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Infinity Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary with the Prelude Forty

The higher the end, the higher the price

Oct 8, 2008 13:24 GMT  ·  By
The Infinity Prelude Forty, a high-end floorstander celebrating the company's 40th anniversary
   The Infinity Prelude Forty, a high-end floorstander celebrating the company's 40th anniversary

Among audiophiles, Infinity is a name that needs little introduction and which is synonym with exceptional craftsmanship, a lot of attention given to detail and acoustic bliss. And one more thing: loudspeakers that never come in cheap. Now, Infinity is celebrating its 40th anniversary and has created a new floorstanding loudspeaker, meant to mark this very beautiful age and make the competition in the high-end range even fiercer than it already is. And that's why we present to you the Prelude Forty.

If you're looking for casual speakers, with casual sound and common looks, then you should definitely not read any further, because the Infinity Prelude Forty has none of these.

Developed as a powerful statement in the loudspeaker market, the Prelude Forty boasts the most refined technologies to be found in the Infinity labs. One characteristic you'll instantly notice is its very narrow width, which makes it stand out from the crowd; this very slim profile helps for the best horizontal acoustic dispersion while giving you more options when it comes to arranging your room.

Unlike most other loudspeakers in the same class, the Infinity Prelude Forty uses the proprietary MRS technology for the mid-range drivers. MRS (short for Maximum Radiating Surface) allegedly gives a more accurate and fast response over the designed frequency range while at the same time being capable to attain a higher tonal articulation than common drivers. The diaphragms used in MRS drivers are crafted upon the spec of the Ceramic Metal Matrix Diaphragm (CMMD) process, involving anodizing a ceramic compound to an aluminium core, thus giving it a reduced mass but enhanced rigidity.

The CMMD tweeter reaches beyond 40 kHz and will definitely satisfy the needs of the most demanding audiophiles while the 2"-voice coil side-firing 8" CMMD woofers with opposite orientation will deliver the clean thump that's necessary for a rolling sound with a strong, personal character and a deep, warm sonic experience. The Infinity Prelude Forty retails in either high-gloss black, real-wood cherry or rosewood finish versions, with black removable grilles and a price tag of around $6,000 a piece.

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