Were Renaissance 90s the best Infinity?

[DexterB]

After reading up on the Renaissance 90's in this thread and all over the internet for about 2 months or so, it became clear to me that they had to be superior to my Kappa 8.2i's of which I am very, very fond soundwise.
So, I went out to find a pair in excellent condition and finally found them on eBay.
First I had to convince the seller to let me bid (I live outside of Germany and therefore could not bid) and after getting clearance I went ahead and made my bid full of confidence that I would win the auction.
And that is exactly what happened, so I'm a very happy camper now!
I'm going to pick them up next sunday and will make the 1100 km (up and down) drive with a very big smile on my face.
The same smile which is carved upon my face since I won the auction....
Can't wait to hear them perform in my house.

Here's a pic (taken by previous owner) of my new beauties!

 

[Stekster]

Ren 80's xover update - or should this be a new thread?

I finally found some very good condition Ren 80's and am happy with them (driven by a 'new' Musical Concepts re-built DH-220). But of course I am thinking of re-capping (and re-inductoring?) the crossovers. Unfortunately I am not at all versed in Spice simulations or the nitty-gritty of substituting air-core for iron-core and time-aligning, etc. And since mine are 80's, some of the discussion about 90's does not apply.

I do have the capability of my own ears as well as TrueRTA and a Behringer mike for actual measurements, and I know which end of my soldering iron to hold on to. I can also make ESR and LCR measurements.

Has anyone experimented with the 80's to the same degree as timpani has with the 90's? If not, does anyone have any generalities to throw my way regarding what substitutions, replacements I should make? I think I understand about by-passing the large Solens with small film caps (and or replacing the Solens if off-value). But other than matching stated values, I am reluctant to tinker too much without some guidance.

Any and all comments appreciated.

Bob

 

[timpani]

Frequency response run - post EMIM and EMIT crossover changes

 

[the_chad]

I am having the same problem with my 90s the back cover is missing did you ever make a new one? If so how

 

[the_chad]

So I have the back flat metal plate I guess the angled part is just the foam behinds the plate right? So I just need to make a new foam piece for them? I was confused thinking that the angled part was a metal cover

 

[7.62]

The links to the backplate assembly and the speaker assembly were very helpful.

Thanks for sharing those.

 

[Poorbeek]

I just moved my R90's as front speakers. Does anybody have some basic guidelines for setup? Is toe-in better or not?

 

[jazzmans]

Mine are not toed in, but each room is different, so some toe in may be better for you, it's best to try and see.

 

[Poorbeek]

I did toe-in at first. But changed that to no toe-in. Also i used some music (Genesis Speaker set up) to get the balance right. The music is now very open. Extending also outside the speakers. Long ago i used them as my front speakers but did not get them to really sing. I am now using an Vincent SV 234 integrated amp which is up for the job. Normally i used Genesis IM 8300 with 1 servo sub 12. It sounds good but not as good as the R90's.

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[okeeteekid]

Great set up, I always toe all my infinity speakers with planar drivers in about 1/4 of an inch each, yes you will lose some of that extension of sound past the speakers but they will image much better, to me anyway.

 

[Poorbeek]

Hi Okeeteekid. I have listenend a lot the last days and as mentionent a slide toe-in of 1/4 inch gives better image. Thanks for the tip!!

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[audiomagnate]

I aim my 2.5's right at my head. I like it when I can't see the sides of the cabinet.

 

[Poorbeek]

Next week i receive an Gryphon Tabu integrated amplifier which i can buy. I am curious if it will outperform my Vincent SV234. If it does it is mine .

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[Primergy]

Just bought a pair from Craigslist.

I have had a pair of Kappa 9 (back in my home country) and a pair of Kappa 6 II before.
The Ren.90 blows them away... to some extend. I wish there was more low-end. Heavy, down-tuned guitars are part of my musical diet and I miss the 9s a lot when it comes to adding a nice foundation to certain tracks.

They replaced a pair of JBL L7 now which also offer much more punch (my room allows for proper placement). In addition the Ren.90 seemed unhappy with a B&K surround amp (150W @ 8Ohm per channel). Unpacked an old Sony N77-ES and the stage improved.

Another 'issue' is that listening to music can be a bit fatiguing, compared to above mentioned speakers. The Ren.90 offer much great detail and resolution, it almost feels tiring, and *ahem* annoying after a while when all you want is some background entertainment at a certain (louder) level, for example for certain chores. Yes, blasphemy...

In all:
Fantastic speaker, forces you to pay attention more then you may be willing to at times. Paid $750, great bang for the buck. I already feel like tinkering after going over the first ~7 pages here, just covering the crossovers.

 

[Poorbeek]

Just bought a pair from Craigslist.

I have had a pair of Kappa 9 (back in my home country) and a pair of Kappa 6 II before.
The Ren.90 blows them away... to some extend. I wish there was more low-end. Heavy, down-tuned guitars are part of my musical diet and I miss the 9s a lot when it comes to adding a nice foundation to certain tracks.

They replaced a pair of JBL L7 now which also offer much more punch (my room allows for proper placement). In addition the Ren.90 seemed unhappy with a B&K surround amp (150W @ 8Ohm per channel). Unpacked an old Sony N77-ES and the stage improved.

Another 'issue' is that listening to music can be a bit fatiguing, compared to above mentioned speakers. The Ren.90 offer much great detail and resolution, it almost feels tiring, and *ahem* annoying after a while when all you want is some background entertainment at a certain (louder) level, for example for certain chores. Yes, blasphemy...

In all:
Fantastic speaker, forces you to pay attention more then you may be willing to at times. Paid $750, great bang for the buck. I already feel like tinkering after going over the first ~7 pages here, just covering the crossovers.

Hi,

Mostly above fatiguing sound happens when the amp is not up to the task. When i go from my Vincent int amp to my Gryphon Tabu this effect was gone also the bass was more tight and strong. Offcourse coming from Kappa's it will be less .

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[Jarre]

Yes, fatiguing sound is mostly because of distortion.
Can come from the amp not up for the task or the speaker with a bad transducer or both.

I experienced the same fatiguing result on my RS1b and replaced all of the 14 EMIM's with great success because I knew my amps were well beyond the task.

 

[Poorbeek]

Yes, fatiguing sound is mostly because of distortion.
Can come from the amp not up for the task or the speaker with a bad transducer or both.

I experienced the same fatiguing result on my RS1b and replaced all of the 14 EMIM's with great success because I knew my amps were well beyond the task.

Those are not high energy emims! Emims normally do not have that problem. A good test is listening to a piano when there is any distortion this is due to corrosive magnets touching the diagrams.

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[Jarre]

Those are not high energy emims! Emims normally do not have that problem. A good test is listening to a piano when there is any distortion this is due to corrosive magnets touching the diagrams.

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Not necessarily.
Samarium Cobalt magnets do not corrode and the main issue here is that the membranes loose their tension and will hit the magnets.

 

[Poorbeek]

I had an IRS Omega with corroded magnets. This are not mine pictures but show the effect.

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[Jarre]

Yes, those are neodymium magnets with its nickel plating failing.