The Short Form

$5,194 / infinityspeakers.com / 516-674-4463

Plus

•Gorgeous looks, slim depth, impressive finish •Very well-balanced tonality •Excellent center-channel sound •Above-average blending of surrounds

Minus

•Requires powerful amplifier •Sub could use more low-end grunt for its price

Key Features

•Cascade Model Nine ($1,998): 1-in dome tweeter; (2) 7.8 x 3.4-in woofers; 47 in high; 28.2 lb •Cascade Model Three C ($799): 1-in dome tweeter; (2) 7.8 x 3.4-in woofers; 5.5 in high; 18 lb •Cascade Model Five ($1,398): 1-in dome tweeter; 7.8 x 3.4-in woofer; 30.3 in high (on supplied stand); 20.5 lb •Model Twelve ($999): 10-in driver; (2) 10-in passive radiators; 300-watt RMS amplifier; 20 x 13 x 16 in; 42 lb

Test Bench

Despite the Cascades' styling and technology, measurements show the same sorts of anomalies found in conventional speaker systems mdash; frequency response irregularities (including a 1.4-dB bump between 2 and 3.5 kHz), off-axis center-channel lobing that affects listeners away from the sweet spot, and relatively modest low-frequency dynamic capability. The subwoofer has better than average dynamic capability between 32 and 62 Hz, and the RABOS room correction circuitry works well but was fussy to use. — Tom Nousaine Full Lab Results

Surround music was also a sonic feast. A familiar SACD of Mahler's Symphony No. 4 yielded a glorious spread of highly lifelike, concert-hall sound. I was particularly struck by the speakers' ability to deliver Mahler's trademark massed strings at the upper extremes of their registers without stridency. Naturally sharp transients such as brass attacks sounded highly believable as well, though just a touch less quick or punchy than from the best speakers I've heard.

MOVIE PERFORMANCE As center-channel speakers go, the Infinity Cascade Three C is a winner. It's a "two-and-a-half-way" design in which only the "right-hand" woofer reproduces midrange as well as bass — the left is bass only. Thus there was virtually none of the off-axis change in voice color induced by most horizontal, two-way dual-woofer centers. The Three C made an outstanding match to the Nines and was clean, intelligible, and dynamic at any volume up to real-cinema levels, as well as naturally balanced on every voice I heard.

The full system produced a surprisingly well-integrated surround "bubble," one more cohesive than that of many another system with conventional, non-dipole/bipole two-way surrounds. The Tommy Lee Jones vehicle U.S. Marshals is a pale reprise of the far superior The Fugitive, but the plane crash in Chapter 10 is tough to beat for all-channels surround-sound calisthenics. As various pieces of plane tear off, the rending noises come from all points of the compass, but I didn't hear much of the rear/side effects "sucking into" the surrounds — a good thing.

The Infinity suite could play quite loud and sound good doing so — THX-reference, real-cinema levels were perfectly possible — but it required a major dose of power to get there. These speakers are at least a couple of dB lower in sensitivity than most popular cone-and-dome designs, so figure on needing perhaps 50 percent more power than you might otherwise rely on to reach a given level. Substantial muscle is in order here — no mid-priced receivers need apply.

Despite its name, the Model Twelve sub employs a single 10-inch driver supported by dual 10-inch passive radiators. It proved more than competent, with substantial output to its specified 32-Hz limit and fairly impressive, artifact-free high-volume abilities. The sub comes with Infinity's RABOS (Room Adaptive Bass Optimization System), a single-band parametric filter you adjust with the help of a supplied test-tone CD, sound-level meter, and very clever protractor/graphing aid. This will certainly help in most rooms, as it did (a bit) in mine. Still, the Twelve did not quite equal my everyday woofer — a single 12-inch sealed-box design of roughly the same exterior dimensions but almost twice the price — which delivered palpably more deep-bass smackdown at higher levels. Nonetheless, this is a solid-performing (though not cheap) sub.

BOTTOM LINE Infinity is clearly reaching for the high end with this line, and there's no doubt you can buy a floorstanding system of similar performance using conventional drivers for a good deal less. And, to be frank, there are identically priced systems capable of even better cinematic reproduction, particularly from the sub and surrounds. But the combination of balanced sound quality, dramatic looks, and fashionable slimness offered by the Infinity Cascade speaker system make a unique statement. If that solves your equation, then I don't think you'll find many better answers.

Full Lab Results
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