In one of the most significant product introductions in the company's history, Infinity Systems is debuting its Prelude® Forty, a new flagship loudspeaker. Created to commemorate the company's 40th anniversary, the Prelude Forty features slim-profile styling, and incorporates advanced Infinity® engineering innovations, including Infinity's proprietary Maximum Radiating Surface™ (MRS™) flat-panel loudspeaker technology, which provides a narrow width and slimmer profile.

The Prelude Forty's proportioned design gradually tapers from the bottom to the top, and a front baffle that curves into the top surface. The Infinity Prelude Forty will be available in a number of finishes, accented by removable black grilles.

Prelude Forty: Celebrating Forty Years of Infinity Loudspeaker Design

The Infinity Prelude Forty employs the company's most advanced engineering innovations. The loudspeaker features four MRS flat-panel midrange drivers that are constructed using the company's proprietary Ceramic Metal Matrix Diaphragm (CMMD®) material, which is manufactured by anodizing a ceramic compound to both sides of a flat-panel aluminum core. This technique produces light and rigid driver diaphragms, which, according to the company, yields exceptional resolution and transient response, with the inherent resonant frequency "breakup mode" of the driver moved well outside its audible range. Raised ribs, as well as gussets (indentations along the edges of the panel) are incorporated into the diaphragm to increase rigidity.

According to the company, the MRS driver's tall and narrow rectangular shape maximizes (by having less unused baffle space) the sound-radiating surface area available on the loudspeakers, while allowing a slim front-panel design and providing a smooth radiation pattern in the horizontal plane while minimizing floor and ceiling reflections, for precise imaging and an expansive, realistic soundstage over a wide listening area.

The MRS driver incorporates two large elliptical voice coils, rather than a single conventional round voice coil, with rectangular neodymium magnets. According to the company, this provides maximum contact and superior coupling between the voice coils and the diaphragm, resulting in increased efficiency and dynamic capability, superior transient response, and additional sonic benefits.

Another engineering feature of the MRS driver is its Same-Plane Surround suspension. In a conventional-cone driver, the outer edge of the cone and the surround are located on a different geometric plane than the voice coil - a configuration that can cause the cone to rock back and forth as it moves, creating audible distortions. According to the company, the MRS driver's Same-Plane Surround technology eliminates this effect by placing the edge of the MRS diaphragm and its surround on the same plane as the driving force from the voice coil.

The Prelude Forty features a CMMD tweeter with frequency response that extends beyond 40kHz. The tweeter operates in conjunction with a patent-pending cast-aluminum Constant Acoustic Impedance™ (CAI™) waveguide, which utilizes a series of computer-designed, graduated curves that flare from the inside to the outside of the waveguide to provide optimal on- and off-axis high-frequency dispersion and smoothness, in addition to higher sensitivity and a more seamless blend with the woofers and midrange drivers.

The loudspeaker employs dual 8-inch CMMD woofers that incorporate 2-inch-diameter edge-wound ribbon voice coils, high-Gauss neodymium magnets, cast-aluminum frames and other refinements for high output with minimal distortion. The woofers are placed opposite each other in a side-firing arrangement, a design that enables the internal acoustic output from each woofer to cancel each other out within the enclosure, improving low-frequency response and the structural integrity of the enclosure.

The Prelude Forty utilizes a 3-1/2-way crossover network that allows the midrange drivers to operate in different frequency ranges, which provides a smoother transition between all drivers for a more balanced sound across a wider listening area. The loudspeaker utilizes premium-grade internal components, including oxygen-free-copper wiring, three separate crossover circuit boards, high-grade resistors and capacitors and laminated-steel inductors. Its enclosure is well-braced to reduce internal resonances. The Prelude Forty employs room-friendly design principles to ensure it will deliver sonically accurate performance in a variety of listening environments and placement positions.

The Infinity Prelude Forty loudspeaker will be available in three finishes: high-gloss black, real-wood cherry and rosewood. The Prelude Forty will begin shipping in September 2008 at a suggested retail price of $6,000 each.

www.infinitysystems.com