IMF TLS80's MkI

ady

Member
hi all..

got an opportunity to purchase a pair of early 70's TLS80's... the big ones, for £150 GBP...

very tempted.. going to look at them today... these are 4 way with a transmission line on the bass unit.... click here to see more info...

i'mm very tempted... but gotta listen to them... vendor reckons they're quite sensitive and are OK in a small room due to the tranmission line...

the downsides though are that the cabinets have been painted white at some point and are tatty and there is a small rip in one grille... and these are the MkI model not the later although I'm not sure if there is much difference in sound.....

anyone have more experience of this model...
 
no experience with those ones in particular adrianfinn, but my IMF TLS 50's are about the best sounding speaker I've ever heard! :thmbsp:
 
Run, don't walk! (And buy a can of paint stripper on the way.)
I think they are in the small number of speakers that are actually worth paying real money for. But there are two caveats I'd mention: One: they are only going to sound as good as what goes into them, so you need to have better than adequate sources and amplification if you really want to hear what they are capable of. And they do need some power -- I'm surprised the seller says they are sensitive in the power sense. All those crossover components eat up power, and the drivers aren't exactly the most efficient to begin with. Two: even with sufficient power they are not good speakers for headbangers -- they don't have the upper bass impact that 'rock' speakers have, so if that's what you are looking for, don't get them -- there are plenty of less complicated solutions to your desires.
But if you want imaging and a sense of space, and clear deep bass, once you've situated them properly in the room, you will be delighted. And for a large speaker they are fairly good looking (of course thats after you refinish them).
 
B I G !!

thanks for the replies...

just got back from looking at them.. i deliberately didn't take any cash along! WOW are they big! I didn't really take any notice of the measurements and got a shock when i walked into his room..

He demoed them with a nice Audiolab 8000 integrated amp and one of those enormous early 80's Sony CD players.. I must say they sounded amazing. It's the first time I've heard TL speakers and the bass seemed so easy and rich even at low volumes.. we listened to some old Lou Reed and some new Leftfield and I loved it all! As a comparison he hooked up a pair of KEF Cadenza's he was also selling and although good there was just no comparison... I really want these speakers but our houses over here are so small...

I still have first refusal but I've got to do some measurements...

He said they often work well in corners and don't always have to be toed in much... the cabinets weren't too bad it's only the sides that've been painted white.

I don't think I can pass up the oppotunity to get these. I've never seen them for sale before and I don't think many will be on eBay judging by their size and weight....
 
Definitely get these speakers. I think I saw something similar on ebay a while back with the painted white cabinets. The drivers are classic KEF B139 oval bass unit, either KEF B110/Elac 5 inch midrange, Celestion HF1300 hard dome mid tweeter and Coles 4001 Super tweeter.

Would be advisable to take the drivers out of the cabinet or for sure cover them with something as paint strippers commonly involve solvents which could attack the plastics in the driver cones/domes. Also, it would make it much easier to work with the cabinet if the drivers are out (less weight, but with the size and complexity of a transmission line, you might not feel the difference much.

The IMF cabinets were usually well finished in walnut veneer so should come back nicely IF the original veneer was in good shape. Obviously, there must have been a reason for one of the owners to paint them white so hoping it was just a WAF thing.

The BIG IMF's like this set are some of the best speakers ever engineered in Britain with discerning ears and craftsmanship. They are definitely power hungry but will delight you with what they can give you - honest bass response and clarity through the mid/high range - after all, they use componenets similar the the famous Spendor BC1 and LS3/5 designs. Some people have said they sound even better when lifted off the ground by about 12-18 inches, but it must be a sturdy and stable stand.

As for WAF and fit, try it out anyway for a while and see what you and your family think. They are fantastic speakers and you deserve a chance to hear them at home for awhile at least. For £150, they are a steal, and if you decide you can't keep them, you should be able to make your money back. If you refinsih them, you could likely sell them for £300-400 easily or maybe trade them for a pair of LS3/5a's which are much smaller (bass shy as well).

Good Luck and don't hurt yourself moving them. A van or large pickup truck, padding and a moving dolly are an absolute must to move them carefully and without further damage to the cabinets.

Regards,

Bart
 
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