Infinity C336 - Manual

T

h e b a r f o r I n f i n i t y ’s s p e a k e r
designs stands pretty high, for a
couple of rea sons. Fi rst, t here’s
tradition. Infinity’s history encom-

passes the imposing Servo-Static and Ref-
erence Standard Beta and Gamma models
from Back When Giants Roamed the Earth
(t he 1970s a nd ’80s — h ig h-end aud io’s
glory days). These were among t he most
soph i s t ic ated, c apable, a nd ex pen sive
speakers then made. Second, there’s affili-
ation. As one of the Harman International
family of companies, Infinity has at its dis-
posal some of the very best technical and
human resources in the world.

Given all that, I was eager to put Infini-

ty’s new Classia Series to the test. The sys-
tem t hat t he compa ny sent me included
the C336 f ront lef t/right towers, a CC225
c ente r - c h a n nel s pe a k e r, a nd a pa i r of
C255ES surrounds — Janus-headed dual-
two-way models that can be set for dipole,
bipole, or monopole operation by means
of a behind-t he-grille switch. Rounding
out the suite under test was Infinity’s new
PSW310W subwoofer, a 10-i nc h desig n
wit h t he nif ty featu re of a wireless con-

nection (although you still have to plug it
into the wall to make it go “boom”).

The Classias (Classiæ?) bear an obvious

family resemblance to Infinity’s still-cur-
rent Gumby-browed, flat-pa nel-d rivered
Cascade Ser ies (rev iewed in September
2006 and available on the

S&V

Web site).

But the newer models are larger, being an
inch or t wo w ider a nd deeper, a nd sev-
eral inches taller. They use conventional,
rou nd dy na m ic d r ivers, a lt houg h w it h
Infinity’s usual high-tech seasonings —
in this case, a laminated, metal/ceramic
“C M M D” c o mp o s it e f o r b o t h t w e e t e r
a nd wo of e r d i aph r a g m s, a nd a ne wly
devised tweeter waveguide (a tiny horn,
sor ta) t hat’s sa id to ra ise sensit iv it y for
i mproved dy na m ic head room a nd si m-
plified crossover design.

Whatever its high-tech credentials, the

Classia suite certainly looks, well, classy.
These are st rikingly handsome speakers
with an assertively contemporary design.
Infinity supplied the full system in gloss
pia no-black lacquer (real cher r y veneer
is also available). But the C336s’ sharply
raked tops precluded my habitual piling

up of CD and DVD cases, remote controls,
a nd cof fee cups into teetering towers of
terror. What were they thinking?

SETUP

Run five spea ker wires, and you’re done
wit h setting up t he main cha nnels. The
PSW310W w i r eless subwoofer spor t s a
little Wi-Fi-style stubby on its rear panel,
a nd it s deck-of-ca rds-sized t ra nsm it ter
h a s a st ub of it s ow n. The t ra n sm it ter,
which accepts a single signal cable f rom
a receiver or preamp’s subwoofer output,
fou nd t he sub i m mediately. A nd once I
switched the transmitting channel a cou-
ple of times, I experienced no interference
on the audio system — or on my studio’s
Wi-Fi or cordless-phone systems.

MUSIC & MOVIE PERFORMANCE

I ra n t he C336s by t hemselves in stereo
for starters, and I was quickly convinced
of their full-range abilities. But I was less
happy w it h t hei r tona l ba la nce where I
initially placed them — close against the
front wall and flanking my 52-inch Sam-
sung TV. They sounded progressively bet-
ter t he f u r t her I moved t hem away f rom
t he w a l l ; I u lt i m ately wou nd up w it h
nea rly 4 feet between t he wall’s su rface
and the speakers’ front baffles.

The C336s have a neut ral sound, wit h

test

reports

Daniel Kumin

PHOTO BY

TONY CORDOZA

Classia Series home theater speaker system

–

+

Snapshot

This system’s eye-catching appearance
promises — and delivers — precise
performance, and it has a wireless sub
to boot

Plus

::

Controlled, detailed, transparent sound

::

Very good dipole/bipole/monopole
surrounds

::

Wireless sub delivers the low-end goods

Minus

::

Need to move speakers well out from
wall for best balance

::

Low sensitivity requires lots of amp power

The Short Form

Price

$4,094 (as tested)

Infinity

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66

SEPTEMBER 2008

SOUND & V ISION

soundandvisionmag.com