i also owned Kappa 9's while i owned QLS-1's, and agree with everything you said to a point. i regret selling my QLS-1's more than my 9's, IRS Gammas, RS4.5's, and RS1b's.
QLS-1 - The King is dead, long live the King
- Thread starter seifreit
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- infinity qls-1 qls1 restoration
i also owned Kappa 9's while i owned QLS-1's, and agree with everything you said to a point. i regret selling my QLS-1's more than my 9's, IRS Gammas, RS4.5's, and RS1b's.
I honestly thought that it would take something like RS 4.5s or Gammas to unseat the K9s. I really wasn't prepared for what the QLS-1s were capable of. I've read other comments were some people considered the QLS-1s an "endgame" speaker. I can kind of see that now
tomlinmgt
Lunatic Member
Wow...that's quite a testament to the QLS-1. Those are some pretty impressive speakers in that bunch.
tomlinmgt
Lunatic Member
Could be end game if there are budget restrictions. I doubt anyone would be able to find something significantly better for less than $2k or even higher.I have 2 sets of QLS-1's, and their, although good, but far from end game
tomlinmgt
Lunatic Member
Nice work and congrats on the payoff...you certainly earned it!
I did a fairly comprehensive restoration on my QLS-1's, also...recapped the crossovers (with Janzen Superior-z on mids, mid-bass coupler and EMITS, Daytons on woofer), reflowed solder connections on all EMITS, disassembled and cleaned pots, replaced woofer surrounds) and was taken to levels of hifi I'd never experienced before. Vandersteen 2ci's and Maggie MG-IIIa's had been my high water marks prior to the QLS-1's, and the MG-IIIa's in particular were quite impressive. But the QLS-1's just had something else...a sense of authority over the reproduction of music that the MG-IIIa's didn't. It's like they were unflappable, playing all genres I threw at them with aplomb. Music flowed right out of them, creating this huge sound stage with a tactile presentation that generated a palpable sonic texture in the air. It was reminiscent of the first time I saw Dali's
Hallucinogenic Toreador in person...massive in scale and seemingly alive because of the texture and depth created by variations in thickness of the paint...much like a topographical relief map. You involuntarily say "wow" when you experience it, and so it is with the QLS-1's, as well...
...provided they're set up properly in a room that's of appropriate size and volume and, of course, with upstream electronics that can deliver the goods. I tried a lot of amps with mine...Hafler 500 (with Musical Concepts mods), Soundcraftsmen MA5002 (fully restored), Emotiva XPA-2 (big disappointment), Aragon 8008 and finally, a Threshold S/300ii followed shortly after by a second s/300ii. The Aragon and Threshold were the magic makers, with the Threshold doing everything just the slightest bit better than the Aragon (both of the Thresholds got a full restoration with some mods, the Aragon got only a thorough check up and cleaning from my tech...no caps replaced). Settled on an Audio Research LS2B (hybrid) as my favorite pre-amp. Source was a Yamaha TOL Natural Sound cdp or Mog streamed from a laptop. DAC was a Grant Fidelity Tube DAC-11 with upgraded tube. With Mog, which was the first streaming service I had ever tried, I had an endless library of music at my fingertips. I took the QLS-1's genre hopping...exploring all kinds of music I never knew existed and had an absolute blast. And music I was already familiar with got a major upgrade...presented in a way like I'd never heard before. I often described the experience to others by comparing watching a movie at a regular cinema compared to seeing an IMAX movie. It was simply a totally different experience that excited more of your senses. I moved on to Altec 19's, JBL L250's, Acoustat Spectra 22's and some DIY open baffle projects after the QLS-1's, but I never got rid of them. I haven't listened to them in about ten years and am looking forward to revisiting them in the 19x26 dedicated listening space I'm currently building. I'm very curious to hear what they sound like in the bigger space...which offers a vaulted ceiling and better acoustics than the acoustically treated 16x20x8 space they were in prior, and I have better preamps and DAC than I was using the last time I used them. The Threshold is still with me, as well as Phase Linear 700B that has the full menu of White Oak mods that will be interesting to try. The EMIT replacement diaphragms might be of interest to me...I had a few EMITs that were playing at a very slightly lower output than the others by the time I took my QLS-1's out of rotation. I also have IRS Betas than are undergoing restoration, and am VERY curious to hear how the two flagship models from different eras compare.
- Michael
I did a fairly comprehensive restoration on my QLS-1's, also...recapped the crossovers (with Janzen Superior-z on mids, mid-bass coupler and EMITS, Daytons on woofer), reflowed solder connections on all EMITS, disassembled and cleaned pots, replaced woofer surrounds) and was taken to levels of hifi I'd never experienced before. Vandersteen 2ci's and Maggie MG-IIIa's had been my high water marks prior to the QLS-1's, and the MG-IIIa's in particular were quite impressive. But the QLS-1's just had something else...a sense of authority over the reproduction of music that the MG-IIIa's didn't. It's like they were unflappable, playing all genres I threw at them with aplomb. Music flowed right out of them, creating this huge sound stage with a tactile presentation that generated a palpable sonic texture in the air. It was reminiscent of the first time I saw Dali's
Hallucinogenic Toreador in person...massive in scale and seemingly alive because of the texture and depth created by variations in thickness of the paint...much like a topographical relief map. You involuntarily say "wow" when you experience it, and so it is with the QLS-1's, as well...
...provided they're set up properly in a room that's of appropriate size and volume and, of course, with upstream electronics that can deliver the goods. I tried a lot of amps with mine...Hafler 500 (with Musical Concepts mods), Soundcraftsmen MA5002 (fully restored), Emotiva XPA-2 (big disappointment), Aragon 8008 and finally, a Threshold S/300ii followed shortly after by a second s/300ii. The Aragon and Threshold were the magic makers, with the Threshold doing everything just the slightest bit better than the Aragon (both of the Thresholds got a full restoration with some mods, the Aragon got only a thorough check up and cleaning from my tech...no caps replaced). Settled on an Audio Research LS2B (hybrid) as my favorite pre-amp. Source was a Yamaha TOL Natural Sound cdp or Mog streamed from a laptop. DAC was a Grant Fidelity Tube DAC-11 with upgraded tube. With Mog, which was the first streaming service I had ever tried, I had an endless library of music at my fingertips. I took the QLS-1's genre hopping...exploring all kinds of music I never knew existed and had an absolute blast. And music I was already familiar with got a major upgrade...presented in a way like I'd never heard before. I often described the experience to others by comparing watching a movie at a regular cinema compared to seeing an IMAX movie. It was simply a totally different experience that excited more of your senses. I moved on to Altec 19's, JBL L250's, Acoustat Spectra 22's and some DIY open baffle projects after the QLS-1's, but I never got rid of them. I haven't listened to them in about ten years and am looking forward to revisiting them in the 19x26 dedicated listening space I'm currently building. I'm very curious to hear what they sound like in the bigger space...which offers a vaulted ceiling and better acoustics than the acoustically treated 16x20x8 space they were in prior, and I have better preamps and DAC than I was using the last time I used them. The Threshold is still with me, as well as Phase Linear 700B that has the full menu of White Oak mods that will be interesting to try. The EMIT replacement diaphragms might be of interest to me...I had a few EMITs that were playing at a very slightly lower output than the others by the time I took my QLS-1's out of rotation. I also have IRS Betas than are undergoing restoration, and am VERY curious to hear how the two flagship models from different eras compare.
- Michael
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i think you can certainly debate what "endgame" means to you. the QLS-1 are not perfect speakers, and depending on what you prioritize as a listener, any of the other speakers i listed might be more up your alley than the QLS-1. but what i wanted to convey was that for me personally, i formed a connection to the sound of the QLS-1 that in hindsight was never equalled by any of those other subsequent Infinity models i owned.
chef free
Super Member
Fun and rewarding process! I fully restored a rosewood pair a few years back (i didn't even know they came in rosewood!). My experiences were similar, lots of time spent tweaking amplification, speaker positioning, crossover set up, and room treatments. These speakers pay you back with a GIANT soundstage, wide and tall! Yeah, the EMITk is a better tweeter but the QLS-1 do so much right it's not a major issue. Thanks for including us on you adventure!
The hard velcro button on the left is the original. The one on the right is one I found that has a higher density of nibs and has a much higher grip strength. It is available from 3-M.
@seifreit Searched far and wide for these and could not find any. If you have a source, please let me know as I'd like to put my Quantum 4s back in a more stock form. I have fashioned some Velcro for the time being that actually works pretty well but I am eager to get things done more "right." Thanks in advance.....I did look on eBay and did not find any there either.
I just realized after looking at the link in the earlier post it was for the fabric strip version. Here is the link to the correct button version I used.
https://www.rshughes.com/p/3M-Dual-...In-Width-X-0-81-In-Length-24993/021200_24993/
Hi @seifreit, yes that is the link I also found but if you go there, at least on my end, this is what you see.....not available:
So, I guess I am outta luck on this one although I suppose I could call them and see what they would recommend. Hmmmmmm.....bummer, was getting excited about that and I think they were only like 68¢ each. All the other sites I found you had to buy a minimum of 1,000 units and they started at over $300. Also, there were all these disclaimers that stated "not sold to customers for home use, industrial customers only....." so not sure what to make of that? Clearly, others have been able to obtain them.
They are, however, precisely the right size matching the old ones that I took off and saved.
Question: if I were to be able to find some of these, are there a "male and female" version or do you just use the same type for both the posts as well as the back of the speaker grills?
Thanks!
So, I guess I am outta luck on this one although I suppose I could call them and see what they would recommend. Hmmmmmm.....bummer, was getting excited about that and I think they were only like 68¢ each. All the other sites I found you had to buy a minimum of 1,000 units and they started at over $300. Also, there were all these disclaimers that stated "not sold to customers for home use, industrial customers only....." so not sure what to make of that? Clearly, others have been able to obtain them.
They are, however, precisely the right size matching the old ones that I took off and saved.
Question: if I were to be able to find some of these, are there a "male and female" version or do you just use the same type for both the posts as well as the back of the speaker grills?
Thanks!
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Found this site that has them in quantities of 10. They say they are in stock.
http://www.nextwarehouse.com/item/?...MIxa3crZ25_AIVAc-GCh2T4AnjEAQYAyABEgKHzPD_BwE
There is no male/female version. Just attach one to the frame of the grill and one at the end of the standoff on the cabinet.
Thanks @seifreit, after looking it appears they are offering 10 pieces, which means 5 pairs if I'm reading that correctly? Which means, in order to do both speakers that would require the purchase of 2 sets of these and that makes $50......hmmmm......just seems a bit more than I might like to spend even if I do want to restore things back to original. Perhaps I'll keep searching. I also thought about getting some of these:
https://www.itapestore.com/3m-dual-lock-sj3550-by-the-yard.html
Then, cutting them to size, punching a hole in the center of one side to affix to the standoff after essentially grinding the old piece flat, maybe using some epoxy along with the screw and on the grill side of things. This would essentially be about the same thing as it's also 250 variety and will just require a bit of fashioning. I believe it is do-able, you?
https://www.itapestore.com/3m-dual-lock-sj3550-by-the-yard.html
Then, cutting them to size, punching a hole in the center of one side to affix to the standoff after essentially grinding the old piece flat, maybe using some epoxy along with the screw and on the grill side of things. This would essentially be about the same thing as it's also 250 variety and will just require a bit of fashioning. I believe it is do-able, you?
I just did another search for them with the 3M part number and Digikey is showing they have them at $0.81 per piece, $6.87 for a package of 10 and $16.48 for a package of 25.
Perfect! Thanks @seifreit, order submitted. When they arrive, I'll install and report back. You've been very helpful and I appreciate that. I, too did a lot of searches but did not find that particular one. In fact, I believe I did look at Digi-Key but did not find them at that price. Got 24 of them so I would have 8 spares in case they begin to fail, as did my originals which prompted me to do the velcro thing which has, be all acounts, worked out quite well.....but not original and this will take it as close to that as we're going to get I believe. Yoohoo amigos!
You're welcome. The previous searches I did never showed Digikey either. It just happened to pop up for some reason this time so I checked it.
goodolpg
Just an old fart trying to help.
I just checked out the latest links. To my eye, and (questionable) reading comprehension, it appears ALL pieces are the "mushroom" type fastener. Not true hook and loop, where the PAIR is two pieces of differing construction/style.
But, what matters is, will two mushroom pieces mesh together and hold tight in the same manner as hook and loop types?
But, what matters is, will two mushroom pieces mesh together and hold tight in the same manner as hook and loop types?
Good quesiton, @goodolpg, and I believe that the answer is that the two pieces to be mated are identical. The design of the mushroom heads is such that they will grasp one another and stay connected. I will, however, let everyone know as soon as I get them installed. I'm reading more about this problem in other places and after 45 years, it would stand to reason that a product such as this would fail. One thing though....I never did find that the old ones, even when brand new, were a good "patent," because I had a hard time getting them aligned well so that the grill would appear to be mounted perfectly square on the front of the speakers. This led to re-positioning attempts and I'm sure that's when some of those small pegs began to bend and finally snap off until, finally, I had to do a DIY solution with the Velcro. Stay tuned amigos....
If I am interpreting the data from 3M correctly, the ones I am using are of a higher per inch count which is creating greater grip. I can say that these things don't let go easily once they are snapped together. Even on the large QLS-1 grills they have yet to easily come off even if bumped into. I have had them installed on the Q3s for over a year and they show no signs of loosening. Plus, they are a direct "bolt-on" size wise for the originals on the cabinet. No re-drilling or special fitting required. The only thing I had to do was use a small wood screw on the grill side as the original part was flatter and stapled to the grill.