Get an exclusive sneak peek into our new project. >>> Click Here
Our native mobile app has a new name: Fora Communities. Learn more.

Infinity RC263 or Emotiva Airmotiv C2+

4676 Views 20 Replies 13 Participants Last post by derekmoore, Aug 25, 2021

TG587

Discussion Starter · Jun 19, 2021 (Edited)

As the title states, looking for some opinions on the Infinity RC263 center vs the Emotiva C2+

I use my setup mainly for TV and Movies but occasionally for music. I own a couple Infinity RC263's as I bought them a while back for $120 and $150 respectively which I thought was a steal and will use at least the one in another setup and keep the other as a backup.

My question I guess is how much better, if it is better, is the Emotiva C2+ than the RC263?

The C2+ for me in Canada is about 2x the price after shipping and taxes than the RC263's were but if it's significantly better then I'm willing to pay that premium. Another plus to the C2+ is i think it somewhat matches esthetically with my JBL studio 5 series speakers.

The Infinity is 6 ohm and the Emotiva is 4 ohm but with I've heard that unless I'm watching at ridiculous levels, which I don't, that doesn't really matter.

Any and all input from people that have owned one or the other, or both, would be greatly appreciated.

Reactions: 1

1 - 20 of 21 Posts

Dave in Green

· #2 · Jun 19, 2021

Every comparison I've read seems to suggest that the RC263 and C2+ are very close in overall performance with different people slightly preferring one over the other. I don't recall anyone saying they thought either one was worth paying twice as much as the other.

Reactions: 1

TG587

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 19, 2021

Dave in Green said:
Every comparison I've read seems to suggest that the RC263 and C2+ are very close in overall performance with different people slightly preferring one over the other. I don't recall anyone saying they thought either one was worth paying twice as much as the other.

Appreciate that, thanks!

Reactions: 1

Joe214

· #4 · Jun 19, 2021

I have both the RC263 and C2+. Like you, I couldn't resist the RC263 when it was $150 but was curious if the C2+ was better. The C2+ is a great center speaker even at $400 and worth it, but in my opinion, I don't think it's a huge step up from the RC263. It was only a small improvement. Also, the C2+ is noticeably bigger and heavier than the Infinity.

Reactions: 2

philpoe

· #5 · Jun 19, 2021

Like Dave in Green says, most comparisons rank them very evenly, though my searches seem to indicate that the C2+ gets the edge over the RC263, which in turn gets the edge over the C1+.
I've never seen anyone say that the C2+ is worth 2x the RC263. When the RC263 is on sale, it's a pretty unbeatable bargain.
About the only other thing I'd consider is that the C2+ is rear-ported, while the RC263 is sealed in case placement makes that an issue.
The Emotivas are rated at 4 ohms, but measured impedance seems to show that it's more like 6-8 ohms

Tyler Giesbrecht said:
As the title states, looking for some opinions on the Infinity RC263 center vs the Emotiva C2+
My question I guess is how much better, if it is better, is the Emotiva C2+ than the RC263?
The C2+ for me in Canada is about 2x the price after shipping and taxes than the RC263's were but if it's significantly better than I'm willing to pay that premium.

Reactions: 3

KSpan

· #6 · Jun 19, 2021

Dave in Green said:
Every comparison I've read seems to suggest that the RC263 and C2+ are very close in overall performance with different people slightly preferring one over the other. I don't recall anyone saying they thought either one was worth paying twice as much as the other.

Yup. I compared them head to head and kept the C2 (before the '+' version) since I prefer deeper extension in my center channels and since I felt it sounded a bit fuller and larger and low to moderate volumes in my room. The RC263 is a great center though and nigh-unbeatable at the sale prices. The Emo is most definitely not 2x better and that's not a knock on them.

Reactions: 4

AlphaPie

· #7 · Jun 20, 2021

Having owned the R263 and RC263 I'd suggest going with Emotiva. I was not that impressed with the infinitys.

Reactions: 1

Deaf-Forever

· #8 · Jun 20, 2021 (Edited)

The RC263 beats the C2+ on days that end in "Y" but the C2+ wins on days that fall in the
Gregorian calendar. Trust me on this.

I have the RC263 and the Emotiva C1. Depending on what wire I hook up first they both sound great. Is the Rc263 worth less than half of the C2+? Absolutely! Its probably worth more. Is the C2+ worth 2.66 times the RC? Now you need to break out the Abacus as its that close. What I do know is that you wont regert buying either one.

Reactions: 1

Technology3456

· #9 · Jun 20, 2021

Deaf-Forever said:
The RC263 beats the C2+ on days that end in "Y" but the C2+ wins on days that fall in the
Gregorian calendar. Trust me on this.

I have the RC263 and the Emotiva C1. Depending on what wire I hook up first they both sound great. Is the Rc263 worth less than half of the C2+? Absolutely! Its probably worth more. Is the C2+ worth 2.66 times the RC? Now you need to break out the Abacus as its that close. What I do know is that you wont regert buying either one.

Would you please mind clarifying? The first paragraph reads to me like the C2+ and RC263 are a coin flip as far as which is better head-to-head, but paragraph two reads to me like it's a coin flip whether or not the C2+ is 2.66 better than the RC263 or not. How it read to me is:

Paragraph one: they are about 1-to-1 quality, and it's a coinflip.
Paragraph two: They're in the neighorhood of 2.66-to-1 to quality, and it's a coinflip whether it's quite worth 2.66x as much money, could go either way because it's that close whether the C2+ is truly 2+ times better or not.

Deaf-Forever

· #10 · Jun 20, 2021

Technology3456 said:
Would you please mind clarifying? The first paragraph reads to me like the C2+ and RC263 are a coin flip as far as which is better head-to-head, but paragraph two reads to me like it's a coin flip whether or not the C2+ is 2.66 better than the RC263 or not. How it read to me is:

Paragraph one: they are about 1-to-1 quality, and it's a coinflip.
Paragraph two: They're in the neighorhood of 2.66-to-1 to quality, and it's a coinflip whether it's quite worth 2.66x as much money, could go either way because it's that close whether the C2+ is truly 2+ times better or not.

I don't think you can go wrong either way was the intended intention. Have you turned any speakers on yet? There is no amount of reading that will answer your questions at teh level you desire. Personal experience is the only answer you will accept.

At the 150 buck sale price, the RC263 is impossible to beat. At the 200 dollar level it gets closer, but I still believe its not dethroned. Yes that's a bold statement(s). One I don't think will be proven otherwise without some caveat.

Back to you turning something on. Have you listened yo anything in your room with your ears? Got any sweeps with REW?

Reactions: 1

Technology3456

· #11 · Jun 20, 2021 (Edited)

Deaf-Forever said:
I don't think you can go wrong either way was the intended intention. Have you turned any speakers on yet? There is no amount of reading that will answer your questions at teh level you desire. Personal experience is the only answer you will accept.

At the 150 buck sale price, the RC263 is impossible to beat. At the 200 dollar level it gets closer, but I still believe its not dethroned. Yes that's a bold statement(s). One I don't think will be proven otherwise without some caveat.

Back to you turning something on. Have you listened yo anything in your room with your ears? Got any sweeps with REW?

To clarify, this isn't my topic, so I'm not sure what you mean about my setup. This topic is asking how the C2+ compares to the RC263. Your first reply jumped from them being close to 1-to-1 to close to 2.66-to-1, and in this one you are comparing the RC263 at a $150 sale price to the $200 level, which is 1.33 as much, not 2.66. So it reads like you are giving 2 or 3 different conclusions in 2 comments.

I am not disagreeing with them, only politely asking if you could clarify because it's still not clear to me how you feel the speakers compare from your posts. Obviously the numbers aren't literal, but do you feel the two CC's are approximately equal, or that one is around 2-3 times better than the other? If you can clarify what you meant, that would be great for me and anyone reading, that's all. I will not weigh in on the comps either way, just reading them. I respect your opinion either way.

bear123

· #12 · Jun 20, 2021

If I weren't moving next spring, I'd probably be willing to order a C2+ and have it sent to Erin or Amir for Klippel testing. I have the RC263 and although it may seem insignificant, the 1/2 or 5/8" shorter height would be helpful for me in my current house. I'm thrilled with the RC263 for $149, and would be satisfied with it for $499 MSRP. Based on subjective and objective evaluation.

Reactions: 2

tbird8450

· #13 · Jun 21, 2021

The RC263 is an insane value at $150. Nothing is going to touch it at that price point. Taking cost out of it, I'd definitely give the nudge to the C2+, especially at higher volumes. If you're not looking to shake the house (and possibly the neighbors') while watching movies, they're going to be fairly close.

Reactions: 1

Zorba922

· #14 · Jun 21, 2021

tbird8450 said:
The RC263 is an insane value at $150. Nothing is going to touch it at that price point. Taking cost out of it, I'd definitely give the nudge to the C2+, especially at higher volumes. If you're not looking to shake the house (and possibly the neighbors') while watching movies, they're going to be fairly close.

Haven't seen it at that price since December/January, iirc.

Harman has apparently wisened up to the increasing demand for a competent 3 way center speaker at a non-inflated price and has kept it at $350 as a purported "refurb" since then.

Reactions: 1

Upgrader

· #15 · Jun 21, 2021

TG587 said:
As the title states, looking for some opinions on the Infinity RC263 center vs the Emotiva C2+

I use my setup mainly for TV and Movies but occasionally for music. I own a couple Infinity RC263's as I bought them a while back for $120 and $150 respectively which I thought was a steal and will use at least the one in another setup and keep the other as a backup.

My question I guess is how much better, if it is better, is the Emotiva C2+ than the RC263?

The C2+ for me in Canada is about 2x the price after shipping and taxes than the RC263's were but if it's significantly better then I'm willing to pay that premium. Another plus to the C2+ is i think it somewhat matches esthetically with my JBL studio 5 series speakers.

The Infinity is 6 ohm and the Emotiva is 4 ohm but with I've heard that unless I'm watching at ridiculous levels, which I don't, that doesn't really matter.

Any and all input from people that have owned one or the other, or both, would be greatly appreciated.

I just went through this and ended up keeping the Emo C2+.

But … had I owned the RC263 would I “upgrade” to the C2+? The answer is no. These are both solid choices for HT.

Reactions: 4

TG587

Discussion Starter · #16 · Aug 25, 2021

Just an update on this thread. I bought the Emotiva C2+ and even brought in a Monolith THX-365C. My problem is I love them all, lol. I think the C2+ sounds a bit more crisp for dialogue but it also is getting the advantage of a Monolith 7X powering it which I didn't have before.

I'm going to keep the C2+ and use one of my RC263's in my basement setup.

Reactions: 2

Zorba922

· #17 · Aug 25, 2021

TG587 said:
Just an update on this thread. I bought the Emotiva C2+ and even brought in a Monolith THX-365C. My problem is I love them all, lol. I think the C2+ sounds a bit more crisp for dialogue but it also is getting the advantage of a Monolith 7X powering it which I didn't have before.

I'm going to keep the C2+ and use one of my RC263's in my basement setup.

Out of curiosity, since you're in Canada not the US, which of those 3 centers ended up being the cheapest with shipping, etc. figured in?

TG587

Discussion Starter · #18 · Aug 25, 2021

Zorba922 said:
Out of curiosity, since you're in Canada not the US, which of those 3 centers ended up being the cheapest with shipping, etc. figured in?

Well, I got the RC263 for approx $200 USD all in after shipping and taxes, the Monolith THX-365C was approx $327 USD all in and the Emotiva C2+ was approx $468 USD.

I think at the end of the day, bang for the buck, the Infinity RC263 at the discount price I paid can't be beat.

The Monolith THX-365C is also an excellent center channel and pricing runs considerably less than the emotiva depending on sales etc.

Reactions: 2

derekmoore

· #19 · Aug 25, 2021

^ that's quite impressive of the RC263 at that price point. I run it in my system but at a distance of 10'. I had my sister get the C2+ for her basement entertainment room. They sit more than 14' from the CC speaker so SLP vs sensitivity were considerations. I was super impressed with the C2 in her room and they no longer have any complaints about dialog intelligibility. I wondered how the RC263 would have performed in that situation. I know my sister would have preferred the smaller form factor. The C2+ is pretty much a horizontal tower.

Reactions: 1

TG587

Discussion Starter · #20 · Aug 25, 2021

derekmoore said:
^ that's quite impressive of the RC263 at that price point. I run it in my system but at a distance of 10'. I had my sister get the C2+ for her basement entertainment room. They sit more than 14' from the CC speaker so SLP vs sensitivity were considerations. I was super impressed with the C2 in her room and they no longer have any complaints about dialog intelligibility. I wondered how the RC263 would have performed in that situation. I know my sister would have preferred the smaller form factor. The C2+ is pretty much a horizontal tower.

Yeah, I have limited experience so far with the emotiva C2+ but I sit anywhere from 10' to 15' from it and usually off axis to one side or another. Our room has a vaulted ceiling, open to hallways and a staircase on one side and really isn't the best acoustically. That being said, the C2+ has been great watching movies and TV shows with no issues on dialogue.

I might run the Infinity again for a few weeks but it will eventually be going in my basement setup.

1 - 20 of 21 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.