What model Infinity speakers are these?

srivats

Active Member
Can someone please tell me what model Infinity speakers these are? RSIII ?

Ca2m046.jpg


The guy who has them says they are from 1981, and have been restored by JAMAC. I am currently running a Marantz 2230, and am planning to get a more powerful Yamaha receiver later on. I am reading that these speakers are very power hungry - would these be a good match for either receiver? Infinity reusing model names/numbers makes it hard to do quick research :(

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
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Those are RSIII from 1981-83 sold for around $1000 I have empty cabinets and am looking for drivers for mine.
 
If they're as hard to drive as the RSII's I had they will incinerate your marantz amp (the prior owner of my RSIIs did just that).
 
They are very good speakers. I like mine a lot, similar sound to the RSII just a little less of it and easier to push. Drive mine with a Marantz 16b with no complants...
Jim
 
Thanks a lot guys. I am going to go check them out today. Are these speakers 4ohms or 8ohms? I am seeing conflicting information ... Also, this model does NOT have the Watkins dual voice coil woofers, correct? Can someone clarify please?


edit: Is this the right tech spec and ckt for this speaker?


3VWLOds.png
 
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I wouldn't go too much by these schems, they are close...I think "Loquatious" has all the handwritten ones, they are spot on...

good luck...
 
OK, went and listened to these today. The seller ran the RSIII speakers with a really, really nice, well restored Pioneer SX-1280. I took a few CDs (Pink Floyd The wall, Love supreme by Coltrane and a couple good and favorite classical albums). The owner was gracious to let me listen for a while.

The good - The cabinet is in excellent condition (no chips or dings), and the refoaming has been done by a good local shop. Maybe the cabinet is a little dry, but a coat of oil will bring them up really nicely. All drivers look good visually, crossoever switches are a bit scratchy but nothing deOxit won't fix. I also saw the note from the repair shop that said the crossover ckt has been inspected and is in good condition. The speakers have consecutive serial numbers.

The bad: I was expecting to be blown away by the sound, but nothing of that sort happened. Perhaps I had my expectations were too much. That is not to say the speakers were bad at all. The setup was fine, the speakers had pretty good stereo imaging and the listening space was set up decently well. They did fill up the space very nicely.

My main speakers at home are the below Bowers and Wilkins series 500 DM580 (from the early 90s I think), and I use them with a lowly, but good, Marantz 2230. I picked these speakers used for a decent price and I like the sound.

http://stereonomono.blogspot.com/2012/03/b-500-series-dm580.html

The main reason why I am looking at the Infinity is that I want to move the B&W to my bedroom, and I want a nicer speaker for my living room. The Infinity definitely have "presence" (for lack of a better word, haha!). Been going back and forth between buying modern speakers (good used ones) and vintage (really good models and only if they are in good condition). I think speakers are the hardest part to decide on, since there are just so many options and it is not possible to read specs and understand the performance. Whatever people describe in reviews are simply opinions since there is that personal sound factor to consider. I chose the B&Ws simply because the price was good and the sound was good, no more, no less. I wish I could do the same with these Infinity speakers. I guess what I am saying is, it was not love at first hearing.

The seller is not in a hurry, and said he'll wait for me and give me one more listen if I want. It's very hard to get a sense of price for these - he is asking $400 and I have no idea where they are on the spectrum. I should be able to bargain a bit. Any opinions?

This is going to be a somewhat difficult decision .. I can always wait I suppose, but that means more reading and more searching and more listening. Which can be fun. Or not!

ps:
A stupid question - what is the right way to set up the speakers? As shown in the first photo, or the other way round? These are a mirrored pair, just wondering.
 
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No wakins woofer in these but does have what they called a watkins circuit where one woofer is crossed over lower then the other. They are 4 ohm speaker. They should be set up with the tweeters to the inside.

They are not a very efficient speaker maybe 87db. Most all my Infinitys sound better with plenty of headroom even the Infinitesimals. Did you put your ear right up to the tweeter to make sure it is working? The pots on back of the speaker get dirty causing the tweeters and midrange to cut in and out or play at lower volume making them sound like someone through a blanket on them.

I think they are a $250.00 speaker maybe 300 if you loved them not 400. The IIIa/b go for $400. (There was some b's for 200 bucks in the Philly CL this past weekend!)
Jim
 
^ Thank you very much for the detailed information! I appreciate you sharing your opinion of the prices. It's good to know what they are worth in general. Are the IIIa and IIIb models better speakers in general compared to this one? In what way?


The drivers all worked fine, there was sound. But there was definitely some scratchiness in the backside pots. The seller had set them up right, with the tweeters on the inside. I'll think about this pair and maybe do one more listen, and see the seller will come down on price. The fact that they are 4 ohms makes me hesitate a lot.

I will likely be getting a Yamaha CR 2040 if all goes well, so that should plenty of power most speakers.



(Sent from my mobile, please pardon my spelling)
 
tweeters always on the inside, most older Infinity's are 4 ohms...

I have a set of those B&W's sitting in my basement...The Infinity's are definitely a step up...


for 400 beans, I'd grab those in a second...

...Yes the IIIa's and b's are better...
 
The IIIa/b models have more bass with two 10" woofers instead of the 8" and a dome mid range. I like the poly mid better but most would say the a/b model is superior. They would be harder to push though.
Jim
 
traditionally Emit tweeters are on the inside

OK, went and listened to these today. The seller ran the RSIII speakers with a really, really nice, well restored Pioneer SX-1280. I took a few CDs (Pink Floyd The wall, Love supreme by Coltrane and a couple good and favorite classical albums). The owner was gracious to let me listen for a while.

The good - The cabinet is in excellent condition (no chips or dings), and the refoaming has been done by a good local shop. Maybe the cabinet is a little dry, but a coat of oil will bring them up really nicely. All drivers look good visually, crossoever switches are a bit scratchy but nothing deOxit won't fix. I also saw the note from the repair shop that said the crossover ckt has been inspected and is in good condition. The speakers have consecutive serial numbers.

The bad: I was expecting to be blown away by the sound, but nothing of that sort happened. Perhaps I had my expectations were too much. That is not to say the speakers were bad at all. The setup was fine, the speakers had pretty good stereo imaging and the listening space was set up decently well. They did fill up the space very nicely.

My main speakers at home are the below Bowers and Wilkins series 500 DM580 (from the early 90s I think), and I use them with a lowly, but good, Marantz 2230. I picked these speakers used for a decent price and I like the sound.

http://stereonomono.blogspot.com/2012/03/b-500-series-dm580.html

The main reason why I am looking at the Infinity is that I want to move the B&W to my bedroom, and I want a nicer speaker for my living room. The Infinity definitely have "presence" (for lack of a better word, haha!). Been going back and forth between buying modern speakers (good used ones) and vintage (really good models and only if they are in good condition). I think speakers are the hardest part to decide on, since there are just so many options and it is not possible to read specs and understand the performance. Whatever people describe in reviews are simply opinions since there is that personal sound factor to consider. I chose the B&Ws simply because the price was good and the sound was good, no more, no less. I wish I could do the same with these Infinity speakers. I guess what I am saying is, it was not love at first hearing.

The seller is not in a hurry, and said he'll wait for me and give me one more listen if I want. It's very hard to get a sense of price for these - he is asking $400 and I have no idea where they are on the spectrum. I should be able to bargain a bit. Any opinions?

This is going to be a somewhat difficult decision .. I can always wait I suppose, but that means more reading and more searching and more listening. Which can be fun. Or not!

ps:
A stupid question - what is the right way to set up the speakers? As shown in the first photo, or the other way round? These are a mirrored pair, just wondering.
facing each other the opposite way yo have them now.
 
The IIIa/b models have more bass with two 10" woofers instead of the 8" and a dome mid range. I like the poly mid better but most would say the a/b model is superior. They would be harder to push though.
Jim

Thanks Jim - it is very interesting to know about the model differences. I have not seen a IIIa or IIIb near where I live for a long while. Infact, this RSIII is the first "good" infinity speaker I have seen in a bit. I will keep an eye open for IIIa/b. Other than Bobby Shred's page, is there good resource to learn more about various infinity lines, and which models are better? Hopefully if I get the Yamaha CR 2040 I don't have to worry about driveability - that receiver is a beast for sure.

The other thing is the 1250 probably really doesn't do well with 4 ohm loads and that could be the other problem (besides needing a recap).

I thought the 1250 was rated to run 2 paris of 8 Ohm speakers simultaneously fairly well? Maybe I am wrong. Will read on up on 1250 and 4ohm loads. If that's the case, then I suppose it's very possible that I did not hear the speakers at their best. The seller said that receiver was recently refurbished, but I do not know to what extent. It was in top shape visually though, looked like a really well cared for unit. Maybe I will take my Marantz with me next time, but I am not sure if it's any better either. The seller had a newer Onkyo reciever (did not note model name, but it is a modern one).

tweeters always on the inside, most older Infinity's are 4 ohms...

I have a set of those B&W's sitting in my basement...The Infinity's are definitely a step up...


for 400 beans, I'd grab those in a second...

...Yes the IIIa's and b's are better...

Thanks, Bkphoto. The price is definitely negotiable, I think I can get them ~325, perhaps 350. The cabinets are lovely and all the drivers (and the surrounds) looked good visually. I am used to the sound of the B&W, so that could be a factor. I want to get a better pair for sure - it definitely works for now though.

I think it takes a while getting used to the sound of different speakers - and I am always surprised when I read that people rotate speakers so much on AK! Perhaps it does not matter if they are all*good* speakers :D

I will give these another try hopefully on Friday, perhaps with my Marantz. Will let you guys know. I will take my good camera and get some photos next time.

facing each other the opposite way yo have them now.

The seller had them the right way, then.
 
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Is anyone aware if there is a resistance vs freq curve for this speaker, like shown in the pdfs in the RSII lab test thread?
 
OK, another update.

Went and listened to them again for quite a while this time. Took my measly 30wpc Marantz 2230, and it did not burn up (though I did not push the volume much). Most of the listening was done on the owner's SX-1250. He had another pair of speakers (ADS 910s that had been refoamed a couple years ago, otherwise all original in good shape) and the reciever had no issues driving those - infact I thought the 910s sounded very nice.


After a bit of detailed listening today, I think that the RSIII speakers have really very nice highs and midrange, much better than the pair I have at home. They were spectacular on some jazz recordings with a great imaging. However, I felt that the low end was somewhat lacking. Bass was definitely present (and I checked that the driver was moving), but I did not feel the punch that I was expecting. This is the first pair of suspended (and non-ported) speakers that I have listened to and perhaps I am too used to the low end from typical modern box speakers.

What I am not sure is whether this is something typical for comparable Infinities from this era and range (III, IIIa IIIB etc), or whether the pair I listened to were atypical in terms of low end response. The crossover circuit is all original and the caps looked OK and I am sure a recap won't hurt. While I mostly listen at low volume levels, but I did push the volume on the SX-1250 past what I consider "normal" (and what the seller felt was low, but he's an older guy). There was no hesitation from the receiver whatsoever, and I could have easily taken it a lot further. I am not sure the receiver was lacking power for these speakers, so it's probably not that.

Am I expecting too much from these RSIIIs? There are no other interested parties at the moment, but I would like to decide soon and not leave the seller hanging (and I also don't want to spend a inordinate amount of time deciding on a speaker). I don't mind waiting longer to see if I get to hear a pair I like better, but I am reasonably sure I won't see a pair of vintage Infinity speakers for sale any time soon.

Any advice/suggestions for me?
 
no, you are right...The III's are limited by the size of the bass drivers...but, a proper sub will cure that (not a lot of money) and you get the parts of the speaker that shine, and the bottom will also be taken care of...
 
III's are different animals than the IIIa and IIIb, which have 10" woofers and polydome mids. the 1250 had plenty of juice to drive the III's, but 8" woofers can only give so much. also, the pic you posted seems to show mismatched woofers which could be the issue. there are not many who would put the III on their must have list (hence the "red headed step child" reference). personally, i'd suggest you wait for something better. at that price point there are several options in the infinity line up.



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