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Fair Price for Optimus Mach Two Speakers

J

JonathanN97

New Member
Hey AK members,

I'm a little new to the vintage audio game, but I've done plenty of research. The only downside is a lot of information that I am looking for is relatively older. A man on Facebook is selling a nice pair of Optimus Mach 2s and he's asking 225 for them. I think that is way too high. I know Radioshack wasn't necessarily known for great hifi products, but I have some history with realistic/optimus so I'm trying to create a radioshack system. Also, I know Radioshack speakers aren't highly sought after. Any the speakers are pretty much fully refurbished. What is a good price a for pair?

Thank you for any help
 
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Personally, I think that's way too much, but if you want a pair, for whatever reason, it might be OK for you.

I sold them new and have great memories of my time with Tandy, but would say you can likely find some considerably better speakers for that sort of money if you look around.

Welcome to AK.
 
Thank you, I definitely knew the asking price was way too high, hopefully he isn't too stuck around the price. I will definitely continue searching around. Thank you for the help
 
Be a bit patient, check out estate sales posted online with pictures to see what is out there. For $200 or less so you can get some very nice vintage speaker deals.
 
Fully refurbished (depending on what that means) and excellent cosmetically I might go $150. If you really want a killer Rat Shack system, I would hold out for Mach Ones or even the harder to find but wonderful sounding Optimus 7s. Or if you prefer a tower the Optimus T-200s.
 
Thank you, everyone, for the help, I'll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled. The area I'm currently located doesn't seem to have much old audio come around in goodwill or craigslist, I am always on the lookout. I'm sure something will come around eventually
 
Usually when I see older equipment pop up it is down there so I am going to have to make a trip. That is a great idea. Thank you for that information, I did not know that about that area
 
JonathanN97 said:
Thank you, everyone, for the help, I'll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled. The area I'm currently located doesn't seem to have much old audio come around in goodwill or craigslist, I am always on the lookout. I'm sure something will come around eventually
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Check out estate sale companies in your area to. Most post up online photos ahead of time and do not indicate what the speakers are so you can spay stuff out - I have done well that way. You can post and ask for ID help if something looks interesting.
 
Champco said:
Make a expedition down to Biloxi/Gulfport/Oceanside area. The Air Force base down there was a audio mecca at one time. I would not be surprised to find lots of old stuff in 2nd hand shops. Plan a trip.
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I would actually be surprised if pickings were all that good in Biloxi. There have been several devestating storms, the area isn't what it used to be, military people often take their stuff with them..etc. I'd be shocked if audio finds were particularly good there. Are you from there (or is anyone else) and can compare it with other areas and confirm on way or the other? Not that I'd discourage anyone from going there mind you. It's a great place to hit some casinos and eat some good food! I'd like me some Boomtown Dungenous crab buffet right about now!
 
My usual local pickup selling price for both Mach Ones and Twos is $125-150. They've never taken long to sell at those prices and I once had a guy drive to Pensacola all the way from Jacksonville to buy a pair.

Nostalgia is often a big factor in the decision to buy vintage speakers and a lot of people have fond memories of Radio Shack. I know my Mach Twos won't be leaving me soon unless it's to live with a relative. My point is that there are buyers out there for this stuff and while your seller isn't offering a bargain, he'll likely get his price if he's patient.

Better sounding speakers are certainly available at that price in New Orleans, Mobile or Pensacola, but they aren't likely to match your Radio Shack theme.

When considering Mach Twos, remember that the original foam surrounds are past needing replacement on both the woofers and the mids. A lot of people overlook the mids because of the metal grill and because they can look ok due to low movement allowing rotten foam to remain in one piece.
 
Mitkraft said:
I would actually be surprised if pickings were all that good in Biloxi. There have been several devestating storms, the area isn't what it used to be, military people often take their stuff with them..etc. I'd be shocked if audio finds were particularly good there. Are you from there (or is anyone else) and can compare it with other areas and confirm on way or the other? Not that I'd discourage anyone from going there mind you. It's a great place to hit some casinos and eat some good food! I'd like me some Boomtown Dungenous crab buffet right about now!
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Well the student barracks there are pretty tough and you would be surprised how well many buildings actually survived all the storms. Hundreds of AF students nest there short term and recycle between them lots of things to make their rooms more comfortable. I saw some of the best equipment in those rooms. They upgrade all the time. Now outside the base there are second hand shops who take in and sell a lot. But as you said the trip can be a success in many ways...
It's a short trip from Hattisburg.
 
I had a pair of Mach 2 speakers, that I reformed the woofers and the mid range speakers. They did not perform as well (to my ears) as the Mach one that I have. So I sold them - or rather tried to sell them - in the $75 - $100 range. But I had no takers. I eventually gave them to a guy in the Navy, along with a small sansui receiver - because I knew that he would play them loud!

Plenty of the products that RS sold were better than average and hold up well today, even after all these years. Examples include the Optimus 5b - with the mod discussed extensively on AK. As I said, I also like the Mach one. Part of the current appeal is that many were sold so a little hunting can result in a good deal. In my case I bought three different sets of the Oprimus 5b -at $15 to $30; a set of Mach 1 at $30 and the Mach 2 at $20. I had to work on all these speakers - foam replacement supplies on the Mach 2, for example, were about $60 for the supplies. When you buy an old speaker, leave room in your budget for repair.

I think that the $225 price is way over the top.
 
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