Realistic mach one. Just over hyped?

[Audi0]

Just Picked up a set of these mach 1 4024a speakers for $50 off a a buy and sell app on my phone. I was originally super excited to have a speaker that is talked up so much here on AK. Alot talk puts them as a poor man klipsch.

Now when I did listen to these "lengends" I was unimpressed. My main complaint is the bass. It seem to be single note thump thump status with the bottom end sounding not full or hollow. It just seems like it cuts out at 70hz and the bass does not sound deep(dry). Also the highs or mids seem to get harsh at times at louder volumes. My overall thought on these is they are designed to take gobs of power and geared towards parties? Maybe I'm doing something wrong? I was driving them with a Yamaha 1020.

 

[SuperLead100]

I always kinda thought of those sitting outside somewhere next to the keg...

 

[turboyam]

Rooooooooooom placement!!! try different positions!, makes a huge difference
for bass quality and quantity.

 

[damacman]

I snagged a pair for $25 a while ago. That was not my
experience at all - bass was full and extended. Top end was the speaker's shortcoming given the inexpensive components.

You may check to be sure the speakers are wired in phase as well as the individual woofers in each cab. Someone may have had them out at one point and miswired on reinstall.

 

[JoeESP9]

I didn't think much of them when they were new. My opinion hasn't changed.

 

[gdmoore28]

I didn't think much of them when they were new. My opinion hasn't changed.

That was my impression when I first heard them many, many years ago. And, at that time, I was very easy to impress. They had bass, yes, but not of the clean, clear, and defined type. The mid and hi horns were very pedestrian. I was simply not sold - except on the looks, which I still like even today.

Once again, though, we are back to a matter of taste and personal preferences. The Mach's sales numbers and their legions of fans testify that they hit all the right markers for a broad segment of audio fans. It's hard to argue with that - except to say that they just are not my cup-o-tea.

GeeDeeEmm

 

[danomar]

Ah, thanks for that post. I thought the Mach 1 was a bit silly in the day, and seeing this ad made me chuckle once more.



Memories of shag carpet, black lights, and stinky bongs flood back.

If you (plural, not just the OP) like the sound, enjoy. Boom-boom-boomity boom. Tweet.

 

[sax6]

Beware of a first impression... good or bad !

 

[turnitdown]

I used them a lot for parties. They sounded very good up off the floor. My main gripe was the tweeters giving out even with good amplifiers. I would love to hear a pair today and see what I think decades later.

 

[w1jim]

I think the reason they had a long warranty and could handle power was because they have an incandescent light bulb in series the crossover network to "absorb" excess power.

For me they hold no appeal - but probably have nostalgic value to those that prayed at the alter of Radio Shack back in the day; likely because RS was easily accessible.

 

[Audi0]

Yea I'm just not digging these. For a totl speaker offering from RS I was expecting alot more. I'm really surprised at the silly money these go for though.

I went to access the trim pots to get contact cleaner in the one. Took out the woofer and pressed the face plate from behind to get it out. Turns out it's super brittle after all these years and it shattered when I pressed on it. The other one has lots of cracks in it as well.

Also this tweeter has some weird chemical reaction going on with white flakes coming off it.

 

[PeerlessK]

Had a pair a few years back I move them around so many times they tattooed my forearms " realistic " in trying to get the sound I thought they had or should have . Never sounded like they did where I bought them from NEVER . Laughable now but when I physically see a pair I walk way far out and around them .... total shit !

 

[mhardy6647]

The later Mach Two was a considerably more listenable loudspeaker (FWIW).

 

[Audi0]

I don't know what to think anymore. Ak has talked them up to the must have speaker. In my mind I have to to be doing something wrong. Maybe it's old memories and nostalgia from 70s of having these speakers or dreaming of owning them that has brought them to God like status. (These speakers were way before my time). However there up against stiff competition so I may have to lower my expectations. Being psb imagines / rega camber / energy connoisseur

 

[Soundjunky]

I bought a set of MOs from the thrift store for $29.99, even though the bottoms of both had water damage. I was so excited to get them home, I hooked them to my Kenwood KA-9100 Amplifier. With enough wattage I was able to adjust my EQ between the pre-amp and main amp loop and got them sounding acceptable. I have a friend in Houston, who had ported their enclosures. When I began to pack up to move, the cabs were not in good enough shape to go, so I used my hole saw and dropped a 3 inch port in each, knowing I would be stripping them before leaving. They sounded so much more powerful in the bass department that I had to roll up deadening material to slow the bass flow and stop the woofers from being over powered at higher volumes and retain a healthy bass response. Hence smaller ports would have been enough. My plates which held my tweeter horns and adjustment controls broke too, but with a little clear silicone, they sealed up well, still they bothered me and I repeatedly found nice plates on eBay and sets of MOs very cheap on Craig's List. I had my eye on a set for $50 on CL when I needed to start moving. I would have gained nice cabs and plates as well as lots of spare parts, the woofers would have paid for what I needed to make mine perfect, if I sold them on the bay. I have been fortunate & lucky at the 2 thrift stores I to have had the opportunity to purchase so many speakers with legendary status, only to find out I already have speakers that sound better to me. I had to find out the hard way what sounded better to me & what others thought sounded better. An example wound be Polk Audio RTI A9s ($460 on CL), Klipsch Heresy 1s & JBL S26s which disappointed. On the other hand I have been pleasantly surprised with my Bose 601-3s, highs, mids & lows ($50 from a pawn shop), also my Infinity Kappa 6.1 tower speakers ($70 of pawn shop trades) & my EV Interface Ds ($25 at a 2nd hand store). Sad to say, some speakers stand out, others just to be resold. You will have to decide. Sorry about the extra long response, I hoped I could help, Good Luck. P.S. I like my Klipsch Heresys, they have grown on me after replacing the woofers with Heresy 2 woofers.

 

[mhardy6647]

I don't know what to think anymore. Ak has talked them up to the must have speaker. ...

No. "Ak" hasn't. Some individuals on Ak sing their praises, as with Klipsch and Cerwin-Vega products. De gustibus non est disputandum.

 

[RS Steve]

Yea I'm just not digging these. For a totl speaker offering from RS I was expecting alot more. I'm really surprised at the silly money these go for though.

I went to access the trim pots to get contact cleaner in the one. Took out the woofer and pressed the face plate from behind to get it out. Turns out it's super brittle after all these years and it shattered when I pressed on it. The other one has lots of cracks in it as well.

Also this tweeter has some weird chemical reaction going on with white flakes coming off it.

View attachment 976525 View attachment 976526 View attachment 976527

For starters, if those plates that are cracked apart are not sealing the cabinet, bass response will not even be close to original specs. Then you have capacitors that have aged enough to make the crossover not operate as intended. So before you completely decide they are terrible, I suggest you at least get them to a condition that has a chance of sounding as they were designed.

The Mach 1 has been a great speaker over the years to experiment with, and with some modifications, be improved greatly. They are an iconic speaker sold to millions, built to keep cost down, but still rock the neighborhood. To expect them to compete fairly with true audiophile speakers is grasping outside reality, plus, everyone has their own set of ears and opinions.

I took Mach 1's as far as I could with mods that greatly improved their performance, there were a few things I learned along the way. Increasing the cabinet size makes the woofer really put out impressive bass, dampening the midrange pole under the diaphragm smooths out the mid harshness, and VL crossover change allows the drivers to blend much better. I also applied sound deadening to the back of the plastic mid horn, and coated the woofer cone for more stiffness.

I noticed that Mach 1's are not a good match for digital tracks of music, the horns are just too harsh, but that can be the case with many speakers. Paired with a good quality powerful amplifier, and tape or vinyl, they start to really do well. I enjoyed the VL mod improvements, it taught me a lot about speaker complexities.

 

[CKDC]

Radio Shack called them a "Sound Sensation." Not nice or pleasant or wonderful or whatever. Just a "Sound Sensation."

It seems to me at $400.00 a pair, they were pretty expensive too.

 

[Tom Brennan]

I don't know what to think anymore. Ak has talked them up to the must have speaker.

There is no gear so wretched as to not have enthusiastic followers on AK. Note the enthusiasm here for brittle sounding early SS receivers, old New England speakers that sound like they're covered with a blanket and some American and Japanese speakers that should be covered with one. I think a great many AKers have little experience with a wide range of gear or with high quality gear.

 

[RS Steve]

If you HAVE to mod them, they are not a great speaker. Plain and simple. Do people mod Infinity IRS Betas? That is the issue. The design was flawed from the start.

It's easy to look down on them after owning high end speakers, people modify whatever they please.