon 8008BB to drive them, and it seems to provide more than enough power (make no mistake about it, however: these loudspeakers are power hungry) to satisfy their dual-voice coil Watkins woofers. Moreover, it coaxes the R90s to produce sumptuous, gorgeous music, with a crystalline top-end and plenty of reassuring warmth (without colouration, however) in the midrange.

A beautiful loudspeaker. I've auditioned several Thiel models (see similar products used [above]), and I think that Thiels are, overall, slightly more neutral-sounding. That said, I prefer the sound of my R90s. They've got a warmth to them (after all), which makes them sound not *quite* as neutral as a pair of Thiel CS 2.3s, and their EMIT tweeters and EMIM midranges give them a transparency that surpasses that of the Thiels.

I've gone through several different cable configurations with them, and have finally settled upon some bi-wired Goertz Alpha-Core MI3 (upon the recommendation of a USENET acquaintance and fellow R90 afficianado). Very nice combination.

These things are an absolute *steal* when available as used. I've seen them going from anywhere between $900-$2,500, and if you can get them for less than $1,500, you're morally obligated to do so. Spend the money that you'll save on better interconnects or on better source components.

REVIEW: Infinity Systems Renaissance 90 Speakers Review by Stephen Daedalus at Audio Asylum