DJAudiophile
Active Member
I have a question. These are the imperial 6-g, are the grille covers on them original or aftermarket?
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Marantz speaker owners???
- Thread starter Zinker
- Start date
DJAudiophile
Active Member
And does the tweeters and woofers look original too?
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DJAudiophile
Active Member
ChrisMarantz
Super Member
I've been using a pair of HD770's for the past 10 years in the shop.
I found a genuine pair of woofers for them - rebuild the crossovers and added acoustic fill. The cabinets have been treated with Howard's and I replaced the grill cloth with a nice burnt orange color. I use them with the port open, even though I have the plugs.
While the HD770's are not nearly as bad ass as my Pioneer HPM100's - they're easy to listen to all day without any fatigue. - Chris
I found a genuine pair of woofers for them - rebuild the crossovers and added acoustic fill. The cabinets have been treated with Howard's and I replaced the grill cloth with a nice burnt orange color. I use them with the port open, even though I have the plugs.
While the HD770's are not nearly as bad ass as my Pioneer HPM100's - they're easy to listen to all day without any fatigue. - Chris
lurp
Active Member
Interesting. Our lives are 180 degrees out of phase. I have a pair of HPM100s in my shop that at one point I found to be "not nearly as bad ass as my" Marantz HD770s. They haven't been in the same room in a decade, so maybe a more recent A/B comparison is in order. They're both 4-ways of similar vintage with JBL lineage, although the Pioneers are a bit larger. I always found the HPMs to be a bit too boomy (just like the L100 they're an indirect copy of) and lacking cohesion. Neither is nearly as good as their L112 contemporary IMHO.
ChrisMarantz
Super Member
I agree with this, the HPM100's can be tiring to listen too - Chris
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dgunnr
Marantz Owner
Posted awhile back but here is an update on my Marantz speakers. I own the Marantz 940's, Marantz 600 and the Marantz M-16's (Photos are in this order as well). IMHO these are the three best Marantz speakers ever made. The specifications of each model can be found on line and there are discussions about all three models in existing threads on AudioKarma. BIG TUNA and I had some good discussions about each model if your interested in further reading. The HD-880's would be close to the 940's but not quite as good (owned 2 sets of HD-880's as well). All were designed by ex JBL designer and legend Ed May. All three sets are original and have been upgraded with modern, but matching, audio grade components in the cross overs by SALBRETH1. Everyone who has ever listened to these three models have indicated they sound as good as anything they own. I do sell vintage Marantz receivers so these comments are coming from high end buyers who have picked the receivers up at my home. On almost every occasion someone has asked me if one or all three are for sale. The answer is NO, i like them that much and I will never find what i have again! Main thing is do not replace the woofers with after market junk and restore them if possible.
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rob Brandt
Active Member
I drove from St. Paul, Mn to Flint Michigan to pick up a pair of Imperial 9's. I had midwest speaker redo the surrounds on the woofers and midranges--they do beautiful work and have been around longer than me. According to the article written by the man who designed them, I replaced the tweeters with new, high end silk dome tweeters. The originals are stored. The speakers themselves were like factory with only minor deterioration of the surrounds. They came with the walnut stands--but the blue foam of the grill material had been replaced with modern stuff--though the frames were intact as were the Marantz logos.
Though these were actually one of the better lines with the upgraded crossover network and the individual wooden boxes for each midrange, I have never used the internal crossovers. I have only ever listened to them actively tri amped with two 250's and one 240 which are all three matched units as they were intended to be used by the designer. All anyone can say who hears them is "WOW". They are incredibly smooth and powerful. 101db sensitivity. At half volume--all xover outputs equalized, you can hear the things a block away. I live in a 86 year old two story stucco house and the toilets and doors on the second floor rattle and vibrate to the bass at about 1/3 volume on a 3600 preamp. The bass is smooth, tight and very robust. The midrange is the legendary Marantz sound as you 'd expect and the highs are sweet, smooth and clear as a bell.
Though these were actually one of the better lines with the upgraded crossover network and the individual wooden boxes for each midrange, I have never used the internal crossovers. I have only ever listened to them actively tri amped with two 250's and one 240 which are all three matched units as they were intended to be used by the designer. All anyone can say who hears them is "WOW". They are incredibly smooth and powerful. 101db sensitivity. At half volume--all xover outputs equalized, you can hear the things a block away. I live in a 86 year old two story stucco house and the toilets and doors on the second floor rattle and vibrate to the bass at about 1/3 volume on a 3600 preamp. The bass is smooth, tight and very robust. The midrange is the legendary Marantz sound as you 'd expect and the highs are sweet, smooth and clear as a bell.
rob Brandt
Active Member
The woofers and tweets are original.
DJAudiophile
Active Member
Thank you! What about the grilles?
rob Brandt
Active Member
they should be foam from that era--rectangles. long gone due to foam falling apart
DJAudiophile
Active Member
What about these? Are the woofers and tweeters original in these Marantz Imperial 6 Speakers?
rob Brandt
Active Member
No. All drivers in the imperial series were blue.
rob Brandt
Active Member
the tweeters are best replaced with a modern silk dome tweeter which meets the ohm specs of the originals anyway. I replaced the tweeters in my imperial 9's with high end silk dome tweeters and carefully packed away the originals in the new boxes from the new tweets. They are just there for authenticity purposes. The designer of the Imperial 9's recommended doing so in article he published some years back.
DJAudiophile
Active Member
Hmm, I thought that the Imperial G series were blue, not the original Imperial series.
BeerLegs
Super Member
I believe those woofers are original. I have seen gray colored Marantz woofers before. Best way to tell, do they have doped cloth surrounds? They will never need to be refoamed under normal circumstances.
Also, those grills look original. The early Imperial 6 had those type of grills before they switched to foam grills. I have a early pair of 6s with blue cones and grills matching that material in the picture, all original.
Also, those grills look original. The early Imperial 6 had those type of grills before they switched to foam grills. I have a early pair of 6s with blue cones and grills matching that material in the picture, all original.
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DJAudiophile
Active Member
Thanks, I’ll ask. What about the tweeters? Anything I should ask about those?
BeerLegs
Super Member
Um, maybe make sure they work? Even if they don't, Parts Express sells a drop in replacement that looks just like the original ones. I don't know how they sound. You could probably find a used pair on eBay. That tweeter was used in more than several different models and by different speaker manufactures back in the day so used ones shouldn't be that hard to find.
The original drivers were made by CTS.
You might find this interesting.
The original drivers were made by CTS.
You might find this interesting.
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rob Brandt
Active Member
I disagree. now that I look harder at the pic, the tweets are a faded blue--therefore original--but still not worth keeping. If the guy who helped design them says to get rid of them, get rid of them. He ought to know. So, that means if the tweets are blue, then the woofers are not original.
rob Brandt
Active Member
This will help all of you with regard to the imperial series. It's a great article and is the reason why I wanted a coveted set of 9's. I drove from St. Paul Minnesota all the way to a suburb of Flint Michigan to get them and am glad I did.They were the upper range model with the separate, wooden enclosure for the midrange speakers. I followed through and triamped them as he designed them to be--truly spectacular in the sound stage and the ease with which they fill a room with smooth highs and mids and thunderous, but tight base. The solid hardwood doors on the second floor at the other end of the house rattle and shale and the toilet lids audibly bounce.
They can be heard a block a way at half volume.
https://www.audioholics.com/loudspeaker-design/loudspeakers-when-is-good-enough-enough-part-1
They can be heard a block a way at half volume.
https://www.audioholics.com/loudspeaker-design/loudspeakers-when-is-good-enough-enough-part-1
