FS: IMF TLS50 Speakers

[hermit]

New bigger wardrobes means that these dainty little IMFs are up for sale.

I bought them from a member of PFM about a year ago and I'm the third owner. I had them professionally recapped by Retro Reproductions in Edinburgh.

The drivers are all in perfect working order. The cabs have one or two marks on top but are generally in good condition. The grills have some snags and tears. The faults in the grills can be seen in the last 3 photos. The first photos show the grills before the cat attack. Overall the grills remain quite presentable in real life.

NB - They are being sold without the casters! They'll go under the new speakers I think.

These big old girls really amazed me and dispelled my notions about old speakers being ponderous and slow. They replaced a pair of Proac Response 2S in my system so not too shabby. As you'd expect from a transmission line design the bass is solid and tuneful. Overall, they are a well balanced speaker with a lovely midrange and clear treble. Never harsh. They do well near to a back wall or in free space so easy to place. They do need a bit of current but are a benign load. They did well for me a small room and remain interesting at low levels.

These are collection only but I am travelling down the M6 toward the Midlands in the next few days or so and could meet up or deliver if you are on the way. After that trip they are strictly collection only except for Central Scotland where I can deliver for petrol costs.

Looking for £275 for a quick sale.

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/neradi/IMF%20TLS50/imf2_zpsf7d0cf9z.jpeg

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/neradi/IMF%20TLS50/imf3_zpsh2kzcdb4.jpeg

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/neradi/IMF%20TLS50/imf6_zpsccsrtmw8.jpeg

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/neradi/IMF%20TLS50/imf5_zps82acxa6v.jpeg

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/neradi/IMF%20TLS50/imf10_zpsqohfhmrd.jpeg

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/neradi/IMF%20TLS50/imf8_zpscyh0an9l.jpeg

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/neradi/IMF%20TLS50/imf7_zpstn1msn4k.jpeg

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/neradi/IMF%20TLS50/imf14_zpsahlrwfvc.jpeg

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/neradi/IMF%20TLS50/2015-06-30%2018.28.09_zpsdfcdpnox.jpg

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/neradi/IMF%20TLS50/2015-06-30%2018.26.55_zpsbhgprzsq.jpg

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/neradi/IMF%20TLS50/2015-06-30%2018.25.12_zpsz5hjmdhs.jpg

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/neradi/IMF%20TLS50/2015-06-30%2018.24.59_zps4f0nkawm.jpg

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/neradi/IMF%20TLS50/2015-06-30%2018.24.36_zpsyxzrzsgl.jpg

[KONDO]

hi what did you replace them with,

[hermit]

hi Charlie, I bought a pair of Tannoy Berkeleys (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121668684101) from ebay. They're collection only from the Midlands. Still waiting on the seller to arrange uplift.

[Wakefield Turntables]

fantastic pair of retro speakers.

[DSJR]

Tannoys?

TANNOYS???????

Be prepared for a huge refurb and update bill once you've got used to being shouted at :lol:


How can I say this? because we sold all of these at KJ Watford way back when in the early to mid 70's and our large dem room played host to all the IMF's and the Tannoy HPD's at the same time and I did plenty of comparisons..

Yes folks, these TLS50's are tiny in comparison, but they're lovely sounding and at the price, should eat most of their competition. Run them with the mid control turned up to + and please DON'T put them in corners! A clear but taut ss amp is mandatory too for best bass performance.

[walpurgis]

Oh. Here we go again! :lol:

Looks like these have been refurbed though.

[DSJR]

Have a bump on me :lol:

[hermit]

Thanks for the positive comments on the IMFs gents. I've been really pleased with them but the prospect of 15" DCs proved irresistible. They have been reconed some years ago and the cabs were done at the same time. I'm hoping to avoid large bills in the short term but will probably send the crossovers to RFC before too long.

[jandl100]

IMF TLS50 vs Tannoise.

No contest - I agree with Dave for a change.

Great speakers those IMFs :thumbsup:

GLWS if you really want to do it. ;)

[DSJR]

I think Jerry would understand the 'itch' to get Tannoys into and possibly out of out of the system - been there myself with other Hifi bits.

These TLS50's are early to mid 70's ones, as the grilles were 'modernised' a bit in '75 or so (from memory) and I seem to remember the very earliest ones had a sort of brown fleck grille cloth (not the same as Spendors, but you get the idea). On their own, they're fab, but of course, we were spoiled by always having the TLS80 and Pro Monitors as well and believe me, the 50's were tiny in comparison. The broad sound balance was similar though in all of them, from the Compact, to ASL40 and upwards.

The Berkeleys you've bought were cheap I reckon and there is genuinely something about BIG speakers that no 8" driver in a transmission line can replicate IME.

Still, good luck with your journey. It's fun :)

[struth]

Those imfs are pretty good...i like their stuff but inclined to disagree and think the tannoys will blow them away. maybe not i! midrange sweetness but overall soundstage. my dc's are excellent in that dept and just needed to be up off the ground a tad

glws Paul

[jandl100]

Still, good luck with your journey. It's fun :)

+1 :thumbsup:

[hermit]

I am well aware that I'm taking an expensive punt as the IMFs have really good synergy with my system and suit my room. Time will tell. In the meantime, I get a road trip and possibly a hernia :) Thanks for the good wishes.

[wiicrackpot]

Hi Hermit,

A wee proposition to you, if you need an extra pair of hands to get these babies home, i am free on Monday,Tiuesday and Wednesdays so able to travel with you to get them home and in your house. :)

It's been a long while since i fondled a pair of Tannoys, like the LP12, two items i know i will reacquaint myself with again one day,
you never konw, you might have a ready taker of your Tannoys if it doesn't work out for you. :D

[walpurgis]

Those imfs are pretty good...i like their stuff but inclined to disagree and think the tannoys will blow them away. maybe not i! midrange sweetness but overall soundstage. my dc's are excellent in that dept and just needed to be up off the ground a tad

glws Paul

Hi Grant. I wondered if you'd be tempted by these. They're nice. Bet you pondered it. :D

[struth]

Hi Grant. I wondered if you'd be tempted by these. They're nice. Bet you pondered it. :D

dont want to go off the tread track but i have something else in my wind:eyebrows: sure you know what:)

Funny but you rarely ever see imf speakers for sale and now there are 2 set here on sale and another on gumtree all up in my neck of the woods. us Scots must be hoarding them

[hermit]

Hi Hermit,

A wee proposition to you, if you need an extra pair of hands to get these babies home, i am free on Monday,Tiuesday and Wednesdays so able to travel with you to get them home and in your house. :)

It's been a long while since i fondled a pair of Tannoys, like the LP12, two items i know i will reacquaint myself with again one day,
you never konw, you might have a ready taker of your Tannoys if it doesn't work out for you. :D

Thanks Andy. Very kind of you to offer. I think I will be OK getting them home but if my friends are busy when I do, I may well ask for your help to get them from the rental van to my flat. Will pm you later. I am still not in touch with the seller so no idea on when this might be. I'm starting to worry that he may be on holiday. Before I pressed the but it now button I went to make an offer and saw there was already an outstanding offer awaiting a response. Patience is not my strong suit. :steam:

[walpurgis]

dont want to go off the tread track but i have something else in my wind:eyebrows: sure you know what:)

Oh dear. Sounds ominous. Hope you're not buying anything you can't lift! :eek:

On the other hand, it could be a..............................



Just remembered what it might be. Good luck!

[DSJR]

Those imfs are pretty good...i like their stuff but inclined to disagree and think the tannoys will blow them away. maybe not i! midrange sweetness but overall soundstage. my dc's are excellent in that dept and just needed to be up off the ground a tad

glws Paul

HPD Tannoys when launched were ragged, coloured bags of nails, mainly because of the cabinets (not as bad as III LZ's but close). The pepperpot castings weren't always as nice as they should have been and the crossovers were crude, to put it politely. What saves it completely is that Tannoy drivers can still be completely rebuilt, the crossovers refined or replaced and the cabinets carefully beefed up. Hell, the drivers alone are worth what you paid for them and I believe some Marco-style Lockwood Major cabinets were being made for not silly money by Lockwoods not very long ago (bigger volume). I know they'll boogie even in stock form :)

[dantheman91]

Hi Paul

Seems strange theirs been no contact as you would of thought he would want to let them go asap...I think they were advertised a couple of time previous to this listing, I would would be weary if i were you and hold of selling the IMF's just encase the deal falls on its arse

[hermit]

HPD Tannoys when launched were ragged, coloured bags of nails, mainly because of the cabinets (not as bad as III LZ's but close). The pepperpot castings weren't always as nice as they should have been and the crossovers were crude, to put it politely. What saves it completely is that Tannoy drivers can still be completely rebuilt, the crossovers refined or replaced and the cabinets carefully beefed up. Hell, the drivers alone are worth what you paid for them and I believe some Marco-style Lockwood Major cabinets were being made for not silly money by Lockwoods not very long ago (bigger volume). I know they'll boogie even in stock form :)

Thanks for the info. My Berkeleys have the even less desirable k series drivers but I thought that the price reflected that. For me decider was the fact that they had been fettled already and can probably be moved on quickly without taking a big hit if they don't work out.

[hermit]

Hi Paul

Seems strange theirs been no contact as you would of thought he would want to let them go asap...I think they were advertised a couple of time previous to this listing, I would would be weary if i were you and hold of selling the IMF's just encase the deal falls on its arse

Thanks for the warning. It crossed my mind too but it looks like a genuine ad and and as I have his name and address, I was able to find him in the BT UK phone book which is comforting. Holiday is more likely than scam IMO but it is a risk.

I do have someone coming from Edinburgh tomorrow to hear the IMFs so will need to think hard about postponing. It's a problem because I really don't have space for both sets and would have to put the IMFs in a friend's garage which is not ideal for auditioning them later. Decisions, decisions.

[twotone]

Gordan (annisbru sp), on here, was selling a minter pair of Tannoys last week, think that they were Berkleys too at not much more than a grand I think?

Chatworths it was

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?39197-FS-Tannoy-Chatsworth

[hermit]

Gordan (annisbru sp), on here, was selling a minter pair of Tannoys last week, think that they were Berkleys too at not much more than a grand I think?

They're Chatsworths and gorgeous too. He can only deliver to London though which doesn't work for me sadlly. I think they were £1250 which would be a stretch for me but worth every penny I imagine.

[walpurgis]

Thanks for the info. My Berkeleys have the even less desirable k series drivers but I thought that the price reflected that. For me decider was the fact that they had been fettled already and can probably be moved on quickly without taking a big hit if they don't work out.

Your description does these drivers an injustice. You should really say they're less well known. The ceramic magnet Tannoy duals sound every bit as good as the alnico models. In fact to me, my 12" 3128 equipped Mk. II Cheviots sound better than any of the 12" Golds and 12" HPD 315s I've owned.

I think you'll find you need a week or so to tune yourself into the Tannoy sound. It's very different to the IMFs. I reckon you'll love them though. It might pay to try a few different amps with them.

[hermit]

Your description does these drivers an injustice. You should really say they're less well known. The ceramic magnet Tannoy duals sound every bit as good as the alnico models. In fact to me, my 12" 3128 equipped Mk. II Cheviots sound better than any of the 12" Golds and 12" HPD 315s I've owned.

I think you'll find you need a week or so to tune yourself into the Tannoy sound. It's very different to the IMFs. I reckon you'll love them though. It might pay to try a few different amps with them.

Thanks Geoff. It wasn't my intention to denigrate the k series. They do seem well liked but as you say less well known than HPDs etc. It may well be that like the HPDs they will become more sought after with the passage of time and ever increasing HPD prices.

I'm relieved to have heard from the seller by email. He's going to call me tomorrow to work out the details so panic over :). I can start to get excited now!

[Reffc]

Well done on the Berkleys Paul. For a refurbished pair, they were a great price. As for "ragged sounding" early cabinets up to the 1980s were mostly very inferior, but it was the early Coatbridge HPD which suffered the QC issues with the pepperpots NOT the ones you have which should be fine and were generally made to higher standards. Earlier HPDs were also fine, so take some of the comments belting about with a large dollop of salt ;)

I know that geoff also rates these K series drivers and the crossovers were actually very well thought out and BETTER made than most of that era, yet so many comments seem to crop up from people who've never taken them apart or taken the trouble to look into the resopnse and design behind them. They usually do benefit from a switch clean and cap refresh/upgrade as anyone who's had that done can no doubt attest. That cab was a hell of a lot better made than the Lancasters you had considered imho. Better bass response too, by a country mile! The Cab is still too small really for optimal performance from the K3838/3808 but they pack quite a punch. All in all, a cheap way into 15 inch DC performance and these wont strip wallpaper like the some of the SRM models.

As to which sounds best, well I prefer the HPD (AlNiCo). It doesn't require the electric time alignment effected in the crossover of some later models which Tannoy never really perfected imho (they never sounded as good as earlier HPDs to my ears).

[wiicrackpot]

Thanks Andy. Very kind of you to offer. I think I will be OK getting them home but if my friends are busy when I do, I may well ask for your help to get them from the rental van to my flat. Will pm you later. I am still not in touch with the seller so no idea on when this might be. I'm starting to worry that he may be on holiday. Before I pressed the but it now button I went to make an offer and saw there was already an outstanding offer awaiting a response. Patience is not my strong suit. :steam:

I am here Paul, just shout if you need help. :)

Don't like the sound of silence from seller, get what you say about not being patient,
that niggling doubt when you get something at a great price only to lose comms is murder, :steam: hope the seller is cosher.

edit: just saw post #26, well done.

[hermit]

Well done on the Berkleys Paul. For a refurbished pair, they were a great price. As for "ragged sounding" early cabinets up to the 1980s were mostly very inferior, but it was the early Coatbridge HPD which suffered the QC issues with the pepperpots NOT the ones you have which should be fine and were generally made to higher standards. Earlier HPDs were also fine, so take some of the comments belting about with a large dollop of salt ;)

I know that geoff also rates these K series drivers and the crossovers were actually very well thought out and BETTER made than most of that era, yet so many comments seem to crop up from people who've never taken them apart or taken the trouble to look into the resopnse and design behind them. They usually do benefit from a switch clean and cap refresh/upgrade as anyone who's had that done can no doubt attest. That cab was a hell of a lot better made than the Lancasters you had considered imho. Better bass response too, by a country mile! The Cab is still too small really for optimal performance from the K3838/3808 but they pack quite a punch. All in all, a cheap way into 15 inch DC performance and these wont strip wallpaper like the some of the SRM models.

As to which sounds best, well I prefer the HPD (AlNiCo). It doesn't require the electric time alignment effected in the crossover of some later models which Tannoy never really perfected imho (they never sounded as good as earlier HPDs to my ears).

Thanks for all the solid info Paul. I have been quite surprised at the divergence of opinion on matters Tannoy in this thread and my Lancaster thread in Past Masters. Ultimately, it's great to have good info when buying blind but it's always a punt because it's all so personal and that's before you take account of system synergy or lack thereof and the room. Basically it's a lottery but when you've lusted after big DCs for a while it's hard resist taking a chance if a nice pair come along at a fair price. I know I'll not regret taking the chance even they don't quite work for me.

[hermit]

Now sold.

Andy, you have pm.

[wiicrackpot]

Received, sorry for late reply Paul, hadn't logged in for last couple of days. :o

[thedanfan]

Hi Paul, hope the Berkeleys are working out for you. It was a pleasure to meet you and many, many thanks to Jim (don't know if he posts on here) for his hospitality.

[hermit]

Hi Chris,

Hope you're doing well. Thanks again for bringing the Tannoys up to Jim's. It was good to meet you. I meant to drop you an email before now but you know how it goes sometimes.

To be honest I'm really enjoying the Tannoys very much. They have improved my system to a marked degree. I think they will be staying for a good long while. I'm really very taken with them. By the way, I meant to ask, do you know roughly what year they were re-coned?

I don't know about you but I was blown away by Jim's One Thing 57s. Really lovely speakers. Jim mainly posts on PFM and I don't think he's a member here. I will pass on your thanks the next time I speak to him.

Paul

[DSJR]

Unless they've changed them, the One Thing 57's have a 5db rise in tweeter output. Fashionable balance for some, but not what Quad originally intended..

[Barry]

Unless they've changed them, the One Thing 57's have a 5db rise in tweeter output. Fashionable balance for some, but not what Quad originally intended..

And not what I want either!