Infinity RSII for next to nothing, talk me out of getting them

[98%chimp]

Moderator's note: edited to remove price as all questions of value belong in the Dollars and Sense forum.

I just saw some infinity RSii listed. They are in rough shape, apparently all of the drivers work but all of the woofers have been replaced. How hard is it to get originals or equivalents? I have a Sansui AU D11, they will kill him, wont they? I dont have the space for them, I dont know how expensive the restoration will be, I´m not sure my amp can drive them. Its a stupid idea to even consider... but I really want them

 

[98%chimp]

I can´t even audition them, for God's sake...

 

[swechsler]

There's actually a pair of woofers on eBay right now (902-2279). Figure you're going to spend at least as much on the replacements (total) as you will for the asking price of the speakers.

And yes, your Sansui is rated for an 8Ω load minimum, and the RSII is 4Ω. Not a recommended combination.

 

[goodolpg]

I'm always looking for those 10" bullet nose woofers. Honestly, to get 4 clear coned (not that ugly arsed orange yellow tinged clear cones that I haven't figured out what causes them to get that color tinge) might take a while. Or it could happen tomorrow, talking about ebay. Never know when something will be listed for sale. Check often or set up an alert to be notified whan any are listed and hope someone else doesn't get them first. Seems my alerts come in the middle of the night but could be different for others.
The gray coned 10" bullet nosed would work and might be a "proper" replacement but I don't think RS IIs were produced with those originally. Probably the best option if you can't get clear coned ones.
There might be shallow coned and "regular black cloth dust capped" 10" woofers that might work but may have different sonic characteristics.
Any you might buy, if they haven't been refoamed already may be in need of being refoamed so consider that as part of the total investment. DIY refoaming might cost half or less than having a shop do them. Plus shipping if you can't drop them off. I'm fortunate to have a reputable shop an hour away.

Sounds like the seller isn't (as they say in the real estate business) "motivated" if they won't allow an audition.
I really like my RS II's but I'd want to LISTEN to any pair I was considering buying.

 

[seifreit]

Buy Them!! I went through the same process with mine. Bought them for a decent price with 4 Radio Shack woofers in them Took me about a year to get 4 clear poly woofers (490781) but well worth it. As @goodolpg noted, the gray poly come woofers(490780) will work too. They were never used in RS IIs from the factory as far as I know but were used in the RSa and RSb which were produced around the same time. I stole a pair of the gray cone ones out of my RSbs temporarily while searching for clear poly ones. Sonically I couldn't tell the difference between gray and clear.

Your amp will probably be Ok to start but I would strongly recommend getting something bigger if you intend to keep them long term. Once you hear them with the correct woofers installed and possibly replacing the old electrolytic caps I'm guessing they may hang around for a while.

 

[MarkRSIIIa]

If you dont buy them, you will never get started on making them right.

 

[RossW]

Moderator's note: edited to remove questions about value as those belong in the Dollars and Sense forum.

I'm going to go against the grain here and say pass. At least around here the market for large speakers is getting pretty soft. By the time you've located, purchased, shipped, and refoamed four woofers you're going to be out another few hundred bucks. Maybe if they were in excellent shape, but from that picture it sure looks like the grill attachments are broken and the veneer is torn up at the bottom (water damage?).

 

[goodolpg]

Looks to me like something fishy is going on at the bottom of the speaker pictured.
The front, bottom edge should be slightly rounded, and those do get damaged by moving or pivoting them while "dialing in" their position.
The picture supplied APPEARS to have a square protrusion, almost like a block of wood has been added under the bottom of the woofer cabinet. I don't think it's a shadow, but maybe it is?
I can't tell if maybe the entire front has been shortened as well, just basing all this by what I see when I look at my RS II's.

 

[seifreit]

Looks to me like something fishy is going on at the bottom of the speaker pictured.
The front, bottom edge should be slightly rounded, and those do get damaged by moving or pivoting them while "dialing in" their position.
The picture supplied APPEARS to have a square protrusion, almost like a block of wood has been added under the bottom of the woofer cabinet. I don't think it's a shadow, but maybe it is?
I can't tell if maybe the entire front has been shortened as well, just basing all this by what I see when I look at my RS II's.
View attachment 2969384

I think what you are seeing is the shadow from the bass cabinet. It looks correct to me but there is definitely some damage/discoloration along the bottom. It might be as simple as the wood drying out and in need of a good sanding and a few applications of oil. The "wing" is solid oak so plenty of "meat" there to work with.

 

[goodolpg]

My thinking is that a flash from the camera used for that image isn't at a high enough angle to produce whatever that is.
But if there is a bright overhead light close to that speaker that might explain it.

 

[98%chimp]

I think it might be a shadow, I'm going to pass on it. Thanks I'd love to have a pair of these but these ones in particular seem like a lot of work.

 

[7.62]

I’d be all over them if the price is right, pick of the original woofers as they show up on eBay. Thunderous bass and excellent mids highs. The only issue IMHO is size. Like the RSllb’s the have a large footprint and take up some space.