Ratamahatta 437 Posted October 4, 2014 Posted October 4, 2014 I was not really looking to get any new speakers when low and behold I was driving and went by a garage sale in the area and they had a set of Infinity Kappa 6.1 out by the street. I pulled in to check them out. cabinets are OK except for someone putting plants on the top and totally messing up the veneer and MDF. I have a few ideas as for fixing the cabinets including just sanding them down and painting them gloss black. Missing one of the Emit R series 2 tweeters, and both woofers need re-foaming. The Polydome mid's are fine, needless to say I picked these up for 20 bucks. The re-foaming I can handle no problem but as for the tweeter there are a few on e=bay but I was thinking about getting these. http://www.parts-express.com/vifa-xt19td00-04-3-4-dual-radiator-tweeter--264-1000 they should be a drop in replacement same ohms and same sensitivity. I know the Emit r's sound good but were notorious for pooping. Any thoughts? nice to keep all original but nothing like upgrading with something better and more reliable right?
Gene C 1,748 Posted October 4, 2014 Posted October 4, 2014 Nice score. Let me be the first to tell you to get an exact replacement off eBay. There is no suitable "Drop In" replacement, you would be doing yourself and those speakers a huge disservice if you changed them with something else. Those ribbons are fine as long as they are not being under driven, that's how people fry those ribbons when they hook up a cheap ass amp. If you can score a pair of the EMIT-R's for cheap I would keep the one you have now as a spare. 2
RodH 4,866 Posted October 4, 2014 Posted October 4, 2014 $20? Wow. Tough to lose there. Despite Gene's........... He's right. Get proper replacements and rock out! 1
Ratamahatta 437 Posted October 4, 2014 Author Posted October 4, 2014 Thanks that's what I thought even though I do like to upgrade. The ones I have are EMIT R series 2 some ones I was looking at are just EMIT R from an earlier series, they should work right? I was also contemplating putting some fresh caps in the x-overs as well thinking about Dayton audio 1% don't want to spend too much on Clarity caps or Sonics
Gene C 1,748 Posted October 4, 2014 Posted October 4, 2014 Thanks that's what I thought even though I do like to upgrade. The ones I have are EMIT R series 2 some ones I was looking at are just EMIT R from an earlier series, they should work right? I was also contemplating putting some fresh caps in the x-overs as well thinking about Dayton audio 1% don't want to spend too much on Clarity caps or Sonics I would not even fuck with the crossover, you'll wind up doing more harm than good. Can you look at the part # on the back of your EMIT-R's magnet? Should start with a 902. And BTW if that is the EMIT that belongs with the speaker then you have the 6.2 series II which was produced for 6 months (after the first series of .1's) before Infinity pulled the plug on those speakers. You can confirm this by looking at your crossover. If it just says 6.1 on the back then the plain EMIT-R's belong in there. 2
Ratamahatta 437 Posted October 4, 2014 Author Posted October 4, 2014 OK I knew there was an Infinity expert on here lol. they do say Infinity Kappa 6.1 So the ones I am looking at should be fine, I am going to guess that since the other tweeter says series 2 they must have fried the original ones and all that was available was the series 2.
Gene C 1,748 Posted October 5, 2014 Posted October 5, 2014 Good deal. Then I would pick these bitches up and call it a day. I looked at the other pairs on eBay and were not as clean as these, I see no wrinkles or pits in the kapton. This is the kit I would use to re-foam your drivers too. 2
PMAT 2,038 Posted October 5, 2014 Posted October 5, 2014 Hey!! Those are great tweeters, don't give up on them. Also, if the cabinets clean up nice with some restorer I would check for air leaks. If they are tight I would wood putty the seam and cut a piece of hardwood the same shape as the top, pre-finish the piece and then glue it on top. If they are not tight you could seal from the inside. Painting black is good but not as easy as you would think. 2
Ratamahatta 437 Posted October 5, 2014 Author Posted October 5, 2014 I cant get those tweeters because they're sold, nah just kidding I got them they were saved in my watch list. Thanks for looking for me. I have done x-over rebuilds before but Infinity seems to put in decent caps to begin with. I might see if they're still in spec. I have painted a few pair of speakers and know what a PITA it can be. I thought of the hardwood idea or a piece of glass painted on back maybe plexiglass or just painting the top black but still kicking some ideas around.
Gene C 1,748 Posted October 5, 2014 Posted October 5, 2014 I cant get those tweeters because they're sold, nah just kidding I got them they were saved in my watch list. Thanks for looking for me. I have done x-over rebuilds before but Infinity seems to put in decent caps to begin with. I might see if they're still in spec. I have painted a few pair of speakers and know what a PITA it can be. I thought of the hardwood idea or a piece of glass painted on back maybe plexiglass or just painting the top black but still kicking some ideas around. Those caps are overrated and good for 30 or more years, you would have to remove them to properly test. I was told by 2 people high up in the know not to ever recap those crossovers, I've touched on this subject before. Leave them alone, focus on repairing the cabinets and drivers, you'll be happy you listened to me. 1
Ratamahatta 437 Posted October 5, 2014 Author Posted October 5, 2014 OK OK I wont mess around with the x-overs, lol I just ordered new foam as well . I am now 146 bucks in the hole on these, not to bad. I will probably replace the grill cloth, like they will ever be on.
danowood 2,167 Posted October 5, 2014 Posted October 5, 2014 Nice find. as far as the top goes I would get a piece of veneer (red oak) and stain it either golden oak or early American walnut, prolly the later. Get a small can of each and try on a piece of the veneer scrap and check for comparison. Tape the rest of the cabs off and get a spray can of lacquer and coat the top after its been re veneered and stained. Thats the fix I would try. 2
Community Admin AndrewJohn 10,451 Posted October 5, 2014 Community Admin Posted October 5, 2014 I've done Dano's suggestion on the veneer. I had a pair of speakers that had significant water damage, and now they look better than original. Here's a before and after of my project - it took me a couple weeks working at night for 30 to 40 minutes 5 or 6 of those nights. The steps I took are below the photos: Pick up an old clothes iron from Goodwill, $3. Remove the old veneer using the iron. (Fire risk, use common sense). The iron on the veneer will soften the glue holding the veneer to the MDF. It will also re-constitute some of the glues in the MDF, so do this carefully just enough to loosen the veneer, and scrape it off. It will take a little effort. Sand the mdf with your random orbital sander to flat. Low spots will show up, and the swelled MDF will sand down. I used basic plastic wood (DAP, I think) to fill the low spots. This has adhesive in it, and will soak into the MDF wood, if it is a fresh can of Plastic Wood. It will help to re-fix the MDF. Let it dry, then sand. It's kind of the process you'd use with Bondo in autobody repair. I picked up my veneer on Ebay. I got 8 sheets of that bookmatched walnut from some guy in Tennesee for less than $30. You just need to get some course grained red oak. There are a number of veneer dealers selling veneer cheap on ebay. The guy I bought from sold surplus veneer that was for aircraft interiors (for the rich and famous!). The crack on the back vertical edge you have should just fill with plastic wood. I know some people don't like that stuff, but I've had good luck with it, and I use the stained kind - right off the shelf at Home Depot. I use the same process in reverse to apply the new veneer (Do the whole top, edge to edge, and use a peice that overlaps the edge, so you can trim it with a razor blade, or very new/sharp utility knife - very slowly... To glue it on (process in reverse) I use Tight Bond yellow glue (from home depot). wet the veneer with water and a towel, so it doesn't soak up and dry the glue too fast. Then, apply a good (between thin and generous) coat of glue to both surfaces. When the glue skins over, (only takes a few minutes) put the veneer on the speaker top. Since the glue is skinned, you can maneuver / position the veneer. Then, lay brown paper from a cut-open grocery bag on the veneer (so it doesn't burn) and put your hot iron to the veneer. The "skinned" Tight Bond carpenters glue will re-liquify with the heat, but then cool quickly. I use a linoleum / laminate roller to roll the excess glue out the edges, and wipe it off with a wet cloth. If you have all the parts out of the cabinets (I would suggest it), you can use some Watco Finish Restorer (from home depot, lowes, or your hardware store). I love that stuff. You might also turn the lights out, and put a flashlight in the cabinet, and ensure you don't have any leaks, at this point. It takes a lot to delaminate 1" of MDF all the way through, but for peace of mind, you can check. Then seal from the inside, or as you need to. My first coat of finish I apply rubbing it in on the old finish with 0000 steel wool, which really cleans the old finish down, and creates a good bond. It's a lot like using buffing compound to smooth out a finish on a car. I then usually do 3 or 4 coats applied with a rag, and wiped off in 10 minutes, then dry overnight before the next coat. I used the same finish on the raw wood in my project above - but the top took a few more coats as it sucked up the finish. I did this by watching the tightbond yellow glue youtube video a few times. First time, it worked. I was nervous, but it was easy..., looking back at it. Mostly, take your time - you'll have a great looking set of speakers. 5
Gene C 1,748 Posted October 5, 2014 Posted October 5, 2014 OK OK I wont mess around with the x-overs, lol I just ordered new foam as well . I am now 146 bucks in the hole on these, not to bad. I will probably replace the grill cloth, like they will ever be on. The grilles are easy to re-cover. I did my Kappa 6 and Kappa 9 speakers with cloth from from this guy here. 3m super 77 multipurpose spray adhesive works great, make sure to tape off the inside area of the grille frame for run off or overspray. BTW you should always leave the grills on but popping them off every once and a while to drool is ok too. 3
danowood 2,167 Posted October 5, 2014 Posted October 5, 2014 Andrew was spot on in his description, however, I would use contact cement, either brush it on or use a small roller. You coat both pieces, the mfd and the veneer. Let it dry to a haze. I use small wooden dowels 1/8 to 3/16". lay the dowels on the speaker and position the veneer over the dowels being careful to not let the two pieces contact each other until your ready. Once they make contact you cant move them. start at one edge and press it down while holding the other end up and away from the mdf. work the dowels slowly away from the contacted surface while you work the veneer down to the mdf. The desired result is to work it down so that you don't get any air bubbles trapped into your two pieces that contact each other. Make sure your veneer is a little bigger to cover the top past the edges. You can then use a razor knife and trim it off when your done. Take a rolling pin (from your wifes kitchen lol) and roll the veneer down. If you do get an air bubble just take your razor knife and make a slit with the grain in the air bubble and work it out of the piece. There you have it. Weldwood contact cement can be had from any building supply place. There is the original and the non smelling kind. The original dries faster. Its what is used for applying veneers and counter top Formica. 2
fill35U 1,846 Posted October 5, 2014 Posted October 5, 2014 Wow, congratulations! I've been thinking about getting some 6.x's, your story gives me hope. Good luck on the rest of the restoration! 1
Ratamahatta 437 Posted October 5, 2014 Author Posted October 5, 2014 Those turned out great Andrew, thanks for all the suggestions guys! I too was considering the just replace the top veneer route and found these http://www.ebay.com/itm/261616191378 perfect size. I ordered two of these and will attempt a re-veneer, I got out my belt sander with some 50 grit and sanded them down a little short of where I wanted to and then did the final adjustment with my orbital sander then got side tract........ OK I have gone as far as I can go until I get my supplies in. I touched up and cleaned the cabinets, took off the bottoms and added some t-nuts for spikes in the back and touched them up with some paint. Minwax golden oak seems to be a real good match, I got a touch up marker. The spot on the one I did a test area. Nothing to do but wait, I hate waiting. some pics.
Ratamahatta 437 Posted October 7, 2014 Author Posted October 7, 2014 Hey Gene, have any of you Infinity guys tried these? http://www.simplyspeakers.com/replacement-speaker-dome-midrange-m-330.html?gdftrk=gdfV22844_a_7c646_a_7c3417_a_7cM_d_330&gclid=CJ7A15KMmcECFSyCMgodpSsAFA
Gene C 1,748 Posted October 7, 2014 Posted October 7, 2014 Hey Gene, have any of you Infinity guys tried these? http://www.simplyspeakers.com/replacement-speaker-dome-midrange-m-330.html?gdftrk=gdfV22844_a_7c646_a_7c3417_a_7cM_d_330&gclid=CJ7A15KMmcECFSyCMgodpSsAFA Those are complete garbage. Notice they are rated for 6 ohms and not 4 to 3.8 ohms like the polydomes. Unfortunately as I stated earlier there are NO replacements for the originals. Some people get suckered into replacing them with those and wind up with a different mid range response, think the guys over at Orange County were plugging those a while back. OC does re-foaming for some of the Infinity guys but why they plug that midrange is beyond me, the specs are not even close on paper. 2
Ratamahatta 437 Posted October 7, 2014 Author Posted October 7, 2014 Thanks, good to know. I am glad mine are in good shape and supple. Is these a place that will put a new dome in those if need be? I should have the tweeters and new foam tomorrow, the veneer shipped out today, maybe I will clean the woofers tonight. Thanks for all your help again.
Gene C 1,748 Posted October 7, 2014 Posted October 7, 2014 The domes can be fixed but personaly would harvest them out of other polydomes that pop up on ebay when need be. 1
Daddyjt 9,612 Posted October 8, 2014 Posted October 8, 2014 Thanks, good to know. I am glad mine are in good shape and supple. Is these a place that will put a new dome in those if need be? I should have the tweeters and new foam tomorrow, the veneer shipped out today, maybe I will clean the woofers tonight. Thanks for all your help again. This guy does a good job with them - $83 shipped.... http://www.ebay.com/itm/INFINITY-Kappa-6-7-8-9-PolyDome-Driver-REPAIR-Service-I-Can-Fix-These-/281343038918?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item41815a15c6 3
Gene C 1,748 Posted October 8, 2014 Posted October 8, 2014 Thanks, good to know. I am glad mine are in good shape and supple. Is these a place that will put a new dome in those if need be? I should have the tweeters and new foam tomorrow, the veneer shipped out today, maybe I will clean the woofers tonight. Thanks for all your help again. This guy does a good job with them - $83 shipped.... http://www.ebay.com/itm/INFINITY-Kappa-6-7-8-9-PolyDome-Driver-REPAIR-Service-I-Can-Fix-These-/281343038918?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item41815a15c6 Good old Michael Marks. 1
Ratamahatta 437 Posted October 8, 2014 Author Posted October 8, 2014 My work was a little slow so I ducked out early and got home and all the boxes were sitting there by the door. I got started and got the woofers fr-foamed, one went really well and took literally about 5 mins, the other one I had a difficult time getting the VC centered where it would not rub, I have never had such a difficult time doing this. Finally got it not to rub and got them all back together minus the new top veneer, new tweeters and let the glue dry for a couple hours. I did some low level listening and am really impressed so far, I did have the same version of this but the 8.1's but sadly I sold them. It seems like they needed a bunch of space and at the time all I had powering anything was a AVR so I know I never got the full potential out of them. Anyway I am getting side tract again, so far these sound really good fast and revealing, when the glue dries and I can crank them a little I will give better impressions of these. Friday I should have the top veneer gluing on and trim them sat or sun. Anyway I have a question Gene or anyone that knows, I could not find a manual on these and don't know if setting the L-pads on the rear to neutral is straight up or all the way down? Thanks
zumbini 6,147 Posted October 8, 2014 Posted October 8, 2014 Personally I wait 48 hours after refoaming/reconing before powering up a speaker. ....I have a question Gene or anyone that knows, I could not find a manual on these and don't know if setting the L-pads on the rear to neutral is straight up or all the way down? Manuals for legacy Infinity products are available HERE. 1
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