Infinity Reference Speakers: RS152 Loudspeakers (Pair) $130, RC252 Center Expired

Pasting from the last deal:

Here are a few things to consider about these speakers and brand, based on tons of reading and online research I've done over the past few months. Admittedly, I moved from not knowing about this brand to having a 3.x setup with them, then 5.x and now 7.x. Obviously, that's based on my impressions so YMMV.

The RC263 is a behemoth of a speaker. It's powerful, has nice bass to it (although it could benefit from a dedicated sub) and delivers clear sounds. It's really of insane value given its price. As mentioned, it's HUGE. make sure you account for its size on all dimensions before making the purchase. Take the measurements and verify it fits your media console or can comfortably sit on top of it. Some people suggested hanging it on a wall, but that sounds too obtrusive too given its size. Here's a review from the fantastic site "Audio Science Review" (link ): "The Infinity RC263 has excellent objective measurements for a budget center speaker. They have tried hard to hit key aspects of good sound in a horizontal center speaker within a very tough budget. So unless you can afford to spend a ton more, the RC263 makes for a very good center speaker in a home theater, augmented by a subwoofer"
The R162 (I have 4 of those) are amazing for their price. It's really a great speaker. Review (quote: "The Infinity R162 definitely seems to have benefited from good design. Whether on purpose (to sell better in showroom) or not, the elevated highs are a bit of an issue but fortunately that cam be tamed with equalization. The rest of the performance both objectively and subjective is very good and not at all that of a cheap junk speaker"). Once I got the R253 I actually felt that the R162 are of less value, but given their size they are still great. I use them for surround channels (L/R and back L/R. I put them on "PERLESMITH Universal Floor Speaker Stands 26 Inch for Surround Sound" for $70/pair).
The R152 are supposed to be little brother of the 162. They are smaller, but I don't know if its worth buying those when you can get the R162 for a few $ more.
The R253 tower (I own 2 of those) are fantastic. Review : "The Infinity Reference 253 is one hell of a package. You couldn't build one quarter of it for what they are selling it for right now. The new measurements show excellent performance, sans two bits: a dip around 2 kHz and too much treble energy. Both were easily fixable with EQ". That review also reports an issue with the tweeter range, but it's unclear whether that was a one-off or not. I couldn't hear issues with my unit, but I'm far from being an audiophile, and I don't own the relevant equipment to measure the sounds, as was done in the review. I'm happy with my units, to be clear.
The R263 are supposed to be even better than the 253. They are slightly bulkier, so I didn't get/hear them.


Brand/Service/Delivery:

When in stock, they ship super fast - you get it in 3-4 days. Don't think twice - order as IT WILL GO OOS soon.
When things go OOS and backordered, some have us waited ~6 weeks with very poor and conflicting communication from Harman Audio reps regarding the status of orders.
Many report packages arriving banged up. Mine missed a few inches of cardboard. However, I haven't read on someone who got a banged up product. Definitely take photos of the boxes once you get them, instead you need to report an issue.
HA have a 30 days return policy. I haven't tried it, but it sounds good on paper.
Some people report getting coupons codes for a small discount after contacting HA support and complaining about issues with past orders. YMMV.

Good luck!

A good sub can never be overkill

I have demo'd every speaker in this line in my theater room, feel free to ask me any questions you may have about the different options. Here are a few size comparison pictures between the RC252 & RC263 as well as the R152 & R162. It's a sizeable difference in both cases.

http://imgur.com/a/dZrLk71

Here are a some snaps of my theater room using all Infinity Reference speakers in a 7.2.4 setup (subs are UM18-22's not Infinity). Please forgive any duplicate'ish photos. I didn't spend time going through them. Just wanted to grab some with speaker grills on and some off to give folks an idea of what these actually look like in a room. I also have a 5.1 setup to put in the living room because I like these speakers so much.

https://imgur.com/a/Tm4beIp