Infinity Qa's.... Save Them? (Big Job) OR Piece Them Out?

[Franksta]

I read a little about the classic Infinity lines on the Classic Infinity website and it got my interest up a little. I remembered that I had seen a beat up pair of Qa's at one of my places a couple of weeks back. I couldn't stand it! I went back to check them out and they followed me home!

They are definitely a big project if I end up restoring them! I played with them for a couple of hours when I got them home just to get an idea if they can be or if I want to try to restore them. They have beat up cabinets. They have two different Emit tweeters. The frame for one of the grills is broken and the fabric needs replacing. The woofers dust caps are dented a little and the emblems are gone! Other than that..... :lmao: they are just fine!

I show some pictures below. Notice the two different Emits! The bright chrome one is the original to the Qa. The thing is everything works and they sound great :thmbsp: !

So what do I do...invest the time in restoring them or part them out and move on? I only paid $10 for the pair so I know I could make a little money on the pieces. Then again I am pretty good at the restoring deal. I could recover them with vinyl or laminate. I could get another original tweeter and sell the other spare. I can make grill frames from plywood using the good one as a pattern. I have already pulled the old vinyl covering off and filled in the cracks and dented corners with Bondo. What direction would you guys go? I already have about 3 or 4 refoam jobs waiting! But it is fun in a way isn't it :yes: ?! Best! Franksta

[macaltec]

Fix em annd use em. Or, I'll double your money and come get them. :D

mac

[kfa888]

OK, so in the last picture the cab has been worked on and the speaker looks like the dust cap was fixed and then the whole cone and DC treated to a KLH job. Whazup wit dat? Seems you started the repair already. Keep going. :naughty:

[Charivari]

I say repair them, the vintage Infinities are gradually becoming rarer and just parting them out will reduce the pool all the more. Though the very bottom of the Quantum line, they are still worth fixing up and enjoying. At least they're working, and that's the biggest thing with these seeing how difficult it can be to repair bad tweeters.

I'll say that yours aren't even bad, they just have some minor cosmetic issues. I picked up a pair of Quantum 2s for $15 some time back, the woofer surrounds were non-existent, all but one of the midrange domes had broken tinsels (a supposedly impossible to repair situation), and the crossover in one had been gone over by a blind-folded monkey on Ritalin with an industrial grade soldering iron. They're currently playing some music in my living room right now. Any old Infinities with the EMITs are always worth repairing, no matter how bad off.

- JP

[Franksta]

OK, so in the last picture the cab has been worked on and the speaker looks like the dust cap was fixed and then the whole cone and DC treated to a KLH job. Whazup wit dat? Seems you started the repair already. Keep going. :naughty:

Yes! Like I said I couldn't stand it I had to play with them a little when I got them home. I carefully cut the original dustcaps off with a utility knife. I then pushed the dents out and treated them front and back with diluted Elmers glue so they would keep their shape better. I then put a generous bead of glue around the dustcaps and remounted them. The cones have a coat of very diluted Elmers on them just to freshen them up. It wasn't dry when the picture was snapped! It will dry clear with just a slight satin gloss.(Love that Elmers Glue! :thmbsp:

I think I will stick with the repair and see what comes of it. The most expensive and challenging part is getting a decent finish on the cabinet and making the grill frames. I don't want to invest in veneer unless I find some inexpensive stuff. I have gotten a decent look from a high grade contact paper. Could be worth a try. I found some nice textured black polyester cloth last week at Walmart on the sale rack for $1 a yard, 60 inches wide. I bought 4 yards! I can recover grills for a long time :D ! I will post an "after" shot later if they turn out alright! Best! Franksta

[Grayhouse]

PE has some nice selections for finishing those cabs. Everything from vinyl lams. to genuine veneer. Personally I would go with the genuine walnut veneer. But then I have always been a sucker for genuine wood.

http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?&Webpage_ID=3&DID=7&CAT_ID=48&ObjectGroup_ID=135&SO=2

[Strawman]

Keep going, and keep the in-progress pics coming. I like my QE's even without EMITS. someday I'll scrounge up a pair of 'em. :thmbsp: