Inifinity RS4 - Found them in my old house

[kunalap]

hey there

i am visiting for dad's place and i found these old speakers stacked in a corner. i remember really juicing them in my teenage years. they really were awesome.

initially i thought these were in great condition and might actually be worth quite a bit but when i opened up the front cover, it looks like over these years my dad has gotten some of the speaker cones repaired/changed from local repairmen.

so now i have 2 options:

1. sell them as is. but im not sure how much they will be worth. any guess? photos attached.

2. fix them up to look brand spanking new and keep them for myself. i like to collect old stuff like turntables, antiques, etc. but i dont want to spend a lot, maybe a little, in getting them in good cosmetic condition as well as audio condition. what are my options in getting proper speaker cones in place and how much might it cost.

imageshack.us/photo/my-images/836/dsc03810xl.jpg/
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Thanks.

 

[Alex2507]

Those aren't going to be worth much like that and restoring them will be expensive if you only want to spend 'a little'. One of the tweeters has been swapped out so they're sure to sound like ... not very good. You can try parting out the original drivers and the covers. Matter of fact I have a friend that owns those. He had to have the bass drivers refoamed. He might be interested in your covers and maybe that one original tweeter as a spare. A few years ago I saw a restored (mint condition) pair go for around $400 on eBay.

 

[kunalap]

where and how much would one of those EMIT tweeters cost me?
I need that one and the rest I can "dress up" for looks atleast, althought the sound won't be as good.

 

[Alex2507]

where and how much would one of those EMIT tweeters cost me?
I need that one and the rest I can "dress up" for looks atleast, althought the sound won't be as good.

Google, eBay, internet and research will turn up info on those. There's even a recommended crossover modification for those. My buddy is up on all that and I'll ask him next time we talk.

The bass drivers look mismatched too though. I'm not sure if they're original. The other problem with those is that they have a crazy impedance dip down to like 2 Ohms so they really need serious amplification to play loud for long. I've shut down my friend's receiver by playing those too loud. They are nice sounding speakers though. I'll let him know about this thread and we'll see if he feels like helping out.

 

[Matt34]

Check out ebay:

Pair of Infinity Emit Tweeters 490123 from RS 4 5 Speakers Rare | eBay

 

[kunalap]

Wow thanks guys.
And wow again @ prices for EMIT tweeters out there.

Can anybody suggest what rating tweeters bass and mids I am supposed to use here instead of the originals?

Sorry I sound like a noob here. I am not that well versed in this field. I think I am leaning more towards looks now than the whole "audiophile" part now.

I'm thinking I'll just go for average tone and get a great look on these.

 

[Matt34]

Wow thanks guys.
And wow again @ prices for EMIT tweeters out there.

Can anybody suggest what rating tweeters bass and mids I am supposed to use here instead of the originals?

Sorry I sound like a noob here. I am not that well versed in this field. I think I am leaning more towards looks now than the whole "audiophile" part now.

I'm thinking I'll just go for average tone and get a great look on these.

I don't think you're going to find any cheap knock-offs of those tweeters to be honest as they are pretty unique in design. Just throwing in any random speakers in there is not going to be worth the effort.

 

[kunalap]

I wasn't referring to knock-offs. I was talking about some mid priced alternatives.

 

[Alex2507]

I wasn't referring to knock-offs. I was talking about some mid priced alternatives.

IMO anything you put in there outside of what's suppose to go in there is going to leave your wallet lighter and leave your ears bleeding. Using that money for Infinity's Primus line of speakers would not hurt your wallet too bad and would sound pretty good. There's no silk purse to be had from that sow's ear.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Report: "On the Making of Silk Purses from Sows' Ears," 1921: Exhibits: Institute Archives & Special Collections: MIT

 

[kunalap]

Ouch.

And what would be the expected price for these speakers in their current condition?

 

[zieglj01]

Ouch.

And what would be the expected price for these speakers in their current condition?

Not a whole lot - here is a restored version, keep an eye on them
Infinity RS4 speakers spectacularly restored and improved. Guaranteed!! | eBay

And here
http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Infinity-RS4B-Main-Stereo-Speakers-/69614788?_pcatid=390&_trkparms=aid%3D333002%26algo%3DRIC.V2V%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D2%26meid%3D9206128993475216539%26pid%3D100002%26prg%3D1000%26rk%3D1%26&_trksid=p5360.c0.m2000056