Infinity Beta 50 speakers; how do they compare?

After spending more time with the Primus 362 I am beginning to see why Stereophile gushed over these years ago...they have a very relaxed, natural timbre that is addictive...transparency is exciting and vivid...soundstaging width is equally impressive...and for a conventional speaker....they have a fair amount of depth when placed accordingly...not going to scare any Maggies owners...but this is a great budget product for main or second systems depending upon level of sophistication needed...

Long time Infinity owner here. The Beta 50 was a European production model which makes it unique in the Infinity line up.It still retained the soft treble/warm midrange Infinity is famous for which is similar to a European voiced speaker. The Betas are a very relaxed, laid back speaker which isn't for everyone. They also have a prenounced mid bass warmth which is more akin to an American loudspeaker. The IL 40 is also similar in this regard. The newer Primus 360s is a far more balanced speaker, but still retains some of the "romantic" warmth of older siblings. Possibly due to smaller drivers or engineering, it doesn't have the at times bloated midrange which can be a listening challenge for Infinity owners.The highs seem a bit more extended than past offerings as well, which was a knock against the Betas, Interludes, and Alphas.Far from a perfect product, the Primus series really don't do anything wrong or truly excel in any given area.They do offer very good imaging and soundstaging which is a Harmon product trademark. At times they seem a touch veiled, but we are talking about a $650 loudspeaker afterall. I feel the European Kappa series was a better line up, albeit at a much higher price point.

i've lived with a pair of beta 50s for almost 4 years now, and i'm very pleased with them. i don't believe they're in production anymore, but the revel concerta f-12 is the same speaker, albeit at 3 times the infinity's street price.

I stumbled upon a nice Fisher KX200 tube integrated amp at 30 wpc. I'm thinking that the P362 might be a lovely match for the vintage tube amp. The 91 dB sensitivity sure sounds attractive.

To start with I'll try the amp with a pair of refurbished EPI 150s. I had a pair in college running off a 15 wpc Marantz SS integrated amp albeit in a small apartment.

Markwriter thanks for your comments. I've been listening to the Primus 362s and really think they are amazing for the money; I've decided to just keep them and am getting my son a pair of Infinity Primus 152s. I got the 362s on eBay from a place in New York called Audio Video Source brand new for $329, but with the shipping they came to $408; still a real bargain. Thanks again for your comments.

I can't give you a specific name, but an Infinity insider told me to keep my Primus 360's over the Beta 50's (and 40's). It's not that the Primus's do everything better than the Beta's in every way, but the Primus performs better overall in Infinity's proprietary objective measurements, and would thus perform better in their subjective listening tests.I bet the Primus's would be preferred in double blind listening tests over 80% of the other speakers on audiogon, regardless of the price. They are a phenomenal pair of speakers.

Where'd you get them for $329 a pair? That was a good price. I got my 360's for $299, refurbished direct from Harman.