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RS-IIb vs. Renaissance 90

Tedrick

Tedrick

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
As most of you Infinity forum regulars know, I've been on the prowl for a pair of RS-IIb's for some time now. I've gotten close twice, but so far, no cigar. A pair of Renaissance 90's has come up for sale on that auction site (BTW, this is NOT a price thread) that are within driving distance, and this has got me wondering how these two models compare. Can anyone that has had a chance to listen to both post some impressions or opinions? How do they compare in the areas of bass tightness and extension, midrange reproduction, treble quality, and stereo imaging? The only concern I can see about the Ren 90's is some marks and possible damage to one EMIM (photo attached below).

Should I hold out for the RS-IIb's or go for the Ren 90's?
 

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The Ren 90's are good.....however parts for the new design EMIMS and EMITs can tough to find if ya need 'em

FWIW, I'd opt for the RSIIb's. Easier to fix, at the bare minimum.

Best,

Paul :thmbsp:
 
Thanks for the reponses. As luck would have it, a deal to acquire a pair of RS-IIb's that I was working several weeks ago may be back on the front burner. Fingers crossed.

BTW, is the external crossover required for the IIb's if one is planning to bi-amp?
 
Tedrick:

The crossover is not required, however I'd look for an exceptional price for the speakers if they don't have it to go with the deal.

You can use any number of active xovers with these, however the money goes with the complete RSIIb package, including the stock outboard xover.

Best,

Paul :thmbsp:
 
@Tedrick,

Did you go with the Ren 90 or the RSIIb? I am thinking of acquiring either RS 2.5, RS4.5, Ren 90, or RSIIb.

Let me know your opinion.

Thanks
 
Wow, I thought Ted already had a pair of the RSII's for a long time now. Personally I would skip the plans for the RSII's and try and get a pair of the RS-Ib's. I see a pair for sell right now and have seen quite a number of them lately for sell. I think Infinity made the RS II's as a less costly for more people than the RS I''s but I doubt they would be able to compete to a well set up pair of RS-Ib's. I would like to sometime compare a pair of the RSIIb's to a pair of QLS-2's. I would be willing to bet my QLS-2's would be hard to beat.
 
There is an RSI for sale at Audiogon - owner asking for $2500 + extra $1500 if you want to get a "package" of extra emim and emit drivers.

The RSIIb is not directly biampable (one set of binders at the back of each speaker) based on the pictures that I saw. Do any of you know if the RS 2.5 and RS 4.5 if they have two binders or one binder? My dad owned an RS 2.5 but I was only teenager knew nothing about audio at that time.

I know I am not supposed to talk dollars and sense in this forum - but I am very new to this hobby - so let me ask in relative form. The RSIIb that I am interested is half the price of the Ren 90. I personally like the emim drivers in the Ren 90 and the RSIIb has cone midrange driver. Anyone can comment on this difference?

Thanks
 
@Ken - I have been trying unsuccessfully for the QLS-2's - always somebody else got ahead of me and picked them up sooner. If you want to upgrade to RSIb and want to sell your QLS-2 - let me know.

I am using Kappa 6.1 series 2 now - I am happy with it but my blurry and amateur recollection (of 26 years ago) says that the RS 2.5 has much better and fuller. I also had heard the RS 4.5 but again - I was only a teenager at that time - so I was not paying much attention except that the sound felt good. Upon reading AK posts - I am leaning between the RSIIb and the Ren 90.

I read lots of postings and some people indicated that the vintage infinities are getting "old" and being overtaken by the new speakers. Can anyone comment on this? I seem to have a love affair (mid life crisis) with the infinities. Am I misplaced and should I look for a new speakers? As an alternative, I am considering the electrostat MMG and used the Kappa 6.1 for the bass. Anyone can comment on going for this vs. going for the RSIIb/Ren-90?

Thanks
 
waudio said:
@Ken - I have been trying unsuccessfully for the QLS-2's - always somebody else got ahead of me and picked them up sooner. If you want to upgrade to RSIb and want to sell your QLS-2 - let me know.

I am using Kappa 6.1 series 2 now - I am happy with it but my blurry and amateur recollection (of 26 years ago) says that the RS 2.5 has much better and fuller. I also had heard the RS 4.5 but again - I was only a teenager at that time - so I was not paying much attention except that the sound felt good. Upon reading AK posts - I am leaning between the RSIIb and the Ren 90.

I read lots of postings and some people indicated that the vintage infinities are getting "old" and being overtaken by the new speakers. Can anyone comment on this? I seem to have a love affair (mid life crisis) with the infinities. Am I misplaced and should I look for a new speakers? As an alternative, I am considering the electrostat MMG and used the Kappa 6.1 for the bass. Anyone can comment on going for this vs. going for the RSIIb/Ren-90?

Thanks
Click to expand...

If you are going to look at new speakers that would give the sound of say the Ren 90, be ready to spend a lot of cash... Probably at least 7 to 10K. For less than that, there is a beautiful set of almost new Sigmas on ebay someone is selling as we type. A step up in cabinet design etc... from the Ren 90s.
 
Thanks. I just checked it on ebay - I will post in the dollar-n-sense forum for an approximate going price.
 
Sorry but I am not really interested in selling any of my speaker collection. My first pair of Infinity speakers was a pair of QLS-2's which I purchased off an auction site had them shipped from CA to FL. Had to refoam the Watkins bass drivers but other than that they are almost mint. Since then I have purchased two other sets of QLS-2's just cause I liked them and they were different versions ones with both the mid and a EMIT rear firing driver, but surprizingly they are not bi-amped binded. They are in storage right now as I have not had time to check them out yet. I also found a pair of the QLS-1's which I restored, other than rebuild the crossover which I listen to quite often. I have two pairs of the RS-1 series, a pair of the RS-1a, and a pair of the RS-1b's. As far as Kappa's I don't have any of the newer Kappa 7.1's but I have a pair of the older Kappa 8's and a pair of the older Kappa 9's. I would like a pair of the RS 4.5's and RS 2.5's but to be honest the RS 2.5's are not that high on the list. higher on the list is a set of IRS Beta's, and a pair of the very rare Quantum Line Reference which I have never seen for sale. Some say the Ren 90's are great speakers, but they just don't interest me for some reason. Those Sigmas look nice they are probably one of the three pairs that were for sell brand new out of an auction house in Atlanta. They were brand new never used still in the box, don't count on a warrantee!. I am pretty sure you would love those Sigmas sound and they are a much better speaker system IMO than the Kappa 6.1's. I don't really care much for the RSII's with the dome drivers as much as I would the version with the EMIM's. I also have a pair of older Phase Linear Aodmedas which later changed to Phase Linear III's, and I have to say they sound really good to me, I would put them up to any one of the Infinitys IMO. They are kind of fragile as they have a bunch of cone shaped plastic funnels which direct the highs di-pole fashion to create a larger sound stage. Good luck with what ever you end up with, and their are lots of good post if you need tech help fixing anything you get.
 
Thanks Ken.

I love the old infinities - I hope that I can get my hands into the QLS-2's that are bi-amp binded.
 
waudio said:
@Tedrick,

Did you go with the Ren 90 or the RSIIb? I am thinking of acquiring either RS 2.5, RS4.5, Ren 90, or RSIIb.

Let me know your opinion.
Click to expand...

I got my RS-IIb's a couple of years ago. They are easily the best speakers I've owned and do a lot of things very well. I've never heard RS2.5's, RS-4.5's or Ren 90's, so I can't offer any insight. AKer kurtgo (from whom I bought my RS-IIb's...thanks Kurt :D) is a HUGE fan of RS-4.5's and I believe he also now owns some RS-2.5's, so he can surely provide some useful comparisons between these three. Hopefully he'll see this thread and comment.

waudio said:
The RSIIb is not directly biampable (one set of binders at the back of each speaker) based on the pictures that I saw. Do any of you know if the RS 2.5 and RS 4.5 if they have two binders or one binder? My dad owned an RS 2.5 but I was only teenager knew nothing about audio at that time.

I know I am not supposed to talk dollars and sense in this forum - but I am very new to this hobby - so let me ask in relative form. The RSIIb that I am interested is half the price of the Ren 90. I personally like the emim drivers in the Ren 90 and the RSIIb has cone midrange driver. Anyone can comment on this difference?
Click to expand...
In both instances, you are thinking of the RS-II's. The RS-IIa and IIb can be bi-amped and feature 3 EMIM midranges per side. The speakers in my avatar are RS-IIb (left) and RS-IIIb. You can clearly see the EMIMs in the speaker on the left.

Both the RS-2.5 and RS-4.5 can be bi-amped.

Here's a pic of the rear panel of an RS-IIb from Infinity Classics that shows two sets of speaker inputs. When running a single stereo amp, these are jumpered together.
RS2B-13.jpg
 
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@Tedrick,

It comes to my attention of two sets of RSII for sale (1 set of RSIIa and 1 set of RSIIb). Will this be a better purchase than 1 set of RS1b? What will be your opinion on this? RS1b is very difficult to come by and if there is one, usually in Florida or CA. This opportunity is about 10hr driving for me and can be manageable.

Let me know what your comment is.

Thanks
suti
 
waudio said:
@Tedrick,

It comes to my attention of two sets of RSII for sale (1 set of RSIIa and 1 set of RSIIb). Will this be a better purchase than 1 set of RS1b? What will be your opinion on this? RS1b is very difficult to come by and if there is one, usually in Florida or CA. This opportunity is about 10hr driving for me and can be manageable.

Let me know what your comment is.

Thanks
suti
Click to expand...
I saw those. Both pairs of II's seem to be in very good condition and look to be priced pretty much in the ball park.

If you have the space in your listening room and the amps to drive 'em, the RS-1B's would be definite step up from the RS-IIa/b. Be aware of a couple of things with the Ib's:
(1) The Ib's are huge and need room to breathe to sound their best.
(2) You absolutely need a crossover with these, either the Infinity OEM or an aftermarket model.
(3) It is very common for one of the EMIMs on these to be damaged. IIRC, EMIM #3 (3rd from the top) receives more midrange "energy" than the other 5 midrange drivers and can be damaged more easily.
(4) These speakers will be ruthlessly revealing of everything that is upstream of them. If you're amp(s), preamp, sources, or cables are not good quality, these speakers will let you know it.
 
Tedrick said:
I saw those. Both pairs of II's seem to be in very good condition and look to be priced pretty much in the ball park.

If you have the space in your listening room and the amps to drive 'em, the RS-1B's would be definite step up from the RS-IIa/b. Be aware of a couple of things with the Ib's:
(1) The Ib's are huge and need room to breathe to sound their best.
(2) You absolutely need a crossover with these, either the Infinity OEM or an aftermarket model.
(3) It is very common for one of the EMIMs on these to be damaged. IIRC, EMIM #3 (3rd from the top) receives more midrange "energy" than the other 5 midrange drivers and can be damaged more easily.
(4) These speakers will be ruthlessly revealing of everything that is upstream of them. If you're amp(s), preamp, sources, or cables are not good quality, these speakers will let you know it.
Click to expand...

The Holy Grail of speakerdom would end the search.
With all the "issues", would ownership be worth it:scratch2: I'm sure many would like to find out one way or the other:)
 
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