My dream speaker - RS1b

[jindra]

Amazing collection. Seriously weird with the glue on the RS1's though. Get those 4.5's out!

 

[Kev_rat]

Yes, you must have the RS4.5 running - you won't be disappointed. It will be intersting to hear how you find the RS4.5 compared to the RS2.5. I am lucky to have both and my experience is that everything is "bigger" but the 4.5s have far superior imaging. Swapping between the two the first time was quite an experience.
They are by far the outstanding item in my herd (in my setup and to my ears anyway) - way ahead of the RS3.5, Q3, AR-9, AR-90, AR-3a etc.
Out of the 300 sets made, I suspect many have been a few lost over the years (a couple of pair parted on the Bay over the past few months alone), but it seems as though a dozen or so pair appear in these pages from time to time.
Have fun

 

[StimpyWan]

WOW! 2.5's, 4.5's, QLS-1's, and RS-1B's...!!! Plus, a set of RS-1B cabinets. You're using up lots of Karma. Be careful. :thmbsp:

As to all of that glue, that's just insane! Was the cabinet coming apart? Did the previous owner think he was damping resonances! Who knows? But, with that much glue, I'd try warming it with a blow dryer or a heat gun set on low. The glue may soften enough to peel off. And actually, you may be able to remove the thinner glue with a lightly dampened sponge. Just don't get it too wet. It shouldn't hurt any veneer; just be careful to not let water drain down into crevices. That might cause the wood to expand and warp.

Good luck!

 

[geoff727]

.....but for sure I will also need to do a lot of wood repair.

Hey my friend,

I think there's a better way that will make you a lot happier in the end, and we can do it without too much trouble. I'll call you when I'm done with my airfield stuff.

G~

 

[waudio]

Thanks all - I really appreciate the excitement on the RS-4.5's. I will bump up the priority to restore the 4.5's ahead of the QLS. First I need to refoam the watkins. I read about the kit from Rick Cobb. Anybody has his contact info handy?

@kev_rat : Do you notice the big difference after the implementation of the Graz diaphragms or with the original infinity diaphragms also?

@geoff727 : Looking forward to know the suggestion that you have. I spent an hour or so today with a scraper to get the easy parts off. The glue has become flaky and relatively easier to take off in some areas. However, the problem is for the area where the panel meets with the base. It is just an ocean of glue there. This is the set that I referred to you before - for a possibility of a fully active system.

I attached a set of pictures for the other mid/hi panels that I plan to pair up with the woofer towers in previous pictures. This set has one cracked panel (separated) before I bought them - I fixed it using JB-Weld, clamps, and few finish screws. The plan is to strip the current finish to bare wood and either do a high gloss piano black or black stain.

 

[audiomagnate]

Thanks all - I really appreciate the excitement on the RS-4.5's. I will bump up the priority to restore the 4.5's ahead of the QLS. First I need to refoam the watkins. I read about the kit from Rick Cobb. Anybody has his contact info handy?

@kev_rat : Do you notice the big difference after the implementation of the Graz diaphragms or with the original infinity diaphragms also?

@geoff727 : Looking forward to know the suggestion that you have. I spent an hour or so today with a scraper to get the easy parts off. The glue has become flaky and relatively easier to take off in some areas. However, the problem is for the area where the panel meets with the base. It is just an ocean of glue there. This is the set that I referred to you before - for a possibility of a fully active system.

I attached a set of pictures for the other mid/hi panels that I plan to pair up with the woofer towers in previous pictures. This set has one cracked panel (separated) before I bought them - I fixed it using JB-Weld, clamps, and few finish screws. The plan is to strip the current finish to bare wood and either do a high gloss piano black or black stain.

I vote for high gloss piano or original. You have the beginnings of a classic Infinity museum.

 

[tubed]

Nice collection!
Have fun!!

 

[7.62]

Wow....that's a fine collection of Infinitys, please do remove bubble wrap from the 4.5's and share some pictures when you can :yes:.

 

[Kev_rat]

Hi
The big impact was with origional drivers intact. The graz dirvers make a difference as well. I have preserved a full set of perfect drivers in standard form as well as the Graz ones as a reference point - currently upgrading the magents on the graz drivers. I'm remaining with the single amp for the time being though.
Have fun with the comparisons.
Kevin

 

[audiomagnate]

Hi
The big impact was with origional drivers intact. The graz dirvers make a difference as well. I have preserved a full set of perfect drivers in standard form as well as the Graz ones as a reference point - currently upgrading the magents on the graz drivers. I'm remaining with the single amp for the time being though.
Have fun with the comparisons.
Kevin

Yes, by all means get those 4.5s unwrapped to make sure you didn't buy a pair of used refridgerators. I'm so happy with my modded 2.5s I can't wait to hear, and own a pair of 4.5s. Can stock 4.5s handle subsonic Blu-ray explosions? I'd be tempted to mod them as well like I did my 2.5s. Piano black vintage Infinities has the wheels in my head spinning. All of these speakers were decades ahead of their time. Not until the recently departed Brian Cheney discovered Monsoons did we start to get the dynamics and realisim that only big Emim/Emit equipped speakers could do did back in the 70's and 80s. Amazing.

 

[Twestby]

The plan is to strip the current finish to bare wood and either do a high gloss piano black or black stain.

How would you do a piano black? Fill and sand with body filler then sand and smooth and finish using automotive products?

 

[waudio]

How would you do a piano black? Fill and sand with body filler then sand and smooth and finish using automotive products?

geoff727 and I discussed quite a bit about this - as oak presents a lot of problem with the coarse grain. At this time, one idea is to strip the panels to bare wood and sand it successively until it is possible to use the 600 grit sand paper. Then, use the epoxy based paint - the kind that people use for the garage floor. I used this epoxy paint for the mechanical area of the basement and it hardens real hard. Afterward, do wet sanding with fine grit paper before priming and finish using automotive products. This is a lot of labor - but I think it may work - I may just bring them to a nearby body shop after applying the epoxy paint.

I did some googling on high gloss piano black finish - and came up with several options but I am not sure that I like any of them.

Any other idea?

I am still keeping the option open for just applying a black stain and then lightly apply poly. This is much easier to do.

 

[Twestby]

Hmmmm. I like the idea of filling the grain and sanding smooth. Then painting with a black automotive paint. Then clearing with clear automotive urethane. Several coats of that then sand smooth and polish it up.

I've done some motorcycle painting and urethane is very durable after it has cured and can be sanded and polished before its 100% cured to give it a very high gloss.

 

[geoff727]

Thinking about the labor makes my head spin. It's that natural wood substrate on the baffle wings that makes me nervous. Who knows, maybe I'm agonizing over nothing.

You are truly a brave man, much more so than me

What do you think of a finish kind of like this in the pictures? That's oak with an alcohol-based dye, followed by a pigment stain, followed by 3 coats of semi-gloss oil-poly (varnish). One of my ideas for your speakers (which I am also planning on doing to one of these sets of RS2.5's) is to do this type of finish, only in an ebony color. The final coloring on oak would be similar to long black hair with mild highlights....just enough texture so that it's "interesting".

I do have another thought... an ebony finish like this, with custom-machined black acrylic pieces as accents. Look at the top plates on some early IRS's and you'll get the general idea.

Any way you slice it, the fancier ideas are extremely labor-intensive. Only folks as foolish as you and I would be insane enough to put that kind of labor into 30-year-old speakers that we cannot hope to get any kind of resale value on whatsoever! :screwy:

 

[audiomagnate]

Yes, you must have the RS4.5 running - you won't be disappointed. It will be intersting to hear how you find the RS4.5 compared to the RS2.5. I am lucky to have both and my experience is that everything is "bigger" but the 4.5s have far superior imaging. Swapping between the two the first time was quite an experience.
They are by far the outstanding item in my herd (in my setup and to my ears anyway) - way ahead of the RS3.5, Q3, AR-9, AR-90, AR-3a etc.
Out of the 300 sets made, I suspect many have been a few lost over the years (a couple of pair parted on the Bay over the past few months alone), but it seems as though a dozen or so pair appear in these pages from time to time.
Have fun

What's an RS 3.5?

 

[Kev_rat]

My fat finger missing the "4" and getting the "3"

Im sure that I get more dyslexic as I get older

KEvin

 

[waudio]

After about 6 months or so since I purchased the VTL monoblocks (deluxe 300) and the First Sound preamp - I am now ready to arrange for the shipping. The seller is the same friend from whom I purchased the first pair of the RS-1b's. The seller was using these gears, together with Krell KSA-100 (for the base) - and thus this is kind of reunion with the speakers. I do not purchase the KSA-100 as I don't quite like the review that I read. I am still planning to use a pair of TFM-42 (with one channel each) for the base.

Though it costs a lot more, I decide not to use FedEx or UPS - but ship them on a pallet. My friend did quite a job to package them safely. Each box containing the VTL is about 120 lb (~65lb for the amp and $60lb for the wooden box).

I got this combo at a good deal - as it comes also with the almost double complement of the (newly manufactured) tungsol 6550 tubes. These are newly manufactured not NOS. I also got all the infinity parts (few emims and emits) that he no longer needs.

The VTL received quite a good review from Gordon Holt. I am curious if I will be glad or disappointed - comparing them with the updated carver tfm-45's. My friend just laughed at me (no offense to the carvers) when I told him so.

 

[Spokane540iA]

BTW, The reason you plug your mid/high power amp into the Active Equalizer is so the equalizer can match the "appropriate value of capacitor in series with the input of your mid/hi frequency power amplifier. This gives the proper crossover frequency for the midrange/tweeter sections.(This is necessary since the unit's high pass section is passive)"

page #8 RS Ib owner's manual (#1 dial on the left side of the equalizer unit- Amp Input Z) Z=ohms

So I guess that means you can't run signal straight from the preamp to Mid/Hi power amp. You need to run it through the Equalizer.

It took me awhile to figure that out. Hope this helps.

 

[waudio]

BTW, The reason you plug your mid/high power amp into the Active Equalizer is so the equalizer can match the "appropriate value of capacitor in series with the input of your mid/hi frequency power amplifier. This gives the proper crossover frequency for the midrange/tweeter sections.(This is necessary since the unit's high pass section is passive)"

page #8 RS Ib owner's manual (#1 dial on the left side of the equalizer unit- Amp Input Z) Z=ohms

So I guess that means you can't run signal straight from the preamp to Mid/Hi power amp. You need to run it through the Equalizer.

It took me awhile to figure that out. Hope this helps.

Hello Spokane540iA,

Thanks for the tip. I will check the manual tonight. Right now, I am running it directly from the DAC-09 while waiting for the preamp. I had carver c-1 before but I did not like it.

I will try to listening comparison this weekend however I may not be experienced enough to hear subtle differences. I will do my best and share what I hear.

 

[waudio]

I just checked in the manual again (page 8) and confirmed what Spokane540iA mentioned. This is an oversight in my side - to overlook this aspect. I was doing it correctly before but for some reasons that I could not remember, I changed it by running it directly from the DAC.

About the sound - may be it is a placebo effects - but I do notice differences in that the mids are slightly brighter.

Thanks so much Spokane540iA - I really appreciate it.