RSlllb -about to begin a restore/mod project with some questions

Congrats on the fine speakers. Love the classic Infinity sound. I have RS5b, RSII, and a pair of RSIIIa coming from a fellow AK'r next week (weather permitting).

My RS5b had fiberglass in them, so I switched to poly-fill, just because.

Those woofers were designed to play in a sealed cab, so the air "spring" helps keep them from bottoming. A good seal is needed. I use rope caulk like the stuff AR used back in the day. Cheap at any hardware store and stays pliable for years.

Check the screws holding the tweeters together. Mine were pretty loose after all the years.

There's generic "Dynamat" out there. About 1/3 the cost, and it's the same thing. I've used it on two vehicles and a pair of DIY speakers. It certainly adds weight and damping. without taking up much internal volume.

Infinity used very high quality film caps, so like others have stated, just replace the electrolytic caps. You may want to clean the pots. They are pretty tough to get into. I measured mine and they are still smooth and accurate after all these years (RS5b).

FWIW they like a bit of clean power on tap. More the bettere, just be careful of the volume control. YMMV


i did put one of the cabinets back together and had a listen. it sounds pretty sweet for sure! definitely better than my RSb but 3 times better..? i will replace/upgrade all the parts in one cabinet first and then i can compare to the 'stock' cabinet. all my parts have arrived except the larger pots. i know i had a rough time with the pots on my pair of RSb, even though i took them apart and cleaned them they are still not working very well. i decided to order new pots for the RSlllb just in case i had the same problem but they seem to be working alright in the one speaker that i tested.
 
another question, has anyone tried using spikes with this factory base?

Mine aren't at the house yet. So I don't know what the bottom assembly looks like.

The base would have to be attached very solidly to the speaker cab for spikes to provide any benefit. If not, whatever gain the spike gains is lost in the movement between the base/stand and the speaker cab.

I have spikes in all my speaker stands, but it's more for stability than any sonic improvement. Especially with tall stands on carpet.

My KEF 104/2 are threaded to accept spikes, so I'll probably use them if I ever get motivated enough to refurbish them.

Anyhow, good luck with the project. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the final outcome. If you think they are a little bright, forward, and lack bass, give your ears a while to adjust (and play with the pots as needed). They will give you great vocals and cymbals come alive with those tweeters. The bass is true and not over-emphasized like some other speakers. If it's in the recording, you will hear it. If the recording sucks, you may have to try and compensate.

I run most of my controls "straight up", but I found my RS5b with the Kenwood Basic C1 pre-amp respond very well to a touch of loudness and/or bass boost with some recordings (like +1 or +2 on the controls).
 
The base is attached to the bottom of the cabinets by 3 bolts. The cabinets are angled back slightly on the base.
My floor is a suspended wood floor without carpet. I have an extra set of adjustable spikes that I could use. It would require drilling the base, they would be even taller, but I gain tilting adjustability.
 
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May I suggest that you rebuild the bases out of something more substantial? They are made out of (very cheap) chipboard and are not high quality. Get one wet and you'll see what I mean. The angled piece that the speaker sits on can be pried off with a paint scraper or sharp screwdriver and re-used. And, rather than spikes, I'd also recommend using outriggers for a wider/deeper stance and greater stability (like these: http://www.soundocity.com/)
G~
 
Thanks for the advice! I did notice that the bases are pretty thin chipboard. Those outriggers are nice..
I do have a couple of thick 2" maple slaps that I could make a new bases from.. Then add the spikes to the bottom of the slabs perhaps..

May I suggest that you rebuild the bases out of something more substantial? They are made out of (very cheap) chipboard and are not high quality. Get one wet and you'll see what I mean. The angled piece that the speaker sits on can be pried off with a paint scraper or sharp screwdriver and re-used. And, rather than spikes, I'd also recommend using outriggers for a wider/deeper stance and greater stability (like these: http://www.soundocity.com/)
G~
 
Yes, that sounds like a much better solution. In considering the outriggers, they will give you a MUCH easier means of adjusting the forward/backward tilt of the speakers. I've used both solutions, and I'd choose the outriggers in almost any case, if the cosmetics of the speaker are conducive to them.
G~
 
I think I'll try to make something work with the maple slabs then. I just measured them and they are around 2" wider than the cabinets on all sides. I will use the existing 3 bolt holes in the cabinets.
Do you think I should use some kind of felt/foam/rubber between the cabinets and the new bases? Or just bolt them directly?

Yes, that sounds like a much better solution. In considering the outriggers, they will give you a MUCH easier means of adjusting the forward/backward tilt of the speakers. I've used both solutions, and I'd choose the outriggers in almost any case, if the cosmetics of the speaker are conducive to them.
G~
 
Bolt them directly. The more solid the coupling between the entire speaker enclosure/base/cone/wood floor path, the more vibrational energy will dissipate from the enclosure into the floor. Generally speaking, of course. Obviously, there are tons of other, sometimes more exotic solution out there. But I'd go with as solid assembly as possible for this level of speaker & cost.
G~
 
I bought a pair of RSIIs a year ago, and in my case, some of the woofer screws weren't holding well, I could tell they would strip easily if I torqued them too tight, so I drilled the screw holes out, and put T-nuts in with bolts. Now they're tight, and I felt like the bass was cleaned up a bit.
 
May I suggest that you rebuild the bases out of something more substantial? They are made out of (very cheap) chipboard and are not high quality. Get one wet and you'll see what I mean. The angled piece that the speaker sits on can be pried off with a paint scraper or sharp screwdriver and re-used. And, rather than spikes, I'd also recommend using outriggers for a wider/deeper stance and greater stability (like these: http://www.soundocity.com/)
G~


Just set mine up on carpet and I would definitely go with an upgraded base with outriggers.

Thanks for the tip. It will be a fall/winter project.

I'm just enjoying the heck out of them right now...
 
Update: the new upgraded binding posts that I got required some additional fitting. They are too long and would hit the bottom woofer magnet so I had to make these mounting plates.
 

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Were you able to notch out a slot for that small key that keeps the binding post from rotating in its mounting? That can be a tricky one.
 
Were you able to notch out a slot for that small key that keeps the binding post from rotating in its mounting? That can be a tricky one.

I made the mounting plates out of two pieces of 1/4" particle board glued together, sanded, painted, with a poly topcoat so it was fairly easy to notch with a utility knife :thumbsup:
 
I've been listening to these daily for over two weeks.

You will love these when they are done.

What do you plan on driving them with? They aren't particularly hard to drive, but the tweeters and mids can be fragile. If you like loud music make sure you have plenty of clean power on tap.

I switched from a POS HT receiver, to a 50 wpc tube amp, to 150 wpc SS amp. They worked with all of them, but the bigger the amp the better they sound.
 
I've been listening to these daily for over two weeks.

You will love these when they are done.

What do you plan on driving them with? They aren't particularly hard to drive, but the tweeters and mids can be fragile. If you like loud music make sure you have plenty of clean power on tap.

I switched from a POS HT receiver, to a 50 wpc tube amp, to 150 wpc SS amp. They worked with all of them, but the bigger the amp the better they sound.

Recently sold my Sansui AU-999 it was nice but I got tired of the constant repair bills.
I'm using a new Marantz PM6006 which is 55 wpc. Not alot of power but I don't listen to it louder than 12 o'clock. More power would be nice but that's for the future..
 
Be judicious with the volume. It's 45 wpc @8 ohms and 60 wpc @ 4 ohms. It's rated for 4 ohm speakers but no where near "doubling down" in power delivery (90 wpc @ 4 ohms).

The RSIIIa are 6 ohm speakers.

Tweeters are getting expensive to replace.

This is what made me take them off my HT setup. Your Marantz is way better than my Pioneer HT unit, but even 50 wpc of tube amp at 12 o'clock was not "loud" (my wife didn't yell at me, that's my dB meter;))

Enjoy them.
 
Be judicious with the volume. It's 45 wpc @8 ohms and 60 wpc @ 4 ohms. It's rated for 4 ohm speakers but no where near "doubling down" in power delivery (90 wpc @ 4 ohms).

The RSIIIa are 6 ohm speakers.

Tweeters are getting expensive to replace.

This is what made me take them off my HT setup. Your Marantz is way better than my Pioneer HT unit, but even 50 wpc of tube amp at 12 o'clock was not "loud" (my wife didn't yell at me, that's my dB meter;))

Enjoy them.

The RSllla/b Technical Manual I have says they are "4 to 8 ohms"... Not very specific I'm not sure why...
My room is quite small around 25x14 feet with my listening position just 6 feet away. Eventually I'll upgrade my amp when I upgrade my house haha :rflmao:
 
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