Infinity Beta 20 (black)

• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 6 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 5 stars

  Smallish Space? Like clarity? Get something else...

  by dadablacksheep on June 30, 2009

  Pros: Smooth highs at loud volumes. Can go pretty loud, filling a bigger room with relative ease for a "small" speaker.

  Cons: Boring sound. Lack of clarity and nuance in music or dialog.

  Summary: After getting my new Sonos system (which is the single best thing to ever happen to my music) I found a great deal on a pair of Beta 20s. Picked ...

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  Summary: After getting my new Sonos system (which is the single best thing to ever happen to my music) I found a great deal on a pair of Beta 20s. Picked up a refurb pair for $80 shipped. I'm shamed to admit they replaced a pair of older Aiwa shelf-system speakers, so needless to say I was expecting to love them by comparison.
  After an hour of listening to them alone, one and then the other, just the Aiwas again, back to the Infinity etc I was kinda sad. Sadder still the first time I watched a movie using these as my mains with no center channel.
  
  On positive note, these guys are pretty warm, and I did not find them to be overly bright. When the volume was up that is where the difference became screechingly clear. The Infinitys highs stayed clear and not harsh no mater the volume, and the base response was good for a bookshelf speaker. The issue for me is that, even with the volume up, they still sounded... flat. Just not very interesting. This was OK for music, but became distractingly bland when viewing movies. Dialog became muddied, and I found myself having to turn up and re-listen to scenes to get what was said.
  
  I hesitated writing a review as I don't have a separate EQ or a high end amp, and figured my problem lay more in those areas. However, I just picked up an Energy Classic 5.0 to pair with my 8" Polk sub. After listening to the Energy Classics, I know its not my setup that was leaving me flat, it was the speakers. I do miss the fuller lows from the Beta 20s (the Classics only go down to like 115) but the sub takes care of that just fine. The clarity of vocals, dialog, and nuances of music and atmosphere are sooooo much more clear now, even when just listening to 2 of the satellites in plain stereo, music grabs you. I'll be selling my Infinitys.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  Sound great!

  by bartbyerley on March 3, 2007

  Pros: Great sound reproduction

  Cons: Slightly bulky and heavy

  Summary: I've had these speakers for a few months now and I absolutely love them. I have the whole beta line-up in my home theater system and I wouldn't ...

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  Summary: I've had these speakers for a few months now and I absolutely love them. I have the whole beta line-up in my home theater system and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  Great sounding speaker

  by leadbelly2550 on October 7, 2009

  Pros: Great sound reproduction, solidly-built, unobtrusive looking, not a current model so it's an amazing bargain.

  Cons: Not the most compact speaker you will find. Box isn't real wood (who does that today for this price point?). People craving a deep, deep low end will want a subwoofer.

  Summary: I purchased these speakers to replace a set of Infinity Reference Two bookshelf speakers that were still fine after 18 years of use. I am still breaking them in, so ...

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  Summary: I purchased these speakers to replace a set of Infinity Reference Two bookshelf speakers that were still fine after 18 years of use. I am still breaking them in, so they probably don't yet produce the full accuracy and range of sound they are capable of, but they already sound amazing in my office, just sitting on a carpeted floor, and even better sitting on top of a wood credenza. That's true whether I play Mozart piano sonatas, Miles Davis, Yes, Green Day, Annie Lennox, Living Colour, Radiohead. The highs are accurate without being harsh on my ears, and the mid-low range is solid, tight, not at all "boomy" - yet i can feel it. i figure they will sound even better after they are broken in.
  
  Like virtually all modern two-way bookshelf speakers at this price level, these don't have the deep low end of older, large-woofer speakers. these are more than enough sound for my office or a medium sized room and would undoubtedly be fine in a 20x20 living room as stereo or front channels for a very nice but not bank-breaking surround system. i would recommend a sub-woofer if you are thinking about a 15x15 or larger room, or for people looking for earth-shaking bass for music, home theater or gaming. i have read some people use these as satellites, but they seem a little large for that purpose, and you would need a powerhouse set of front speakers if these are the satellites. they are really a little large and heavy to wall-mount, and they don't have any slots in the back to do that. if you are space-challenged, you may find these (14" high x 13" deep x 9" wide) somewhat bulky.
  
  this is a rear-ported speaker, so it sounds better if you leave some room between the back of the speaker and the wall. the cabinet feels very solid and appears to be engineered wood with a vinyl wood-grain exterior. Mine are black. The grille is metal and solid, so you're not going to damage anything underneath unless you remove the grille - or smack it with a baseball bat, maybe.
  
  to make the most of them - get a receiver that has clean power and a good dynamic range (i happen to like onkyo and harman kardon, but even their low-end receivers are quite good if you don't need lots of bells and whistles) and use good, thick speaker wire. also, keep in mind that while these sound great, higher-resolution sources (CD/DVD) sound better than your ipod.
  
  Infinity does not make these any more, but i found a pair for less than half of the original list price. Don't get hung up on the newest models at this price point - speakers haven't improved that much over the years. as a brand, Infinity speakers have proved to be very reliable for me.
  
  i couldn't be more pleased with the sound - i have heard speakers that don't sound this good at twice the price.

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• 10 stars

  Can't be beat for the price

  by lsiberian on December 5, 2008

  Pros: -Price around $50 each on Ebay
  -Great Tweeter sound
  -Solid Construction
  -Great Bass for a speaker it size.
  -Well made woofers
  -Nice metal grill
  -Rear Connectors

  Cons: -Big Size and Heavy Weight(not a drawback for me)

  Summary: I just flat out love these speakers. They produce very high quality trebles as demonstrated in my viewing of the Battle of Britain. Solid mid-range as demonstrated by the female ...

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  Summary: I just flat out love these speakers. They produce very high quality trebles as demonstrated in my viewing of the Battle of Britain. Solid mid-range as demonstrated by the female voices I have heard through these speakers in the movie.
  
  In Music though is where they really prosper. I listened to an orchestra on these speakers and was blown away by the quality. I'm still drooling just thinking about it. Don't pass up this deal.

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• 9 stars

  Try BEFORE you buy!!

  by T-Minator on July 31, 2007

  Pros: Sound, Color, Build

  Cons: Yes, they are a bit big for a bookshelf speaker

  Summary: I use these asa surround L/R speakers for movies, and stereo speakers for music. I think they sound great. They give me a rich, deep stereo sound that I ...

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  Summary: I use these asa surround L/R speakers for movies, and stereo speakers for music. I think they sound great. They give me a rich, deep stereo sound that I really love. The size, however, has been a problem as I am trying to find speaker stands for them. I would recommend that you try them in-store before you pay $$ for them, that way you get want you want. Buying speakers is like buying a piano. Don't shell out big cash because of the name and hype. Sit down and listen to it/them.

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  0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 4 stars

  Nice Looking, Not Very Dynamic

  by chargrove on October 20, 2006

  Pros: Exceptionally nice looking speakers. Sturdy grilles.

  Cons: Even after some break-in, they just don't grab me.

  Summary: Okay, so I don't expect anything close to audio perfection with a pair of $400 loudspeakers. Let's get that out of the way. However, as big as these ...

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  Summary: Okay, so I don't expect anything close to audio perfection with a pair of $400 loudspeakers. Let's get that out of the way. However, as big as these speakers are and as solid as they feel (21 lbs. each), and the way Infinity hypes the CMMD materials used in the manufacturing of the horns, I'd expect a little more color to these. I read that they provided too much high end, but I don't really get that impression after using them. I like my speakers to have a distincitve characteristic about them...some element that I can point to and say, "Yeah, I like the treble, bass, imaging ability, etc." With these speakers, there is no one thing I can point out that they do really well. They are quite flat, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it still doesn't take away from the fact that they just don't pull me in and make me appreciate music, which is mainly what they will be used for in my entertainment room. Sure, some of my music sounds pretty darn good through these babies, but I know there is better out there in this price range because I've heard it for myself. I thought the size and weight of these speakers would set them apart from other smaller bookshelf loudspeakers, but that is not the case. Will probably be returning them.

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  1 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

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