Vintage Speakers are back in style

[Henryk]

Thanks for sharing your insight. I'll check out the 15's. I am definitely not finding many Model 19's out there. 1 set on eBay but I think they are asking more than I'd like for the condition there in. Big, Heavy and sensitive is what I am after - just not the expensive so much. Hoping my patience hangs in there.

I did see someone mention checking out the Electro Voice Sentry 3's as potential option too.

I don't think you'd regret buying the Model 19's.
Just save up some more cheddar!

They have a great reputation so I doubt you'll ever find a pair for cheap, from someone who doesn't know what they have.

Speaking of EV, the Interface D should be on your list.
ADS/Braun also made amazing stuff in that era!

 

[Cwopete5]

Tried for years to recreate the vintage 70’s audio sound with modern gear.

Finally gave up and just bought the vintage gear I would have owned back then if I had the money.

Kenwood KR 10000 II and Klipsch KG4’s with new Crites crossovers.

Cat likes them too!

 

[Sal1950]

Finally gave up and just bought the vintage gear I would have owned back then if I had the money.

Sure, if that's the sound you want why not have some kool looking vintage gear to get it.
Almost no one offers those sweet walnut cased receivers any more. Nothing has ever beaten the looks of my old Marantz gear.
Picture is off the web.

 

[Ropeburn]

Tried for years to recreate the vintage 70’s audio sound with modern gear.

Finally gave up and just bought the vintage gear I would have owned back then if I had the money.

Kenwood KR 10000 II and Klipsch KG4’s with new Crites crossovers.

Cat likes them too!

View attachment 480552

If you ask me, cat approval (they do have vastly superior ears after all) is all you need to know.

 

[Valvetubehead]

Tried for years to recreate the vintage 70’s audio sound with modern gear.

Finally gave up and just bought the vintage gear I would have owned back then if I had the money.

Kenwood KR 10000 II and Klipsch KG4’s with new Crites crossovers.

Cat likes them too!

View attachment 480552

All the investment in quantum computing for just answering “maybe” this is correct… good enough is what I say; neither wrong or right, just perfect. Happy tabby

 

[Jan-Helge]

Reference Standard Professional Monitor MK.IV (Improved)

Mother and child (Reference Standard Professional Monitor MK.IV (Improved) & TLS50 MK.II

Special Application Control Monitor MK.I

SACM MK.I vs. RSPM MK.IV (Improved)

Special Application Control Monitor MK.II

SACM MK.I and SACM MK. II (last one in midle)

All my tree big pairs together, before I make SACM MK.II (in midle) nicer (I put aquafilter in port, oil them and make them nice - still have to built stands for them).

Active Line System 30 (ALS30)

ALS30 up to right on this picture

Active Line System 40 MK.II (ALS 40 II)

TLS80 MK.II

Compact Monitor 3a (CM3a) ; Closed chambers

Compact Monitor 3 (CM3) ; Ported

CM3 (ported) vs. CM3a (closed Chamber)

Compact Monitor 2 (CM2)

CM2 vs. CM3a

TLS50 MK.II

And my main setup

 

[Jan-Helge]

KEF 105 or later variants.

I had Kef Reference 105.2 for a while, had read much positive about them (here beside a blackpainted pair of IMF RSPM MK.IV (Improved), sold bouth this pairs now... The IMF's I sold cause last owner before I get them, he had paint them black... The Kef's I sold cause they was far from sounding as good as the IMF's, and for shure don't even close to play all those notes the IMF's manage (the bass most of all).

 

[jkasch]

I remember being very impressed with the big IMF's in a showroom many years ago.

 

[dlaloum]

Reference Standard Professional Monitor MK.IV (Improved)

View attachment 491914

Mother and child (Reference Standard Professional Monitor MK.IV (Improved) & TLS50 MK.II

View attachment 491917
View attachment 491916
View attachment 491915

Special Application Control Monitor MK.I

View attachment 491918
View attachment 491919
View attachment 491920
SACM MK.I vs. RSPM MK.IV (Improved)

Special Application Control Monitor MK.II

View attachment 491921
View attachment 491922
View attachment 491923

SACM MK.I and SACM MK. II (last one in midle)
View attachment 491924
All my tree big pairs together, before I make SACM MK.II (in midle) nicer (I put aquafilter in port, oil them and make them nice - still have to built stands for them).

Active Line System 30 (ALS30)

View attachment 491930
View attachment 491931
ALS30 up to right on this picture

Active Line System 40 MK.II (ALS 40 II)

View attachment 491932
View attachment 491933

TLS80 MK.II

View attachment 491934

Compact Monitor 3a (CM3a) ; Closed chambers

View attachment 491935
View attachment 491936

Compact Monitor 3 (CM3) ; Ported

View attachment 491937

CM3 (ported) vs. CM3a (closed Chamber)

View attachment 491938

Compact Monitor 2 (CM2)

View attachment 491939

CM2 vs. CM3a

View attachment 491940

TLS50 MK.II

View attachment 491941
View attachment 491942
View attachment 491943

And my main setup

View attachment 491945
View attachment 491946

The big IMF transmission lines, should do very well with Dirac ART...

In fact one would have to wonder whether a sub would be required at all, in a setup where you might have 4 such transmission line speakers as a base layer...

 

[mhardy6647]

I remember being very impressed with the big IMF's in a showroom many years ago.

The little bitty IMFs have impressed me (as well).

 

[dagfinn]

Reference Standard Professional Monitor MK.IV (Improved)

View attachment 491914

Mother and child (Reference Standard Professional Monitor MK.IV (Improved) & TLS50 MK.II

View attachment 491917
View attachment 491916
View attachment 491915

Special Application Control Monitor MK.I

View attachment 491918
View attachment 491919
View attachment 491920
SACM MK.I vs. RSPM MK.IV (Improved)

Special Application Control Monitor MK.II

View attachment 491921
View attachment 491922
View attachment 491923

SACM MK.I and SACM MK. II (last one in midle)
View attachment 491924
All my tree big pairs together, before I make SACM MK.II (in midle) nicer (I put aquafilter in port, oil them and make them nice - still have to built stands for them).

Active Line System 30 (ALS30)

View attachment 491930
View attachment 491931
ALS30 up to right on this picture

Active Line System 40 MK.II (ALS 40 II)

View attachment 491932
View attachment 491933

TLS80 MK.II

View attachment 491934

Compact Monitor 3a (CM3a) ; Closed chambers

View attachment 491935
View attachment 491936

Compact Monitor 3 (CM3) ; Ported

View attachment 491937

CM3 (ported) vs. CM3a (closed Chamber)

View attachment 491938

Compact Monitor 2 (CM2)

View attachment 491939

CM2 vs. CM3a

View attachment 491940

TLS50 MK.II

View attachment 491941
View attachment 491942
View attachment 491943

And my main setup

View attachment 491945
View attachment 491946

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?

 

[sergeauckland]

I loved the IMF TLS50II I had in the '70s. Only sold them when we moved and I didn't have a back wall to stand them against. Just didn't work free-standing. I suppose I could have used EQ, but that wasn't a thing in 1980.

S

 

[Mart68]

I had Kef Reference 105.2 for a while, had read much positive about them (here beside a blackpainted pair of IMF RSPM MK.IV (Improved), sold bouth this pairs now... The IMF's I sold cause last owner before I get them, he had paint them black... The Kef's I sold cause they was far from sounding as good as the IMF's, and for shure don't even close to play all those notes the IMF's manage (the bass most of all).View attachment 491953

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.

 

[Snarfie]

I don't think you'd regret buying the Model 19's.
Just save up some more cheddar!

They have a great reputation so I doubt you'll ever find a pair for cheap, from someone who doesn't know what they have.

Speaking of EV, the Interface D should be on your list.
ADS/Braun also made amazing stuff in that er

Reference Standard Professional Monitor MK.IV (Improved)

View attachment 491914

Mother and child (Reference Standard Professional Monitor MK.IV (Improved) & TLS50 MK.II

View attachment 491917
View attachment 491916
View attachment 491915

Special Application Control Monitor MK.I

View attachment 491918
View attachment 491919
View attachment 491920
SACM MK.I vs. RSPM MK.IV (Improved)

Special Application Control Monitor MK.II

View attachment 491921
View attachment 491922
View attachment 491923

SACM MK.I and SACM MK. II (last one in midle)
View attachment 491924
All my tree big pairs together, before I make SACM MK.II (in midle) nicer (I put aquafilter in port, oil them and make them nice - still have to built stands for them).

Active Line System 30 (ALS30)

View attachment 491930
View attachment 491931
ALS30 up to right on this picture

Active Line System 40 MK.II (ALS 40 II)

View attachment 491932
View attachment 491933

TLS80 MK.II

View attachment 491934

Compact Monitor 3a (CM3a) ; Closed chambers

View attachment 491935
View attachment 491936

Compact Monitor 3 (CM3) ; Ported

View attachment 491937

CM3 (ported) vs. CM3a (closed Chamber)

View attachment 491938

Compact Monitor 2 (CM2)

View attachment 491939

CM2 vs. CM3a

View attachment 491940

TLS50 MK.II

View attachment 491941
View attachment 491942
View attachment 491943

And my main setup

View attachment 491945
View attachment 491946

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

Current setup:

 

[mhardy6647]

I had the three way Super Compacts. They were excellent. Easy to drive, too. I would still have them were it not for the failing surrounds on the MR drivers. Too hard for me to source replacements. I traded them for some camera equipment. I had found the IMFs on the swap pile at our town dump, so there wasn't too much regret on my oart.

 

[Ropeburn]

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?
View attachment 491984

Good gods, that design is pushing all my buttons.

 

[Flaesh]

How much do they cost and are there any WE757A at all?

Or similar MTM.

 

[mhardy6647]

How much do they cost and are there any WE757A at all?
View attachment 492164
Or similar MTM.

JE Labs

jelabs.blogspot.com

 

[MAB]

I have a pair of Yamaha NS-18, from the late '70s:

The ear-shaped woofer is made from Styrofoam.

It's shape is on purpose according to the oddly unsettling marketing material:

I measured them. Below is the frequency response with the three different treble settings.
By Yamaha's logic we must all have the wrong kind of ears.

The sound is dominated by the resonances of the woofer membrane which has a neoprene surround that prevents the woofer from acting like a piston.
They sound very odd.

I do like the style. They are in our guest bedroom. My mom's dog likes to listen to classical music on them in the background.

 

[617]

I have a pair of Yamaha NS-18, from the late '70s:
View attachment 492259

The ear-shaped woofer is made from Styrofoam.
View attachment 492262
View attachment 492263

It's shape is on purpose according to the oddly unsettling marketing material:
View attachment 492264

I measured them. Below is the frequency response with the three different treble settings.
By Yamaha's logic we must all have the wrong kind of ears.
View attachment 492265

The sound is dominated by the resonances of the woofer membrane which has a neoprene surround that prevents the woofer from acting like a piston.
They sound very odd.

I do like the style. They are in our guest bedroom. My mom's dog likes to listen to classical music on them in the background.

Ironically the different path lengths from former to come edge can cancel out resonances; see the Scanspeak ellipticors. I think I've seen cylindrical voice coils with oddly shaped frames more often like the racetrack woofers used by Genelec. I think Technica had square woofers too?