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need to get speakers out from walls

When I first posted a quick comment about the 90s in 1999, there was only one other review and I figured no one knew about the 90s or would be interested. It's nice to know that others have discovered the wonders of the 90s. At the time I purchased them, I thought they were far superior to the comparable (price wise) KEF, B&W, or Thiels. I have only grown to appreciate them more over the last 7 years--particularly as I have replaced aging Adcom equipment with Musical Fidelity gear. In recent years, I have not heard any speakers under 7-8K that I would give up my 90s for. Would I trade for the SF Guarneris? Sure, but they go for 10-12K. The Ren 90s get the benefit of research that went into the Infinity Epsilons with out the 14K price tag. .

Many (see other review below)

There are better speakers out there, but honestly, they are much more expensive, not a classic, don´t have such a reputation don´t look that beautiful. So, why buy them instead of the Renaissance?!?

Well...I just wanted to throw my two cents in. I love these speakers, to me they sound supreme to most others. For details read the the other reviews. I love the "old" Infinity Renaissance look even better than the one of my 8.1 Series 2. The most important thing is: They make me smile every time I sit down and listen to them (Yes, it´s the time I take to just listen intensively, I´m not the "all-day-radio-guy"). And they did a very good job showing many friends that there IS a difference made by a speaker. I will keep them a long long time, they are a part of my appartement´s furniture! Go listen, buy + enjoy music! Amen.

Similar Products Used:

Kappa 8.1 Series 2

Transparent as any planar loudspeaker I have ever heard. Incredible imaging. Deep, real bass. Forget what Bob Carver says, the 90''s are a TRUE Amazing Loudspeaker!

Need a big room. Even more, need lots and lots of power. Bi-amp them if you can. If you can''t, get a beefy power amp. Don''t even think about using a receiver. And tube amps are definitely out. The Watkins woofer, in particular, presents an INCREDIBLY difficult load to an amplifier.

Man, just look at what everyone''s written below! I didn''t even know that 20 other people OWNED Renaissance 90s to begin with, let alone that there would be 20 reviews of them! Okay, so where to begin?? For starters, the 90''s are transparent as HELL! If you put these suckers in a room that''s big enough, they just melt away into the walls. Uncanny is the word for it. I had never heard known what it meant for a speaker to disappear before! But remember that what everyone says below about space is important. The smallest room that I would recommend for the 90''s is at least 16x16. I had these in a 11x11 room for a while, actually, and they didn''t open up NEARLY as much until I moved them to the bigger room. Don''t get me wrong, they sound very good in a small room. You just don''t get that soundstage that extends BEYOND the walls and the pin-point, DEEP imaging that throws up a mirage right in front of you. The 90''s excel in other ways. There midrange is the best I have ever heard ANYWHERE, bar none. They use an EMIM planar midrange that is able to image really well _and_ also deliver impressive SPLs. I remember when I got them I was concerned about how the midbass coupler would sound (it makes all the difference in sound between the 80''s and the 90''s). Even though it is a conventional driver (small voice coil woofer), it matches up incredibly well with the EMIM midrange. You don''t even know its there, you actually assume that the mids are being handled by a single midrange driver. A++ midrange section. The tweeters are vintage Infinity. They always made the best tweeters anyway, and the 90''s high-end is crystal clear AND neutral. This is different because I always thought that other Infinity loudspeakers were overly aggressive in the top-end. Tweeter: A+ Bass: The 90''s have the notorious dual-voice coil Watkins woofer, which from what I have read on the net isn''t popular with some people. But listen to the 90''s with a recording with deep, solid low bass and I think that you will be impressed (even if you HATE the Watkins design). Infinity claims that they reach down to 27 hertz. Why I have not spec-ed them myself, I believe it. The Watkins woofer makes you FEEL only the bass content that is there and they are the most neutral component of the 90''s. They are a great antidote to the "bleeding bass" of a lot of today''s speakers. Bass: A+

Similar Products Used:

Hales Transcendence 3 Linn Keltik Quad ESL 63

Transparancy, perfect bass/mids/highs and the crossovers are just as perfect as well, perfectly balanced.

Weakness??? How dare you to ask!

These speakers don''t rock... they swing! Maybe some of the most underrated/-estimated speakers I''ve come across. Although hard to find in Europe, if you are able to find a pair for sale, don''t hessitate and make them yours, you won''t regret it. Bass is extremely tight and a pleasure to listen to (goes down to 27hz) as well as the mids and highs (thanks to the fabulous and famous EMIM en EMIT drivers). The thing that strucks me most is that when you close your eyes they completely dissappear for your eyes, you just hear the music around you, you can''t tell where these speakers are standing. But you don''t want to close your eyes with these speakers, because they''re so beautiful to watch. Althought they''re pretty large (125 cm high), you never get the impression that they fill up your room. Make sure you have some protection for your floor, because those spikes together with it''s 65kg/piece need some precautions. System currently in use: Infinity Renaissance 90 (super!) Sony STR-V555ES AV pre-amp (not that good) Sony TA-N9000ES 5x130W amplifier (better than you should expect) Sony DVP-S9000ES SACD/CD/DVD player (super!) MIT Terminator 4 (bi-wired) loudspeaker-cable (okay-ish) Van den Hul The Second interlinks (very good)

Similar Products Used:

Inifnity Kappa 90 (very good speakers), JBL L9''s (not that good at all)

GREAT DETAILING, IMAGING, HALOGRAPHY: YOU NAME IT. EVERYBODY BELOWS SAID IT BETTER THAN ME ALREADY.

THEY NEED LOTS OF POWER, TRUE. BUT THEY DON'T NEED TOO MUCH (UNLESS YOU ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR MUSIC AT EARSPLITTING LEVELS?!?!). NEED LOTS OF SPACING TOO. YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO THESE IN A BIG ROOM.

I DON'T ACTUALLY OWN THESE ANYMORE. I HAVE A PAIR OF THE SIGMAS THAT I BOUGHT AFTER I SOLD MY RENAISSANCE 90S. I WISH THAT I DIDN'T SELL THEM, THOUGH. YEAH I THINK THAT THE SIGMAS ARE BETTER, BUT EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE A 12" WOOFER THEY STILL DON'T SEEM TO HAVE THE OOMMMMPHH ON THE BOTTOM THAT THE 90S HAD. THEY'VE GOT MORE VOLUME DOWN LOW THAN THE 90S, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THAT...I GUESS ITS EXTENSION THAT THEY DON'T HAVE. THEY DO HAVE BETTER OVERALL SPACIOUSNESS, THOUGH (I THINK ITS THE EXTRA EMIT TWEETER THAT THEY HAVE). I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ANOTHER PAIR OF 90S FOR MY SECOND SYSTEM, THOUGH.

THEY'RE A GREAT SPEAKER. YOU GOTTA GIVE THEM A -LOT- OF SPACE FROM WALLS AND OTHER STUFF FOR THEM TO REALLY SING, THOUGH. THEY DON'T NEED AS MUCH POWER AS EVERYONE CLAIMS THEY DO IF YOUR LIKE ME AND YOU LISTEN AT LOWER TO MODERATE LEVELS. I USED TO DRIVE THEM WITH AN OLD LUXMAN INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER AND IT WAS FINE. I LISTENED TO A LOT OF SLIDE STEEL GUITAR ON THEM AND THOSE EMIM MIDRANGES COULD REALLY, REALLY -REALLY- SING! MY SIGMAS HAVE THE SAME MIDRANGE, SO ITS NOT LIKE I GAVE THAT UP. SIGH. :-)

A GREAT SPEAKER. IF ANYONE WANTS TO SELL THEIRS PLEASE E-MAIL ME. I WNT THEM FOR MY SECOND SYSTEM. :-)

Similar Products Used:

INFINITY IRS SIGMA
MARTIN-LOGAN AERIUS
VERITY FIDELIO

Very, very good speakers. Very good transparency. Very good imaging. Very voluble low bass. Very clear top-end. Just a very, very good speaker!

Power requirements. Can be finicky about room placement.

These have been my primary listening speakers since 1996. I've trotted other models (see above) in and out since then, but I have never, ever wanted to get rid of them. I gave up trying to replace them a couple of years ago when I decided that I just loved their sound and couldn't do without it. In particular, their EMIM midrange is unlike anything else I have ever, ever heard.

Read what everyone else says below about their other merits. I can tell you that they do like power and space from sidewalls. But with both qualities in abundance, they'll shine for you.

Their new price of $3,800 was pretty expensive, but given their quality and sonic excellence, was still a bargain. If you can find them used for under $2,000, I think you can still have a very, very good bargain.

System:

Michell Orbe w/SME V and Koetsu Rosewood (turntable/tonearm/cartridge)
Lehman Black Cube (Phono Stage)
Jeff Rowland Design Group Synergy II (Pre)
ARC VT200 (Power)
Sony DVPS7000 (CD transport)
Dodson 217 MKIID (D2A convertor)
All interconnects and cables by Goertz

Similar Products Used:

Thiel CS 2.3
B&W Nautilus 802
Fried Valhalla
Fried Q/4

Neutrality and invisibility. Spaciousness. Deep, powerful bass. EMIM midranges are transparent completely outstrip any of the competition that I have heard. Why did Infinity abandon this design?!

See below. They require a power amplifier with high current capability. Their bass is impressive, but you have got to match them with a capable amplifier if you want to hear it (or feel it :-).

Best pair of speakers I have ever owned. Bought them new in 1994 and have never wanted another pair. I did not like INfinity speakers then but a friend of mine was a sales rep for them. He insisted that I listen to the 90s when they first came out. I was blown away and bought a pair about six months later after selling my Quads.

I always loved the sound of my Quads but was put off by their lack of low-bass extension. I found that the 90s were better than the Quads in terms of transparency, spaciousness (for my momey, their planar EMIM midrange is the finest midrange driver in the world). And the low bass output of the 90s far outstrips the performance of my Quads.

I power them with Pass gear. My cables are all Siltech. Pass/Siltech is a good combination because these speakers need an amp that can grab them by their tails. The Siltech gives them a little sweetness on the top too.

System:

Pass Aleph 4 amplifier
Pass Aleph P pre
Linn Sondek LP-12 turntable w/SME tonearm and Benz-Micro MC-Gold cartridge
Pass Aleph Ono phono pre
Linn Inkemi CD

Similar Products Used:

Quad ESL 63

Marvellous deep bass, midrange and treble using a planar technology : musicality and transparency

needs a true hign end amplifier that can drive very low impedances : Krell seems to be the best choice.

I have been using my JM labs during seven years. The last 3 years, I have had that more and more invading feeling that something was missing. I could hear the Renaissance 90 at that time.

I have searched them for 2 and 1/2 years. These speakers are elegant in the way they look and the way they play music.

System

CD : Krell KAV 300cd
Pre: Krell KRC 3
amp: Krell KSA 250B
cables : MIT

You definitly have to use them with a strong amplifier.
Today, they are a bargain in trade ins but very difficult to find. If you have the chance to find a pair, buy it and invest the money spared in very good electronics (Krell for instance).

Similar Products Used:

JM Lab 715 Oriane K2

Phenomenal transparency and life-like imaging. The R90s excell in the reproduction of reeds and strings. Breathtaking recreation of both first-order and after harmonics. Bass reaches deep -- to 27 Hz -- but is tempered (neutral), as well, reproducing (I suspect) only whatever low-frequency content is actually present in a recording.

Power hungry. Nominal impedance of 4 Ohms my ass: You'll want to have plenty of power left in reserve to drive these speakers properly, as the R90s can present a reactive impedance of less than 1 Ohm at frequencies of 100 Hz and below.

After slightly more than a month of listening to these puppies, I'm of the opinion that the Infinity Renaissance 90 loudspeakers are among the great undiscovered gems of (quasi) high-end audio. I managed to pick up a pair of these speakers new, boxed, and still sealed from a kindly gentleman (thanks, Tom, by the way!) who immediately placed them in storage after he first purchased them in 1995. At the time, they were a true high(er)-end loudspeaker, and retailed for close to $4,000.

The R90s sport Infinity's EMIM midrange -- a quasi-planar design that lends their overall sound a quality of transparency or airiness that I suspect rivals that of many true planar designs. The R90s are also outfitted with an EMIT tweeter that is both lifelike and (unlike its predecessors in Infinity's original Kappa series loudspeakers) non-obtrusive. What these speakers do for both the imaging *and* decay of cymbals (among other instruments) might just blow your mind. They're perfect for jazz, in particular, and I could just about *swear* that I've bumped into Sonny Rollins, Horace Silver, Hank Mobley and (even) Chick Corea during several of my late night listening sessions.

These speakers are also *very* solid in the low end of the frequency spectrum, although if you like your music "bumpable," they're probably not for you. They'll reproduce whatever's there, and add nothing to the overall sound in the process.

I use an Aragon 8008BB to drive them, and it seems to provide more than enough power (make no mistake about it, however: these loudspeakers are power hungry) to satisfy their dual-voice coil Watkins woofers.

A beautiful loudspeaker. I've auditioned several Thiel models (see similar products used [above]), and I think that Thiels are, overall, slightly more neutral-sounding. That said, I prefer the sound of my R90s. They've got a warmth to them (after all), which makes them sound not *quite* as neutral as a pair of Thiel CS 2.3s, and their EMIT tweeters and EMIM midranges give them a transparency that surpasses that of the Thiels.

I've gone through several different cable configurations with them, and have finally settled upon some bi-wired Goertz-Alpha Core MI3 (upon the recommendation of a USENET acquaintance and fellow R90 afficianado). Very nice combination.

Similar Products Used:

Thiel CS 2.3/3.6, Vandersteen 2CE/3A Signature, Magnepan MG1.6

Detailing, Depth and 3 D imaging

Have not found any yet

I purchased these speakers new in 1997 in a seasonal clearance(for the absolute bargain price of DEM 998 a piece) in Germany. They sound sensational in all frequency ranges and have completely changed my musical experience. It is highly unlikely that I will ever make a better deal buying loudspeakers.

My sytem consists of:

Rotel RB 990 power amp
Rotel RC 995 pre amp
Rotel RDD 980/RDP 980 CD Drive/DA Converter
Van den Hul The First interconnets
Van den Hul The Wind speaker cables

Similar Products Used:

none