Infinity INTERLUDE IL60 User Manual

Infinity, Interlude il60, Surround speaker system

pink noise.

The IL60 also includes the ingenious

R.A.B.O.S. (Room Adaptive Bass Optimiza-
tion System), a user-friendly, single-band
parametric bass-equalization scheme to
deal with the low-frequency “bumps” that
afflict most rooms. With only two speakers,
it’s possible to minimize the problem with
speaker placement. But home-theater
speaker placement is often dictated by
where you put your monitor, making
R.A.B.O.S. an even more important feature
for a 5.1-channel setup.

Where did Infinity cut costs to bring the

IL60’s price down to $2000/pair? Rap the
side of the cabinet and you’ll know. Or look
at it closely: The overall construction quali-
ty—fit, finish, and bracing—is competent,
but not in the same league as far more
expensive speakers. Nonetheless, the IL60

is an amazing value that few small compa-
nies could afford to offer. And with a choice
of three grillecloth colors (Warm Platinum
is standard), it can be dressed up to look a
bit less monolithic. (A smaller, less expen-
sive 3-way system, the IL50, $1298/pair, is
also available.)

At 32 lbs, the four-driver, 3-way Interlude

IL36c is one of the heftier center-channel
speakers around. It costs $500 and has a 1-
inch dome tweeter and a 4-inch midrange,
these flanked by a pair of 6

⁄

-inch bass dri-

vers. It’s 23 inches wide and 12

⁄

inches

deep, so before you buy, make sure your
monitor can accommodate it. (The smaller,
lighter, three-driver IL25c is also available,
for $299.)

Infinity also sent along a pair of Interlude

IL10s ($400/pair), one of the smaller models
in the Interlude line, for use as surrounds.

The IL10 is a stand-mounted 2-way featur-
ing a 1-inch tweeter and a 6

⁄

-inch woofer.

As reviewed, the complete system cost

was $3950—a solid value. But just before
press time, Infinity reduced the cost of the
IL60 to $2000/pair (from $3000) and the
IL10 to $400/pair (from $450). That drops
the cost of the entire system to $2900—a
steal, particularly when you realize that that
includes a center-channel speaker that’s
not the usual top-of-the-TV afterthought,
and 1000W of dual 12-inch bass power;
unless you really feel the need to go below
28Hz (and I do mean feel), you won’t need a
subwoofer.

Setup
The IL60’s rear panel includes subwoofer
line-level in and out, a set of speaker-level
5-way binding posts, and switches for sub-

ig is beautiful. The Infinity

Interlude IL60 is big but not superficially
beautiful. What’s beautiful is that a big
company like Harman International can
spend millions on driver-technology R&D,
build a state-of-the-art speaker like the
$10,000 Infinity Prelude MTS—a bargain
itself—and then shower the considerable
R&D benefits on a modestly priced speaker
like the IL60. At $2000/pair, it can hardly be
described as a “poor man’s” Infinity Pre-
lude, but considering what you get for your
money, the IL60 is one of the best loud-
speaker values around.

The floorstanding 4-way tower includes a

1-inch dome tweeter, a 4-inch midrange, a
6

⁄

-inch midbass driver, and a side-mount-

ed 12-inch woofer powered by a built-in
500W amplifier. The drivers, as in every
Interlude speaker, are all Ceramic Metal
Matrix Diaphragms—aluminum coated on
both sides with a ceramic material—
designed under the watchful eye of Dr.
Floyd E. Toole, Harman’s vice president of
engineering, who spent years researching
loudspeakers at Canada’s National
Research Council in Ottawa. These stiff,
lightweight, low-resonance drivers are

designed to have uniform dispersive char-
acteristics so that direct and reflected
sounds maintain similar, smooth timbral
balances. Toole’s research has shown that
the ear is particularly sensitive to resonant
peaks, whether they’re heard from on- or
off-axis. Generally, the higher the Q of the
resonance (that is, the narrower in frequen-
cy width), the greater its amplitude must be
for us to hear it. Toole’s research demon-
strates that we can perceive low-Q reso-
nances (ones that cover a wider frequency
range) that deviate as little as 1.5dB from
flat-on orchestral material and 0.3dB on

Interlude IL60

4-way floorstanding tower

speaker with powered subwoofer

Drivers:

1" dome tweeter, 4" midrange cone,

⁄

" midbass cone, 12" powered subwoofer

cone

Subwoofer amplifier:

500W into 8

Ω

Frequency response:

28Hz–22kHz, ±3dB

(subwoofer: 20–100Hz, <0.1% THD)

Nominal impedance:

Ω

Sensitivity:

89dB (2.83V @ 1m)

Recommended amplification:

15–175W

Dimensions:

48"

⁄

" (H

Weight:

75 lbs

Price:

$2000/pair

Interlude IL36c

3-way center speaker

Drivers:

1" dome tweeter, 4" midrange cone,

two 6

⁄

" cone woofers

Frequency response:

55Hz–22kHz, ±3dB

Nominal impedance:

Ω

Sensitivity:

91dB (2.83V @ 1m)

Recommended amplification:

15–175W

Dimensions:

23"

⁄

" (W

Weight:

32 lbs

Price:

$500

Interlude IL10

2-way surround speaker

Drivers:

1" dome tweeter, 6

⁄

" cone woofer

Frequency response:

56Hz–22kHz, ±3dB

Nominal impedance:

Ω

Sensitivity:

88dB (2.83V @ 1m)

Recommended amplification:

15–150W

Dimensions:

⁄

" (H

Weight:

18 lbs

Price:

$400/pair

System
Drivers:

all C.M.M.D. (Ceramic Metal Matrix

Diaphragm)

Price:

$2900

Manufacturer
Infinity Systems
250 Crossways Park Drive
Woodbury, NY 11797
tel. (800) 553-3332
fax (516) 682-3523
www.infinitysystems.com

SPECIFICATIONS

E Q U I P M E N T R E P O R T

Infinity

Interlude IL60

Michael Fremer

SURROUND SPEAKER SYSTEM

Stereophile Guide to Home Theater • January 2002

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