Infinity Primus 360

CNET editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Design : 7.0
  Features : 7.0
  Performance : 7.0
  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Steve Guttenberg
• Reviewed on: 11/11/2003
• Updated on: 03/02/2005
• Released on: 07/15/2003

Small speakers have grabbed a huge share of the speaker market. The best of them are blessed with state-of-the-art midrange accuracy; sweet, airy treble response; and razor-sharp imaging. But these diminutive specimens will never punch out fast-and-furious special effects, heavy-duty bass response, or full-throttle dynamic impact. Those qualities are still the exclusive domain of floor-standing models such as the Primus 360. It's at the top of the Primus line, but at a list price of $329, it's the company's most affordable tower.

Sleek this speaker is not. The imposing Primus 360 measures 39 inches tall, 8.25 inches wide, and 13 inches deep. Infinity doesn't offer opulent wood finishes or even piano black; the cabinet comes in only black "wood grain" vinyl. Hugging the curved front baffle is a large, form-fitting grille; we think the 360 looks better without it. When the tower is naked, the handsome silver baffle and the four gray drivers add some visual interest. If nothing else, the Primus's 48-pound heft speaks to its impressive build quality.

For once, the designers remembered to put the port on the front instead of at the rear. Squeezing the Primus close to the wall won't restrict the port's airflow, so you have greater placement flexibility.

The Primus 360 features Infinity's anodized-aluminum Metal Matrix Diaphragm drivers. The idea behind this proprietary design is that the anodizing process strengthens the drivers, which can then deliver improved transient response and sound quality.

Most competing models are two-way designs; that is, they have a woofer and a tweeter. But the 360 is a three-way speaker. Twin 6.5-inch woofers support a 3-inch midrange and a 0.75-inch dome tweeter. All the drivers are magnetically shielded, so you can safely place the 360 right next to a TV.

The all-metal binding posts accept banana jacks or bare wire leads.

The Kids Are Alright is a spirited rock documentary covering the Who's first 15 years. As soon as we heard John Entwistle's thundering bass lines, we knew the 360s weren't poseurs. The bass was beyond powerful--it had the meaty texture we associate with a live performance. It was as if we were at a concert listening to an electric bass slam out of a big amplifier. And Keith Moon's drum kit sounded huge. The DVD also includes the Who's scenes from the Woodstock movie. Those clinched the deal for us--these speakers can rock out! For a comparison test, we briefly switched to the Klipsch RF-15 towers. They offered more midrange detail but lacked the 360s' awesome majesty.

The Moulin Rouge DVD's lavish musical numbers positively erupted from the Primus ensemble. These potent speakers can easily accommodate rooms larger than 400 square feet. And the 360s have plenty of bass, maybe enough to go without a subwoofer in home theaters 200 square feet or smaller.

How did the 360s handle good ol' stereo CDs? David Crosby and Graham Nash's all-acoustic Another Stoney Evening sounded sweet. Their glorious voices and guitars were so three-dimensional and reach-out-and-touch real that we almost thought we were listening in surround. The speakers' lack of sizzle and exaggerated detail make them good candidates for use with bright-sounding receivers. Then again, some listeners may find the towers too soft or laid-back and yearn for more immediacy.

We finished our auditions with a golden oldie, Hitchcock's Vertigo DVD. Older films can sound boxed-in or canned on lesser speakers, but the 360s brought out the best in this 1958 soundtrack. Bernard Herrmann's romantic score gave us goose bumps as the opening credits rolled by.

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