Infinity CASCADE 5.1 User Manual

Electronically reprinted from February 2007

Infinity Cascade

Chris
Martens

Sculpture for the Eyes and Ears

N

feature innovative MRS (Maximum Radiating Surface)
drive units. What’s the big deal with MRS drivers? Well,
for starters they neither look nor behave quite like
traditional piston-type drivers.

First, MRS drivers are rectangular—not round—and
feature light, stiff CMMD Ceramic Metal Matrix dia­phragms whose front surfaces are ribbed and indented
for improved rigidity. The rectangular shape means the
drivers disperse well across their narrow axes, yet still
have sufficient surface area to produce authoritative
dynamics. Second, side-by-side pairs of oblong voice

5.1-Channel Speaker System

othing excites dyed-in-the-wool audio
folks more than new technologies, and so
I had an almost Pavlovian response to
Infinity’s Cascade-series speakers, which

AUDIO REVIEW

Infinity’s rectangular MRS drivers
disperse well across their narrow
axes yet have sufficient surface area

[ ]

to produce authoritative dynamics.

coils power the MRS drivers, supporting them over their
entire operating area. The upshot is a mid-bass driver
that, in essence, offers the lightning fast transient speed
and resolution of a good tweeter, yet also has plenty of
dynamic punch and the ability to handle fairly low
frequencies.

Our comparatively deluxe Cascade test system
consisted of a pair of Model Nine two-way, three-driver
floorstanders, a Model Three C center channel, a pair of
Model Seven floorstanders (essentially two-driver
versions of the Model Nine), and a 300-watt Model Twelve
powered subwoofer. The Twelve, like all higher-end
Infinity subs, features the firm’s RABOS (Room Adaptive
Bass Optimization System) EQ system, which helps the
woofer achieve clearer, smoother in-room bass response.
Add everything up, and the system comes in at $5394.

If, like me, you view speakers as sculptural objects,
then you should know these beauties look like speaker
systems that, say, Calder might have designed.
The Cascades are, hands down, the most visually
appealing surround speakers I’ve ever tested, and
more than a few first-time viewers have reacted to

Model Nine

Floorstanders

PHOTO CREDIT

Infinity Systems

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them with long, low wolf-whistles of
appreciation.

From the outset, the Cascades
impress with two characteristics:
stunning clarity and terrific
surround sound imaging. You’ll

Model Three C Center Channel

notice the speaker’s clarity every
time you put on music recordings
or soundtracks that are rich in
textural details, or that combine
multiple complex voices or sound
effects. I tried Telarc’s The Absolute

Sound SACD Sampler, enjoying in
particular the “Marche au sup­plice” (March to the Scaffold)
movement from the Järvi/ Cincin­nati performance of the Berlioz
Symphonie Fantastique. The

movement combines the dark
humor of low brass and string
passages set against low percus­sion, with a recurrent march theme
featuring high brass outbursts
punctuated by tympani playing a
march-time beat. It’s the kind of

piece that sounds fabulous when
it’s cleanly reproduced, but that
turns into mush through many
speaker systems. Through the
Cascades, however, the voices of
individual instruments remained

clear, pure and distinct—even
when the going got thick and the
orchestration became complex.
These speakers can disentangle the
contents of complex mixes with the
greatest of ease. Imaging and
soundstaging were excellent, too,

PHOTO CREDIT

“The Cascades are, hands down, the most visually

appealing surround speakers I’ve ever tested...”

“From the outset, the Cascades impress with two characteris-

tics: stunning clarity and terrific surround sound imaging.”

“On movie soundtracks, the Cascade system’s imaging came into

its own, creating a 360 degree surround sound field that placed

listeners in the center of the action.”

“...Infinity’s Cascade system is visually stunning, and offers

superb clarity and imaging. Dynamic contrasts are

beautifully reproduced, too.”