I listened to a lot of speakers in my search; JBL, Infinity, Energy, Klipsch, etc. An important factor in this decision was getting a center channel to match the front speakers. I use these for both HT and music and have been impressed with both. I bought these from onecall.com and paid just under $475 including shipping. I have to agree with several other comments here, that these speakers don't have the best Low Frequency response. Adding a subwoofer is a must and can really fill in what the RS-5's lack.
I considered the RS-8's with the built in subwoofers, but didn't like the idea of a combined unit. Now I can alter the placement of the sub, something that can't be done with combined units.

My system consists of a Sony STR-DE925 Receiver, the RS-5's, the matching Infinity CC-3, and a Klipsch KSW-12.

The five star rating is based upon what you get for the money. Obviously, there are much better speakers out there if you are willing to pay the bucks.

I also picked a pair of these up at UBID for $254 (w/o shipping) - what a deal. They were refurbished, but look new to me. There may be some slight muddiness in the mid-range as there is no dedicated MR driver. Beyond that the speaker is perfect. Amazing bass down to 35Hz from the dual 6 1/2" Linear Motor Driven woofers. Extremely warm and detailed high's from the 1" silk dome tweeter. Great sleek design. Tall but a very small footprint. If you do buy a refurbished pair inspect them on the spot. I once bought a pair of reference 2000.3's and later found out they were missing a tweeter!

just purchased the rs5's after listening to polk, boston acoustics, and many others. the rs5's are clearly the best sounding. The bass is not great but since any person is giong to add a sub, than that is not a big deal. I highly recommend the Infinity RS5

over the past 3 months ive owned , and returned , klipsch ksb 2.1 and 3.1's. i realized i didn't like how the horn was growing on me. i listened to , and liked , infinity rs 3' and 5's. i did purchase a new pair of r 2000.4's at ubid. for $ 107/pair plus $ 40. shipping. i wanted to get the rs 5's but $ 600. wasn't in my range. i waited patiently and on 5-21-99 ubid. offered rs 5's for bid. they were refurbed but i did extensive checking with infinity/harman on these products. most , but not all , are factory demo's or have slight cosmetic damage. very , very few are consumer used. mine arrived with (1) SMALL cosmetic blemish on each speaker. both were in factory boxes , completely wrapped in plastic , with all manuals and floor spikes. i believe they are new but infinity sells them cheap by offering a one yr. warranty vs. five yrs. i won with a bid of $ 127/each. my total cost , with shipping , was $ 306. for this amount i'll risk a one yr. warranty and very slight cosmetic scratch. they sound great. great definition , sound stage and adequate bass for me. i have a powered sub so my bass is covered. these speakers sound great and are worth the 5 star rating. at $ 306./pair they are worth 8. excellent speakers.d

After listening to comparably priced Polks and JBL, i decided the go with the Infinitys. The highs were much clearer, excellent mids also. you need a good sub for bass, but most ppl will be adding one anyway. with a good sub, they sound nearly as good as overtures at 1/2 the price! i got them for $417/pair shipped at shop4.com, at that price you *cant* go wrong (circuit city is selling them for 750+tax/pair)!!! superb for music, and home theatre. ill admit i was an idiot who had bought BOSE a few years ago, wow what a difference! sure there are better speakers out there, but for the price you cant go wrong with these! highly recommended :)))

I have bought the R5 as my front channel speakers to go with my Sony STR-DA50ES. Before buying I have tried at least 10 of other models with the approximate price range, and this R5 is absolutely my lover/winner. The midrange sound is so dynamic and soothing, the higher the volume the better the performance, I just love it.But the bass sound even better when I use it with Paradigm active subwoofer.

I auditioned a pair of the RS-5s at Cicuit City using a combination that I believe had the employee's head spinning...pop, classical, techno, jazz, rock, vocal, etc...I was A/B-ing them against the entry level Polk tower with Power Port. I am afraid that I must disagree with those on the list who come before me on this list on several accounts.
First, the fit and finish of a $600 (on sale) speaker was quite poor, with the front baffle slightly warped and not properly situated around the drivers. It is possible that this is due to the extremes to which the speak is exposed in a test situation, but why would a company EVER design a "reference" tower with a PLASTIC front baffle. Plastic is inherently EXTREMELY RESONANT.
Second, the bass was rather slender...literally...There was a thinness to it that I have trouble describing. Also, I was displeased at the muffled midrange.
Third, it is easy to see that these speakers (perhaps with the exception of the RS-8) are being sold for too much...J and R makes that clear when they sell the 2000.5 (technically speaking, not that much different) for $299. Whenever C. City is selling the RS-5 for $750 (normally), that is much too high for the "house brand" quality that these Infinity speaks offer. DO NOT take that to mean I believe all Infins. are poor; others--includding the new SM series, and pretty much anything with an EMIT-R tweeter are pretty nice...
BUT! Please do congratulate Infinity on their use of a sparkling, clear, and well-stated tweeter in the 2000.5/RS-5...If they would just change the baffle, and increase the frequency range of those two mid-woofers, they would have a serious contender for a prized entry-tower. See my comments on the Boston VR-940 towers, which I ultimately purchased.

I got these for $450 a pair from H.H.Greg. I have listened to everything that you can think of in this price range and felt that the RS5 sounded the best. I was really having a hard time with my dicision. I did a lot of real comparing, bringing in my own CDs and listening for an hour or so to different brands at different stores. These have a very smooth and warm, rich sound that I like. They are not very bright speakers. I use them with a Onkyo 646 and Paradigm Sub so their bass was not important. But after bringing them home, I found that they do have some pretty good bass on their own.

These are very nice speakers. @$450 a pair they are a good deal. @$379/pair they are a steal. Goto www.Shop4.com.

In reply to Geoff from Philly, just auditioning these at a superstore with their questionable "listening room" is fool hardy. Once you get the RS5's home with a good sub, then you will know the true quality of these speakers. Correct positioning is of course very important and you wont get that in a superstore listening room. A quality receiver is important too such as a Yamaha. With Dvd source material, these speakers are outstanding.