Infinity Primus Owner's Thread - Page 112

A bonafide AVR putting out a real 100 watts or more into 8 ohms should be fine. Save your money for your real home theater system that dependent upon the room you may really need an external amp or two, especially if the room is highly treated. You may be quite surprised at how much wattage is actually drawn at reference levels - a lot less than you might think.

Unless your receiver is running out of steam driving these speakers to the levels you want or if it's just a plain bad receiver, then adding an external amp most likely won't make an audible difference. I added a 300W/CH RMS amp to drive my 6ohm Revels and can only hear a slight difference over my Denon 4311 at levels above 95dB sustained.

Cool thank you.Fookoo & Duc. I have been planning on getting the amp but I think I am gonna forgo getting it. I just got back from picking up 4 p153s from fry's for 216. I figure if I am not getting the Amp why spend the extra cash on the P163s because then I would have spend another 120 on mounts. so by forgoing the amp I save the price of the amp and $131 for upgraded cables I was gonna get 12 gauge but 14 is fine. So By not getting the amp I save 469 plus the amp so a bit over 1000. I think I will use that for a MAC BOOK. I've never had a mac.

Thanks again. The more and more I read up it kind of sound like I didn't need it. Would I like hell yeah but I could use the money for other things.

Totally agree, but


I kind of agree with Antimatter81 that It does seem weird (I mean with floorstanding on a table) .Also I haven't seem any pics of floorstanding being rise up like that. Since the side surrounds need to be above ear level then I'm better off with P163 or P153 as side surround and use the other two P363 as rear. Is my understanding correct that rear surrounds doesn't need to be rise above ear level?

Hi Antimatter81, congrats. Are you planning on using wall mounts or stands?

If that's your other option then I take back what I said and recommend wasting your money on an external amp.
J/K I'd spend it on room treatments if you need it. If not, save for your next system.

It depends on what you are after. If esthetics is your main concern, then I understand your concern. However, raising speakers off of the floor moves the tweeters that are direct radiators from ear level. That results in non directionality and if you think about it, virtual audio imaging occurring in different planes and hence audio being non-directional that can result in what is perceived as a much wider sound stage width in front of you.

Nah, I would suggest a Denon 4311CI before an external amp or room treatments, instead of a Mac.

Thank You.

Right now I am using my current wall mounts but I am concerned the speakers are to heavy and the speakers have a different mounting system than my old speakers. I set two up just to see how it sounds but I think I will mount them. I was thinking about getting the PINPOINT AM mounts but the P153s have keyhole brackes. However It is not one bracket in the middle of the speaker. The 153s have a keyhole bracket on each corner so I think I am gonna just use screws just to mount them. I am gonna have one screw into the stud and the other is gonna have to be anchored into the drywall but it'll be fine it is just to keep it flush. Just so you know according to what I have read and what infinity told me is that the P163s do not have keyhole brackets on them. So with those you will have to buy mounts like pinpoint Am. Plus my room does not have enough room to use stands.

I've never had a mac but the reason why I think I want to go with one is because I want to start taking my dvd's and upscaling them to HD and also then I can put entire tv seasons on 1 maybe 2 bds rather than 6 dvds. The jury is still out though I don't know if I am willing to spend 1200 to 1600 on a computer though.

oppo 93? Or if you insist, go to a home theater system that is networked based and rip all of your dvds and BRs to a hard drive.

Ok, its decision time for surround (side) speakers again. A pair of tower P363 or bookshelf P163 (plus mounts), both on sale now. Or maybe a pair of Bi/Di-pole speakers (Energy VS)?

Frys has a great sale on the p363 speakers and I'd like to pick up a pair.
My question is how would these pair up with a Denon-avr1610? I know this is an entry level receiver... Would I need to get an external amp to power these?
Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks

It will work, but depends on how loud you want to play. If you have the 1610, then just buy the speakers and find out. If not, then get an AVR with more wattage.

Thanks
What worried me the most is that I read somewhere that even though the p363's are rated at 8ohms, they will dip down to the 4ohm territory in the mid bass range. Since my receiver is only rated at 8ohm i'm worried about it getting fried out.
I honestly don't know that much about this stuff, so If anyone can explain more that would be great

I have the P363s hooked up to a Pioneer VSX-1021-K. I was a little worried about the low impedance two, but I haven't had any problems. From my understanding, the big dangers would be clipping (which will you should be able to hear as distortion) and over heating the amp (which might result in the amp shutting itself off if it gets too hot, or possibly permanent damage). Avoiding very high volumes, making sure there's ventilation space above the receiver and using a powered subwoofer to handle some of the bass frequencies (less power needed for the front speakers) will all help the situation. Also, Denon does rate the 1610 for 110W at 6 ohm according to my quick search, which is better than being only rated for 8 ohm. I'm not sure if a power amp would be an option with that receiver anyway... it doesn't seem to have front pre-outs, just a set for going from 5.1 to 7.1.

If that makes you feel more comfortable, I've been really impressed with the speakers so far, especially at the $200/pr sale price. I'm hoping to pick up the PC351 matching center soon to round everything out.

Aside from clipping, the bigger concern is blowing out a tweeter because of the distortion due to lack of wattage. It is always safer to have more than enough wattage, rather than less. Just use common sense and don't over drive the speakers, if you think that you are slightly underpowered.

So i just picked up the 363's from Frys thanks to their insane $99/each sale. My question is should I pick up 2 more for my Surround L/R's or go with the P163's instead? The room they are going in is approx 20x15 and they are being paired with a PC351 and PL-200 running off a Pioneer VSX-1121. Also i'm running 5.1 not 7.1 (at least not yet).

I set up my parents new home theater and got them the P363's with P153's as surrounds because the sale at Fry's was so good (a P351 is on the way from Amazon). The sub is a Polk PSW505. I hooked them up to a Denon 2113, ran Audissey, set them to small and crossed over at 80 and the sound is tremendous. They simply blow away the Bose 301's in every way to my ears. I'm guessing without the sub the Bose 301's may have had more bass (not necessarily clear bass), but with the sub its a moot point. A Bose VCS-10 is the makeshift center, and I am positive the 351 will be a massive improvement when it arrives. When running in stereo the dialogue and most everything is MUCH better out of the P363's than the Bose center channel is when routing the sound 5.1 to the center channel. I was so impressed with the Infinity's that I went to Fry's the next day to take advantage of the $99 price on the P363's to replace the Bose 301's at my house. I also ordered the P351 to replace my Bose center channel so I could match my front soundstage, and I should get the P351 tomorrow. The best part of Fry's sale is that I got $200 for my Bose 301's on Craig's list within an hour of posting it, so it was almost a free upgrade. My Denon 2808 pushes the P363's effortlessly and I'm hearing a lot of notes that the Bose completely missed in some of the music I listen to. For the price it is really hard to beat the Primus series.

Prior to seeing the add at Fry's and then listening to them at the store I had no prior information on them. To me they sounded better than the much more expensive Polk's and Klipsch that Fry'd had set up next to the P363's. I am not surprised at all to find this thread talking about the great value you get on these speakers. I didn't go into the showroom with these speakers hyped up in my mind, I just listened and they just sounded better to me. The fact they were on sale for $99 each made buying them an easy decision. I wish I had found this thread years ago prior to buying the Bose speakers I had set up. For the price range I was looking at the Primus would have been as cheap as the Bose (with the Primus on sale) and they just completely blow the Bose 301's away when it comes to clean sound. Once I re-run Audissey and use my SPL to tune my system I'm sure the improvement in sound will be even better.

Hey guys, so i currently have
x2 Infinity Primus p363
x2 Infinity Primus p163
x1 Infinity Primus PC351
x1 Klipsch Reference RW-12d
x1 Onkyo TX-NR818

Fry's had a sale for the p153's and i went ahead and picked up two of them for 99. My question is, is it okay to mix these in my existing system and make them by backs, or should i move the p163 to backs and make the p153 the sides? Or return and wait for a sale on another set of p163? I do like the weight of the 153s and could easily wall mount as sides vrs the p163 which will have to be on stands (in either config)

It shouldn't be a problem in my opinion and from what I've read and learned in various forums but I am no expert. The low end between the 153s and the 163s are different but that wouldn't matter with surround sound applications as the crossover is generally set at 80. So if anything I would use these as my 6&7 speakers. The sound quality and timber should match fine.

You're fine. The 163 and 153 have a different internal crossover and the 163 extends a bit lower, but if you're crossing at 80 hz you won't notice a difference. Ideally, all 7 of your speakers would be identical, but that usually isn't practical.

World Wide Stereo has the PC351 center for $179 if you use promo code BBJJNN04. Picked one up to go with my P363s from Fry's.

http://www.wwstereo.com/Infinity/PC351BK#

Hi Atomiktoaster, +1 ... pick this up last month for the same price with a different code. This code also work on other Infinity Primus, picked up two P163 for $153.

Hi all, just FYI Fry's has the P163 (item #7237393) on sale ... $107 pair in store. It show in the Fry's ad (page 6) but appear it cannot be order online.

Hello everyone, first time poster here, this forum has been a great help. I picked up a pair of the Infinity p363's so now my setup will consist of these Infinity's along with Polks for surround and the center, a powered sub and an Onkyo 609 receiver. I hope to pick up an Infinity pc351 soon. Anyways I've read on here that the infinity p363 drops down to 4 ohms, so will it be safe to run the p363s along with 8 ohm Polks off the same receiver without damaging the receiver? In addition the North American Onkyo 609 is safely rated only to 6 ohms. Do you think I'll be okay running this setup without decreasing the receiver's lifespan?
Thank you so much.

No speaker has perfectly flat impedance across the frequency band (well, planars come close, but that's a different topic for another day).

Your Onkyo will be just fine.

Hi fellow Infinity owners!

I have a pair of Primus 150 hooked up to a sony AVR and I'm very happy with them. I could get the speakers quite cheap, for 120€, I can't regret it! What I regret is not getting the center too!

Now I'm searching for a center speakers that could match them, maybe somebody could give me some advice? I can't get the Primus center anymore in Germany, so I though I may find a center that quite matches the Primus... if you think you could help: http://www.avsforum.com/t/1424999/center-speaker-to-match-primus-150

Thanks!

PD: I don't get why Infinity discontinued the Primus! They were great budget speakers to introduce people into quality audio stuff!

Depending upon your video display size, type and positioning, a possible viable alternative would be to purchase another another Primus 150 (or a 151, 152 or 153 as those speakers are essentially the same except for some minor cosmetic differences) to be your center instead of purchasing a dedicated center channel speaker from the Primus line.

In fact, it's generally accepted by those "in the know" that using the exact same speakers across the front is the preferred way to go whenever possible. Dedicated, horizontal center channels speakers are at least slightly compromised in performance vs a matching bookshelf speaker used as a center channel speaker and therefore the less ideal choice. But given the taller profile of the vertically oriented bookshelf speaker, it is often difficult to place it under the screen and in a roughly equivalent height position with the other left/right speaker pair. Placing above the screen and angled down toward the seating position might work pretty well though. But perhaps in that higher position, a dedicated horizontal center channel positioned below the screen and at the rough height equivalence to the left/right speaker pair might pull ahead in performance. The lesser speaker (dedicated horizontal center) positioned closer to the ideal height might turn out to be the lesser compromise, in other words. Difficult to say for sure as I'm not familiar enough with each of their center channel speaker models to say for sure which is more apt to provide you with the better performance.
Edited by CruelInventions - 8/20/12 at 8:03am

I'll repeat what CruelInventions posted: depending your display and positioning flexibility, the best centre speaker you could get would be another of your main L/R speaker. Since the P150 isn't made anymore, try getting a P152 or P153.

For a stereo set-up, you would never consider getting a left speaker that "matches" your right speaker; you would want two identical speakers. That mindset shouldn't change just because your soundstage is now made up of 3 speakers instead of 2. The Primus line has been discontinued?