Among the vast empire of companies under the umbrella of Harmon International Industries is Infinity, a speaker company that has produced quality speakers since 1968.  Today the bulk of Infinity’s business is supplying car stereos for the Kia-Hyundai Group, but they still offer a wide variety of speakers for the home and car.

Supermodel Thin

Now, this reviewer must admit he’s developed a few…prejudices…about speakers over the years.  Specifically, when a speaker utilizes a wildly different look, has different drivers, or looks excessively “cool”, I tend to think the sound will be sub par.  To be sure, my doubts are reinforced by the reality of speaker mechanics; physics dictates that a speaker must have certain attributes to produce quality sound.

This reality has created the prototypical quality speaker: a big wooden “box”.

When the aesthetics of Infinity’s Cascade line enticed a client to request them for their slick look, I was a bit anxious.  However, I always liked Infinity speakers, rarely have I heard an Infinity that didn’t sound good for its price.  So when the shipment arrived I requested permission to take home the set and compare them to my wonderful JBL Studio L home theater.

But before we get into detailed impressions let’s take a look at what speakers make up the Cascade line-up:

Cascade Model Nine (left / right): Two (7.75″ x 3.375″) flat panel midrange drivers, One 1″ tweeter, 87db Sensitivity, 8 ohms Impedance, 1,500 Hz crossover frequency, 80 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response. $999 Retail.

Cascade Model Seven (surround): One (7.75″ x 3.375″) flat panel midrange drivers, One 1″ tweeter, 87db Sensitivity, 8 ohms Impedance, 1,800 Hz crossover frequency, 100 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response. $799 Retail.

Cascade Model Three C (center): Two (7.75″ x 3.375″) flat panel midrange drivers, One 1″ tweeter, 87db Sensitivity, 8 ohms Impedance, 1,500 Hz crossover frequency, 80 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response. $799 Retail.

Cascade Model Fifteen (powered subwoofer): 4 x 6″ woofers, adjustable crossover 50 Hz to 150 Hz, 32 Hz to 150 Hz frequency response. $1,499 Retail.

Note: We did not utilize the Cascade Model Fifteen for the bass, instead complimenting our complete setup in this test with a Velodyne SPL-1200R.

Beauty and the Best: A complete Cascade home theater speaker set will cost around $5800 plus tax. Â This puts it in the same price category as my more conventional JBL Studio L home theater. Â All my audio reviews will consist of comparisons to the JBL Studio L Series, an excellent measuring stick for any speaker set, and a great system to juxtapose with the Cascade line, considering the completely conventional design and fantastic sound.

Components:

Yamaha RXV-3800 w/ YDS11 ipod Dock- Sony Playstation 3 - Scientific Atlantic 8300 -Panamax M5100-EX Line Conditioner - Optical Connection from PS3 and Cable Box to Receiver as well as AudioQuest DiamondBack RCA Interconnects for analog - 12 Gauge Speaker Wire to all speakers and AudioQuest Sub-3 Subwoofer cable.

Reference Speakers:

2 x JBL Studio L Model 9 (fronts) - 2 x JBL Studio L810 (rears) - JBL LC2 (Center) - Velodyne SPL-1200R (Subwoofer)

I began my analysis of the Cascade theater with Miramax’s The Aviator, specifically Howard Hughes testing his new aerodynamic plane with a series of flybys.  The Cascades faithfully recreated the rumble of the engine as Di Caprio centered himself on the runway.  I must admit I was surprised with the detail I was hearing, and the imaging was spot on as the plane shot past his friend on the ground, the whining screech of the plane tearing through the air.  The engine certainly sounded like I was in the cockpit as Di Caprio came around for another pass, though the level of kick as the engine fired was a bit weak.  This was confirmed as I swapped out the Cascade’s for the Studio L’s.  Indeed, not only were the L’s more full and lush, but simply louder.  The Cascade’s decreased sensitivity was also clearly noticeable, with not only a lack of actual volume but a lack of “volume” in terms of richness of the sound.  It was clear the flat “ceramic metal matrix” drivers could not compete with the power twin 6″ drivers of the conventional Studio L’s.  Nonetheless, the Cascades performed admirably, especially considering their much smaller size and unconventional mid-range drivers.

Next I decided to turned to Warner Bros’ Troy, I wanted to hear how well the Cascades fared while the sword fight between Brad Pitt and Eric Bana was onscreen.  As Achilles sword crashed against his opponents shield, the clang and other sounds we have come to associate so much with Hollywood sword fights came through bright and convincingly.  It seems that when the lower frequencies, below 150 hz, are not really in play, the Cascades performed more in-line with their price tag.  But for good measure I switched back to the Studio L’s.  Of course there was an instant and dramatic increase in volume, and the high frequencies of a quivering blade did seem quite a bit more detailed.  It seems that the Cascades also lack a good amount detail in highest frequencies, as the Studio L’s produced quality sound that added a level of drama the Cascades only hinted at.

The Cascade is an unconventional take on conventional magnetic driver technology

Finally, I switched to Stereo and plugged my ipod into the dock, playing Trentemoller’s remix of Djuma Soundsystem’s Les Djinns, a song with lush bass, quality acoustic guitar samples, and ethereal highs.  The Cascades clearly had problems with bass, as expected, resulting in the Velodyne sub doing nearly all the work below 150 Hz.  Also, the highs didn’t seem to separate and twinkle like they do with the Studio L’s, which out-shined the Cascades across the board.  Did the Cascade’s do the guitar justice?  Yes, they conveyed the sound well, with excellent detail and quality imaging which brought the guitar into my listening room and floated over the powerful bass of the subwoofer.

Overall, I enjoyed the Cascade’s, they delivered quality sound with only lower frequencies lacking in quality.  To be fair, I did not review them with their specially designed subwoofer, a product no doubt designed to compliment and fill out where the Cascades are lacking.  Utilizing the SPL-1200R, I could certainly hear the void of sound in the 100-150 Hz range, contributing to a lack of fullness.  Also, the high frequencies were not recreated with the level of detail one would hope to find at this price point.  Nonetheless, given the unconventional style and beautiful look to the speakers, if you are willing to take a step down in sound for a step up in style, there is no shame in complimenting your decor with a nice set of Cascade’s.  They sound good, but can’t compete with the latest conventional speakers in this price point.

JD Designs Gives Infinity’s Cascade Home Theater Line - 3.0 / 5.0

Great look and good sound, but certainly on the lower end of quality sound at this price point.