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Mach One 4024, 4024A, 4029 Information and Upgrades!

I have been using rope caulk (probably the same stuff as the Mortite product) on steel frames and magnet backs for quite a while now. It is very easy to apply, and also easy to remove if needed. I also use it as a gasket when mounting drivers and removable baffles.

Regarding the egg shell foam: their seems to be a wide range of opinions on this stuff floating around. Some seem to like it, while others (John Krupke included) don't. I have never tried it. I have been lining cabinets with foam carpet padding before stuffing of late and have been happy with the results.
 
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I'm gonna give it a shot today. Can't do any harm testing-
 
motorstereo said:
If you really want to damp a woofer frame use dynamat extreme. I've used the foam and it doesn't have the sticking power of the dynamat nor does it do a good job of damping either. My latest use of dynamat was to damp my audio cabinet underneath my tt. The results were quite surprising.
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An excellent item to use!
DC
 
I pulled one of the mid/woofers from my Polks and it had that thick insulation stuff you're talking about stuck to the frame. Someone must have put it there as I don't think it's a factory thing.
 
You can get very similar product to Dynamat at Home Depot for much cheaper, look for either ice and water shield or for water barriers for the outside of your house foundation.
 
so have you tryed that stuff drom home depot? Sounds very interesting....Dynamat is pricey for sure. 140 dollars for a few cubic feet?

WHEW!
 
My newly aquire 40-4029 sounds great to me whether hook up to sx-780, sta-2080, 2230, or G-5000. And for reference the woofer is 6 ohms.
 
I have really added to my Mach I information base in this thread- good to have it in one place.

In having worked on serveral of these (4014~4029's) I have learned a bit more. Depending one what one expects these can deliver a reasonably good sound. However- like many acoustic suspension designs they DO need power to wake them up. They tend to sound better at higher volumes, which I suspect is a design que, so amplifiers in the 100 watt plus range, with good headroom, help make these speaker come to life.

On the not so good of my obeservations is the lack of good cabinet seal, as mentioned around the tweeter- also the xover, tweeter plates & woofer seal. Cabinet bracing is anothere area- it does need more bracing to prevent the resonance from coming into play. The caps- now 20+ years old, this is another good place to make practical & cheap upgrades. I have replaced the fiberglass with 1.5"~2" corregated foam sheers- this did improve the lower end definition & mid bass, as did gluing pieces over the thin frame of the 15" driver. Lastly put some batting in the uppert horn bay- woofer/cab resonances does ring through there as well.

You CAN have an improved Mach 1 with a bit of time and effort. They won't necessarily become "Klipsch killers", but when improved they can be a lot better than stock. I have worked on probably 15 sets, or more, of the 4024's & 4029's. My self and their owners have been well pleased with the results. Further more I conducted A/B bling fold testing with 100% selection resuls.

As for the woofer foams, I have found MSound to always have the correct foam. I will report back when I pereform a Woofer tester 3 driver measurement and look the "Q's" values of a typical 4029 woofer when refoamed and how well it integrated into the design.
DC
 
I have two sets of Mach ones. Both are the 4024. I think one set is 4024A. Anyway, Machs are a cheap and fun way to get into horns. But they are sensitive to placement and the acoustics of the room.
But them on a carpeted basement floor, up against a wall in a confined space and they sound muddy. Put them in a big open room with hardwood floors and the horns are to pronounced.
But I have found zero difference in the parts making up 4024 and 4024A. The cabinet bottoms are veneered on the 4024 and painted on the 4024A.
I've never heard the 4029's but I am sure room placement is just as fussy.
 
... However- like many acoustic suspension designs they DO need power to wake them up. They tend to sound better at higher volumes, which I suspect is a design que, so amplifiers in the 100 watt plus range, with good headroom, help make these speaker come to life....
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For my experience with Machs, they do, indeed, need power to wake them up. Their enclosure's damping and the big coil simply want power to get things up and moving. This was observed going from 45 wpc to 80...
Of my receiver collection, boasting from 45, 50, 60 & 80...the results of the first 3 are very nice. But when I hooked up an 80 watt, the bass notes were far more defined. The literal 'punch' at lower volumes was revealed.
I listen to alot of musical style...and from my point of listening, the Machs are a sound investment.
Steely Dan/Fagen
Fleetwood Mac to Neil Young & Crazy Horse to Aerosmith to AC/DC
Garbage to Pat Benatar to Carly Simon to Shirley Bassey to Diana Krall to Shirley Bassey
John Anderson to Glen Campbell to Garth Brooks to George Strait to Brooks & Dunn
Earth Wind & Fire to Parliament/Funkadelic to Johnny Guitar Watson to BT Express
Neil Diamond to Miles Davis to Sinatra
Swan Lake makes for the best tonal auditions...


My listening area is a 12 x 15....
Clean midranges....crisp highs that come over and shake your hand...tight, well-defined, punchy low ends....
No distortion- I don't care what the volume knob is turned to....there's simply no distortion ( although I rarely take the volume knob further than the 10 o'clock). And not only by my ears, but I've asked others to judge them honestly and faithfully. Everyone on my end gives the Mach a huge thumbs up and that I simply can't expect better performance from any speaker maker at any other cost.

A true Radio Shack icon of yester-year-
And a true icon of serious music platforms in the home.
 
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Raddek said:
I have a new question.. How can I pinpoint a year at which my Mach One Speakers were manufactured ?
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Look for a number like 12a7 on the back.

The first number before the a is the month.
The last number after the a is the last digit of the year.

There was no marking for the decade. (1990 started over at 1a0)

Probably each of the drivers will also have the date code on them also.

I worked at RadioShack from 86-08 and everything was marked this way.
 
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Jazz sounds pretty good with these Mach 1's. Running through 2245. Bass is pretty tight. I think they balance quite well too.
 
FYI, PE apparently have replacement woofs for the foam surround versions.
Replacement Driver for 15" Realistic Mach One. Found the info in this thread.

If the data given for the PE replacement is accurate, then it would confirm the 99dB sensitivity as bogus (small sealed box, low F3 and high sensitivity does not compute), but when Pete and I get around to measuring them, we'll know for sure.
 
Darkover said:
Look for a number like 12a7 on the back.

The first number before the a is the month.
The last number after the a is the last digit of the year.

There was no marking for the decade. (1990 started over at 1a0)

Probably each of the drivers will also have the date code on them also.

I worked at RadioShack from 86-08 and everything was marked this way.
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So my Mach One's labeled 12A5 were made in 1975?
Must be some of the first ever made I would suppose.

The 'quality control" numbers are 0691 and 0694. The woofers are labeled Made in Japan 8 ohm 3802.
The mid is also stamped Made in Japan, 8 ohm SH-1 0023N.
 
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Yes, the original Mach One's were debuted for the first time in Dec. 1975. Yours would have been among the first.
 
I've tried to replicate the ringing effect from the woofer's spoke.
As of yet, I'ved failed to do so. I also experimented with the cross-bracing.

In my cabinet, there already was one brace for the sides....double bracing had no effect. I did leave the front/back brace in place...its not glued, just friction fit of about 4 psi.


It very well could be that mine are a pair of 'good run' from the production line point of view.
 
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