The bar for Infinity’s speaker designs stands pretty high, for a couple of reasons. First, there’s tradition. Infinity’s history encompasses the imposing Servo-Static and Reference Standard Beta and Gamma models from Back When Giants Roamed the Earth (the 1970s and ’80s — high-end audio’s glory days). These were among the most sophisticated, capable, and expensive speakers then made. Second, there’s affiliation. As one of the Harman International family of companies, Infinity has at its disposal some of the very best technical and human resources in the world.

Given all that, I was eager to put Infinity’s new Classia Series to the test. The system that the company sent me included the C336 front left/right towers, a CC225 center-channel speaker, and a pair of C255ES surrounds — Janus-headed dual-two-way models that can be set for dipole, bipole, or monopole operation by means of a behind-the-grille switch. Rounding out the suite under test was Infinity’s new PSW310W subwoofer, a 10-inch design with the nifty feature of a wireless connection (although you still have to plug it into the wall to make it go “boom”). The Classias (Classiae?) bear an obvious family resemblance to Infinity’s still-current Gumby-browed, flat-panel-drivered Cascade Series (reviewed in September 2006). But the newer models are larger, being an inch or two wider and deeper, and several inches taller. They use conventional, round dynamic drivers, although with Infinity’s usual high-tech seasonings — in this case, a laminated, metal/ceramic “CMMD” composite for both tweeter and woofer diaphragms, and a newly devised tweeter waveguide (a tiny horn, sorta) that’s said to raise sensitivity for improved dynamic headroom and simplified crossover design.

Whatever its high-tech credentials, the Classia suite certainly looks, well, classy. These are strikingly handsome speakers with an assertively contemporary design. Infinity supplied the full system in gloss piano-black lacquer (real cherry veneer is also available). But the C336s’ sharply raked tops precluded my habitual piling up of CD and DVD cases, remote controls, and coffee cups into teetering towers of terror. What were they thinking?

SETUP

Run five speaker wires, and you’re done with setting up the main channels. The PSW310W wireless subwoofer sports a little Wi-Fi-style stubby on its rear panel, and its deck-of-cards-sized transmitter has a stub of its own. The transmitter, which accepts a single signal cable from a receiver or preamp’s subwoofer output, found the sub immediately. And once I switched the transmitting channel a couple of times, I experienced no interference on the audio system — or on my studio’s Wi-Fi or cordless-phone systems.

MUSIC & MOVIE PERFORMANCE

I ran the C336s by themselves in stereo for starters, and I was quickly convinced of their full-range abilities. But I was less happy with their tonal balance where I initially placed them — close against the front wall and flanking my 52-inch Samsung TV. They sounded progressively better the further I moved them away from the wall; I ultimately wound up with nearly 4 feet between the wall’s surface and the speakers’ front baffles.

The C336s have a neutral sound, with outstanding transparency in the mid to high frequencies. This yields the kind of treble that doesn’t sound at all bright, yet is all there: clear, quick, and extended, and not in the least bit forward or sparkly. Voices were unfailingly even, balanced, and, well, neutral. Most speakers, even high-end ones, “romance” the vocal range with a subtle extra helping of warmth in the 100- to 200-Hz octave, but not the Classias. This occasionally made them sound a little “cool,” but it also encouraged close, high-resolution listening — the kind of sound you hear in a good recording-studio control room.

Something analogous seemed to be happening in the bottom octaves, too, where the C336s delivered solid output to 40 Hz or so, but with less of that penultimate-octave response hump that enhances the impression of bass on so many speakers. The overall effect on material like Richard Thompson’s “Hide It Away” (from you? me? us?) was intensely but effortlessly intimate, without the tinge of low-end bloat that this midbass-heavy track can often reveal.

On the multichannel front, Infinity’s layout demonstrated some welcome abilities. The CC225 center speaker’s tonal match to the C336s was excellent — not perfect, but impressively close for a two-way horizontal design. For instance, comparisons of TV and FM announcers between single- and dual-speaker mono revealed only modest shifts of vocal weight and “hoo,” even among baritone male voices. The tonal stability wasn’t quite as good when the center speaker was listened to off-axis, but it was still well above average.

The C255ES surround speakers performed admirably in both dipole and bipole settings. They delivered plenty of clean level in my fairly large listening room — even in dipole mode — and made a tight enough tonal match to the C336s in bipole position to please even the most demanding multichannel-music maven.

Gone Baby Gone is one of those 2-hour films that demand full-bore, all-channels excellence for only about 90 seconds — but those 90 seconds are absolutely critical. The brief action interludes are all the more shocking and powerful for the dynamic range they carry, and the Infinity suite delivered this with heart-stopping conviction. For the rest of the film, I was entirely engrossed by its seamless tapestry of dialogue, street-scene and interior ambience, and subtle musical score. Is there any higher praise for a soundtrack or a sound system?

Last but not least is the PSW310W sub, which has an active 10-inch driver complemented by two 10-inch cones that serve as passive radiators (ports, more or less). It also incorporates Infinity’s RABOS single-band parametric EQ, which can help to reduce a primary room resonance. (A kit that includes a test-tone CD and setup graphing tools is a $60 option.)

The PSW310W didn’t get much of a workout from Gone Baby Gone, so I turned to a handful of my favorite subwoofer torture tests from classics like Godzilla and The War of the Worlds. The verdict: impressive. The woof goes admirably low with substantial power, and it sounds clean and tight all the way down. The ’zilla footfalls lacked some of the wall-bending 20 Hz of my everyday sub (a 12-incher about twice the Infinity’s price), but they had plenty of slam just the same. It’s a solid sub — and did I mention that it’s wireless?

BOTTOM LINE

With the Classia speakers, Infinity has managed to combine high sonic capabilities with striking appearance and respectable value. Visually, this system might not satisfy every taste (for the record, I dug them), but for those to whom its unconventional looks speak, it should appeal strongly. Better yet, they’ll also enjoy sound that’s just as striking.

Frequency response (at 2 meters)
Front left/right: 51 Hz to 19.1 kHz ±3.7 dB
Center: 156 Hz to 17 kHz ±3.9 dB
Surround: 135 Hz to 16.1 kHz ±6.7 dB
Subwoofer: 32 Hz to 130 Hz ±3.2 dB

Sensitivity (SPL at 1 meter with 2.8 volts of pink-noise input)
Front left/right: 91 dB
Center: 90 dB
Surround: 88 dB

Impedance (minimum/nominal)
Front left/right: 4.6/11 ohms
Center: 6.0/10 ohms
Surround: 3.8/9 ohms

Bass limits (lowest frequency and maximum SPL with limit of 10% distortion at 2 meters in a large room)
Front left/right: 62 Hz at 81 dB
Center: 100 Hz at 90 dB
Surround: 200 Hz at 76 dB
Subwoofer: 32 Hz at 104 dB

102 dB average SPL from 32 to 62 Hz
104 dB maximum SPL at 32 Hz
Bandwidth uniformity 98%

All of the curves in the frequency-response graph are weighted to reflect how sound arrives at a listener’s ears with normal speaker placement. The curve for the left/right front channels reflects response of the C336 with the speaker standing on the floor averaged over a ±30˚ window, with double weight at 30˚ (the most typical listening angle). The center-channel curve reflects response of the CC225 averaged over ±45˚, with double weight directly on-axis of the primary listener. The surround-channel curve shows the response of the C250ES averaged over ±60˚.

Because the C336 is a floorstanding model, measurements were taken with the speaker positioned on a floor. Both the center and surround speakers were measured on a 6-foot stand, which gives anechoic results to approximately 200 Hz. With the exception of the subwoofer, all measurements are taken at a full 2 meters. This arrangement emulates a typical listening distance, allows larger speakers to fully integrate acoustically, and, unlike near-field measurements, fully includes front panel reflections and cabinet diffraction.

The PSW310W Subwoofer bass limits were measured with it set to maximum bandwidth and placed in the optimal corner of a 7,500-cubic-foot room. In a smaller room users can expect 2 to 3 Hz deeper extension and up to 3 dB higher sound-pressure level (SPL).

Tower and center channel speakers

The C336 tower’s measurements indicate a wide floor bounce centered at 200 Hz, followed by narrow band irregularities beginning at 800 Hz. The CC225 center channel displays a similar character at higher frequencies, along with a low frequency response that falls quickly below 400 Hz. Overall, the speaker’s bass-to-treble balance rises at slightly less than 1 dB per octave. It has reasonably uniform directivity up to ±30º, but severe lobing develops at wider radiating angles. Both speakers’ mid/tweeter arrays emitted fairly acute noises when either was given our ramped test signals at frequencies below their specified bass limit. Surround speaker and subwoofer The C250ES surround displays the narrow bandwidth and irregularities typical of bi-directional speakers, along with limited low frequency dynamic capability. (In my opinion all these speakers need sharp high pass filtering at the appropriate Bass Limit frequency.)

When its crossover is bypassed, the PSW310W Subwoofer has response up to 400 Hz, making it useful for pairing with small satellites. The subwoofer has relatively limited dynamic capability and low frequency extension, but its sound pressure abilities are uniformly distributed over its bandwidth. When using the crossover, response extends to 130 Hz (at a marked 150 Hz). However, centering the crossover dial produces a 60-Hz half power point, while moving the control to its minimum setting delivers a 56 Hz crossover point and a -4 dB volume interaction.

— Tom Nousaine