The Conclusion of the Infinity Journey
EndersShadow
Posts: 17,596
So here is the story of how I acquired my set of Infinity RS-II's this weekend.
Buddy of mine in Georgia let me know about a set a friend of his was selling. The cost of the RS-II's and RS-IIIb's was just too much to pass up. I had a buddy interested in the IIIb's so we decided to split the gas costs, provided I go down there and snag both sets and get em back (I have family down in TN that could help me load em up).
I left my house around 10:15 on Saturday morning after dropping my daughter off at my parents so they could watch her while my wife was at work.
8 hours later (on what was a 7 hour drive) after dealing with rain off and on the entire trip along with LOTS of stupid people driving and construction, I arrive in Ringgold, GA at my uncles. Trips pretty basic, just I-65 South to Nashville, TN where you hit I-24 to Chattanooga, and then I-75. We grabbed Steak and Shake for dinner and caught up for a bit. Got to hang out briefly with my cousins (5 years old and 18 months) which was nice. Hit the hay around 11:00.
Got up around 7:30, quick shower, on the road at 8:10.
Now here is the funny thing about the South roads SUCK BALLS! We were scheduled to meet at the Wal-Mart in Cornelia, GA. There were 2 routes. The direct route was going to take me 30 mins LONGER than the one that was 60 miles LONGER. So I actually headed down I-75 to I-285 to I-85 (which becomes 23). That basically got us there around 11:15. We waited for my buddy to show and we got to the house 30 mins after he arrived.
Its now 12 give or take.
We helped him load in a leather recliner, and then snagged both speakers and got em loaded. I also purchased a Furman PL Plus Series II power conditioner as it was too low to pass up. I had to leave behind a Reel 2 Reel player unfortunately, which would have looked nice as a display piece (all I wanted it for honestly). By the time we got all loaded up it was around 12:20 give or take.
As you can see, the original owner did actually use bubble wrap on the surrounds to replace the bad foam. Not sure how thats going to work with re-foaming them, but thats another story for when I do it.
Lesson learned and put into practice, measure 50 million times before driving this far. They all fit the way I intended with barely any room left, but they fit. With the RS-IIIbs face up and the RS-IIs on their back they really didnt shift around much at all on the trip back which was good. I packed about 12 blankets, 6 pillows, a sleeping bag and some foam stuff from work to use to ensure they were not going to get damaged in transit. It appears I brought just enough stuff.
Back on the road.
Dropped my uncle back off at his house around 4:00 and back on the road.
8 hours later pulled in to Brownsburg, so its about midnight but wait it gets better, my wife asked me to go to Wal-Mart and pickup some stuff. So pulled into my driveway around 12:45.
Unloaded the Infinity RS-IIIbs because I didnt want someone elses speakers in my car any longer than they had to be, heaven forbid I get in an accident. The RS-IIs are still in my car and getting unloaded tonight when I get home. But they have a LOT more room now so baring an accident I dont see them being damaged.
So thats a roadtrip summary. More pics of the speakers pre and post cleanup will occur when I get time to clean em and take some pics.
Buddy of mine in Georgia let me know about a set a friend of his was selling. The cost of the RS-II's and RS-IIIb's was just too much to pass up. I had a buddy interested in the IIIb's so we decided to split the gas costs, provided I go down there and snag both sets and get em back (I have family down in TN that could help me load em up).
I left my house around 10:15 on Saturday morning after dropping my daughter off at my parents so they could watch her while my wife was at work.
8 hours later (on what was a 7 hour drive) after dealing with rain off and on the entire trip along with LOTS of stupid people driving and construction, I arrive in Ringgold, GA at my uncles. Trips pretty basic, just I-65 South to Nashville, TN where you hit I-24 to Chattanooga, and then I-75. We grabbed Steak and Shake for dinner and caught up for a bit. Got to hang out briefly with my cousins (5 years old and 18 months) which was nice. Hit the hay around 11:00.
Got up around 7:30, quick shower, on the road at 8:10.
Now here is the funny thing about the South roads SUCK BALLS! We were scheduled to meet at the Wal-Mart in Cornelia, GA. There were 2 routes. The direct route was going to take me 30 mins LONGER than the one that was 60 miles LONGER. So I actually headed down I-75 to I-285 to I-85 (which becomes 23). That basically got us there around 11:15. We waited for my buddy to show and we got to the house 30 mins after he arrived.
Its now 12 give or take.
We helped him load in a leather recliner, and then snagged both speakers and got em loaded. I also purchased a Furman PL Plus Series II power conditioner as it was too low to pass up. I had to leave behind a Reel 2 Reel player unfortunately, which would have looked nice as a display piece (all I wanted it for honestly). By the time we got all loaded up it was around 12:20 give or take.
As you can see, the original owner did actually use bubble wrap on the surrounds to replace the bad foam. Not sure how thats going to work with re-foaming them, but thats another story for when I do it.
Lesson learned and put into practice, measure 50 million times before driving this far. They all fit the way I intended with barely any room left, but they fit. With the RS-IIIbs face up and the RS-IIs on their back they really didnt shift around much at all on the trip back which was good. I packed about 12 blankets, 6 pillows, a sleeping bag and some foam stuff from work to use to ensure they were not going to get damaged in transit. It appears I brought just enough stuff.
Back on the road.
Dropped my uncle back off at his house around 4:00 and back on the road.
8 hours later pulled in to Brownsburg, so its about midnight but wait it gets better, my wife asked me to go to Wal-Mart and pickup some stuff. So pulled into my driveway around 12:45.
Unloaded the Infinity RS-IIIbs because I didnt want someone elses speakers in my car any longer than they had to be, heaven forbid I get in an accident. The RS-IIs are still in my car and getting unloaded tonight when I get home. But they have a LOT more room now so baring an accident I dont see them being damaged.
So thats a roadtrip summary. More pics of the speakers pre and post cleanup will occur when I get time to clean em and take some pics.
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
Post edited by EndersShadow on
Comments
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Actually the reason it was quicker taking the longer route was because of these silly little things called the Blue Ridge Mountains. It has nothing to do with geography and everything to do with geology. Being from Indiana, I know you're not familiar with having to drive through or around mountains. I guess I don't think about it much having grown up around them. Funny thing is I always thought those bombed out crater roads y'all deal with were the definition of sucky roads. Hmm, who would of thought.......
Its damned ashamed you took the route you did because you missed out on some gorgeous scenery and had to travel through Atlanta in the process. -
Its damned ashamed you took the route you did because you missed out on some gorgeous scenery and had to travel through Atlanta in the process.
I dont disagree. My uncle fly fishes on the Siouk river (which we actually drove over) about 8 mins from the place we picked everything up at. But with transporting speaker, the road best traveled is the one that's got the most paving.
. And switchbacks and winding roads are no place for a city boy, especially when trying to go fast lol.....
Dont want a PFB moment :evil:
And I'm fairly familiar with the area north of it. Got a buddy in Hendersonville, NC, another in Cumming, GA and family in Chattanooga, TN & Ringgold, GA.. And an X that used to live in Waynesville, NC :biggrin:...
My wife's and I favorite place to visit is Gatlinburg, TN and Smokey Mountain National Park."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
"... so its about midnight… but wait it gets better, my wife asked me to go to Wal-Mart and pickup some stuff."
You lost me to a laughing fit right there. That spot. How far out of your way was Wal-Mart? -
George Grand wrote: »"... so its about midnight… but wait it gets better, my wife asked me to go to Wal-Mart and pickup some stuff."
You lost me to a laughing fit right there. That spot. How far out of your way was Wal-Mart?
Yeah but I feel his pain, I'll hop on the road at 4am make a round trip to a couple my out of town job sites, pull back into town 15hrs later and the wife says "we're hungry will you pull through the drive through" next she'll say "and we're out of milk"
You know Yosemite Sam crap spews out of my mouth2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
George Grand wrote: »"... so its about midnight… but wait it gets better, my wife asked me to go to Wal-Mart and pickup some stuff."
You lost me to a laughing fit right there. That spot. How far out of your way was Wal-Mart?
Not super far, but it was more of I'm loaded to the hilt with speakers, been on the road all day, tired, ready to go to bed, and now I have to go grocery shopping and pray I have room to fit it into my car "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
So I've cleaned both sets of speakers tonight. I used some Murphys Oil Soap to clean all the speakers. I even cleaned the corner pieces of Dons RS-IIIb's. Buddy suggested getting a towel wet with the Oil Soap, putting a putty knife around it and running up and down the creases of the speakers. Once that was done on the RS-II's I added some Lemon Oil to help darken things up and add some moisture back to the wood.
Here are some pics:
RS-IIIb's:
Unclean
Clean
Other pics:
Speaker 1
Speaker 2
I am going to blow out the grills on Don's speakers with some compressed air tomorrow to see if that helps. I dont want to wash them as I am afraid I will damage them."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
RS-II's:
Uncleaned speaker:
Cleaned:
Cleaned and infamous bubble wrap woofers:
Uncleaned v Cleaned....
And lastly a pic of the xover...
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
Drama, pathos and late night shopping! What more can one ask for in an Epic Road Trip story?
Speakers look nice. I remember those.
Enjoy!
cnhCurrently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!
Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
[sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash] -
Enders, I have to ask...how bad is the bubble wrap job ? It looks kinda scary from my vantage point.
Its bad, but given that the woofers are more plastic I think its salvageable. I am going to pay a person with more skill than I to fix those two.
May have all 4 woofers done by this guy but not sure...."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
EndersShadow wrote: »I am going to pay a person with more skill than I to fix those two.
May have all 4 woofers done by this guy but not sure....
No guts, no glory....
I still have a pair of Infinity 5000a's. Re-foamed them a few years back (no bubble wrap). Congrats on your road trip score Dan! Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 * -
SCompRacer wrote: »No guts, no glory.... I still have a pair of Infinity 5000a's. Re-foamed them a few years back (no bubble wrap). Congrats on your road trip score Dan!
LOL.. the guts were displayed in making the trip praying I measured right and could transport both sets home....
I may try to do the second speaker myself as those look to be a more standard job. The bubble wrap ones I am not sure how/what kind of glue he used (honestly thinking wood glue) so figured I would just pony up the cash.
Also as many can relate, with a small child, my little free time is worth a LOT because I have basically none and trying to refoam a woofer just doesnt happen lol.... So rather outsource it to someone whose time is worth a bit less than mine lol...
I have an offer from someone in Jersey to re-foam them for free, but after shipping both ways it may negate the cost savings. Going to explore that route anyway.
P.S. Rich all I can think of when I hear that statement is this:
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
Nice find.
Ringgold GA? Used to stomp around in that area when I was much younger.
Can't wait to see them when you get them done. -
It was great meeting you and your uncle, hope our paths cross again some day.
Thanks for the help with the chair and the coffe table sub woofer, definitely appreciated.
Im about to pm you, we were not able to make the trip today, the owner will be back next week, we will go from there.humpty dumpty was pushed -
scottyboy76 wrote: »It was great meeting you and your uncle, hope our paths cross again some day.
Thanks for the help with the chair and the coffe table sub woofer, definitely appreciated.
Im about to pm you, we were not able to make the trip today, the owner will be back next week, we will go from there.
You never know. It was nice to meet you and your sister. No problem on the help, glad to do it.
Like I said, let me know about the R2R. Not looking to spend that much, just looking for a nice display piece so functionality while it would be nice isnt required. Looker only.
Update: Found that the rear EMIT solder joints on one speaker are quite brittle. One was broke when I looked, the other one broke trying to get a better view.
Fairly sure I can get some help retouching the joints so they are functional again.
But any suggestions welcomed.
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
You best quit lookin while your ahead....:biggrin:EndersShadow wrote: »
Fairly sure I can get some help retouching the joints so they are functional again.
No biggie.Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 * -
Sure he goes n buys himself some "new" toys and like a typical kid, can't leave the screwdriver alone geez man! :cheesygrin: Anyways, nothing a little solder and patience can't fix.
There was enough mildew on the baffle that I wanted to pull all the kids and tweeters to wash the cabinet. Ended up leaving the tweeters and was VEEEERRYYY careful on not getting em wet."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
While we are on the subject of careful, ribbon tweets properly powered will play loud and clean, but don't blow on them, use canned air on them or vacuum them. My Raal tweets come with the same warning.Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 *
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SCompRacer wrote: »While we are on the subject of careful, ribbon tweets properly powered will play loud and clean, but don't blow on them, use canned air on them or vacuum them. My Raal tweets come with the same warning.
Good to know! I know the EMIT tweeters are sensitive"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
Man, I thought this thread was gonna be about the Journey Infinity LP re-release or something.
Imagine my disappointment.
Good luck with the restore! I remember the first time I heard Infinity speakers over
at a sale guy's place my dad worked with and was quite impressed.
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