Infinity Cascade Speaker System test bench, AT A GLANCE, HT Labs Measures: Infinity Cascade Speaker System, Taking a Stand, >SUBWOOFER: MODEL FIFTEEN, SUBWOOFER: MODEL FIFTEEN, >SPEAKER:

from the test bench INFINITY CASCADE SPEAKERSYSTEM

encourage sound waves to bounce between their parallel walls.

In contrast, Infinity’s newly designed diaphragm and slim, irreg- ular, acoustically hip enclosure are tailor made for one another. The flat (well, nearly flat) diaphragm

Taking a Stand	design good speakers and mess up
Like a nation that wins the war and	the stands. The more of them I
loses the peace, speaker makers in	review, the more I dread a ﬂoor full
search of friendlier forms often	of pieces waiting to be assembled.

AT A GLANCE INFINITY CASCADE SPEAKER SYSTEM

>SUBWOOFER: MODEL FIFTEEN

doesn’t require much depth in the enclosure. Even the voice coils that propel it into motion—a pair of long loops of thin wire behind the driver—take up little space. Yet they have six times more surface-contact area than the typical round-cone/coil combo, making for better driver control.

These listings are based on the manufacturer’s stated specs; the HT Labs box below indicates the gear’s performance on our test bench.

Connections:	Line-level stereo input and output
Enclosure Type:	Vented
Woofer (size in inches, type): 6, ceramic/aluminum cone (4)
Power Rating (watts):	800
Crossover Bypass:	No
Available Finishes:	High-Gloss Black, High-Gloss Silver, Cherry
	hardwood

Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 13 x 37 x 8.5

Weight (pounds):	98
Price:	$1,499

Try to visualize this: When a single round voice coil pushes and pulls a cone woofer, motion is greatest in the center, where the moving coil is attached, and least at the sides. The sound waves that these different areas generate are out of phase with one another, resulting in time-domain smear. When the Cascades’ two long loop coils push and pull the woofer, the surface moves in a more uniform way, and the sound waves that this surface generates are in phase.

>SPEAKER:

Model Seven

Model Three C

Model Five

Type:

Two-way, floorstanding

Two-way, center

Two-way, monitor/

surround

Tweeter (size in inches, type):

1, ceramic/aluminum

1, ceramic/aluminum

dome

dome

Woofer (size in inches, type):

7.75 x 3.4, ceramic/

7.75 x 3.4, ceramic/

aluminum panel (1)

aluminum panel (2)

aluminum panel (1)

Nominal Impedance (ohms):

Recommended Amp Power (watts):

10–100

10–150

10–100

Available Finishes:

High-Gloss Black, High-

Gloss Silver, Cherry veneer

Dimensions (H x W x D, inches,

on stands):

47 x 10.5 x 11.5

5.5 x 30.75 x 6

30.25 x 7.75 x 8.5

Weight (pounds, no stands):

13.5

Price:

$799/each

$799

$699/each

HT Labs Measures: Infinity Cascade Speaker System

Using computer-aided visual- ization, the Infinity people noticed that some parts of the diaphragm were reacting to the underlying magnets in different ways. The edges were not as well controlled. To smooth out the differences, they added ribs to the surface and gussets to the sides. This strengthens the diaphragm and enables it to move more like a single piston, minimizing the uncontrolled motion, which is audible at high volumes as breakup. And, because the diaphragm more efficiently dissipates heat, the coil temperature stays low and steady, even with higher voltages. That e n d ow s t h e s p e a ke r s w i t h greater dynamic range and less dynamic compression.

>L/R Sensitivity:84 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz>Center Sensitivity:86 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz>Surround Sensitivity:83.5 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz

This graph shows the quasi-anechoic (employing close- miking of all woofers) frequency response of the Model Seven L/R (purple trace), Model Fifteen subwoofer (blue trace), Model Three C center channel (green trace), and Model Five surround (red trace). All passive loudspeakers were measured with grilles at a distance of 1 meter with a 2.83-volt input and scaled for display purposes.

The Model Seven’s listening-window response (a five-point average of axial and +/–15-degree horizontal and vertical responses) measures +1.16/–1.47 decibels from 200 hertz to 10 kilohertz. The –3-dB point is at 100 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 89 Hz. Impedance reaches a minimum of 4.81 ohms at 314 Hz and a phase angle of +45.23 degrees at 3.3 kHz.

The Model Three C’s listening-window response measures +0.82/–3.62 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. An average of axial and +/–15-degree horizontal responses measures +0.78/–3.72 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The –3-dB point is at 247 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at

91Hz. (Please note that, while there is no boundary- compensation switch, the response appears to be intentionally tapered below 500 Hz to compensate for typical center-channel placement anomalies, which makes some of these results appear a bit unusual.) Impedance reaches a minimum of 4.39 ohms at 1.1 kHz and a phase angle of +55.17 degrees at 1.8 kHz.

The Model Five’s listening-window response mea- sures +0.92/–2.32 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The –3-dB point is at 79 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 71 Hz. Imped- ance reaches a minimum of 4.79 ohms at 295 Hz and a phase angle of +44.16 degrees at 3.3 kHz.

The Model Fifteen’s close-miked response, normal- ized to the level at 80 Hz, indicates that the lower –3-dB point is at 37 Hz and the –6-dB point is at 33 Hz. The upper –3dB point is at 183 Hz using the LFE input.—MJP