Looking to get new speakers for my 2000 A4 non-bose. Have heard some good things about Infinity Kappa. Do they sound better than BA proseries or MB Quart? Going to add an external amp to power them...

Russ
'00 1.8TQXC

you need to go listen and decide what your ears like, some folks love MBQ, i personally hate em.. they sound shrill. Kappa are more mellow, the highs arent so high, that may be your preference. Let your ears and wallet be your guide.

All 3 brands u listed are nice brands. It is up to you to find what suits u.


Darren
`00 A4 Image Dynamics/Xtant

and allll round audiophile. :oD

...speakers one bit. The Boston Pros are exceptional, IMO though. But, as Foo mentioned, sound is a personal preference. I like the Bostons because they handle mid bass well and have bright, but very clear highs. If you want something very smooth and can spend the money, look at A/D/S, as they are some of the best I've heard. MB's are just way too harsh for me; to the point where I think they sound distorted. Infact, I think the Boston Ralley series sounds better than the MB's.

As always, your experiences may differ and I accept no responsibility if you can't stand the Bostons! :-)

I would in no way characterize my MB's as harsh and they DEFINATELY do not sound distored. In fact, just the opposite, I would say they are quite precise in replicating the music I listen to. Now for the caveats:

1) I have the Referenz Premiums (these are not their top-of the line Q-series, but the next step down). There are 2 models below the Referenz Premiums: the Referenz series and the Autobahn series. These lower-end models use a .75" or .50" (depending on the year/model) tweeter and a higher crossover point than the Premiums that have a 1" tweeter. Especially with the high mounting point of the stock tweeter location, a lower crossover point helps dramatically with the imaging and soundstage. The sound is drastically different and I personally would not buy either of the low-end models.

2) I have either 98 or 99 model MBQuarts (not sure which) and have heard the new models. The shop where I listened to them said the quality of the sound is not as good as in years past and I would have to agree (at least one other person here on the forum had the same opinion I remember reading). I also know that MBQuart, Germany was placed in receivership 2 years ago (similiar to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US) and this may have lead to cost-cutting measures that have reduced the quality of their speakers.

3) The "sound" that you'll experience from the MB's are like being at a Nirvana concert: crashing cymbols and screaming guitars. I have Infinity Overture series speakers in my home theater which are much more "warm" and "musical" when compared to the MB's in my car. Much easier to listen to in the background at lower volumes. The MB's want POWER and want to be driven (just like the A4) which is why I like them in the car - great for driving music.

So after all that, the only MB's I would recommend are the higher-end models from a couple of years ago or earlier. I really liked the a/d/s when I heard them and almost got these. I don't think you would be disappointed with them, but they are not cheap. I remember at least 2 people who had the Infinity Kappa's and said they were OK, but ended up replacing them after a while for something else (I didn't listen to these). I didn't listen to the BA Pro's but many, many folk here on the board love them (check the archives for more).

Hope this helps,
GaryJ

I ended up going with the BA 6.5 Pros in my TTQ. I didn't like the way the highs were produced by the MB tweeters. The sound was very shriil to my ears. The BA Pros was much sweeter and warmer to me. I happen to like the sound of New England speaker. All excpet for Bose, which sound like to **** to me, even their home stuff!

I ended up getting BA Pro 6.5 in the front and BA 8.5LF Subs in the rear. The music is tight, clean, clear and can be played as loud as I want with zero distortion!

I can concur about the a/d/s speakers, they are a very sweet speaker! I contemplated those, but went with the BA's. I liked the sound just a bit more. Price was not an object when I made my decision. It was based solely on how the speakers sounded TO ME!

Larry
180TTQ Garrett, H&R, Borla(??/??), V1, Custom Stereo<ul><li><a href="http://larrytt.tripod.com">http://larrytt.tripod.com</a</li></ul>