IMF's

[chelsea]

Never heard a pair until yesterday.
One of those companies for whatever reason i've just never managed a listen to in over 30 years of being into hi fi.
Very impressed with them.

Some extremely deep bass going on.

[Ali Tait]

Aye, of the trouser flapping variety!

[chelsea]

Were imf a favourite with the naim users in the late 70s early 80s?
I know bariks and saras were.

[jandl100]

The big IMF transmission line speakers I heard back in the day were (very) impressively deep and powerful, but kind of plodded along pace'n'rhythm-wise.

Maybe modern-day 'lectronics get them under better control?
I'd imagine you want a Big Mutha amp with loadsa watts and current.

Which ones did you hear, Stu?

[chelsea]

The 80s jerry.

[jandl100]

Ah, OK,. not the HUGE ones then.

These? http://www.t-linespeakers.org/classics/TLS80/index.html

Yep, I heard the slightly smaller 50s at Dana's place. Very impressed - I prefered them to his main system Opera speakers! .. a bit to his annoyance, I think! :D

The 50s weren't slow at all - nice pacey beasts with deep articulate bass. :thumbsup:

[chelsea]

Thats the ones.

[DSJR]

The best for these speakers is a solid state amp with HUGE amounts of damping factor. Naim need not apply as the bass wallowed when 250 or 135 driven..

The better pro amps were excellent partners and in the mid 70's, the Crown "D" series were excellent matches. I suspect a modern big Krell or Bryston would be pretty darned good too and the MC2 power amp that was unfairly ignored here recently would be a marriage made in heaven I reckon.

[chelsea]

Would quads work well?

[alan47]

I spend many years lusting after a pair of TLS80's after i heard them in a dealers in the late 70's.The trouble was they were the same price as a new mini and i couldn't afford one of them:(.The nearest i got was a loan of a pair of cambridge R50's.I now use a pair of IPL transmission lines,a bit more refined,but still make your trousers flap ..:D Would still like to make room for a pair of IMF's thou'...

[chelsea]

These are the mk2s.
Strange thing is they seem to have an extra tweeter.
How much did they cost?

[alan47]

The Mk2's were £399.38 in 1976,but the Mk3's must have gone up as the ones on fepay now are advertised as costing over a £1,000 in mid 70's ::eyebrows
I found a review in HI-FI Choice 1976 Loudspeaker Guide,that's why i know the price...

[alan47]

If your interested i could try to scan it and email it to you,Mind you,Angus McKenzie didn't seem to like any speakers really..:lol:

[DSJR]

Would quads work well?

The 405-2 and especially 606 series will be an excellent electrical match, but the Quads lack the iron grip of many of the amps I've suggested. I got into huge and job-threatening trouble once when a prospective client wanted to know if a Quad 606 would work with some IMF Pro Monitor mk3's. i said yes, but with proviso's on bass quality, suggesting the far higher damping of an AVI amp at the time would be better suited in my opinion. the client went straight back to Quad who contacted my then bosses who had me on the carpet!!!!!!!!! me and my big mouth - yet again, but I was twenty years younger then and hadn't yet had my life-changing experiences (setting up my own home, parental losses followed by marriage plus family etc etc, you know what I mean.......)

I've just read that these are mk2 TLS80's? The bass damping was substantially revised on these and the low angled stands helped hugely too. A Quad 405 series onwards will be ideal then, in that case. - a 303 will work, but the cap coupling *may* be an issue here from memory, regarding quality of bass...



P.S. The A MacK choice book was extremely controversial (I have it here too). The opinions were no holds barred and upset many of the companies that submitted samples in good faith. The fact that the high power tests were conducted FIRST also meant that some smaller speakers were blown up with molten crossovers BEFORE the listening tests - I had first hand knowledge of this when the badly reviewed Audiomaster Image speakers were returned with the crossovers severely damaged due to thermal stress in their high-power tests - no wonder the sound was as described, a brightly lit speaker becoming unbearable with the tweeter crossover so burned up.....

Finally, had I known back in the late 70's what I know now, I'd always have gone for TLS80 mk2's or the RSPM IV's over isobariks (passive DMS), KEF 105's or first issue B&W801's any day. However, one had to be "bang on trend" in HiFi and the likes of IMF and Quad were well past their sell by dates by the turn of the eighties :(

[Haselsh1]

I used to own a pair of Super Compact's back in the late seventies and always wanted a pair of Studio 1's when they eventually became TDL. The Studio 1's were one of the most impressive loudspeakers I have ever heard especially for playing Floyd.

[DSJR]

+1 and they were a neat size too..

We sold plenty of TDL Studio 1 "M" models, with a slightly smoother top than its predecessor and metal cone bass unit IIRC. They were lovely in a mellow-but-clear kind of way and the sonic and price flavour sort of lived on in the Spendor S and SE series - S6 or Se6. TDL decided not to re-order cabs for 1M's and we couldn't guarantee to sell summat like 25 pairs a year, so the model faded away and was all but forgotten. John Wright himself sadly did the same not long after and TDL is now a Richer Sounds "name" I understand.

[chelsea]

Excellent info thanks.
Alan if you can be arsed to do a scan that would be cool.

[alan47]

Will have a go in the sober light of dawn,who ever she is.?

[RobsterD]

The best for these speakers is a solid state amp with HUGE amounts of damping factor. Naim need not apply as the bass wallowed when 250 or 135 driven..

The better pro amps were excellent partners and in the mid 70's, the Crown "D" series were excellent matches. I suspect a modern big Krell or Bryston would be pretty darned good too and the MC2 power amp that was unfairly ignored here recently would be a marriage made in heaven I reckon.

yep agree had the 80's recently for a play,ended up with a pair or bridged MC2 amps up 'em a 450 and 650 - great stuff :eek:

The MC2 amp I had for sale here went to Holland :scratch:

[Floyddroid]

Wonder what they would sound like on the end of my voyagers.

[Arkless Electronics]

I wasn't over impressed with RSPM IMF's. Deep bass but in other regards well "average"..

[Macca]

I've got the crossover refurb kit from Falcon Acoustics for mine but not summoned up the bottle to tackle it yet.

[Firebottle]

Well done Martin, can't offer to help as I'm now a bit far away.

Just take your time and you'll be fine.

:D

[Floyddroid]

I've got the crossover refurb kit from Falcon Acoustics for mine but not summoned up the bottle to tackle it yet.

Which IMF's do you have Martin?

[Macca]

Steve - TLS50 Mk 1

http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac233/Macca_photos_2009/Oct%202015%20001.jpg (http://s903.photobucket.com/user/Macca_photos_2009/media/Oct%202015%20001.jpg.html)

Alan. I might have a go tomorrow if the light is any good.