I think the mass market approach is definitely a double edged sword for Infinity. On one hand, it allows a good source of revenue for funding R&D but on the other hand, it creates a perception that their entire line is geared for the masses. How many companies could afford to create a whole new line of drivers, let alone create whole new technologies to improve their drivers? Check out the white papers on the Infinity site and you'll find that most every technical hurdle that affects speaker performance has been addressed.
Still, the proof is in the pudding and if they don't sound right, they won't garner the respect they deserve. This is where I think they make a mistake by selling their top-of-the-line speakers in the mass market stores. When I auditioned a pair of Prelude MTS at Ultimate Electronics, they were positioned less than a foot away from the largest media center I'd ever seen, there were NO acoustic treatments in a very bad room and the source was a cheap DVD player. Not pretty.
Never-the-less, since I'm an employee of Harman International and could get a good deal, I took the plunge and let me tell you, I'm glad I did. Properly set up, in a good room with good electonics, they sound more like real music than any other speaker I've ever heard. I've been an audio enthusiast for 25 years, I'm a hack musician, and I develop audio algorithms for a living and I think they're amazing.
Still, the proof is in the pudding and if they don't sound right, they won't garner the respect they deserve. This is where I think they make a mistake by selling their top-of-the-line speakers in the mass market stores. When I auditioned a pair of Prelude MTS at Ultimate Electronics, they were positioned less than a foot away from the largest media center I'd ever seen, there were NO acoustic treatments in a very bad room and the source was a cheap DVD player. Not pretty.
Never-the-less, since I'm an employee of Harman International and could get a good deal, I took the plunge and let me tell you, I'm glad I did. Properly set up, in a good room with good electonics, they sound more like real music than any other speaker I've ever heard. I've been an audio enthusiast for 25 years, I'm a hack musician, and I develop audio algorithms for a living and I think they're amazing.