IMF owners thread!

canuckaudiog

On a quest for high fidelity
Welcome to the IMF Owners thread. Pull up a chair and stay a while. :beerchug:

There's a few of us kicking around here on AK. Of course you all know I'm a big IMF fan.

I've put together a bunch of resources for restoring IMF speakers in a post here.

I currently own the following:

IMF Reference Standard Professional Monitor Mk IV
2x IMF Super Compact, one will soon be modded to be like an IMF Super Compact II

I have owned the IMF TLS 50 II and IMF TLS 80 II in the past.

So what do you guys have or have owned in the past? Share your thoughts on this oddball brand as well. And of course, put up some pictures. :yes:

Here is a shot of when I had both the IMF TLS 50 II and IMF TLS 80 II:


You can see some of the non-original drivers in the second shot there, notably the square tweeter and the midrange driver. The bass woofer and tweeter are original. In the first shot you can see the crossover board of the IMF TLS 80 II that wasn't working, so this was basically the day I got the IMF TLS 80 II's.

Here's a shot of the TLS 50 II when I got original/replacement drivers:


Then I sold the IMF TLS 50 II's shortly after, and got my hands on the real prize.

Here they are in their original boxes, being hauled back to where they reside now:
dsc01127b.jpg


And here they are unboxed, at home:

Next to the IMF TLS 80 II (yeah, I thought that was a big speaker!):

The box label:

The distributor for IMF speakers in Canada was in Quebec. :)

Then, an AKer gave me this set of IMF Super Compacts to me for free (yes, I couldn't believe it). One tweeter was shot and they were completely original, but after $200 in parts and some elbow grease I got them back to factory spec:

Picture removed due to being huge!! will repost

And then my latest IMF pick-up, another set of IMF Super Compacts from another AKer. Price wasn't as good as the first set but still very good. :)

DSC01970.JPG


The above isn't my picture, but the AKer's picture of them (hope ya don't mind :) ). When they come home, hopefully this week or the next, I'll put up some of my own pictures.

So, share your IMF's. :)
 
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IMF TLS80. IMF Supercompact II.

EDIT: Forgot to mention. Also have some IMF 'cousins'. Fried C/2 satellites with O/2 subs.
 
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I have a pair of IMF RSPM MkIV Improved.

The pic is with front screen removed.
 

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IMF Restoration Information

I've been looking for a place to put down the restoration information I've collected over the past couple of years, and I think this is as good a place as any.

Parts

Capacitors
This would be one of the first things I would start with. Most IMFs use Elcaps which are black with red ends. By now, these are likely over 30 years old and are in need of replacement.

Alcap Electrolytic Capacitors
These are a good choice because they are inexpensive and are manufactured by the same manufacturer for Elcaps. They are now made with aluminum which is why they are called Alcaps. I personally use these in all of my IMF restorations.

Link: http://www.falconacoustics.co.uk/re...f-electronics-replacement-capacitor-kits.html

Foams
The first thing I would tackle is refoaming before anything else to make sure that when you play the speaker you don't damage the driver. The only driver requiring new foams are the Elac 4EM/101 and the Elac 4/200, which is the smaller midrange driver used on models like the Super Compact, ALS 30/40, TLS 50 II, MCR2A, etc.

Elac 4EM/101

m_3036.jpg


Usually found in early IMF models, like the first production of TLS 50 IIs, the IMF Super Compact second generation, ALS 40 II, and there might be some others. It's distinguishable by two features. One is that it has a paper cone, and the other is that the dustcap is flat and smaller than the 4/200.

Link: http://www.speakerrepairshop.com/index.php?action=article&aid=1663&group_id=10000028&lang=EN

Elac 4/200

m_2601.jpg


This is found in most later versions of IMF Speakers, and as far as I can tell it was used until the very end of the company's time. You can tell the difference by its vented, larger dustcap and it also uses a polypropylene cone, and you will also notice that the surround is doped as well as the cone, where the 4EM/101 will only have the cone doped.

Link: http://www.speakerrepairshop.com/index.php?action=article&aid=2601&group_id=10000028&lang=en

Drive Units

Coles 4001G Super Tweeter

4001_c.jpg


As far as I know, all the Coles 4001 units in IMF speakers were 16ohm. I know they were, for certain, in the TLS 50 II. In the original TLS 50 it may have been different, but you can verify that by taking the tweeter out.

Link: http://www.falconacoustics.co.uk/drive-units-1/imf/coles-4001g-16-ohm-super-tweeter.html

Elac 4EM/101 or 4/200 replacement
Falcon Acoustics sells a Monacor driver that is spec'd to be as close as possible to the Elac 4/200. It even has cut-out holes that fit right into the original holes, but it may need a little modification to the baffle hole to get it to fit right.

Link: http://www.falconacoustics.co.uk/drive-units-1/imf/monacor-msh-115-imf-midrange.html

Audax HD12X8D25 replacement

m1otiuOKmFDCUI6KC-il1kw.jpg

Note: Some of the Audax tweeters did not have the square foam around the dome.

This tweeter is found in many models. However, it does stop being used later on when they switched over to the Elac TW2100. The old Audax tweeters silk dome dries out over time, and this causes the speaker to sound a bit soft. With a TLS 50 II, it's a bit stranger because the old super tweeter is likely working fine, covering some of the HF response, but ultimately there will be a lack of detail and they will sound somewhat muffled. These new Audax tweeters which have the same rectangular faceplate as the originals, are an improvement over the original tweeters and do not suffer from the same age-related issues. This will make a significant improvement to the speakers sound.

Link: http://www.falconacoustics.co.uk/drive-units-1/imf/audax-hd12x8d25-12x8-tweeter.html

Kef B110 replacement

Quite possibly the best replacement part available, is the Falcon FB110 driver. It is made by Malcolm Jones who originally designed the B110 SP1003, found famously in the Rogers LS3/5a, and quite a few others including the bigger IMF models.

Link: http://www.falconacoustics.co.uk/drive-units-1/imf/falcon-kef-b110-sp1003-new-ls35a-ab1.html

If you have any questions about any of the restoration work, feel free to shoot me a PM. :thmbsp:

I am not affiliated with any of the above linked businesses.
 
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I have one pair of IMF TLS50 Mk. II's and a pair of Fried Model R's with KEF components but not put back together.
 
Hmm, I wonder if a TLS50 could be converted to a B139 woofer??

I don't think so, but I could be wrong. The specs of the Kef B200 SP1039 and Kef B139 SP1044 are a bit different. I know the TLS 50 II is a 1/8 wave transmission line, which I couldn't tell you if it's suitable for the B139, but my guess is not.
 
I just picked up some new IMF's last week :banana:

I want to put on some Howard's on before pictures get posted. They're in great shape, but will look even better with some treatment.

I'll also be ordering new caps from Falcon UK to restore the crossovers. Anyone else planning on doing the same?
 
I just picked up some new IMF's last week :banana:

I want to put on some Howard's on before pictures get posted. They're in great shape, but will look even better with some treatment.

I'll also be ordering new caps from Falcon UK to restore the crossovers. Anyone else planning on doing the same?

Knowing which model you got, you scored big time :thmbsp:

Can't wait to see how these turn out with some treatment, they are going to look quite a bit better. Especially the front baffle on one of them.

Oh and, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how simple it is to work on these. The video I put up on YouTube should be relevant to yours. :)
 
Here are the IMF's I picked up last week:

Left_Speaker.jpg

Right_Speaker.jpg


Thanks to Jeffrey and Tinkerbelle, who gave me feedback on their RSPM IV experiences. :thmbsp: I really thought I was going to pass based on the price and my feeble desire to resist continuing my audio buying spree, but at the last hour the seller lowered their price and made it really difficult for me to maintain restraint. Resistance was indeed futile.

This led to a mad scramble to secure a vehicle capable of carrying them, driving an hour or so in traffic to pick them up before the seller's deadline, and getting back in time to pick up my daughter from school. For anyone who finds themselves in a similar position, I can tell you that a VW Golf will hold these guys. . .barely! :)

These are RSPM MK IV's that were upgraded at a dealer to have mostly Improved version drivers. Compared to the factory Improved RSPM IV's, these still have the original Celestion HF1300 tweeter, which they may not have upgraded due to the different way the tweeters are mounted in the cab (speculation, but I read they're not easy plug and play compatible from a mounting standpoint). On factory RSPM IV Improveds, the Improved designation is beneath the Mark IV as seen in Tinkerbelle's post#3.

My Improved "mark" is actually a black sticker with white text that the dealer chose to put under the IMF logo:
Improved_Logo.jpg


The cabs are actually in really nice shape - just a few scratches here and there, though my Howard's treatment actually seemed to have darkened a scratch on the top side of the right cab as seen in the second picture below (even though I used Neutral color).
Left_Cab.jpg

Right_Cab.jpg


A close up shot of the back veneer (couldn't take a wider shot since it's not too far from the wall):
Serial.jpg


My speakers are 615 units "younger" than Jeffrey's (doing math on our serial #'s) though again they had driver surgery in the field.

A couple of close ups of the drivers for posterity:
Left_Closeup.jpg

Right_Closeup.jpg


In their setup. . .
Main_Setup.jpg


Last comment: My TLS50 II's also had staples for some unknown reason in the front baffle, near the vents. I removed them on both, but am curious why these were there if anyone happens to know!
P1060414.jpg


They do sound absolutely great, but I will be recapping them. When I first listened to them, I noticed the left tweeter was out. But DeOxit on the Tilt/Slope switches took care of that luckily.

I still do have my TLS50 II's as well. They've been moved to front channel duty in my surround setup.

Very happy to have picked these up. Speaker-wise, I think I'm really done now!
 
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Man those are pretty speakers. Very classy looking, and what a difference the Howard's made! They look awesome in your room there. When I see them I think to myself, "Now that's a speaker!"

Those staples I believe were for a sheet of paper to cover the vents up so dust didn't get in there during transportation. I just took a look at mine however and no staples or holes where the staples would have been - I've seen it before on other IMF's, so I'm not sure why some would have it and some wouldn't. Hmm, something to figure out it looks like. Maybe Jerry might know?
 
... My Improved "mark" is actually a black sticker with white text that the dealer chose to put under the IMF logo...
Very nice! Those look to be in great shape.

Just so you know, my "Improved" also have the same black sticker with white text. The difference is that for yours the sticker is under the IMF logo whereas the sticker was placed under the MKIV on mine.
 
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