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Realistic Mach 2 mods

Did you apply the glue to the back of the plastic frame? The side where the pins are that holds the frame on?
 
Did you apply the glue to the back of the plastic frame? The side where the pins are that holds the frame on?
Yes, I glued where it had been originally glued, on the back of the frame. I usually watch youtube videos on how-to do stuff before I attempt it. This one is good.
Good luck!
 
I've seen that Simply Speakers video. I'm sure their glue would be good for the grill cloth. I used some of their surrounds and wasn't crazy about the glue. It sets up sooo fast. I like the white glue as it gives you a lot of time.
 
Thanks for the tips, circle!

Have tossed around the idea of replacing the cloth on my Mach Threes. Only a few small (1/8” maybe) holes on the one, not even visible unless you know they’re there and the room is bright. Think the black may look more updated and match my tastes better though, so maybe someday.

Of course, I don’t *hate* the dark brown. Is sort of part of their identity. We shall see I guess. :D

Thanks,

Joe
 
circlefx, how do you like the Twos? Have you made some electronic modification to them?
Hi. No, I didn't make any modifications, just a recap to original spec, refoam, and cosemetic clean-up. As to how I like them, I want to post a full review, but I am currently only using them through a run-of-the-mill Denon receiver, so it's not a fair test. I will post as soon as my 2100D is back in action, or if I hook them up to my Marantz 2245. Of the three sets of speakers I've rebuilt, the MachOne's the T200s and these MachTwos, so far the T200s are best at low to mid volume, and the Ones/Twos really shine at higher volumes. Beyond that I haven't really formed an opinion.
 
Of the three sets of speakers I've rebuilt, the MachOne's the T200s and these MachTwos, so far the T200s are best at low to mid volume, and the Ones/Twos really shine at higher volumes.
Interesting! Your MachOnes in fully modded flavor it seems... What about the T200s? Rebuilt to original specs also? Including the crossovers?
You'll probably come to the same conclusion as the very first post of this thread made by bre's dad. Which i thought exactly the same.
 
I have been listening to the Optimus-5b that i have VL modded lately and i think they really start to be exciting when the volume get cranked a bit. Compared to my modded Twos which i find to be very articulated as soon as i turn up the volume.
The sealed box and more dampened caracteristics of the Optimus-5b/Nova-8b are revealing more details in the lower frequencies but again you start to really hear and appreciate it at higher volumes. Where the Twos are never shy but with a kinda less detailed lower-end. I really like the two pair of speakers actually, and i dont think i will discard either one anytime soon.
 
That box and port size seem quite small for a woofer that large.
I Would think (haven't heard the mach 2's recently) but remember they have some sort of a boomy mid bass sound, not sure if that would obscure detail or mids, was too long ago to remember.
 
I just bought a pair of these. All the drivers are working fine. The woofer foams need replacing, and probably the mids as well. I will be looking through this thread for interesting options.

Lee.
 
Hi all,
Jack from Oregon and this is my 1st post as I've just picked up a set of Mach 2's.
I've gone through this post twice or more now and Wow this is one long and very interesting read,
It seems a few references to the VL M1 mod/post have been made by some in an attemp to understand the M2's.
Also read some links to other M2 post's where some T/S data was posted. Except it appeared after some back and forth questions about software settings being off, that those results were not correct??
I might be wrong on that, as after 3 or 4 days of reading my brain is a bit frazzled, lol.

So that leads me my questions and hopes that others more knowlegable can square me away on these M2's.
1. It appears that in general the boxes are too small across the model 1 - 2 and 3's
2. The port on the M2's isn't the best?? Too small in diameter and too long in length?
2a. Maybe the port isn't needed and should be blocked?
3. There are holes in the frequency crossover points.
4. If changes are made to the stock crossover to adjust "the holes" then the midrange driver may be a weak link?
I think those are the basic issues - but please correct me if I'm wrong or missed anything?

I am not any kind of speaker/audio person and I'm trying to learn as fast as I can, lol.
One thing I was wondering about is the ferrofluid cooled tweeter. Does it need to be serviced? and if so has anyone done that? and could you walk me through getting it done?

I'd like to keep my cost's down as much as possible while making some modest upgrades to improve these M2's in essentially stock form. That said, I'm not opossed to replacing the mid driver as some have done.

Best Regards,
Jack
 
Been reading everything I can find on the Mach series speakers, but I can't lay hands on Videolady's tier 1 and tier 2 pdfs regarding Mach 1 mods. Could somebody upload them so I can see what might be applicable to the Mach 2s please?
 
I know this is an old thread but I have several Mach 2 speakers (8 to be exact) and I really like them. I'm not looking for precise detail (I have nice headphones and flac music for that), I am looking to feel the music as well as hear it with the Mach 2s and boy do they deliver. I presently have 6 of them being driven by 2 QSC CX-404 250W rms amps. Even though they are rated for 180W, they have no problem handling 250W up to clipping levels. They have been well tested for sure.

I bought a set awhile back for $40 that were stored in a wet environment and the cabinets are trashed. I'm in the process of building some new cabinets for the drivers in that pair. I'm basically duplicating the size using 18mm Baltic birch plywood and I'm aligning all the drivers in a line in my cabinets. Here's a picture of my prototype box made from particle board. I recently got some 4x6 sheets of Baltic Burch for only $18 each is why I'm even doing this. And I have 2 more 250W channels available on one of the amps, so I might as well add the last two speakers to the setup. These QSC amps are also awesome with tons of power and still have around 105db s/n ratio.

I'll post more pics of the final build in a week or so when I have time to finish them.

Just thought someone might be interested.
 

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Ok, I have now made 2 sets of Mach 2 replacement cabinets. I changed the speaker/port/control locations on the 2nd set to make it a bit more aligned, but both turned out awesome. Both are full bevel construction and turned out great. Having the drivers in line is a great upgrade. The 2nd iteration on the left in the third photo. These things really sing when driven by the QSC CX-404 250W amps I have. I'm running 3 pair and you can definitely feel the music with this setup. I'm. I using a Pioneer Elite VSX-94TXH receiver as the preamp for the QSC amps. I'm also using the room calibration feature of the Pioneer receiver. I have created plans of the cabinet design. If anyone is interested, let me know.
 

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