Another RSII back from the dead

I found this pair of RSII's for sale a couple hours away along with few other items. They played but were in rough shape. They were in a sunny living room for 30 years. Cabinets were very faded and dried out. One woofer was locked up solid but when I got home I just re-centered the cone and it was fine. (faulty refoam I guess).

I put up some pics on how I got the dried out cabinet seams a little better where the mid-range panel meets the flared sides. It was easy if you have a set of large clamps. Just take out the screws, tighten the clamps, drill new holes and replace the screws. Howards restore and wax and feed did the rest.

The fabric on the grills was so bad the woman I bought them off of was going to throw them away. Cats did a number on them but thankfully she saved them.

These were much less of a project than my RsIIb's just a couple days sprucing them up and they are ready to go. I put them in the living room while my wife was at work to try them out. (her stereo is the Odyssey Stratos/Tempest with the Infinitesimal 0.1, the only speakers aloud in our living room!) Rather than fool around unhooking the sub I just pulled out the Stratos and put it on the floor. Isn't it great how the RSII's just disappear in a room when you put on the grills They sound wonderful. Some say the bass is weak but I do not find that at all. My test cd for that is Chicago Transit Authority (first album reissue 2002) which has a wonderful bass line through out. The drums in that album as well are a good test for the mid bass region.

How do they compare with the IIb's? Very well, though not quite in the same league. IIb's go a little lower and are better in the mid-range. IIb's were meant to be a better speaker with the higher price at the time they were new. The RSII take up more floor space as well. That being said these were a bargain and are going to end up in a system in the basement for the summertime listening. (tubes heat my room upstairs up like crazy in the summertime so on hot days rather than crank the A/C I have to listen elsewhere) I guess I should work on the Xovers but I'm just so lazy. Plus they sound fantasic the way they are. I just dioxed all the connections and cleaned the pots.

they look great now. ENJOY!!

Damn! That's got to feel very rewarding, saving those speakers from such a sorry state. Congrats and Enjoy!

Wow good job, quite a transformation!

I love mine! they are never leaving. The amps to run them though, I cant seem to keep them long enough.

I spy some old 'arn.

Kim

Wow, your RS-II's look great!! Kudos to you for bringing them back from the brink :thmbsp:.

Good Show!
I love the sound the RSII presents and am very curious to hear the a/b model.

Real nice! That Howard's is some great stuff.

Thanks for the comments. I put them down in the basement before the Mrs. came home. Hooked them up to my old Marantz 16b/33 setup. They sound very good down there as well. Someday I need to finish the basement and make it my main music room.

Kim G said:

I spy some old 'arn.

Kim

Click to expand...

Yes, you spied my old 'arn. I'm a machinist at my job (all cnc machines these days). The machines in the garage are more or less for car/lawn mower repair. Not making in Rolexes in there.
Jim

Irwin clamps are awesome. I've been using them quite a bit a home as well.
Great thread and repair on the RSIIs, thanks for the showing the link. I'll try
and start a new thread with the pics I have.

Hi Jim--

If I may ask, what color(s) of Howard's products did you use for the Restore and Wax 'n Feed?? I like that medium color. Some of the Infinity RS' I've seen were darkened too much. Just my taste and nothing against those that like a more walnut appearance.

Your work looks great. Looks like new grille cloth really makes them standout too. Very, very, nice.

I wish my RSII's had not been mishandled by a PO. The right speaker suffered a resulting crack/broken repair in one of the curved panels. It was repaired, but the crack isn't as tight as it probably should have been. Maybe not enough clamping pressure was applied when the broken piece was glued back on?? Maybe at some future time I can do some sort of filler to blend it better. I do like the way they sound nonetheless. They have been my primaries now for four months. That's saying something!

levex said:

Irwin clamps are awesome. I've been using them quite a bit a home as well.
Great thread and repair on the RSIIs, thanks for the showing the link. I'll try
and start a new thread with the pics I have.

Click to expand...

Yes, Irwin camps are great. I love those bar clamps as well. My brother talked me into buying them (bar clamps) at a yard sale.

GoRNR said:

Hi Jim--

If I may ask, what color(s) of Howard's products did you use for the Restore and Wax 'n Feed?? I like that medium color. Some of the Infinity RS' I've seen were darkened too much. Just my taste and nothing against those that like a more walnut appearance.

Your work looks great. Looks like new grille cloth really makes them standout too. Very, very, nice.

I wish my RSII's had not been mishandled by a PO. The right speaker suffered a resulting crack/broken repair in one of the curved panels. It was repaired, but the crack isn't as tight as it probably should have been. Maybe not enough clamping pressure was applied when the broken piece was glued back on?? Maybe at some future time I can do some sort of filler to blend it better. I do like the way they sound nonetheless. They have been my primaries now for four months. That's saying something!

Click to expand...

The Restor-a-finish color is golden oak and I used Howards feed and wax over top of it. I was pleased how they look. That Howards is great stuff. My wife uses it all the time too on some of our furniture.

Too bad about that broken panel. If the break is at the top you could switch it with the other so it's on the bottom and less noticed.
Jim

Nice job Jim .. enjoy ..

i also have a dried out set of the RS11's how often do you have to treat the cabinets? are is the howards restore & wax feed a one time aplication?
Did you get the grills that fit on the back? I see you got the infinity emblems on the front grills. i just need a set of the emblems to make mine complete. Great speakers,they are keepers at my house as well.

The Howards restor-a- finish is used once, twice to make the shade a bit darker and the feed and wax you can use a couple times a year or when ever they seem to need it. If they are really dry they will soak it up so you may need to reapply. I also like those min wax pens for hiding scratches. You just color them in and wipe off the excess.

Yes, thankfully the speakers came with the rear grills. Those emblems come up on ebay. There's a pair on now but I think they are the smaller ones.
Jim