Infinity 5000 Speakers - One tweeter is not working

[sabalennon]

Hi all,

About three weeks ago I got a pair of Infinity 5000 speakers, and after setting them up and playing around with the Midrange and Tweeter levels I discovered that they were very noisy when moving and sometimes the speakers cut off when moving the pots, last night I decided to finally clean them but they didn't have screws or anything that would work with taking them apart, the Midrange pot had a little hole that I decided to spray Deoxit in and work the knob for a good bit, the tweeter one didn't show any way of doing it so I just sprayed some Deoxit around one of them just to see if that would fix it and if it worked I could do the same with the other one, I left them there overnight and now when I turned them on I discovered that the tweeter whose pot I cleaned was not producing any sound, while the other one was working fine. Did I break that other tweeter? or is it just not dry enough/still dirty? That pot doesn't do anything to the sound.

Now, I am not really sure if that was working before I cleaned them, there is the possibility that I just got them with one of them being blown, but I find it weird that only the one I cleaned is behaving like that. Should I be worried, or is this normal? I have experience with cleaning pots and then they not working for a little bit before I re cleaned them and worked thoroughly, but it's my first time doing so with speakers and I'm a bit worried it might be damaging instead.

I have added some pictures of the tweeter for further assistance.

TL;DR: One of the tweeters stopped working after cleaning pots with Deoxit.

Thank you!

 

[goodolpg]

I'd say you need to make sure the tweeter(s) is working properly. Three commonly used methods to do that.
You may need to disconnect one or both wire to the tweeter to properly test. Make sure you know which wire goes to which terminal. Write it down, take a picture., or label the wires.
A) Use a multi meter to check resistance of the tweeter. You could also use a multi meter to test the tweeter control. Multi meters available for under $10 at Walmart, Menards, Lowes if you don't already have one.
B) hook the tweeter direct to wires from amp/receiver LOW VOLUME/LOW BASS/ short period of time. Long enough to determine it produces sound. Do not let the two wires touch each other!
C) use a 9 volt battery to test.

You can Google to learn more about each procedure. One test might be enough. Just need to rule out a bad tweeter before proceeding to controls or crossover. I think the 5000 has internal thermistors rather than fuses, not sure.

 

[sabalennon]

Thank you for your response. I do have a multimeter and sounds like the easiest one from what I looked up, but when I took the tweeter out I didn't see an easy to disconnect it, I'm not sure how to proceed next. Do you have any recommendations? I updated the post with some pictures. Thanks again!

I'd say you need to make sure the tweeter(s) is working properly. Three commonly used methods to do that.
You may need to disconnect one or both wire to the tweeter to properly test. Make sure you know which wire goes to which terminal. Write it down, take a picture., or label the wires.
A) Use a multi meter to check resistance of the tweeter. You could also use a multi meter to test the tweeter control. Multi meters available for under $10 at Walmart, Menards, Lowes if you don't already have one.
B) hook the tweeter direct to wires from amp/receiver LOW VOLUME/LOW BASS/ short period of time. Long enough to determine it produces sound. Do not let the two wires touch each other!
C) use a 9 volt battery to test.

You can Google to learn more about each procedure. One test might be enough. Just need to rule out a bad tweeter before proceeding to controls or crossover. I think the 5000 has internal thermistors rather than fuses, not sure.

 

[goodolpg]

See the red and blue wires?
Looks like those are simple push on connectors, should be able to pull one off where they make the 90 degree turn at the base of the red and black heat shrink. Pull off as close to the speaker as you can, make sure you don't pull the little silver flange right off. Might use a small screw driver to keep the terminal steady/in place while pulling on the wire itself.
One wire off is good enough for a resistance reading.

Not the same as your tweeters, for illustration only. You can see the two horizontal silver/gold terminals?
Those are about the same as yours except yours are bent at one point and then facing up 90 degress. Your wires attach to those. Should be easy. Would be a bit more complicated if they were soldered.
These are what is under the red and black heat shrink on your speaker wires. No blue collars of course, but the metal parts are the same.

 

[sabalennon]

Thank you. I will go ahead and try pulling upwards, holding on to the heatshrink part that's closest to the connector and trying to hold the tweeter's part of the connector in place. After I do that, how should use the multimeter's leads? should the touch the metal circles?

See the red and blue wires?
Looks like those are simple push on connectors, should be able to pull one off where they make the 90 degree turn at the base of the red and black heat shrink. Pull off as close to the speaker as you can, make sure you don't pull the little silver flange right off. Might use a small screw driver to keep the terminal steady/in place while pulling on the wire itself.
One wire off is good enough for a resistance reading.

Not the same as your tweeters, for illustration only. You can see the two horizontal silver/gold terminals?
Those are about the same as yours except yours are bent at one point and then facing up 90 degress. Your wires attach to those. Should be easy. Would be a bit more complicated if they were soldered.
These are what is under the red and black heat shrink on your speaker wires. No blue collars of course, but the metal parts are the same.
View attachment 2176224

 

[goodolpg]

Yes, touch the probes to the two metal tabs. Use the ohm function set to the lowest or next to lowest setting ( 200 I think is the lowest setting) and then post the result here.
It's not all that difficult, the wires should pull off with not much effort. You just don't want to dislocate the metal tabs the wires push on to.

It's not rocket science or brain surgery

The upper one is similar to the tabs on the tweeter, the bottom one pushes on to it

 

[sabalennon]

Yes, touch the probes to the two metal tabs. Use the ohm function set to the lowest or next to lowest setting (20 or 200 I think are the two lowest settings) and then post the result here.
It's not all that difficult, the wires should pull off with not much effort. You just don't want to dislocate the metal tabs the wires push on to.

It's not rocket science or brain surgery

The upper one is similar to the tabs on the tweeter, the bottom one pushes on to it

Got it! and thank to much! However, I don't think I measured much, the 1 on the display didn't change at all when teaching the posts. I assume this means the tweeter is blown since it won't even show a value?

 

[goodolpg]

That's not good. Sounds like it could be open/bad.
Did you touch the meter probe ends to each other to see if they read 0 or near 0?
That would show the meter is working properly and the battery is not dead.
And you do need the meter set to the lowest or next lowest setting, if set too high you would not get a reading. I think.
Helpful (?) video about the procedure...

You said the tweeter quit after cleaning, I wonder if there was still liquid in the control that shorted the tweeter out. You always want to wait a while after using a fluid cleaner to let it evaporate.

Here's how to test the tweeter (or other control) I'm not sure if you need to disconnect any wires for this test. You'd probably need to remove the woofer to get access to the controls. I *think* you would not need to disconnect any wires from the control. They're probably soldered on so if it can be done without removing wires that makes it quite easy except for access and light if you try to check with them installed in the speaker(s).

 

[spicer]

Hi all,

About three weeks ago I got a pair of Infinity 5000 speakers, and after setting them up and playing around with the Midrange and Tweeter levels I discovered that they were very noisy when moving and sometimes the speakers cut off when moving the pots, last night I decided to finally clean them but they didn't have screws or anything that would work with taking them apart, the Midrange pot had a little hole that I decided to spray Deoxit in and work the knob for a good bit, the tweeter one didn't show any way of doing it so I just sprayed some Deoxit around one of them just to see if that would fix it and if it worked I could do the same with the other one, I left them there overnight and now when I turned them on I discovered that the tweeter whose pot I cleaned was not producing any sound, while the other one was working fine. Did I break that other tweeter? or is it just not dry enough/still dirty? That pot doesn't do anything to the sound.

Now, I am not really sure if that was working before I cleaned them, there is the possibility that I just got them with one of them being blown, but I find it weird that only the one I cleaned is behaving like that. Should I be worried, or is this normal? I have experience with cleaning pots and then they not working for a little bit before I re cleaned them and worked thoroughly, but it's my first time doing so with speakers and I'm a bit worried it might be damaging instead.

I have added some pictures of the tweeter for further assistance.

TL;DR: One of the tweeters stopped working after cleaning pots with Deoxit.

Thank you!

I have a pair of those except mine have polypropylene semi transparent woofers. They are rather nice speakers. I replaced the caps and had to replace both controls in both speakers. One of the tweeters was out and I replaced the diaphragm with an original replacement that was still available at the time. I've had them for fifteen years, they were built for Pacific Stereo to be sold by their stores and were considered an absolute bargain. I can tell you the mid and tweeter controls being scratchy and intermittent was common with them and many other speakers. I cannot imagine any possible way cleaning the pot could have damaged the tweeter... at most it could go to maximum which is simply all the way to the right... bypassing it, shorting it when powered is the quick way to test it or the tweeter, confirm the tweeter with meter which should read somewhere around six or eight ohms.

 

[goodolpg]

I think those have the same woofer as used in the Reference Studio Monitors.
And it looks like the well regarded Phillips midrange as well.
So two good drivers there, not sure how that tweeter is rated as far as quality.
Ebay might be the best place to look for replacement OEM tweeters if the OP decides to go that route.

sabalennon hopefully you've learned a bit about troubleshooting speakers and drivers with this thread. It gets easier after you've done it the first time.
It might come in handy in the future.

Sorry for the bold font. I cut and pasted your name and then the following text stayed bold. Too lazy to retype.

 

[spicer]

I think those have the same woofer as used in the Reference Studio Monitors.
And it looks like the well regarded Phillips midrange as well.
So two good drivers there, not sure how that tweeter is rated as far as quality.
Ebay might be the best place to look for replacement OEM tweeters if the OP decides to go that route.

sabalennon hopefully you've learned a bit about troubleshooting speakers and drivers with this thread. It gets easier after you've done it the first time.
It might come in handy in the future.

Sorry for the bold font. I cut and pasted your name and then the following text stayed bold. Too lazy to retype.

Not sure if they are the same woofers as the monitors but they look the same from the picture, see through polypropylene. I do know my 5000s are original and I remember them new in the Pacific Stereo stores with that woofer... think they listed at $300 each and there wasn't much discount allowed. As with the Advents they speakers that 'stack' well... used to play with all manner of speakers on the floor... they sounded better to everyone experimenting than the Advents but they also cost more than twice as much, and the stacked Advents did sound good. I think the tweeter is a Seas but might be wrong, I'd have to pull to find out... was surprised the diaphragm was available, was ready to install another silk dome as replacement. I much preferred them sound wise to JBL L100 which also sold for $300 each... unless that is I was having a pool party then it's the L100 all the way. I use the 5000s for computer speakers, paid $50 with bad surrounds, one tweeter out, bad pots and cup rings on the top... refinished and fixed everything to original. Good sound, the way I remember them. OP... speaking of the 5000, the woofers I see in your picture is not the original... might sound as good or even better but not the original... it was polypropylene semi clear.

 

[goodolpg]

spicer, good catch on the OP's woofers. They do look gray rather than clear. They do have the big black cloth dust cap which would be correct.
OP's might be a correct replacement. Infinity made 12" woofers in both clear and gray. OP's might be the gray ones. They might be slightly newer than the OEM but would still be a correct replacement as far as I know.
I have 2 or 3 pairs of both colors here...I bought a bunch of replacement parts years ago. Just in case my RSM's needed driver replacement.
OP's may very well have come with clear cones as produced. I know the RS series suffered from foam rot and it's possible the OP's series did as well. Back then it was as likely someone would replace rather than refoam woofers with foam rot. Maybe a previous owner replaced the originals with gray coned Infinity woofers. At least they weren't car boomer woofers.
The RSM's were produced with 12" single voice coil woofers.
Infinity 12" svc woofers I have on hand include:
902 1187 clear
490602 clear
490702 gray.
There MIGHT have been others.
If the OP's are gray I wonder if they are 490702's.

 

[spicer]

spicer, good catch on the OP's woofers. They do look gray rather than clear. They do have the big black cloth dust cap which would be correct.
OP's might be a correct replacement. Infinity made 12" woofers in both clear and gray. OP's might be the gray ones. They might be slightly newer than the OEM but would still be a correct replacement as far as I know.
I have 2 or 3 pairs of both colors here...I bought a bunch of replacement parts years ago. Just in case my RSM's needed driver replacement.
OP's may very well have come with clear cones as produced. I know the RS series suffered from foam rot and it's possible the OP's series did as well. Back then it was as likely someone would replace rather than refoam woofers with foam rot. Maybe a previous owner replaced the originals with gray coned Infinity woofers. At least they weren't car boomer woofers.
The RSM's were produced with 12" single voice coil woofers.
Infinity 12" svc woofers I have on hand include:
902 1187 clear
490602 clear
490702 gray.
There MIGHT have been others.
If the OP's are gray I wonder if they are 490702's.

You know... now that you mention it seems like at some point some of the poly woofers were gray... replacements and/or production changes I don't know... not even sure of my memory on this except that I saw them when new as clear semi transparent polypropylene. I don't think the tweeters are Seas either as I said, some other well regarded brand. Right about the black dust cap, just pulled the grill to look. Your knowledge of drivers used, Infinity in general, exceed mine... an always welcome observation. Outside of the sales floor and various rooms I've only heard Monitor IIs, and Columns in an in home experience and thought they were among the best, size and cost. I sure like the sound of the 5000s, especially as computer speakers... drive them with a Healthkit AA 22... they seem to like each other.

 

[goodolpg]

Speaking of different colored cones, I have pair of Reference Studio Monitors I bought new in 1983. Mine have clear cones for both the woofer and midrange. But images, some straight from Infinity marketing, show both colors used in RSM woofers and midranges, and even a mixture of one clear and one gray. Odd. I prefer the clear cones myself. Not sure but may be related to when the speaker was produced, gray cones may have been earlier and the clear cones later in the production run, just a theory based on available images from Infinity. The RSM's had a production run from about 1979 to 1984 based on this from Klaus' website. http://www.infinity-classics.de/technik/manuals/RS_Monitor_technical_sheet.pdf
Infinitesimals used gray cones for the .1 series and clear cones for the .2 series.
The RS series 10" woofers also were produced with gray and clear cones. The RS A and RSB used gray cones,(though at least one official image shows a clear woofer) the RS II used clear cones. And then there are shallow cones and deep cones among those clear 10" woofers.
An official Infinity image in a brochure for the Infinitesimal .1 even shows a single voice coil 5" mid/woof. Oooops. .1 and .2 Infinitesimals had dual voice coil mid/woofs.
Because I have 3 pairs from the RS series (RSM, RS II, and Infinitesimal .2) I have tried to learn as much as possible about those two series.
AK'ers have speculated some changes may have been based on product on hand with both drivers and crossovers sometimes differing from the official documents.

Klaus' Infinity Classics website is one of the best sources for Infinity information, and in my opinion AK is also one of the best sites as well for Infinty info.

 

[spicer]

Speaking of different colored cones, I have pair of Reference Studio Monitors I bought new in 1983. Mine have clear cones for both the woofer and midrange. But images, some straight from Infinity marketing, show both colors used in RSM woofers and midranges, and even a mixture of one clear and one gray. Odd. I prefer the clear cones myself. Not sure but may be related to when the speaker was produced, gray cones may have been earlier and the clear cones later in the production run, just a theory based on available images from Infinity. The RSM's had a production run from about 1979 to 1984 based on this from Klaus' website. http://www.infinity-classics.de/technik/manuals/RS_Monitor_technical_sheet.pdf
Infinitesimals used gray cones for the .1 series and clear cones for the .2 series.
The RS series 10" woofers also were produced with gray and clear cones. The RS A and RSB used gray cones,(though at least one official image shows a clear woofer) the RS II used clear cones. And then there are shallow cones and deep cones among those clear 10" woofers.
An official Infinity image in a brochure for the Infinitesimal .1 even shows a single voice coil 5" mid/woof. Oooops. .1 and .2 Infinitesimals had dual voice coil mid/woofs.
Because I have 3 pairs from the RS series (RSM, RS II, and Infinitesimal .2) I have tried to learn as much as possible about those two series.
AK'ers have speculated some changes may have been based on product on hand with both drivers and crossovers sometimes differing from the official documents.

Klaus' Infinity Classics website is one of the best sources for Infinity information, and in my opinion AK is also one of the best sites as well for Infinty info.

I went to a couple of their seminars back when they were a fairly new company, one at the Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles. They put on good shows and were very informative. I always like their Walsh tweeter... kind of fragile but they sounded good, were supposed to be kind of 'beamy' but I didn't notice it.... besides, they were absolutely gorgeous and exotic looking things. One thing about Infinity speakers at the time was not to sell them as party speakers or expect them to come back with damaged HF drivers, particularly the Walsh tweeter. Infinity speakers were considered for the refined music listener, they weren't cheap either, and had a high wife acceptance factor for their elegant look... this was in their earlier days before the Emits and large number of drivers. I also liked them back then as a company, they were into hi fi sound and would always take calls about issues or questions, always willing to talk to their sellers and give any helpful information even if the questions drifted to other manufacturers... they were into sound... they would let you 'waste' their time, excellent PR. It is no wonder to me that people who own their classic models love them to this day.

 

[goodolpg]

Spicer, you went to some seminars put on by Infinity in their early years!
I'm jealous.
It's interesting what we remember ( and sort or remember) from those days and trips to real brick and mortar stores.
I saw a pair of huge Infinitys at Highland Appliance. I *think* they were IRS based on the large number of EMITs. I remember standing there and trying to count them.
I'd lose my place and start over.

I agree they did try to be an upscale serious company from the start. Well maybe except the POS speakers.
It is sad to have also watched their decline in later years.

 

[spicer]

Spicer, you went to some seminars put on by Infinity in their early years!
I'm jealous.
It's interesting what we remember ( and sort or remember) from those days and trips to real brick and mortar stores.
I saw a pair of huge Infinitys at Highland Appliance. I *think* they were IRS based on the large number of EMITs. I remember standing there and trying to count them.
I'd lose my place and start over.

I agree they did try to be an upscale serious company from the start. Well maybe except the POS speakers.
It is sad to have also watched their decline in later years.

Yes... attended some of their seminars. Invited as a service manager for a large retailer. They were great... the one at the Bonaventure had their top people there with very interesting live versus recorded comparisons from behind a curtain. They entered a new era with the EMITS and large number of drivers... and of course the electrostatic dream system many lusted after, never heard one but they were reputed to be all they claimed to be... and very expensive. I remember when they were sold, acquired... forgot who bought them but they began to morph into something other than what they had been, could see it in the reps they sent around.

 

[goodolpg]

I'm pretty sure it was Harman who bought them. Supposedly Mr. Nudell stayed on for a short time before then starting his Genesis speaker company.