Infinity Renaissance 80 styles?
- Thread starter HiFiAaron
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StimpyWan
Addicted Member
Nice score. You did good.
As far as repairing the woofer, if you repair one, repair both. Best to keep them matched as closely as possible. As to the repair, I'll always recommend Bill LeGall at Millersound. Bill is a speaker repair genius, and is especially good, and knowledgeable, with Infinity. You can call Bill for a quote, and then just ship him the woofers. No need to send the entire speaker. Bill has very reasonable rates.
Now, the rear foam. Those mids are open to the rear, and that foam is the damping material for the dipole planar midranges. That foam seems to degrade over time, but I actually thought the foam on your speakers looked very good. I've seen worse, where the foam had completely disintegrated! Check with Bill on the damping foam, he might have ideas on that too.
As far as repairing the woofer, if you repair one, repair both. Best to keep them matched as closely as possible. As to the repair, I'll always recommend Bill LeGall at Millersound. Bill is a speaker repair genius, and is especially good, and knowledgeable, with Infinity. You can call Bill for a quote, and then just ship him the woofers. No need to send the entire speaker. Bill has very reasonable rates.
Now, the rear foam. Those mids are open to the rear, and that foam is the damping material for the dipole planar midranges. That foam seems to degrade over time, but I actually thought the foam on your speakers looked very good. I've seen worse, where the foam had completely disintegrated! Check with Bill on the damping foam, he might have ideas on that too.
StimpyWan
Addicted Member
This is a picture of Bill's personal pair of Infinity IRS speakers (he owns 2 pair). Bill tweaked, modded, repaired, and matched every driver in the speakers. He then reassembled the speakers, to where each EMIM was impedance matched with it's corresponding mate, in the other speaker! Talk about dedication!
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HiFiAaron
Member
Awesome i will look into Bill LeGall, and see what he has to say. Is there anything making these speakers harder than the next to re-surround? i.e. tight clearances around the voice coil, or difficulty to center. Also where might i be able to find the correct fabric for the grills? I will ask Bill later but if anybody else has any input i would appreciate it.
HiFiAaron
Member
This is a picture of Bill's personal pair of Infinity IRS speakers (he owns 2 pair). Bill tweaked, modded, repaired, and matched every driver in the speakers. He then reassembled the speakers, to where each EMIM was impedance matched with it's corresponding mate, in the other speaker! Talk about dedication!
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wow! That is amazing. Sounds like he is the go to guy. I will definitely be contacting him.
HiFiAaron
Member
The woofers are Watkins woofers. A proprietary dual voice coil design. The woofers are no longer made, and are very rare. Unobtanium. So, if they get screwed up during a refoam, you're FUBAR.
That makes perfect since. I saw some new old stock of them online for 290euro/ea. which I'm not certain are still even available and there are not currently any others to be found so i understand their rarity. I will definitely talk to bill and see what he says.
7.62
Infinity nutcase.
I came here to say run, you did good. Those are not the typical foam surround. Those are rubber. Damn cats, that why I own none.
If those were mine, and I like doing things myself. I'd send those woofers out for repair. Totally agree with Stimpy, they are beautifully made woofers and worth the ride. It'll be along time before you'll have to do it again.
A local fabric store may have what you need to replace the grill fabric. It's dark black....lol if that makes sense, it's really black.
Congrats.
If those were mine, and I like doing things myself. I'd send those woofers out for repair. Totally agree with Stimpy, they are beautifully made woofers and worth the ride. It'll be along time before you'll have to do it again.
A local fabric store may have what you need to replace the grill fabric. It's dark black....lol if that makes sense, it's really black.
Congrats.
StimpyWan
Addicted Member
It's not surprising that you saw Ren woofers being available in Europe. Consumer protection laws differ in Europe. Spare parts, by law, are made available for a much longer period there. In fact, I've provided the Infinity Europe Support info to people, and they were able to order repair items, from there, were here, the same parts had been unavailable for years.
StimpyWan
Addicted Member
HiFiAaron
Member
Awesome! Thank you. It sounds like i should send them off. I am pretty competent when it comes to the hands on with repairs, but as long as its somewhat reasonable i will most likely be sending these to bill as i do not want to hurt them. does anybody have an idea of what these are worth? I may live with the repairs for the time being if doing the surrounds brings my cost above what they are worth. I just really wish he would have done a clean repair from the backside.
HiFiAaron
Member
My Kitties have the upmost respect for my stereo gear...! They'd better...!
I'm right there With you. I have two and have had no problems with them messing with my equipment, otherwise i probably wouldn't have them still lol.
StimpyWan
Addicted Member
Call Bill. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised (shocked), by his quote. No where near the price that you originally paid for the Ren's! I think the guy just loves speakers, and repairing them. He's definitely not getting rich on what he makes on repair fee's.
7.62
Infinity nutcase.
I can guarantee you'd have no problem selling yours to either me or Jazzman, were both in Las Vegas and I've traveled many o miles for Infinity speakers.
Parting them out, your main money and you could probably double what you paid, is in the two upper drivers. But I beg you please don't. We're losing to many pairs to this, once their gone.....that's it.
I've owned 2 pairs, and like an idiot I sold them off. Knowing what I know now.......never again.
IMHO, take your time with them, you look to have the space. I would add a subwoofer in and you'd having something I could live with for a long..long time.
Stimp, don't get me wrong I love cats. When King died i was heart broken. I started to adopt a stray a few years ago. Before I knew about all this Audiophile business. I had a pair of polk speakers. We let him in the house one day and he went after the grill fabric with a vengeance. I booted him and that was it.
Parting them out, your main money and you could probably double what you paid, is in the two upper drivers. But I beg you please don't. We're losing to many pairs to this, once their gone.....that's it.
I've owned 2 pairs, and like an idiot I sold them off. Knowing what I know now.......never again.
IMHO, take your time with them, you look to have the space. I would add a subwoofer in and you'd having something I could live with for a long..long time.
Stimp, don't get me wrong I love cats. When King died i was heart broken
. I started to adopt a stray a few years ago. Before I knew about all this Audiophile business. I had a pair of polk speakers. We let him in the house one day and he went after the grill fabric with a vengeance. I booted him and that was it.
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StimpyWan
Addicted Member
Good job!
I'm typically the DIY type. In fact, my Acoustic Research AR90 speakers, are in the upstairs Den, even now, disassembled and scattered about. I just finished recapping, and adding new resistors, to both sections of the crossover boards, the woofers and Lower Mid-Range woofers are all refoamed, and I've added Dynamat to all the speaker baskets. A cabinet refinish is up next. And for all that, I'd still send those Ren 80 woofers to Bill, for the refoam!!! No need in taking unnecessary chances!!!
Bad Kitty.
If the repair, as unsightly as it may seem, is doing the job without leaking or buzzing, I'd leave it be.
That scar is going not going to disappear.
Perhaps reinforcement on the back side with a small amount of Ailene's or a type of glue Millersound might recommend.
If the repair, as unsightly as it may seem, is doing the job without leaking or buzzing, I'd leave it be.
That scar is going not going to disappear.
Perhaps reinforcement on the back side with a small amount of Ailene's or a type of glue Millersound might recommend.
HiFiAaron
Member
Ya i really like the idea of doing it myself for the experience, but i figure im dealing with Unobtanium so i will probably let bill do the surrounds as soon as i can afford it.
HiFiAaron
Member
I had this thought as well. Yes the repairs are doing their job i just am a little bit of a perfectionist and really don't like the sloppiness of the repairs. I know i could have repaired them better, almost invisibly in fact. But on the other hand i have also seen repairs get botched even worse.
