Vintage Speakers are back in style

[Jan-Helge]

Nice collection! They do remind a lot of the Bowers & Wilkins DM4 I had early 1980s - which sounded very nice btw. I'm guessing the same designer? Do you know?
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Many british brands use drivers from some of the same brands, Kef driver and Celestion drivers (other also) was used by many british brands that time, and they all built speakers who had design from that time.
You find many legendary classic speakers who have use many of the same drivers, Kef use their own driver in their speakers of corse, and Linn (in their Isobarik) and IMF (in their Reference Standard) and also many other brands, have use many of the same drivers in different designs. And they get inspired of each other for shure, but in same time it is fun to experiance how different same drivers could sound in different speaker syestems, for example the Kef B139, Kef B200 and Kef B110 (woofers and midrange), was more than 10 factorys who use those drivers. Also tweeters from Celestion for example, was much used by many speaker factorys.

 

[Jan-Helge]

Thats a handsome collection of IMF's

Back in my teen years in the ’70s, the IMF Compact II were the first quality speakers I bought. About 15 years ago, just for fun, I started in into digital remixing with Ableton. Over the years, I went through two active speaker systems, first the KRK VXT series, then the Adam A series both active monitors. You get used to their sound, but what I always missed was true musicality which IMO isn’t really their aim/strength.

Then, one day, I found a matched pair of IMF speakers at a thrift store for just €7.50. Couldn’t resist. Out of curiosity, I hooked them up to my Allen & Heath Xone 4D and an amp, compared them with the Adams. They sounded so good that I sold the Adams less than a week later.

After some tweaking with MathAudio Room EQ even the bit edgy KEF T27 tweeters now sound better than they already did. Truly great musical monitor speakers.

When friends come over, they ask, “Where’s the subwoofer hiding.
I bought a second pair just in case these originals worn out after almost 47 years. Look at the rubber edges of the woofer still perfect remarkable quality after all these years.

In operation an spare IMF's

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Current setup:
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You should get a pair of Compact Monitor 2 (CM2), they are great small ones.

If bigger IMF, then my favorite IMF-model is TLS50a (also the a-version with ribbed woofers designed by IMF themself and built by Elac for IMF), myself I sell my TLS50a (had have four different versions of TLS40), selling them was a big mistake and now I have to find a pair again.

 

[Jan-Helge]

I've owned IMFs. the TLS50. I'd suggest it's more down to personal taste than one being better than the other but agree the IMFs go lower in the bass.

Wich version of TLS50?

I have had four different versions of TLS50, the A-version (TLS50a) is my favorite speakers from IMF. I should never sell that pair I had, I love those speakers, they are much greater than all other versions of TLS50 who even not could be compared (but also other versions are great).

 

[Snarfie]

You should get a pair of Compact Monitor 2 (CM2), they are great small ones.

If bigger IMF, then my favorite IMF-model is TLS50a (also the a-version with ribbed woofers designed by IMF themself and built by Elac for IMF), myself I sell my TLS50a (had have four different versions of TLS40), selling them was a big mistake and now I have to find a pair again.

I’ve owned both models, and in the end I chose the Compact II with its transmission-line bass loading. In my room they reached noticeably deeper, and the bass was tighter and more controlled. The KEF T27 tweeter also gave the Compact II a more transparent and open top end.With DSP correction using MathAudio Room EQ, the T27 which already sounded good (bit edgy) is now even better controlled and more refined. The overall balance and clarity really improved.

IMF Compact II measurment. White horizontale target line/curve is used. Are you using or did you consider using DSP depending regarding your room acoustics i guess.?

 

[Mart68]

Wich version of TLS50?

I have had four different versions of TLS50, the A-version (TLS50a) is my favorite speakers from IMF. I should never sell that pair I had, I love those speakers, they are much greater than all other versions of TLS50 who even not could be compared (but also other versions are great).

I'm not sure, I think they were early ones, with the matt black front. I gave them away last year, they were taking up too much space and I wasn't using them.

 

[dagfinn]

Many british brands use drivers from some of the same brands, Kef driver and Celestion drivers (other also) was used by many british brands that time, and they all built speakers who had design from that time.
You find many legendary classic speakers who have use many of the same drivers, Kef use their own driver in their speakers of corse, and Linn (in their Isobarik) and IMF (in their Reference Standard) and also many other brands, have use many of the same drivers in different designs. And they get inspired of each other for shure, but in same time it is fun to experiance how different same drivers could sound in different speaker syestems, for example the Kef B139, Kef B200 and Kef B110 (woofers and midrange), was more than 10 factorys who use those drivers. Also tweeters from Celestion for example, was much used by many speaker factorys.

They are earlier then I remembered, and I don't have much memory from that time myself. Thinking back in more detail, I got my DM4 around 1978, and by then they were a few years old. I see the IMF designs like the Compact III, which looks similar to the DM4 on the outside, is quite different inside. I liked mine, they sounded excellent to me, except for the lack of bass. I blew them using them as "studio" monitors.

Here is a recent review of the DM4, with more info on drivers an such .

[Listening test] B&W DM4 vintage loudspeakers

Jurassic (S)park! History and listening test of the B&W DM4 loudspeakers, an article by Lucio Cadeddu on TNT-Audio - Internet HiFi magazine - www.tnt-audio.com

www.tnt-audio.com

 

[Flaesh]

JE Labs

jelabs.blogspot.com

Yes, the picture is from there.

 

[Chanur]

Do you mean actually old speakers, or new speakers built in the style of speakers from from the 1970s or earlier? For the latter, I would probably go for some of the JBL models, like the L100.

I would definitely not buy modern L100. I have read they are extremely poorly made. The Super Lintons, Dovedales, Fyne , Klipsch Forte are where I would look.