thoughts on marantz imperial 6 and imperial 7

[Lavane]

I have re-foamed 7s they are ok but no where near the JBL 100 or even the Imperial 8s which are awesome. I have never heard the 6s.

The 6's will have you kicking the 7's to the curb, hard.

 

[dan martin]

I have never heard either the 5's or 7's. Have heard less than complimentary
things about the 7's as being more of a marketing ploy than a design
improvement over the 6's. I remember seeing an article with the designers
that said they listened to 6's at work, as they disliked the 7's. IIRC, I
think they said they put a woofer that was too large for the enclosure in
in the 7's and it really hurt their sound. You can probably find that article
online via google... However, they do look nice!

I do have a pair of 6's (also a thrift shop score for a whopping $2). Cabs
were messy and the grills were toast. I cleaned up and poly'd the cabs and
put new cloth on the old frames. Luckily, the drivers were all in good shape
and have stayed that way in a hostile environment.

The are really nice speakers - as stated earlier, very surprising. Not tiring at
all to listen to. They are being driven by a Yamaha CA-400 amp and sound
nice. I listen to primarily classic rock and have this setup in my garage as
I spend a lot of time out there. I'd like to find another pair for our there to
match up with. All the punch you'd want with clear definition to go along
with it. If you can find a pair reasonably priced, I'd say go for it. I've had these
for about 5 years now and won't get rid of them. One of my best audio
deals ever (only topped by a free pair of Allison Ones that I refurbed).

Good luck!

does anyone have a schematic for imperial 7 speakers

 

[Lavane]

I never found one when I had a pair. The capacitors used are 3uf and 6uf. At leased 100v. A higher voltage polypropylene film cap is fine to use.

 

[Arekusu881]

First of all I am not an expert in the audio field but I do have a opinion on the Imperial 6. I found this pair at a thrift store about a year ago and have been more satisfied than I could imagine. There are a few threads on AK about them and all are congruous with my opinion. I have not heard the 5 or the 7. The 6 as stated by another does many things well. Flat response is nice and accurate. The 10" CTS woofer was spec'd by Marantz and is incredible. Bass extends down pretty low and if you add a sub be aware that the 6 will probably outperform it. I run them with a Sansui 3300 and I am always blown away by the sound. I would love to hear the 5's. The 7 as I have heard is too bassy and not what the designers wanted but more to compete with showroom leaders. Greg, have you read the article online about the 6 and it's development after the Marantz sound room was built? I found my 6's at a thrift for $40 but consider myself lucky as they are mint. The woofers have to be good or the system will be compromised and not worth getting. All other speakers I have dragged home just don't do it and it is fun to see why when comparing them to the 6. The 6 is fairly efficient as well. I hope you find a pair!

Well you have me beat. I got mine for 50$ and not mint, but that really doesn't bother me. The sound is fantastic

 

[Lavane]

Well you have me beat. I got mine for 50$ and not mint, but that really doesn't bother me. The sound is fantastic

Ya, mine came cheap with broken grill baffles, a blown woofer, and scratched up cabinets
I found an original replacement woofer on ebay, and made my own grills using grill kits and cloth from Partsexpress.
I also carefully sanded all the clear coat off of the cabinets, rubbed a thin coat of walnut stain that covered what was left in the way if scratches and hand rubbed a few coats of thinned poly coat. They came out pretty nice.
I even bought a pair of repop Marantz badges.

 

[Freegear]

I’ve got pair of imperial 3’s. They sound nice.