Big is beautiful. The Infinity Interlude IL60 is big but not superficially beautiful. What’s beautiful is that a big company like Harman International can spend millions on driver-technology R&D, build a state-of-the-art speaker like the $10,000 Infinity Prelude MTS—a bargain itself—and then shower the considerable R&D benefits on a modestly priced speaker like the IL60. At $2000/pair, it can hardly be described as a “poor man’s” Infinity Pre- lude, but considering what you get for your money, the IL60 is one of the best loud- speaker values around.
The floorstanding 4-way tower includes a 1-inch dome tweeter, a 4-inch midrange, a 61⁄2-inch midbass driver, and a side-mount- ed 12-inch woofer powered by a built-in 500W amplifier. The drivers, as in every Interlude speaker, are all Ceramic Metal Matrix Diaphragms—aluminum coated on both sides with a ceramic material— designed under the watchful eye of Dr. Floyd E. Toole, Harman’s vice president of engineering, who spent years researching loudspeakers at Canada’s National Research Council in Ottawa. These stiff, lightweight, low-resonance drivers are
Michael Fremer
designed to have uniform dispersive char- acteristics so that direct and reflected sounds maintain similar, smooth timbral balances. Toole’s research has shown that the ear is particularly sensitive to resonant peaks, whether they’re heard from on- or off-axis. Generally, the higher the Q of the resonance (that is, the narrower in frequen- cy width), the greater its amplitude must be for us to hear it. Toole’s research demon- strates that we can perceive low-Q reso- nances (ones that cover a wider frequency range) that deviate as little as 1.5dB from flat-on orchestral material and 0.3dB on
is an amazing value that few small compa-
The IL10 is a stand-mounted 2-way featur-
SPECIFICATIONS
Interlude IL60 4-way floorstanding tower speaker with powered subwoofer
Drivers: 1" dome tweeter, 4" midrange cone, 61⁄2" midbass cone, 12" powered subwoofer cone
Subwoofer amplifier: 500W into 8Ω
Frequency response: 28Hz–22kHz, ±3dB (subwoofer: 20–100Hz, <0.1% THD)
Nominal impedance: 8Ω
Sensitivity: 89dB (2.83V @ 1m)
Recommended amplification: 15–175W
Dimensions: 48" ⋅ 91⁄4" ⋅ 171⁄4" (H⋅ W⋅ D)
Weight: 75 lbs
Price: $2000/pair
Interlude IL36c 3-way center speaker
Drivers: 1" dome tweeter, 4" midrange cone, | Dimensions: 155⁄8" ⋅ 81⁄2" ⋅ 111⁄2" (H⋅ W⋅ D) |
two 61⁄2" cone woofers | Weight: 18 lbs |
Frequency response: 55Hz–22kHz, ±3dB | Price: $400/pair |
Nominal impedance: 8Ω | |
Sensitivity: 91dB (2.83V @ 1m) | System |
Recommended amplification: 15–175W | Drivers: all C.M.M.D. (Ceramic Metal Matrix |
Dimensions: 23" ⋅ 9" ⋅ 121⁄2" (W⋅ H⋅ D) | Diaphragm) |
Weight: 32 lbs | Price: $2900 |
Price: $500 | |
| Manufacturer |
Interlude IL10 2-way surround speaker | Infinity Systems |
Drivers: 1" dome tweeter, 61⁄2" cone woofer | 250 Crossways Park Drive |
Frequency response: 56Hz–22kHz, ±3dB | Woodbury, NY 11797 |
Nominal impedance: 8Ω | tel. (800) 553-3332 |
Sensitivity: 88dB (2.83V @ 1m) | fax (516) 682-3523 |
Recommended amplification: 15–150W | www.infinitysystems.com |
PHOTOS © 2002 CORDERO STUDIOS
The IL60 also includes the ingenious R.A.B.O.S. (Room Adaptive Bass Optimiza- tion System), a user-friendly, single-band parametric bass-equalization scheme to deal with the low-frequency “bumps” that afflict most rooms. With only two speakers, it’s possible to minimize the problem with speaker placement. But home-theater speaker placement is often dictated by where you put your monitor, making R.A.B.O.S. an even more important feature for a 5.1-channel setup.
Where did Infinity cut costs to bring the IL60’s price down to $2000/pair? Rap the side of the cabinet and you’ll know. Or look at it closely: The overall construction quali- ty—fit, finish, and bracing—is competent, but not in the same league as far more expensive speakers. Nonetheless, the IL60
nies could afford to offer. And with a choice of three grillecloth colors (Warm Platinum is standard), it can be dressed up to look a bit less monolithic. (A smaller, less expen- sive 3-way system, the IL50, $1298/pair, is also available.)
At 32 lbs, the four-driver, 3-way Interlude IL36c is one of the heftier center-channel speakers around. It costs $500 and has a 1- inch dome tweeter and a 4-inch midrange, these flanked by a pair of 61⁄2-inch bass dri- vers. It’s 23 inches wide and 121⁄2 inches deep, so before you buy, make sure your monitor can accommodate it. (The smaller, lighter, three-driver IL25c is also available, for $299.)
Infinity also sent along a pair of Interlude IL10s ($400/pair), one of the smaller models in the Interlude line, for use as surrounds.
ing a 1-inch tweeter and a 61⁄2-inch woofer. As reviewed, the complete system cost was $3950—a solid value. But just before press time, Infinity reduced the cost of the IL60 to $2000/pair (from $3000) and the IL10 to $400/pair (from $450). That drops the cost of the entire system to $2900—a steal, particularly when you realize that that includes a center-channel speaker that’s not the usual top-of-the-TV afterthought, and 1000W of dual 12-inch bass power; unless you really feel the need to go below 28Hz (and I do mean feel), you won’t need a
subwoofer.
Setup
The IL60’s rear panel includes subwoofer line-level in and out, a set of speaker-level 5-way binding posts, and switches for sub-
86Stereophile Guide to Home Theater • January 2002
Stereophile Guide to Home Theater • January 2002 87
