Do Realistic Mach Ones sound a little like any Altec Lansing?

Baron1

Baron1

Active Member
I was just curious if the Mach One's sound a little like some of the bigger Altec's?

If so which ones. Are they a poor mans 19? Are the Mach Ones capable of the bass and in your face like the Altec;s?

Thanks for your replies.

P.S. I would like to get a pair of 19's before I get too old to enjoy them.

Dan
 
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No. Very different. The Mach 1s will play quite a bit lower than most traditional Altec designs and the top end isn't nearly as smooth as say the Mantaray horn in a Model 14.

The 19 isn't the end all be all of Altec IMHO. I think the 14 is a far better speaker all the way around and I've owned both.

I'm not sure how much power you run your Mach 1s with - mine rocked the house with a McIntosh MC2300.
 
When the Mach 1 was new we did a lot off comparisons with other speakers. Other speakers used in comparison (that I remember) were JBL L100, KLH 5, AR3A, Rectilinear III and maybe some others. The Mach 1 had booming bass but not very accurate. I typically judge bass with an upright/double bass in jazz, appropriate classical pieces and some classic rock (it wasn't called classic at the time). Mids honestly sounded like they were behind a mattress. Vocals, brass, and strings were a real disappointment. All I remember about the highs was that cymbals were not crisp and the crispness from a trumpet was gone. In fact trumpets sounded more like flugelhorns. Granted the Mach 1 was about $100 US cheaper per speaker than the others. Testing was done using my Thorens turntable and my TOTL Marantz receiver. Testing was done blind. It was actually pretty fun. There were 5 or 6 of us. I know this doesn't do much in comparing to the Altec but though it might be helpful. Results with the Mach 1 was unanimous. We were all avid music/hifi buffs.
 
I happen to own 3 pairs of remodded mach 1s 4024, 4024a an 4029 they sound much better after the VL mods but after i put my Altec 19s to use the Machs have become innocent bystanders no comparison ,but also no comparison in price.
 
The Mach One has the typical bloated midbass of a high "Q" alignment -- in this case, too big of a woofer in too small of a sealed cabinet. It is also, to me, opaque sounding (two-dimensional) and harsh. All in all, speakers designed to catch the attention of a young music enthusiast in a store -- which I guess they did well. Relative to what I like, they're dreadful.

The best of the classic Altecs are smooth and transparent, although not at all extended on either end of the audio spectrum. Nineteens aren't my favorites, but they do offer better extension at both ends compared to the classic domesticated versions of the Voice of the Theatre family.

You might want to try something like a pair of EV Esquires (the version with the LS-8 twincone driver used for midrange reproduction) if you want something like a vintage Altec in a small, cheap package.
 
The Mach One's are fun speakers. The pair that I had were fun to play loudly. But they were not good at anything other than loud. Not surprising that a group of audiophile did not find them good either. Don't think that was the point when they were made, but I could be wrong.
 
Baron1 said:
I was just curious if the Mach One's sound a little like some of the bigger Altec's?

If so which ones. Are they a poor mans 19? Are the Mach Ones capable of the bass and in your face like the Altec;s?

Thanks for your replies.

P.S. I would like to get a pair of 19's before I get too old to enjoy them.

Dan
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I would speculate the Altec Segovia might be a close "match" to the Mach one in design.

My Segovia have tight, well defined bottom end. I think the last time i listened to a set on Mach One's (Back in the day) we were listening to Van Halen or Ted Nugent, and I honestly cant remember how well they image.
 
Baron1 said:
I was just curious if the Mach One's sound a little like some of the bigger Altec's?

If so which ones. Are they a poor mans 19? Are the Mach Ones capable of the bass and in your face like the Altec;s?

Thanks for your replies.

P.S. I would like to get a pair of 19's before I get too old to enjoy them.

Dan
Click to expand...
I don't own Altec speakers, but know their reputation, which of course is good. I do own AR3a, have used at length various JBL speakers including L88 (which I still own), L3 (a nice 2-way tower), L26 and L62. Owned RTR G200, Pioneer HPM-100/60/40 and recently S710/910 (replaced the HPM-100), auditioned KEF 105/3 and many others.

I would agree that a "stock" Mach One (even with fresh caps) is no comparison for many of the more popular speakers mentioned here. But after a VL mod the transformation makes them anything but ordinary or typical RS. They would benefit from a larger cabinet, still, and a horn that goes down to 500-600hz (current horn is really limited to 1200hz). After the mods, which combined with whatever purchase price, will make these superior to most speakers at their typical "street price". Example, you could buy HPM-100 "typically" for around $300, or you could invest roughly $100-150 in Mach One, including mods, and have a better overall speaker.

Fact is, for the money the Mach One and Mach Two are difficult to beat. Keeping in mind "typical" street prices. Not many people pick up Altecs or HPM's for under $100. Mach One speakers can be routinely had for under $100. I picked up a pair in very good cosmetic, and functional, condition for $35. A friend got a set for $10, working.

If you have the budget (or get lucky), the Altecs in good condition are likely a better speaker. I don't have the budget, nor the time, to find "better" speakers. Living in a "farm belt" we're lucky to find anything of above average quality. But I can't expect people who have unlimited access to great deals to understand. Once spoiled eh?
 
Very interesting take on the subject.

I know the mach ones would never sound like an Altec, but I figured I'd ask.
I like the 15" woofer and the horn the Mach Ones have.

Bowtie mentioned Heresy, which of course are Klipsch. Are there any Klipsch that the Mach Ones might sound like, other than the Heresey`s mentioned.

Did you ever notice that if you watch speaker demo;s on Kenrick sound on you tube, it doesn't matter what speaker they play, mostly JBL`s, they usually all sound the same. Beautiful sound, but blindfolded I couldn't tell the difference.
 
botrytis said:
Sure they are easy to beat. Try the previous generation speaker to the Mach 1 - the Optimus 9 - that was a superior speaker in every sense of the word. The 9's were also more expensive than the Mach 1's - The 9's were 250 each - the Mach 1's 199 each.

3320378944_90763af536.jpg

Realistic Optimus 9


Also, I prefer any of the Polk speakers to the Mach 1.
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Do you realize how hard it is to come by those? I've NEVER seen a pair, either 7 or 9. Which is part of my point. I'd love to get my hands on a pair of 7's.
 
botrytis said:
I had the 9's in High School :D They fell apart but the Receiver I that I used with them is still with me :D

The woofer frames on the 9's were machined aluminum - 20 lbs or so just for that woofer driver.
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Kenwood (before they were known as kenwood) built many RS amps and receivers, later Foster and Pioneer. Not many Pioneer rigs that I recall. They would remind us of these things at the annual RS meetings.
 
Baron1 said:
Very interesting take on the subject.

I know the mach ones would never sound like an Altec, but I figured I'd ask.
I like the 15" woofer and the horn the Mach Ones have.

Bowtie mentioned Heresy, which of course are Klipsch. Are there any Klipsch that the Mach Ones might sound like, other than the Heresey`s mentioned.

Did you ever notice that if you watch speaker demo;s on Kenrick sound on you tube, it doesn't matter what speaker they play, mostly JBL`s, they usually all sound the same. Beautiful sound, but blindfolded I couldn't tell the difference.
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botrytis said:
Heresy's don't have as much bass but they don't sound bloated like the Mach 1's do. And Heresy's go for quite a bit more coin then even the Segovias.
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No matter what you listen to on youtube you are listening to the same speakers /headphones
The speakers/headphones you have hooked up to the pc or system you are watching the video on
 
True that! But the way Kenrick present the speakers, they all sound like they're worth 10k a pair at least.
Other videos, half the people cant even record the sound properly or mike them as they should.
Nothing against Kenrick, just saying what I hear.
 
I have not owned any Altec speakers to compare to Mach 1's, but I can tell you that my fully modded Mach 1's will hold their own against most of my collection. Getting the cabinet size to match the woofer's needs really makes the bass deep, and punchy. Just incase there are members that have not seen how far we can take the Mach 1, I will post the link to my project.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=500409
 
icenine said:
Mach Ones kick the crap out of any Altec Santana IIs.
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I sold the whole Altec line back in the day. Never understood why the came out with the Satana's. Those were terrible. Now compare the Mach ones to the Altec 9's and it's a different story. The 9's had such beautiful cabs too.
 
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