Infinity Kappa Series 124.7w - A New Warrior In The Subwoofer Wars - Review Subwoofer

A Cappella
Livingston Taylor "Grandma's Hands"Now for something completely different - a cappella means just vocals, no instruments other than the human voice. You're probably wondering why I'd use a track like this to test a subwoofer. Well, not only will a good subwoofer lend a realistic sound to deep, male voices, but this particular track has a stomping foot in it that most people don't even notice because many subs can't reproduce it. This is bass you don't so much hear as feel. It's a really low frequency, probably down in the 20Hz range. Let's see what the Infinity sub does with this track.

What do you know? It did a commendable job of reproducing the foot stomp and also made the male voices sound rich and masculine. Some subs will make the foot stomp sound way too loud in relation to the vocals, and some, as I said already, won't even reproduce it at all. So far, I'd have to say the Infinity engineers did their homework on this sub, especially with the budgetary constraints they were undoubtedly working under.Score: 6.5/10

Jazz
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones "Michelle"For those of you unfamiliar with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, do yourself a favor and pick up something by these guys. You'll be amazed at what they can do with an eclectic mix of instruments and styles. They use a very interesting bass guitar-type thing that was designed and built by their bass player, and they mix in harmonica, banjo and numerous instruments not usually associated with mainstream jazz. This particular selection is from their album Flight of the Cosmic Hippo and is a unique take on the Beatles' "Michelle."

This track starts off with a banjo/bass duet that is soon joined by a solo harmonica playing the melody. At times the bass also plays the melody and then goes into a fugue-like duet with the banjo. The bass line walks up and down as the other instruments exchange melodic lines. I was very pleased with how well the Infinity sub reproduced the textures and sounds of the bass guitar. I was able to hear every note clearly. The 124.7w also added a very believable presence to the kick and bass drums that punctuate this selection, and the counterpoint between the harmonica and bass was also very interesting. A little farther along in this piece there's an improvised bass solo that this sub really shone on. The transition between sub-bass and midbass was seamless and seemed to emanate from the front of the car. This was a great manifestation of the linearity of this driver. This woofer appeared to have the ability to track exactly whatever the low-frequency instruments were doing at any given time, even when things got fast and furious, as in this solo.Score: 7/10

Blues
Jonny Lang "Rack 'Em Up"This track features a walking bass line that makes the bass pretty much the star of the show. What I look for here is linearity and quickness, along with good tonality. It just doesn't sound right if some notes are louder than others, or the sound gets muddy and undefined in places.

At the beginning of this piece, the bass leads in with a solo, layin' down the groove and setting the mood for the entire selection. The bass sounded tight, dynamic and well defined, and again it blended very well with the front stage in my car. At no time did the bass become overbearing or boomy. I also noticed good linearity as the bass player walks up and down the scale. These qualities require a well-designed, quick-responding driver with very light and stiff components throughout, and the Infinity 124.7w did a credible job in all respects. I must say that if I hadn't seen this woofer before I auditioned it, I wouldn't have guessed I was listening to something as large as a 12-incher. It sounds like a small, quick driver - something along the lines of an 8" or 10", that is until it was asked to reproduce some really low information. Then it showed its size! Very impressive, indeed.Score: 7/10

Classical
Tchaikovsky "1812 Overture"This is the classic, classical selection with the cannon shots in it, so I just had to use it to test this Infinity subwoofer. It's done very well so far, but can it handle explosions and the like? We're gonna find out right now.

At the beginning of this track all is quiet and peaceful, with the orchestra setting a somewhat somber and mysterious mood. This mood doesn't last long though, as the intensity builds quite rapidly to an urgent feel and increased volume. Classical music is renowned for its dynamic range, which can be anything from a solo flute to an entire symphony of 150 or more musicians. This is a lot to ask any component in your system to faithfully reproduce, and it can be quite a handful for even the best subwoofer. The bass violins sounded very large here, which is what we want. As the urgency increases, so did the output of the Infinity 124.7w. I experienced no breakup by the sub, just good lower end support. So far, so good. The 40" bass drum sounded every bit as big as it should have, as the tympani contributed their share to the fray. The 124.7w held its own. As the intensity continued to build toward the climax, I steadied myself for the cannon shots, hoping the Infinity would be able to handle what was coming. Do I dare turn it up any louder? What the hell, why not? The bowed double basses supported the upper-frequency voices beautifully, and again I was surprised at how well this medium-priced entry did its job. It even sounded like the bass was up front with me at this performance level. At the climactic point in this selection the subwoofer handled the dynamics with aplomb, and it felt as if the entire structure of the car was shaking, from a single 12" subwoofer!Score: 7/10

Conclusion
When I first saw this subwoofer I didn't hold out any great expectations. It just looks so basic and simple: no chrome, no huge cast frame, and a reasonable mounting depth and price tag. Then I played it and got quite a pleasant surprise! If your pockets aren't too deep and you don't have a lot of space to mount it in, this could be your subwoofer. You certainly don't give up much in the way of performance, and it's a great value for your hard-earned dollar. Two thumbs up for the Infinity 124.7w!