Hello all! My HT has been untouched for quite a few years and I recently got the 'bug' to upgrade. I'm considering starting off with m80/denon 3805 purchase. I'm hoping someone out there is familiar with the older Infinity Kappa series speakers and how they might compare with the M80's. I have the original Kappa 8's, a large 4-way speaker with 12" woofers, being driven (poorly) by an older Yamaha RV-1100 receiver. (Kappas are very power-hungry). Anyway I recently compared them to some Boston Acoustics VR3's I heard in a Best Buy Magnolia Theatre store, because of their crisp highs and 'forward' sound as compared to the Definitive Technologies 7002's that were in the same room, and that I was considering up to that point. Let me also add that I have a Def Tech PF15 subwoofer that I plan to keep.
First off, I don't consider myself an audiophile, and don't proport to know whether I'm hearing something that's 'warm' as opposed to 'sibilant', or other terms I've read that I frankly don't know how to apply. I am however a musician (part-time now), and obviously know what is pleasing to my ears.
I hooked up the VR3's to the B set of terminals on the Yamaha and started comparing minus the sub. The 1st thing I noticed, other than the obvious efficiency difference, was the crisp highs I heard at the store seemed poor when compared with the Kappas, which surprised me. I'd say that the imaging and the 'forward' sound were traits I liked about the VR3's, but the midrange (especially vocals) was MUCH too prominant and unnatural when compared to the Kappas. Although I bought the Kappas (almost 20yrs ago now) beacuse of their high definition and natural sound which they do great job of, I was never satisfied with the bass 'punchiness' of the speaker, perhaps partially due to the speakers' inefficiency. The sub helps, but I haven't been able to get quite the results I want.
Anyway, I'd love to hear from some Axiom owners with some suggestions as to what I might expect with the m80/3805 combo as an upgrade to what I have, even if it's just to say ...just try em!
Thx!
