Parting ways...

[Sk1Bum 12,713]

Well, I think I've sold my Infinity RS IIIa speakers. I've had them listed on craigslist and Audiogon for about 3 months. There was a guy in KS that had to have them, and then he ghosted me. I'm supposed to meet up with another gentleman when he returns from vacation.

 

I hope the sale goes through, because I can deliver them to Osage Beach MO. That gives me an excuse to eat at my favorite BBQ joint in MO, Half Sauced BBQ.

 

https://halfsauced.com/

 

Now, as much as I like my NHT 3.3s, I'm considering parting ways with them.  I don't know how serious I am though. They're the main fronts in my HT setup, and if I do sell them, I want t replace them with some Martin Logan ESL's that are at least one bump up from the ones in my 2.1 channel system, and those won't be cheap. I wouldn't let the NHT's go cheap either. Like I said, I like the NHTs very much, I just like the Martin Logan ESL sound more.

 

[Charlie 18,114]

Good for you Richard!  I hope everything works out!!! 

[Half Life 1,087]

When I saw the title, I said noooooo!  I thought you were leaving the site.  Then I read the post.  Phew!

 

Good luck with the sale!  I hope it goes through for you.

 

While I've not heard the ML ESL's, I truly love my ML Motion Towers.  For me, they sound awesome!  The realism is really damn good.  Especially for things like Joan Armatrading, Rippingtons, Santana, and so on.  Wish you luck on getting the ESL's!

[Sk1Bum 12,713]

Oops, sorry about the confusion. 

 

As far as sales go, who knows what will happen until cash is in hand.

 

I would like to replace the NHT 3.3s with ESL 9's or ESL X's. 

[AndrewJohn 10,806]

20 hours ago, Sk1Bum said:

I want t replace them with some Martin Logan ESL's that are at least one bump up

 

Would that be this pair of ESL?  (I jeard these at AXPONA a couple years ago, in a dealer showcase.)  Sounded great, but had a certain sense of fragility about them to my eyes.  No cats, no dust, no crazy cleaning lady..., kind of fragility.

 

I assume, like Sonus Faber, they come with custom fitted cloth dust covers..., or I'd want something like that.

 

[Kurt 3,167]

22 hours ago, Sk1Bum said:

I think I've sold my Infinity RS IIIa speakers

Curious how much you were able to garner in the sale, if you don't mind telling us.  I have a pair of Infinity RS 3b's and don't see them for sale often. Just looking for a data point.

 

I love the 3b's, btw... What would you say were your main like/dislikes of the 3a's?

[Sk1Bum 12,713]

I've listed them a couple of times at $500 or best offer. I had one seller that "had to have them" at my asking price. I offered to deliver them, and we agreed to a date the following week. I never heard from him again, and I sent 3 emails with my phone number. I never got a reply. This recent buyer and I chatted on the phone for over an hour. He's a vintage gear collector, and he owns a few pieces of Carver gear. He said he can't find anyone to work on his Carver gear as no one understands it. I told him about @Nahash5150 , Nelion Audio, and I invited him to thecarversite.com. He and his wife are vacationing in Mexico this week, and he said he'd call when they get back. I'll call him in case  he forgets.

 

The agreed deal is I'll deliver them to him for $500, and he insisted on taking me to lunch or dinner at Half Sauced. Who am I to refuse the best BBQ in Missouri?  

 

I don't have any dislikes about the Infinity's, and I love their appearance. The scalloped edges, tall, thin, gorgeous in my opinion. They're a very good speaker with very good highs, mids and bass, but I have a couple of sets of outstanding speakers. I just really have no need for the Infinity's, and they take up quite a bit of space. One friend of mine likes them better than my Martin Logans. I tell him he's been riding Harley's and shooting guns without ear protection for far too long. He has a Pioneer Spec I or II setup with Pioneer HPM 150 speakers that he plays at almost full volume in a room with solid wood walls and no treatments. It's very bright in there, but he loves it, and that's all that matters even if no one else does.  

 

[Kurt 3,167]

20 minutes ago, Sk1Bum said:

I tell him he's been riding Harley's and shooting guns without ear protection for far too long.

Ha ha!  I think more than a few of us suffer from similar degradation.  I worked in a factory for several years and shoulda been better at wearing my ear plugs.  And, of course, there's now this persistent age related roar of tinnitus I deal with.  I'm sure someone with better ears would listen to my system and wonder what the hell I'm hearing!

[Sk1Bum 12,713]

37 minutes ago, Kurt said:

Ha ha!  I think more than a few of us suffer from similar degradation.  I worked in a factory for several years and shoulda been better at wearing my ear plugs.  And, of course, there's now this persistent age related roar of tinnitus I deal with.  I'm sure someone with better ears would listen to my system and wonder what the hell I'm hearing!

 

We both working in a factory, and they required us to start wearing earplugs in the mid/late 80's. I was wearing them anyway, but he worked the weekend shift. No one was there to enforce it except on his Friday shift.

[AndrewJohn 10,806]

@Sk1Bum, Dick, what is the difference(s) between Kappa 9's and RS IIIb speakers?  I've been looking for the Kappa 9's for a long while, and may be giving up.  But wonder if I'm searching for the wrong model?  I know a few members here in the past swear by the Kappa's.

 

Any thoughts there from anyone?

[Daddyjt 9,842]

There was a time not too long ago (10-12 years) that I was flat out in love with the “Infinity sound”.  I had acquired two pair of Kappa 9, and I thought I was set for life.  Then, gradually over time, I grew to detest the infinity sound.  Both pair of Kappa 9, a pair of Kappa 8 and a pair of Kappa 6 (the 8&6 at friends homes) all sounded hash in the highs, chesty in the mids, and boomy in the bass.

 

i know the speakers didn’t change, but rather my taste changed.  I gave one pair of the Kappa 9 to a dear friend, and after several listings (going as low as $800) I parted out the remaining pair for about $1,800 total.

 

at this moment I cannot imagine a better speaker than the 3.3 for 2ch music - it just does everything right…. For me, and for NOW.  Will my taste change again?  I doubt it, but who knows…

[AndrewJohn 10,806]

13 minutes ago, Daddyjt said:

There was a time not too long ago (10-12 years) that I was flat out in love with the “Infinity sound”.  I had acquired two pair of Kappa 9, and I thought I was set for life.  Then, gradually over time, I grew to detest the infinity sound.  Both pair of Kappa 9, a pair of Kappa 8 and a pair of Kappa 6 (the 8&6 at friends homes) all sounded hash in the highs, chesty in the mids, and boomy in the bass.

 

i know the speakers didn’t change, but rather my taste changed.  I gave one pair of the Kappa 9 to a dear friend, and after several listings (going as low as $800) I parted out the remaining pair for about $1,800 total.

 

at this moment I cannot imagine a better speaker than the 3.3 for 2ch music - it just does everything right…. For me, and for NOW.  Will my taste change again?  I doubt it, but who knows…

 

Sounds like I need to keep focused on getting a pair of 3.3 NHT's.  It's been about 3 years since the last pair came available (that I saw) in the WI, MN, IA, IL, IN, MI corridor. 

 

Thanks, Mark, I really value your thoughts and experience in this area.

[Sk1Bum 12,713]

I've never heard any of the Kappa series speakers, and I like the RS IIIa's, just not enough to keep them any longer. The NHT 3.3s are a level up (or two), and the Martin Logans are just perfect for my old ears.

[Half Life 1,087]

2 hours ago, AndrewJohn said:

Sounds like I need to keep focused on getting a pair of 3.3 NHT's.

 

On 2/17/2026 at 12:07 PM, Sk1Bum said:

Now, as much as I like my NHT 3.3s, I'm considering parting ways with them.

 

@AndrewJohn meet @Sk1Bum.  Perhaps a deal could be made?  Just sayin'.

[AndrewJohn 10,806]

1 hour ago, Half Life said:

 

 

@AndrewJohn meet @Sk1Bum.  Perhaps a deal could be made?  Just sayin'.

 

Distance..., I'll unlikely never get over that way.

 

Probability says that eventually, a pair should come up closer to me in the stomping grounds I frequent (IL, MI, IN, WI, IA, MN).

[Kurt 3,167]

9 hours ago, AndrewJohn said:

@Sk1Bum, Dick, what is the difference(s) between Kappa 9's and RS IIIb speakers?  I've been looking for the Kappa 9's for a long while, and may be giving up.  But wonder if I'm searching for the wrong model?  I know a few members here in the past swear by the Kappa's.

 

Any thoughts there from anyone?

AJ, I have a Kappa 8's and RSIIIb's.  I really like them both...but, I've always been an Infinity fan.  I would actually be torn if I had to part with either pair.  They both have pluses and minuses.  The Kappa's can be bi-amped, which works well for us Carver amp hoarders... and is nice because, in single amp mode, the impedance can dip pretty low making them tough to drive with just one amp (though the first m1.5t mkII from Nelion I had, handled them ok as a single amp).  I think the Kappa's are more transparent... more honest.  You hear what you put in.  And, they are a bigger speaker overall, so they play better at louder volumes and in bigger rooms. 

 

My RSIIIb's have a sweetness to them I can't explain... they're less fatiguing and tame. Probably due to less EMIT's than the Kappas.  Coupled with my Carver tube amp, they are really wonderful sounding, I feel.   But, they're smaller than my Kappa's and would strain a bit at very high volumes/large room environment.  I've thought about modifying the crossovers to bi-amp... but, honestly, haven't wanted to mess with a good thing.

 

I love the look of both speakers with the tall thin design and fluted sides, solid oak construction.

 

I think you can pick up RSIII's, if you look hard enough, for $400-$500, though as I said earlier, I don't see them as often for sale.  The Kappa 8's are usually $600-$1000 and Kappa 9's will run you $2000 plus, in good shape.  One persistent problem with the Kappa's is the wear out of the midrange dome driver covers.  If you buy a pair, make sure that those have been replaced, or plan on $200 or so more to get them fixed.  I paid $600 for my Kappa 8's, but then had to refurb those drivers, which cost me $250 (I went with Miller Sound out of Pennsylvania).

 

Value for the money, I'd go with the RSIII's....unless you're trying to fill a concert hall of a room... then you'd need the bigger Kappa's, bi-amping, etc.

 

Your results may vary of course.  But, this has been my experience.

Edited Thursday at 04:19 AM by Kurt

[AndrewJohn 10,806]

10 hours ago, Kurt said:

AJ, I have a Kappa 8's and RSIIIb's.  I really like them both...but, I've always been an Infinity fan.  I would actually be torn if I had to part with either pair.  They both have pluses and minuses.  The Kappa's can be bi-amped, which works well for us Carver amp hoarders... and is nice because, in single amp mode, the impedance can dip pretty low making them tough to drive with just one amp (though the first m1.5t mkII from Nelion I had, handled them ok as a single amp).  I think the Kappa's are more transparent... more honest.  You hear what you put in.  And, they are a bigger speaker overall, so they play better at louder volumes and in bigger rooms. 

 

My RSIIIb's have a sweetness to them I can't explain... they're less fatiguing and tame. Probably due to less EMIT's than the Kappas.  Coupled with my Carver tube amp, they are really wonderful sounding, I feel.   But, they're smaller than my Kappa's and would strain a bit at very high volumes/large room environment.  I've thought about modifying the crossovers to bi-amp... but, honestly, haven't wanted to mess with a good thing.

 

I love the look of both speakers with the tall thin design and fluted sides, solid oak construction.

 

I think you can pick up RSIII's, if you look hard enough, for $400-$500, though as I said earlier, I don't see them as often for sale.  The Kappa 8's are usually $600-$1000 and Kappa 9's will run you $2000 plus, in good shape.  One persistent problem with the Kappa's is the wear out of the midrange dome driver covers.  If you buy a pair, make sure that those have been replaced, or plan on $200 or so more to get them fixed.  I paid $600 for my Kappa 8's, but then had to refurb those drivers, which cost me $250 (I went with Miller Sound out of Pennsylvania).

 

Value for the money, I'd go with the RSIII's....unless you're trying to fill a concert hall of a room... then you'd need the bigger Kappa's, bi-amping, etc.

 

Your results may vary of course.  But, this has been my experience.

 

Thank you, Kurt. That's good information...

 

More for me, is that this area is a waste-land for listings of the gear that I am looking for - in my own unscientific observation - but then, when you see a listing in, say Phoenix for NHTs..., that "feeling" is exacerbated.

[Daddyjt 9,842]

In retrospect I fear that my critique of the Infinity sound may come across as a bit more derogatory than I intended.  It was not my intent to disparage the brand or the sound.  I can’t stress enough that it was MY TASTE that changed.  The Kappa 9 served me well for a number of years, and I derived much pleasure from them.  In fact, it caused me significant anguish to part-out my last pair.  However, I did take comfort in knowing that the process likely revived/repaired several other pair, allowing them to soldier on.

 

My bafflement at @Sk1Bum looking to move on from his NHTs is probably similar to other’s bafflement at my feelings towards Infinity - but then we all know Dick is a bit crazy, so that explains a lot;-)

[Sk1Bum 12,713]

11 minutes ago, Daddyjt said:

My bafflement at @Sk1Bum looking to move on from his NHTs is probably similar to other’s bafflement at my feelings towards Infinity - but then we all know Dick is a bit crazy, so that explains a lot;-)

 

I proved that today at a gun shop.

 

The NHT's sound great, but my Martin Logans are perfect.