Infinity Kappa 8

[smpl]

Hey all. This is my first post and I'm sorry if this has been discussed before.

I own a pair of Infinity Kappa 8's probably bought in the early 90's. Recently I blew the sub of a speaker. Ouch.

I need help deciding where to go from here ie where to buy a new sub, how to install it and costs. I would also appreciate some advice on my audio system (I'm not that knowledgable and it would be useful to know if i have the right equipment). alternatively if i find replacement is not feasible, help on how to sell them and what price to expect.

Any help would be appreciated...

Regards

Brian

System Specs:
Power amp:
NAD 216THX
Preamp
NAD 106

 

[MUDSHARK]

As the owner of Kappa 400's I can well understand your attachment. I'm not familiar with the 8's. Is the sub part of the Kappa (power tower) or a sub being used in conjunction with the Kappa's. Try Infinity web site. They offer replacement drivers for many of the discontinued speakers (even the European models). If the problem is with a distinct sub, then provide more information regarding room size, intended application, expected budget, etc... Many on the forum would enjoy assisting you with more of the particulars.

 

[ricocetj]

I have some experience with Infinity speakers from that time period, and the foam surrounds are susceptible to drying out/disintegrating. When that happens, it can make the driver sound as if it is blown. I don't know how closely you inspected the driver in question but if you have not looked closely at the surround maybe you will get lucky. If it is just the surround, you can find replacement foam kits here which come with step-by-step instructions. You may also be able to find new foam surrounds on ebay.

 

[smpl]

Hi all

Thansk for your replies...

I am from Dunedin, New Zealand. For those who don't know it's South East for Australia, ie very far way and one of the reasons why this is a bit complicated...

My knowledge is very limited, so I am going to need your help of coming to a solution. It sounds like the first answer has been found:

Step 1: Keep the speakers and repairing them.
Reason: Replacement speakers will cost too much.
Question: Can this be justified. How much could i get for them? Where could I sell them? ( i understand these speakers are highly sought after). How much am i looking at for replacement speakers.

Anyway. If it still turns out that replacement is the next best option, we need to establish the problem.

ricocetj wrote:
I have some experience with Infinity speakers from that time period, and the foam surrounds are susceptible to drying out/disintegrating. When that happens, it can make the driver sound as if it is blown. I don't know how closely you inspected the driver in question but if you have not looked closely at the surround maybe you will get lucky. If it is just the surround, you can find replacement foam kits here which come with step-by-step instructions. You may also be able to find new foam surrounds on ebay.

I fully understand. I think this is the next important step. Is there any chance someone could give me a step by step guide to figuring out whether the woofer's gone, or whether the surrounds are damaged.

The way i see it is this is what will follow.

Step 2: Deciding what need's replacing.

Step 3: Deciding whether there are any other 'upgrades' i should investigate ie should the other speakers subwoofer get refoamed?

Step 4: Purchasing and installing whatever is needed....

Step 5: Checking that replacement is still the best option as opposed to selling.

Sorry for the essay, but due to my lack of knowledge and limited funds (poor student), being thorough is important. Any help will be much appreciated. Regardless this should be a good project with a learnign curve.

Regards

Brian

ps you can see what a kappa 8 looks like with a good search. sorry can't find how to post pictures

 

[ricocetj]

Ok Brian, here's an easy way to determine what is wrong.

To check the surrounds, simply take the grilles off of the speakers and look closely at the foam surrounding the speaker, inspecting for cracks/breaks, etc. Also run your finger around the foam, as sometimes the cracks are hard to see until the foam is moved.

If you find the foam(s) to be cracked and/or broken, you have probably found your problem. This will typically cause a "buzzing" sound during bass notes, making the speaker sound blown.

If the foams seem to be intact, the next step is to give a closer inspection to the woofer. Place your fingers around the cone of the speaker (roughly spread around the center in an even dispersion), and gently push the cone inward with your hand. Take care to push it straight in. If there is a scraping noise or if the speaker doesn't want to move, it probably is blown.

So, if you find the speaker to be blown the next step is replacement. Because of your location/budget constraints I believe this is the best remedy possible. The best course of action here is to find a direct replacement (i.e., the same speaker) to replace it with. Once you have gotten the replacement woofer, it is as easy as unscrewing the broken one, unattaching the wires, attaching them to the new speaker, and screwing it in. Infinity doesn't use solder, so you should be able to simply pull the connections from the speaker and directly attach them to the new one. Then screw the new speaker in, and you're done!

I think the best action for you to take if the speaker is blown is to e-mail Infinity's (Harman actually, their parent company) parts administrator at parts@harman.com. They should be able to help you find a replacement woofer.

Sorry the post is so long, but I hope it helps!

Good luck Brian!

Jeremy

 

[smpl]

thanks Jeremy. that was very useful... I've done as you said. The foam seems to be fine. When i push the broken woofer in an out i hear a sraping noise. When I so the same for the other speaker it sounds fine. When i tap the working speaker it gives a nice bass sound, but for the broken one a thuddign sound (this sound is hard to describe. thudding is the best description i can think of - clearly not good)....

I will email around and check out prices.

What do you think about:
1. doing other upgrades - i've heard that the foam rottign is a big problem.
2. getting another power amp?

 

[ricocetj]

1. Foam rotting can be a problem, yes, but when it does happen it is a relatively cheap and easy fix. I'm not sure what you mean by other upgrades, but if you are thinking of replacing the drivers in your speakers with new and different models, this is generally not a good idea. Speaker manufacturers design their speakers and crossover networks with specific performance goals in mind, and changing out the drivers for new ones with different specs/power handling/frequency responce, etc. will probably make the performance worse rather than better. If you are thinking of replacing the speakers altogether, I couldn't possibly tell you what to do there. It depends on your budget constraints/desire to get something new.

2. I'm not an expert on power amps -- there are many here who know MUCH more than me on this subject, but I do know that NAD makes high quality equipment. I don't know the circumstances surrounding how the woofer blew (i.e. if you were listening at very high volume and it just went suddenly or if it deteriorated over time), but if you like to listen at high volume and that caused the speaker damage you may want to get more power. Hopefully someone who knows more on this subject than me will chip in with better answers on this subject.

Good luck on finding a replacement woofer, let us know how it turns out.

Jeremy

 

[badabing]

thanks Jeremy. that was very useful... I've done as you said. The foam seems to be fine. When i push the broken woofer in an out i hear a sraping noise. When I so the same for the other speaker it sounds fine. When i tap the working speaker it gives a nice bass sound, but for the broken one a thuddign sound (this sound is hard to describe. thudding is the best description i can think of - clearly not good)....

I will email around and check out prices.

What do you think about:
1. doing other upgrades - i've heard that the foam rottign is a big problem.
2. getting another power amp?

Sounds like the VC has seperated. Is there someone in your area that can re-cone speakers? This is your best bet. If not, you will need to either find a replacement driver from a set on something like e-bay, or replace both of the drivers with something similar. I had a problem with a set of RS-III's that I had back in the 80's. I found a driver that worked well after some trial and error.