[bradinbrooklyn]

I see the Infinity Beta 20's mentioned in almost any thread about budget bookshelf speakers as being discontinued and therefore going at a deep discount compared to their original selling cost.


A pair of Beta 20's is now just over $200 but they were almost double that when they were released. I always thought that with speakers, quality was quality (it's not like they don't support some new format like what happens to receivers or TVs) and they tend to hold price fairly well. If they are "really" the caliber of a pair of $400 speakers, why wouldn't they hold in price - especially with the brand name? Or did they not really compete with other speakers in that range so they had to drop because of what the market will allow.


Sorry if this seems like a dumb question... I'm asking because my current setup (all Cambridge Soundworks) was about the same price 5-6 years ago as I could get with a Beta setup now. I want to upgrade but spending the same $$ as I did 5-6 years ago for a similar system today would be stupid , but so would categorizing these as a $200 pair of speakers when they really should be compared to speakers in the $400 range.

 

[sivadselim]

because they are being discontinued by the manufacturer (Infinity)

 

[Veda]

Or if the company goes down like Athena. Doesn't mean they're not great speakers though...

 

[Chu Gai]

Athena was the goddess of war and to the best of my knowledge, she didn't go down.

 

[bradinbrooklyn]



Quote:
Originally Posted by sivadselim /forum/post/14283167


because they are being discontinued by the manufacturer (Infinity)

That was part of my question - my understanding was that even if you discontinue a speaker, they tend to hold in value OK. If the Beta 20's still performs like a pair of $400 speakers, why wouldn't they sell as such?

 

[Chu Gai]

To clear out inventory. To make room for new. Are these terribly difficult concepts for you?

 

[PULLIAMM]

I had a pair of Beta 20s once. I A/Bed them with Primus 150s, and preferred the Primus. (Better imaging and better bass.)

 

[lne937s]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Veda /forum/post/14283236


Or if the company goes down like Athena. Doesn't mean they're not great speakers though...

Infinity is part of Harman International, which is an enormous company that also makes JBL, Revel, Harman Kardon, Lexicon, Mark Levinson, etc. It is one of the largest audio companies in the world- it isn't going down...


However, they may be readjusting their brand portfolio, and Infinity may see a different range of products.

 

[DamageMcRamage]



Quote:
Originally Posted by PULLIAMM /forum/post/14284671


I had a pair of Beta 20s once. I A/Bed them with Primus 150s, and preferred the Primus. (Better imaging and better bass.)

I've never heard the Beta 20's, but I do own the Primus 150's. I highly doubt the Primus has better bass response due to the significantly smaller woofer. If the Beta's are anything like my Alpha's, then the Primus and the Beta's are going to sound surprisingly similar...imaging, etc. That has nothing to do with you preferring the Primus, however.

 

[sivadselim]



Quote:
Originally Posted by bradinbrooklyn /forum/post/14284551


That was part of my question - my understanding was that even if you discontinue a speaker, they tend to hold in value OK. If the Beta 20's still performs like a pair of $400 speakers, why wouldn't they sell as such?

Usually when the new model comes out, the older model is available cheaper. This is true with just about anything.

 

[sivadselim]



Quote:
Originally Posted by PULLIAMM /forum/post/14284671


I had a pair of Beta 20s once. I A/Bed them with Primus 150s, and preferred the Primus. (Better imaging and better bass.)

Thanks. That's really useful and relevant to this thread.

Did you not get enough attention as a child?

 

[PULLIAMM]



Quote:
Originally Posted by sivadselim /forum/post/14284846


Thanks. That's really useful and relevant to this thread.

You are correct. It is both useful and relevant to this thread. Try reading the thread title and the OP with comprehension, this time.

(An important part of the question was "do they perform like $400 speakers?" The answer is no, because Infinity themselves make a less expensive pair of speakers with somewhat better performance.)

 

[DamageMcRamage]



Quote:
Originally Posted by sivadselim /forum/post/14284831


Usually when the new model comes out, the older model is available cheaper. This is true with just about anything.

Yup, just about every speaker manufacturer I've seen does it. Heck, last years car models are usually sold at a discount. Nothing new, just economic business sense.

 

[PULLIAMM]



Quote:
Originally Posted by DamageMcRamage /forum/post/14284812


I've never heard the Beta 20's, but I do own the Primus 150's. I highly doubt the Primus has better bass response due to the significantly smaller woofer. If the Beta's are anything like my Alpha's, then the Primus and the Beta's are going to sound surprisingly similar...imaging, etc. That has nothing to do with you preferring the Primus, however.

Subjectively, the Primus' had stronger bass. Objectively, there is no difference (The Beta 20 and Primus 150 are both -3dB at 58Hz.)

 

[DamageMcRamage]



Quote:
Originally Posted by PULLIAMM /forum/post/14284948


Subjectively, the Primus' had stronger bass. Objectively, there is no difference (The Beta 20 and Primus 150 are both -3dB at 58Hz.)

I realize the specs are close, but the bass out of a 6.5" is going to punch harder than the bass from a 5.25" woofer. I don't want to take the thread off topic, but I will say the Primus 150's sound fantastic for the money.

 

[Easyaspie]



Quote:
Originally Posted by sivadselim /forum/post/14284846


Thanks. That's really useful and relevant to this thread.

Did you not get enough attention as a child?

You're feeding the troll.

 

[PULLIAMM]

The key point here is that, in fact, the Beta 20s never were all that impressive, and certainly not a good value for the original $400/pr asking price. For $200/pr they are pretty good, but one can still do better.

 

[sivadselim]



Quote:
Originally Posted by PULLIAMM /forum/post/14285127


The key point here is that, in fact, the Beta 20s never were all that impressive, and certainly not a good value for the original $400/pr asking price. For $200/pr they are pretty good, but one can still do better.

This is still ENTIRELY irrelevant to this thread. So that is not the "key point" of anything really, is it?

 

[PULLIAMM]



Quote:
Originally Posted by sivadselim /forum/post/14286536


This is still ENTIRELY irrelevant to this thread. So that is not the "key point" of anything really, is it?

Did you even read the OP? It is entirely relevant. Once again, the question was "are the Beta 20s worth the original $400 price?" (the answer being no, they are not), but you obviously missed, ignored, or failed to comprehend that part.

 

[PULLIAMM]



Quote:
Originally Posted by bradinbrooklyn /forum/post/14283008


Or did they not really compete with other speakers in that range so they had to drop because of what the market will allow.

Correct. That is what happened.