IMF owners thread!
- Thread starter canuckaudiog
- Start date
canuckaudiog
On a quest for high fidelity
Wow Bart!!
They are home, that's so great to hear! Too bad they don't have their stands.. that's a shame, but, for the price you paid you did damn well. Overall, $750 into these and delivered.. nice! These are quite rare as I have mentioned and you are one of the few very lucky owners of these.
I can't wait to hear your thoughts on these post-recap. Any pictures of the crossovers you can provide would be cool.
I'm looking forward to seeing how these work out for you.
Congrats!
They are home, that's so great to hear! Too bad they don't have their stands.. that's a shame, but, for the price you paid you did damn well. Overall, $750 into these and delivered.. nice! These are quite rare as I have mentioned and you are one of the few very lucky owners of these.
I can't wait to hear your thoughts on these post-recap. Any pictures of the crossovers you can provide would be cool.
I'm looking forward to seeing how these work out for you.Congrats!
Hi Jeff,
Thanks, I felt very lucky to find them, and then for everything to work out getting them stored and then shipped. Although the shipping wasn't cheap, it does give some options for people looking at far away items, and being able to possibly think about going for them if the budget allows.
They do have their stands, here's a couple of pics, they're off the to the right side of the above pic, just barely visible. I haven't tried them yet as I didn't have anyone to help me put the speakers on top of them (115 pounds!).
Thanks, I felt very lucky to find them, and then for everything to work out getting them stored and then shipped. Although the shipping wasn't cheap, it does give some options for people looking at far away items, and being able to possibly think about going for them if the budget allows.
They do have their stands, here's a couple of pics, they're off the to the right side of the above pic, just barely visible. I haven't tried them yet as I didn't have anyone to help me put the speakers on top of them (115 pounds!).
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canuckaudiog
On a quest for high fidelity
Oh so they did come with their stands! Well damn skippy.
That's great then, what a hell of a deal you got.
That's great then, what a hell of a deal you got.
Haven't had a chance to get into the crossovers yet, was just looking at the front lower panel which is a sort of vanity model panel, rather a bit "ostentatious" compared to the previous Black panel with white lettering. Beneath it though is a similar brushed silver panel with smaller lettering and the crossover controls. When I get home on the weekend, I'll pop a few pics of that.
The only thing that is a little problem is the "grille" which I believe had already perished. The current grille is about a 1/2" thick common flat foam and I'm dubious of its acoustic properties. I'm considering sourcing a different acoustically transparent foam or building some light grilles with standard fabric. However, I kinda like the exposed look too!
I was able to get these bought, shipped and installed over the past 2 months, aand my wife has been mostly away during this time staying at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles with my daughter for the past 14 weeks or so. When I knew she was coming home for the first time with these in the living room (displacing my TLS50 Mk II's to the upstairs Master Bedroom/office), I figured they might be pretty obvious. I had been listening to them for about a week, and they sounded damn good with plenty of power from my Yamaha PC2002M amp pushed directly by an iPod for convenience. Having them play about 10 hours a day helped them break back in - I was expecting a lot more bass but the speakers play what's there - when the low bass is there, it's really evident, when there's none, the speakers don't add more unless some EQ is added in. Playing at 5-10 watts is great, and once I hook up my preamp to this system, I can push them even harder.
Anyway, I set up my ipod on random and left them playing when I headed to the hospital to relieve my wife for a few days. I told her how much having music playing all day was helpful to my mood and outlook and encouraged her to do the same. I told her the music would be playing when she got home that night, and to use it freely during the next few days, they could take it! She said she really enjoyed them, heard a lot of music she hadn't for awhile, and even found some new music she really enjoyed, plus she could hear them easily some 40-50 feet away in her kitchen office on the other side of the house! :thmbsp::thmbsp: Size and appearance didn't bother her in the least, having lived with the TLS50's, JBL L300's and similar speakers. I suspect JBL 4430's and 4435's might test that though! :scratch2:
My wife, she's a keeper!!
The only thing that is a little problem is the "grille" which I believe had already perished. The current grille is about a 1/2" thick common flat foam and I'm dubious of its acoustic properties. I'm considering sourcing a different acoustically transparent foam or building some light grilles with standard fabric. However, I kinda like the exposed look too!
I was able to get these bought, shipped and installed over the past 2 months, aand my wife has been mostly away during this time staying at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles with my daughter for the past 14 weeks or so. When I knew she was coming home for the first time with these in the living room (displacing my TLS50 Mk II's to the upstairs Master Bedroom/office), I figured they might be pretty obvious. I had been listening to them for about a week, and they sounded damn good with plenty of power from my Yamaha PC2002M amp pushed directly by an iPod for convenience. Having them play about 10 hours a day helped them break back in - I was expecting a lot more bass but the speakers play what's there - when the low bass is there, it's really evident, when there's none, the speakers don't add more unless some EQ is added in. Playing at 5-10 watts is great, and once I hook up my preamp to this system, I can push them even harder.
Anyway, I set up my ipod on random and left them playing when I headed to the hospital to relieve my wife for a few days. I told her how much having music playing all day was helpful to my mood and outlook and encouraged her to do the same. I told her the music would be playing when she got home that night, and to use it freely during the next few days, they could take it! She said she really enjoyed them, heard a lot of music she hadn't for awhile, and even found some new music she really enjoyed, plus she could hear them easily some 40-50 feet away in her kitchen office on the other side of the house! :thmbsp::thmbsp: Size and appearance didn't bother her in the least, having lived with the TLS50's, JBL L300's and similar speakers. I suspect JBL 4430's and 4435's might test that though! :scratch2:
My wife, she's a keeper!!
canuckaudiog
On a quest for high fidelity
OK sounds good, no rush though! I'm just curious to see what the crossover looks like on the later models.
It'll be interesting to hear your thoughts on the voicing of the Mk VII vs. the TLS 50 II - they are from different eras of the company so should be a good idea of what is different about their later models compared to the earlier models.
Sorry to hear about your daughter - that must be tough. I can only imagine. Having music is very much a good way to alleviate stress and to take your mind off of things. Your wife sounds a lot like mine, she definitely appreciates good audio and the benefit of having music. I set her up with her own stereo for this very reason, so that she could have that option of having music playing whenever to enjoy and to just make life more enjoyable!
You are spot on about the bass. It is not prominent at all, it's very much just "there". You would think with such large cabinets that the bass would be huge and big, but not so. The IMFs reproduce bass in the finest fashion, allowing you to more feel it than hear it and to just simply experience it in a musical fashion rather than having to think it is simply a part of the speaker. I imagine recapping them will improve this area further, however, being that they are the newer line of IMFs, I suspect a recap will not make a night and day difference as I have experienced with other IMF models. I think it will still make an improvement either way.
Anyway, enjoy the music my friend and again, congratulations on such a fine pair of transducers.
captouch
Addicted Member
Congrats Bart. A rare bird indeed.
I was going to make the same comment on the bass, but Jeff beat me to it. My TLS 50 II's actually seem to have more bass sometimes on certain recordings, but when the bass is really present and prominent on the recording, the RSPM's are stronger and you sure can feel it.
I know what you mean about the weight. I have a buddy coming into town this week and I'm thinking of having him help me remove the speakers so I can repaint my stands and put some new thicker felt sliders on the bottom. Now, I don't dare try to move the speakers myself due to weight and pushing them on their stands will scratch the floor. They're the only speakers I have that I can't move or lift on my own.
I was going to make the same comment on the bass, but Jeff beat me to it. My TLS 50 II's actually seem to have more bass sometimes on certain recordings, but when the bass is really present and prominent on the recording, the RSPM's are stronger and you sure can feel it.
I know what you mean about the weight. I have a buddy coming into town this week and I'm thinking of having him help me remove the speakers so I can repaint my stands and put some new thicker felt sliders on the bottom. Now, I don't dare try to move the speakers myself due to weight and pushing them on their stands will scratch the floor. They're the only speakers I have that I can't move or lift on my own.
Wilburchubs
Well-Known Member
Got a pair of TLS 50 a few weeks ago...theyve replaced my kef 105/3,theyre something else!!!!Bass like ive never heard,lacking a little in the high's,but im thinking a re-cap will solve this
canuckaudiog
On a quest for high fidelity
TLS 50s or TLS 50 IIs? You can tell by the front baffle - is it black chipboard or veneered?
Curlycat
Member
Congratulations! They are awesome speakers! I LOVE MINE! Yip, they are something else :yes:
When I recapped mine, the high's opened up very nicely. But still not a bright or harsh speaker. I can listen to them for hours without getting tired.
Post some pictures!
c-atle-79bay
Super Member
I think the beauty of the IMF is that it plays the bass accurately, displaying all the subtleties that the lower octaves (hope I'm saying this correctly) have to offer.
canuckaudiog
On a quest for high fidelity
The way I describe the bass is that it does not sound at all like it is coming out of a box, rather, that the bass is simply there in the room with you. Bass is difficult to reproduce properly because of the fact that the lower you go in frequency the larger the sound waves get and become increasingly difficult to not only reproduce but also to reproduce with accuracy. Indeed, the biggest triumph of IMF speakers is that they do this very, very well. :yes:
Curlycat
Member
I am thinking of making solid wood stands of the same dimensions as the current metal stands for my TLS50's Would it have any affect on the sound reproduction?
Also would like to know what is the ohm ratings of these speakers? I am thinking of trying an old Marantz 4140 Quadra amp with it, which I believe prefers 8 ohm.
Also would like to know what is the ohm ratings of these speakers? I am thinking of trying an old Marantz 4140 Quadra amp with it, which I believe prefers 8 ohm.
canuckaudiog
On a quest for high fidelity
For looks I'm assuming? Hard to say, I guess it depends on the wood used and how they're built. I think the factory RSPM Mk IV Improved models came with wooden stands so I don't see why not.
As far as the impedance they're a pretty benign speaker, they are about nominally around 6-7 ohms, so any 8 ohm amp will run them without a problem.
captouch
Addicted Member
Just a off-the-wall thought I'd interested to get feedback on:
How do you guys think a Heil tweeter would integrate with some RSPM IV's? One thing I've read about the RSPM's is that their imaging could be improved, perhaps due to the large/wide baffle. When comparing the ESS AMT-1b's to the RSPM IV's (side-by-side, driven by the same amp), I do think the ESS's provide better highs and imaging, but the mids and lows of the IMF are better.
Thoughts about disconnecting the RSPM tweeter and super-tweeter and using a Heil tweeter on top in their place? Imaging, airy-ness would likely improve, but not sure how well they'd integrate overall - crossover mods would definitely be in order since you'd be consolidating the function of two drivers into one.
Just a fun thought project. I do have both, but doubt I'd make such mods.
How do you guys think a Heil tweeter would integrate with some RSPM IV's? One thing I've read about the RSPM's is that their imaging could be improved, perhaps due to the large/wide baffle. When comparing the ESS AMT-1b's to the RSPM IV's (side-by-side, driven by the same amp), I do think the ESS's provide better highs and imaging, but the mids and lows of the IMF are better.
Thoughts about disconnecting the RSPM tweeter and super-tweeter and using a Heil tweeter on top in their place? Imaging, airy-ness would likely improve, but not sure how well they'd integrate overall - crossover mods would definitely be in order since you'd be consolidating the function of two drivers into one.
Just a fun thought project. I do have both, but doubt I'd make such mods.
canuckaudiog
On a quest for high fidelity
The trouble with replacing drivers in an already made design is integrating it, as you know. In order to do it properly without a bunch of guesswork you need to have a fair understanding of crossover design and also you will need proper measuring equipment.
Honestly I don't see a problem with replacing drivers in these IMFs, I agree that the top end is the one area that could use improvement. But of course they are a design of their time, using some of the best components available then. Compared to the Heil I am not at all surprised in your findings. The wide baffle doesn't do any favors for the imaging that's for sure.
With that said I wouldn't bother unless you have the right tools to do it. Otherwise you are basically going in blind. I'm personally considering upgrading the tweeters in my IMFs as well, I'm thinking about replacing both tweeters with just one and going to a 3-way design, and fortunately I know someone locally who designs and builds speakers so I have access to a wide array of measuring equipment. Of course the question is, do I want to go about changing the original design, as in am I keeping these? I doubt I will be able to easily put them back to original condition after doing the mods.. Then of course it's cost and time.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
captouch
Addicted Member
Thanks for the comments Jeff.
Yes, I'd be thinking about reversible changes for sure, because it could turn out bad! Just disconnect the crossover wires from the tweeter and supertweeter, but leave the drivers in so they could be reconnected easily. Just put the Heils on top of the cabinet, not try to work them in.
So I think the main issue would be designing a crossover to drive the Heil and having control of the level. There's currently two pot controls for the Heil on the ESS - one for midrange and one for "brilliance". Probably not great to use that crossover as is as the Heil is being asked to go lower to cover the midrange, which wouldn't be needed with the RSPM mids active.
So maybe the existing ESS crossover modified to a higher cutoff/crossover frequency?
Again, not likely to actually try it, but it's always fun to think. :scratch2:
Plus, the IMF thread has been a little quiet lately.
Yes, I'd be thinking about reversible changes for sure, because it could turn out bad! Just disconnect the crossover wires from the tweeter and supertweeter, but leave the drivers in so they could be reconnected easily. Just put the Heils on top of the cabinet, not try to work them in.
So I think the main issue would be designing a crossover to drive the Heil and having control of the level. There's currently two pot controls for the Heil on the ESS - one for midrange and one for "brilliance". Probably not great to use that crossover as is as the Heil is being asked to go lower to cover the midrange, which wouldn't be needed with the RSPM mids active.
So maybe the existing ESS crossover modified to a higher cutoff/crossover frequency?
Again, not likely to actually try it, but it's always fun to think. :scratch2:
Plus, the IMF thread has been a little quiet lately.
c-atle-79bay
Super Member
This is where having a nice active crossover would be nice, I'm constantly thinking about ways to franken just about everything I have.
My head unit would be to add the sequerro metronome 7s on top of the IMF's.
I actually put my IMF's in storage this weekend, the 11 month old is starting to scooching across stuff and I don't want him leaning on the speakers. I replaced them with my sony SS7400's..............wow, just cannot get over the difference in the bass and how much I miss the IMF's reproduction.
My head unit would be to add the sequerro metronome 7s on top of the IMF's.
I actually put my IMF's in storage this weekend, the 11 month old is starting to scooching across stuff and I don't want him leaning on the speakers. I replaced them with my sony SS7400's..............wow, just cannot get over the difference in the bass and how much I miss the IMF's reproduction.
captouch
Addicted Member
Oh, excellent idea! :thmbsp:
Would be interesting to bi-amp with an active crossover. Maybe a nice tube integrated/amp driving the Heils through an active crossover allowing level and frequency cutoff to be set.
That should work, right?
Sorry to hear your IMF's have to be in storage. I guess you'll appreciate them all the more when they come out and you can enjoy them again.
Would be interesting to bi-amp with an active crossover. Maybe a nice tube integrated/amp driving the Heils through an active crossover allowing level and frequency cutoff to be set.
That should work, right?
Sorry to hear your IMF's have to be in storage. I guess you'll appreciate them all the more when they come out and you can enjoy them again.