for me it goes
SDF Macross>Macross 7>Macross Frontier>Macross Zero=Macross Plus
I can never really differentiate between the movies and series in my mind so it would be impossible for me to place those on the rating scale. I don't care one bit about battles or mechs so those aren't really being considered at all.
It's really hard to put into words why I like SDF more than the others as no particular thing really stands out. I want to say it's story but it's not really that. I find it incredibly charming but there is more to it than that. What it had to say about the importance and effect of "culture" in and on human lives resonated incredibly strongly with me in a way very few other things have.
Macross 7 comes is. I have to say it did take a bit of getting used to though. The first time someone showed it to me I stopped watching after three episodes in disgust. But once I was able to separate my opinion of it from comparing it to SDF I really came to love it. Basara is hands down my favorite Macross character(yes I am one of those people). I even found myself liking the whole ridiculous song energy thing. I guess I kind of thought of it as being a way to symbolically explore the same themes of SDF.
Macross Frontier is third. I get a little worried about the direction the franchise is going when I think about Frontier and Zero. Don't get me wrong, I *DO* really like Frontier. It's very well put together, funny, decent storyline, great music, etc. But the whole varja thing puts me off. I liked how SDF and 7 both explored the nature of "culture" in life but that is just lacking in Frontier. For the varja singing is just how they communicate. That's it. It's all very scientific and unemotional. I'm not one to say that the whole "humans are creatures created by the protoculture to be able to sing like the varja they idolize"(correct me if I am wrong on this, it's just the way the things that have happened struck me to be) is a dumb plot because I actually really do like that. It's just unfortunately when you actually get to the part where humans are interacting with varja it cuts through the emotional impact of song that is in SDF and 7 and that is what has drawn me so much to the series.
I can't rank Plus and Zero because I don't like them. I didn't find any of the characters in Plus appealing. I didn't like the focus on mech combat because aside from getting laughing fits from the daedalus attack and pinpoit barrier mechs bore the pants off me. I didn't like the music because that sort of music is really not my thing. I didn't like that the music in Plus was only there because it is a Macross OAV and Macross needs to have music in it.
My complaints for Zero are basically the ones from Frontier and Plus mushed together. Though I do like Roy and Aimo.
I apologize if any of this seems like an attack on things that you like. I wholly admit that these are simply my opinions and do not expect or want to change anyone's mind about them.