Infinity Kappa 6.1i help needed

[beta_sweater]

Hey all,
Firstly let me admit that I'm new to the forum, and since I'm an avid hi-fi enthusiast, I've been reading this forum a lot.

Now the thing is, I've recently chanced upon a pair of Infinity Kappa 6.1i speakers in pristine condition (well the cabinets at least), a gift from a very close friend. I'm thinking of integrating them with my current set up, Harman Kardon AVR 130 receiver, Infinity Primus 5.1 speaker set up, Infinity Primus subwoofer, Toshiba DVD player, Xbox 360 Elite, Samsung 40" 5-Series LCD, WDTV Media Player, Monster Cable interconnects/speaker/HDMI cables. I plan on using them as my main front speakers for playing stereo music.

The problem is that one of the Polydome midranges has a tear in it, about 1 inch long. I managed to apply some epoxy across the tear as a temporary solution and it has solved the problem, for now at least. I've heard the Scan-Speak Discovery D7608/9200-10 3" Dome Midrange is a good replacement. Here's the link

Scan-Speak Discovery D7608/9200-10 3" Dome Midrange from Madisound

So I just may buy a pair of these to replace the originals at a later stage.

What's more urgent though is the woofers. Now both the woofers need foam surround replacements because the foam has reached a point that it just crumbles at a touch. Needless to say, they both have holes in them and have completely detached from the graphite cones. The big question here is, should I get the entire drivers replaced or just the foam surrounds? If I need to replace them, any suggestions? I don't want to 'colour' the sound or take away any of the sound quality. I know that simply replacing the foam may be the best option, but living in Mumbai I have yet to find a good, reliable speaker repair guy. I know there are a few at Lamington Road but don't know how good they are.

Any suggestions would be welcome and I hope that I can get the system working to the maximum.

 

[Rajiv]

Hi,


Try posting on the Infinity forum.Very helpful folks.


Infinity Loudspeakers - AudioKarma.org Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums

You need not replace the entire cone on the woofer.Replace the surrounds .Don't use the speakers without repairing the surrounds,you will damage the voice coil and that means big trouble.

Regards
Rajiv

 

[beta_sweater]

Hi kdlsrinu,
Well my original option was to contact the Infinity after-sales to check if I could get a replacement, but apparently they've stopped production of these woofers. Anyway, I guess the only option would be to replace the surrounds for now. Could you give me some more details on where I could get the replacement foams? I was wondering if I should go with rubber instead of foam coz of the durability. But that will definitely impact the sound characteristics which I don't want to impair. And the thing is that foam has a life of around 5-6 years max especially in our great Indian climate. So it's a really tough choice.
You mentioned Speakerex and Cathy, do you have any contact details? Where is their store located? Thanks!

 

[beta_sweater]

Ok, I've just received the two Scanspeak Discovery Midranges from Madisound. Surprisingly quick order-to-delivery time and I'm really impressed wtih their service. Anyway, will install them in the Kappas over the weekend and gauge their sound. I need to check if the impedence of the Scanspeaks is the same as the original drivers or else they will sound too loud or too soft. Any suggestions on whether adding a resistor will affect the sound? The crossover already has level controls on the back of of the speaker for adjustment. So will check out the sound quality in a bit. Need to get cracking on the woofers though. I haven't had the time yet to drop them off at a repair place. Will keep you guys posted.

 

[SwaroopKS]

Ok, I've just received the two Scanspeak Discovery Midranges from Madisound. Surprisingly quick order-to-delivery time and I'm really impressed wtih their service. Anyway, will install them in the Kappas over the weekend and gauge their sound. I need to check if the impedence of the Scanspeaks is the same as the original drivers or else they will sound too loud or too soft. Any suggestions on whether adding a resistor will affect the sound? The crossover already has level controls on the back of of the speaker for adjustment. So will check out the sound quality in a bit. Need to get cracking on the woofers though. I haven't had the time yet to drop them off at a repair place. Will keep you guys posted.

Hi,

I know its been quite a while but how did it work out with the scanspeak drivers?

Thanks
Satya

 

[beta_sweater]

Ok so

Hi,

I know its been quite a while but how did it work out with the scanspeak drivers?

Thanks
Satya

Well so far they seem to performing excellent! I had to add some resistors to get the impedance to match the original drivers but that hasn't changed the sound quality. In fact, I don't know if the old drivers were really so messed up that the new ones sound truly warm! The sound is really amazing overall.

 

[beta_sweater]

Ok so



Well so far they seem to performing excellent! I had to add some resistors to get the impedance to match the original drivers but that hasn't changed the sound quality. In fact, I don't know if the old drivers were really so messed up that the new ones sound truly warm! The sound is really amazing overall.

Oh and by the way, I had to get the surrounds replaced on both woofers too since the foam had literally fallen away. Replaced them with rubber surrounds. It's sort of slowed down the cones a bit but it's hardly noticeable in terms of sound quality so I'm happy with the overall sound output. I may end up changing the caps in the crossovers in the future, but these speakers have been built like a rock, with Solen caps I think so the highs and mids are really crisp. No real complains there. The pots for the highs and mids on the back panel are also rock solid, no crackling while turning or gritty noise at all. I can't understand why they don't make speakers like these any more. The new infinity speakers (circa 2007 onwards) are pretty much "mehhhh", if you know what I mean!