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Resurrecting Infinity RSII (vintage?) Speakers

So after listening to the RSII's for several hours now -- it seems clear that the SU-V9 is not nearly up to the task. It clips even at very moderate volume. Also left or right channel suddenly may go out, and return upon a power cycle. The unit seems to do well with clean source recording, but any sort of recording that is not 'pure' enough causes it to shut down.

I'll have to fire up some dough for a big power amp and a preamp.
 
Arkay said:
Yes, Caig's DeOxit is the stuff to use. Good idea to follow it with Caig's Faderlube, to provide added protection against further oxidation. Also agree that you should give 'em a few days playing to "wake up and burn in" again, BUT I would not do it with the sources you have. You'll have to get new amps. You owe it to yourself to get better source sound than an iPod, too -- although I know that was probably just for testing purposes. Those Inifinities are revealing enough to make the limitations of MP3 sound, or even FLAC lossless digital --if it isn't a great mastering-- quite audible.

If it is any consolation (for needing to find a more suitable amp), it was finding those same speakers and needing to get amps, etc... that revived my interest in and pursuit of, vintage audio. Getting them turned out to be the most expensive free find I've ever made, I guess. :D Once you get 'em all set up right, it WILL be worth it, though. :music: :yes:

If I were you, I would pursue the original woofers, to replace those CVs. The CVs may sound okay now, but I think you'll find the original Infinity woofers to be better.

Nice space, and the speakers look very good. Enjoy it all! :thmbsp:
Click to expand...

Roger that - confirmed.

I just spent all day rearranging things in the room, painting - so I guess I am on my way!

Thanks again for all the input.
 
Excellent -- let us know how they sound with some juice behind 'em. :thmbsp: I'm still pretty envious -- I missed out on a pair of similar large Infinities a while back, and the odds of finding another set locally is slim.
 
Do you still have the original woofers? If the cones aren't too damaged you could send them off to GordonW for repairs. It might be cheaper than finding replacements. If you have them, I suggest pulling them out, and taking pictures of the damage.

Anyway, my top 10 speaker dream list includes some big Infinities like your's. Enjoy. :)
 
Mchaz said:
Do you still have the original woofers? If the cones aren't too damaged you could send them off to GordonW for repairs. It might be cheaper than finding replacements. If you have them, I suggest pulling them out, and taking pictures of the damage.

Anyway, my top 10 speaker dream list includes some big Infinities like your's. Enjoy. :)
Click to expand...

Negative Ghostrider -- I don't have the originals, I'm sure they're in a landfill somewhere around here. So I suppose the hunt is afoot. Unless! I find a equivalent replacement or something superior.

On the power side -- My friend has some old 80's Harmon Kardon stuff -- I think Citation Amps and Pre-amp. So I am contacting him to see if he wants to sell the stuff. I'm sure he has must still have them, because he keeps everything.

Max
 
He does have the HK Citation Nineteen amps and PreAmp. But this stodgy fellow will not sell them. Very irritating.

Max
 
Well, I fired up some dough, and bought a BGW 750E amp for around 200 bucks this past weekend, and just today I bought a used Rotel RC-1070 preamp (Black) for 300 bones.

I retired the Technics SU-V9, and it is sitting on the counter, feeling left out. I'll use it to power my outdoor speakers this spring.

Now, my next mission is to find some replacement bass drivers for the RSII's, since the Cerwins sound a tad muddy and they do begin to pop some at near clipping level.

I'll post some images here in a bit.

Thanks for all the guidance from everyone!
 
Since I've never seen Cerwin-Vega use an acoustic-suspension enclosure for any of their floorstanders, those Cerwin woofers very probably have stiffer suspensions & less cone excursion compared to the woofers that were originally in these acoustic-suspension Infinitys. In turn their bass output will be less. Plus, the Infinity's crossover was designed for totally different woofers (electrically & physically speaking), contributing to the wonky bass. I'm not making excuses for the Cerwins, I just like writing about speakers. :)
 
I just bought a pair of RSii, powering with McIntosh MA 6500. I got the speakers for $400, really pleased with them. From this forum it sounds like they are well respected.
 
Late arriver, true tried and burned it out customer.
Those speakers will absolutely CRUSH anything under 200W clean at 4 Ohm and no headroom.
A real power supply would be needed.
They'll sing all day on good power however...
 
I think that your speakers came with the highly praised "12" Watson dual voice coil woofers". I have 4 - RS1.5`s that have those and that are great speakers. I have seen those on e-bay from time to time, so keep a look out and you will find you some.
When you install those Watsons, you will hear the real deal. Good luck on your search, if I run across some I will let you know.
 
Holiday Googling and came across this thread.
A couple points in the interest of accuracy...
regarding thermoluddys post, the OP is talking about RS II's, which have 10" single voice coil woofers.
If you were referring to someone elses post my apologies.
The Watkins woofers are 12" dual voice coil.
Regarding Tedricks post, the RS II 5" midranges use rubber surrounds which rarely go bad like their foam counterparts. I've seen mention that replacing those rubber surrounds is not as easily done as replacing foam surrounds.
One more point worth mentioning, RS II's drop down to about 2 ohms so proper amplification is needed.
 
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goodolpg said:
Holiday Googling and came across this thread.
A couple points in the interest of accuracy...
regarding thermoluddys post, the OP is talking about RS II's, which have 10" single voice coil woofers...
Click to expand...
There is such a thing as a one-coiled Watkins woofer and that's what came with my RS-II's from the factory. The previous owner, however, replaced them with the Infinity recommended replacements (also one-coiled), which have a less transparent cone. They sound wonderful.
 
Any chance you could post a picture? Or a link to one? Would be great for future reference.
In the RS II advertising from back then, they claimed a "Watkins" type woofer arrangement but it was really just two different roll off points for the two woofers.
 
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