I cannot comment on the IRS Beta, but I still have a pair of Infinity IRS Epsilon in my garage (my first serious speakers, before many others, I still have an emotional attachment, never wanted to sell them...): same EMIT, EMIM and L-EMIM drivers but a servo controlled single bass driver.
I took the IRS out a few years back, connected them to my Gryphon Antileon and compared to the evolution acoustic MM3 I had at the time. I am sorry, but modern speakers are in fact much better: better defined bass, more transparency, etc. The difference was shocking.
Since then I replaced the MM3 with a pair of Magico Q1 (temporary speaker, waiting for my Ultimate): going from a 600lbs monster to small monitors. As surprising as it can be for most of us thinking "bigger= better", I enjoy more the sound of the Q1, on the music I listen (70% Jazz + voices, J.S. Bach and church music), and I end up therefore listening much more to music. In short: More transparency, more faithful tones, more precise imaging, less bass extension.
And yes, I would take a pair of S5 over a Sasha anytime. Would even take it against a pair of Alexia. They are that good, even if I personally prefer the Q3 over the S5.
|