Infinity RS-6001 (Introduced 1979)

A floor-standing tower that traded the exotic EMIT tweeter for the friendlier Polydome - and still shook the room.

Overview

The Infinity RS-6001 weighs 55 pounds and stands 43.3 inches tall. Infinity introduced it in 1979 as a floor-standing model one step down from the company's flagship RS-1b. Owners report it delivered the Reference Standard series' blend of dynamics and airy highs at a price working audiophiles could consider. The cabinet measures 12.6 inches wide and 13.8 inches deep. Period advertisements from HiFI-Stereo (September 1990, p.124) show similar three-way floor-standing designs from competitors like JBL, which tells you the market segment Infinity was after. It sat between the cost-no-object statement speakers and the mass-market bookshelf boxes, and by most accounts it hit that spot.

The RS-6001 is rated at 90 dB sensitivity (2.83 V/1 m) with a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. That made it a friendlier load than many of its planar and electrostatic contemporaries. Power handling is 150 W RMS and 300 W peak, with a recommended amplifier range of 20 to 200 watts. That's a wide window. Modest receivers can drive them to reasonable levels, and they'll also accept serious current. The frequency range is listed at 35 Hz to 40 kHz (±3 dB), which was ambitious for the era.

The driver complement is confusing, because different sources describe different configurations. The Retro Speaker Guide lists "2 x 10" woofer, 5" midrange, 1" tweeter" - a four-driver, three-way design. Classic Audio Products describes a 12-inch woofer, a 12-inch passive radiator, and a Polydome driver handling midrange and treble. Audio Karma forum users with actual pairs report 12-inch woofers with the Polydome covering the mid and top end. Parts Express lists separate 4-inch midrange and 1-inch tweeter replacement parts. Whether the RS-6001 shipped in multiple configurations over its production run or some sources are simply wrong is not resolved. The Polydome, which Infinity used as a more affordable sibling to the EMIT, is central to the design in every account that mentions the midrange and treble.

Key Features

The Polydome Driver

The Polydome handles the midrange and treble. Infinity positioned it as a cost-effective relative of the EMIT tweeter used in their top-tier models. As one Audio Karma owner puts it, "the Polydome is essentially the EMIT tweeter." Classic Audio Products lists it simply as "Polydome (EMIT)," confirming the lineage. Owners describe the sound as "very sweet," with the Polydome covering both midrange and top end in the configuration those users own. Using one driver for a broad band simplifies the crossover and keeps costs down.

Woofer and Bass Loading

Audio Karma owners describe the bass as "just thunderous." The woofer configuration is the source of the documentation conflict - some sources say dual 10-inch drivers, others a single 12-inch - but every account agrees the RS-6001 delivers substantial low-frequency output. Classic Audio Products adds a 12-inch passive radiator, which would extend bass response without the port noise and tuning complications of a conventional bass reflex design. The same source also describes the cabinet as "vented (bass reflex)," which contradicts itself, since a passive radiator and a port are different loading strategies. The most likely reading is that the RS-6001 used a passive radiator, but the documentation is not clean enough to state that with certainty.

Three-Way Crossover

Classic Audio Products identifies the RS-6001 as a 3-way design, with crossover frequencies of 500 Hz and 4 kHz per the Retro Speaker Guide. The 500 Hz point is low. It means the midrange driver (or Polydome) handles a substantial portion of the vocal range and upper bass, which is demanding duty. The 4 kHz crossover to the tweeter is more conventional. Owners today recommend replacing the crossover capacitors as routine maintenance. That's standard advice for any speaker of this vintage, since electrolytic capacitors drift and dry out over four-plus decades, and fresh ones typically restore the original voicing.

Historical Context

The RS-6001 was introduced in 1979 as part of Infinity's Reference Standard series, positioned as "a step down from the flagship RS-1b" according to Classic Audio Products. The RS-1b was Infinity's Statement-grade system. The RS-6001 carried over the Polydome/EMIT driver family, substantial bass output and high sensitivity in a package a serious enthusiast could buy and place in a normal room. Audio Karma forum users recall that "in 1979 you could buy these for about $450 a pair," while the Retro Speaker Guide lists the original price at $349.00 each. Either way, it was not an impulse purchase. Classic Audio Products describes the RS-6001 as "a good seller" and "a solid performer."

Collectibility & Value

Parts Express, which once carried the model, now lists it as "SOLD OUT" with a note that "this product is no longer available," so new old stock is off the table. There's no reliable current used-market pricing in the available documentation, and prices vary with condition, location, and how badly a seller wants to move them. The original price conflict - $349 each versus $450 a pair - probably reflects the era's discounting, since street prices for speakers in the late 1970s were often negotiable.

The maintenance checklist is well documented. The woofer surrounds "rot out over time," as one Audio Karma owner bluntly puts it, and replacement surrounds are available. This is the most common failure on RS-6001s, since foam surrounds from this era don't last four decades. The Polydome drivers are more durable, but owners recommend inspecting them and budgeting for "new capacitors in the crossover" as a preventive measure. Parts Express lists replacement tweeters and midranges as separate parts, which suggests the drivers can be sourced, though availability is not guaranteed.

On sound, the consensus is positive. Owners praise the Polydome's sweetness through the mids and highs, describe the bass as thunderous, and note that "they are efficient and will play loud." The Retro Speaker Guide offers the most practical advice: the RS-6001 "sounds good with a warm solid-state amp," but "tube amps will struggle with the low impedance dips." That rules out a 12-watt single-ended triode amp. These speakers want current.