raindrops as a dull wash. In con-
trast, the C.M.M.D. drivers ren-reference, and I wonOt be happy
they penetrated the murk of Chrisdered each drop as a separate tinyuntil IOve found a way to add
WhitleyOs austerely ribbon-mikedevent. For a split second, I thoughtR.A.B.O.S. (or its equiva-
Dirt Floorto throw a spotlight onI could smell the rain.lent) to my system. DemoHIGHLIGHTS
his adenoidal voice and acousticAs with any highly detailedthe Alphas with high-Y All drivers made of anodized
steel guitar. Lesser speakers turnspeaker, I wouldnOt mate the Alphasquality ampliŢcation; youaluminum/ceramic material
this recording to mud. On thewith a cheap ampliŢer or a roomhave nothing to lose butY Surround speaker can run
WhoOs Live at Leeds, the drumsthat has lots of bare, re�ective sur-your preconceptions. bipole, dipole, or monopole
sounded light but effective, and Ifaces. ThereOs a lot more to these* Mark Fleischmann isY Sub has parametric EQ for
could sense Keith MoonOs cymbalspeakers, though, than just thethe author of Practicallevel, bandwidth, and frequency
stands swaying under the micro-familiar dichotomy between bright/Home Theater, now in its
phones. The Alpha 50s lent fasci-forward and mellow/laid-back.second edition, available through
nation to certain recordings butC.M.M.D. has some unique quali-www.practicalhometheater.com
did so without being ruthlesslyties. It can play loud without falling(or 800/839-8640).
revealing or abrasive. I broke theapart, yet it can whisper a clearly
InŢnity Alpha Speaker System
95-dB barrier happily and often.articulated texture. It also has a
95 dB spl< Magnitude > Sound Pressure Level < Phase > Deg 0.20
By the time I got to Road tochameleon-like versatility and a
90 0.15
Perdition, I wasnOt surprised to hearpenchant for conjuring new feel-
the detailed trajectories of bulletsings from familiar recordings. 85 0.10
zipping in all directions. WhatTwo-channel loyalists will find it 80 0.05
shocked me were the waves thatto be an engaging companion. 75-0.00
washed through the soundfieldWhile the Alpha Series doesnOt 70-0.05
during the Ţnal scene of bloodshed.have as huge a soundstage or all of 65-0.10
It wasnOt just background noise tothe unnerving transparency of the 60-0.15
accompany the �ying leadNit felthigher-end Prelude and IntermezzoC
5520 Frequency 100 500 1k Hz 5k 10k 20k-0.20
more as though the waves wereSeries (which cost several times as
HT Labs Measures: InŢnity Alpha Speaker System
swooshing through my nervousmuch), the matched driver materi-
This graph shows the quasi-anechoic (employing close-miking of all
system. Another aquatic effect thatals do give the Alphas an unusualwoofers) frequency response of the Alpha 50 L/R (purple trace), Alpha 1200S
subwoofer (blue trace), Alpha 37C center channel (green trace), Alpha 25ES
degree of tonal unity for their price.
Alpha 50 Tower Speaker$499surround (red trace), and Alpha 20 rear channel (yellow trace). All passive
They use a completely differentloudspeakers were measured at a distance of 1 meter with a 2.83-volt
Alpha 37C Center-Channel Speaker $399
input and scaled for display purposes.
palette to paint music and effects
Alpha 25ES Surround Speaker$349The Alpha 50Os listening-window response (a Ţve-point average of
than similarly priced speakers withaxial and +/�15-degree horizontal and vertical responses) measures
Alpha 20 Bookshelf Speaker$399/pair
+1.58/�2.16 decibels from 200 hertz to 10 kilohertz. The �3dB point is at
Alpha 1200S Subwoofer$799metal, plastic, or textile drivers.
61 Hz, and the �6dB point is at 49 Hz. Impedance reaches a minimum of
InŢnity SystemsThis is especially true in the upper3.98 ohms at 10.5 kHz and a phase angle of �57.98 degrees at 66 Hz.
(800) 553-3332Sensitivity averages 90 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz.
midrange, which is prominent and
www.inŢnitysystems.comThe Alpha 37COs listening-window response measures +1.36/�1.95 dB
Dealer Locator Code IFYdistinctive but not detached fromfrom 200 Hz to 10 kHz. An average of axial and +/�15-degree horizontal
the rest of the sound range.responses measures +1.80/�1.36 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The �3dB
point is at 103 Hz, and the �6dB point is at 80 Hz. Impedance reaches a
got to me was the brief rainstormFor just under three big ones,
minimum of 3.26 ohms at 10.5 kHz and a phase angle of �66.21 degrees
that comes about 107 minutes intothe Alpha system is full of intelli-at 96 Hz. Sensitivity averages 90 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Agent strategies that are more thanThe Alpha 25ESOs three-face averaged response in dipole mode
measures +2.74/�3.48 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The �3dB point is at
less-precise speaker system wouldjust gimmicks. C.M.M.D. is a
73 Hz, and the �6dB point is at 58 Hz. Impedance reaches a minimum of
have rendered the thousands ofwelcome addition to my frame of2.82 ohms at 20 kHz and a phase angle of �66.13 degrees at 84 Hz.
Sensitivity averages 83 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz.
Infinity Alpha Speaker SystemThe Alpha 20Os listening-window response measures +0.74/�2.18 dB
from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The �3dB point is at 56 Hz, and the �6dB point
is at 45 Hz. Impedance reaches a minimum of 4.02 ohms at 15.4 kHz
and a phase angle of �48.87 degrees at 2.9 kHz. Sensitivity averages
87 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz.
The Alpha 1200SOs close-miked response, normalized to the aver-
age level from 40 to 80 Hz, indicates that the lower �3dB point is at 37 Hz
and the �6dB point is at 32 Hz. The upper �3dB point is at 190 Hz with
the LP switch set to off.NAJ |
ACEC
