Realistic mach one. Just over hyped?

[kevintomb]

Wow, some extreme comments.
They are far from perfect, but filled a void in the 70s and 80s.

Not many could do a few things they did.
Loud, POWERFUL bass.

I remember hearing them at my local Radio Shack playing "Speak to me" from Dark side of the moon.

The biggest Radio shack receiver AND their 12 band eq, with the 32hz controls ALL THE WAY UP.
It shook EVERYTHING in the store, when the sales guy cranked it up really loud.
That was 40 years ago and I still remember that "Event"

Most other speakers would wimp out playing that with all kinda bottoming out and harsh sounds.

 

[safebet]

The shack's big thing was their monthly sale flyers where virtually everything eventually went on sale for a ridiculously low price. When this happened, nothing could compare price/performance wise.

+1 @the skipper knows The Shack well. https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...e-just-over-hyped.781486/page-5#post-10754037

I was just a kid riding his bike to the store in the Allied days but was a store Manager in the 80's.

Tandy had buying power and made money just moving product into the stores where the next round of profit occurred. It was up to store managers to maintain appropriate inventories and merchandise effectively to support the sales flyers.

It was common to find incredible values like half price sales or special buyout deals. My first set of Nova 6 were a half price deal, $39 each instead of the normal $79 price tag. I don't think there was much else available at the time that would compete with the quality and performance of that product. They similarly moved the well known Minimus 7 and offered great value specials in other areas, headphones and phono cartridges for example. These were quality products produced by the likes of Koss and Shure but house branded.

Radio Shack was for a time an important player in the HiFi market offering a range of gear at all levels of price and performance. As with any product mix there were gems among the mediocre.

 

[544man]

Just happened into a pair of 4025A Mach One's today, in near mint condition, especially after I fed the blonde walnut veneer with a bit of Watkins oil. Performance-wise, they needed nothing, other than a reseal on a small section of one woofer. Listening to them now, and I can't slag them. They sound great. I can see, though, where the love/hate relationship comes from on these speakers. Everybody's ear is different. I am liking the sound, and, recently Sound Dynamics R-515, RTS-7, 12S, Energy Pro Series 4.5, Paradigm Mini Monitor, Mirage 750, etc., etc., have passed through my sound space. These RS speakers do just fine. Excellent sound, possibly geared to a certain audience, but that is fine. I learned a long time ago to not dismiss the RS offerings; they offered good sound at a price point that people could meet if they didn't have a ton of cash to put out. Nothing wrong with them at all. If I have $5000-plus to spend, though, they will suffer, but I have no intention on spending +$5k on a pair of speakers; not happening. They are great for what they were intended and I really am enjoying their sound right now. And that is all they were intended to offer.

 

[JoeESP9]

No. The speaker was designed to sound that way. The Mach 1's are basic garbage.

I'm in total agreement. I've always thought they sounded awful. Back in the day every RS store had a pair on display and playing music. Some had them outside in front of the store. They do get loud though.

I'm wondering if any of those who keep mentioning $5K speakers have bothered listening to new $2K speakers or even new $500 speakers.

In todays world there are plenty of speakers that sound a lot better than Mach 1's. Many of them are <$500 a pair.

For $2K you can get a pair of Magnepan 1.7's. They have been called the best buy in speakers.

 

[544man]

Do a blind listening session - that might change your mind. One needs to divorce our emotions from our hearing on all things audio when judging equipment.

Follow-up: Listened to them for a day or so. A/B testing them against a pair of KEW 5 (another story for later!) that are quite similar to JBL L40 and Sound Dynamics 12S. The Mach One speakers are no slouch, but lack low volume performance. They do begin to excel as the volume is cranked. I can see where their party speaker reputation came from. That said, they are not bad speakers. They might sound better on different brands of power supply; but they are not bad speakers. I can see how, in their day, people latched on to them, especially given their relative inexpensive cost factor. Nice to experience them, for sure.

 

[bowtie427ss]

That said, they are not bad speakers.

A fairly subjective opinion, subject mostly to the individual's points of reference and experience.

Consider that Mach Ones were never engineered for, or marketed to the discerning audio enthusiast. They were aimed squarely at the bargain hunting me too crowd.

No. The speaker was designed to sound that way. The Mach 1's are basic garbage.

Again, subject to the individual's points of reference. In this case, the individual has been an active member of this community for a long time, and we know his points of reference come from a broad spectrum of loudspeakers, and a lot of practical audio experience. If i had zero experience with Mach Ones, his opinion would still carry a significant amount of weight for me based on his K&E with a broad variety of other loudspeakers.

While we might not all agree with the exact term garbage, many of us with similar experience and points of reference will be in full agreement with the context of Boty's post.

I used to sell Mach Ones new(franchise B-204) and have only a slightly different overall opinion of them. Sometimes things get weird in the world of marketing and sales. I got to see first hand that people don't always buy things for the reasons that you think they do. I can assure you that MANY Mach Ones were sold for reasons that had very little to do with audio, and nothing to do with audio quality.

 

[kevintomb]

Hmm......I had a friend that worked in the Shack, back in the day, spent a LOT of time in his store, (Sadly had poor business and very few customers) but we would hang out and listen to music, while he occasionally waited on people wanting random electronics.

I did NOT think the Mach ones were the most audiophile speaker at the time,( I was still a teen, but knew good stuff even then) but saw them for what they were.

A big sounding, loud and powerful speaker that was not overly expensive.

In the real audio stores, speakers that cost about the same, were smoother, had more detail, and clarity and a more neutral sound, but at the same time, MOST sounded weak and puny as far as loud powerful bass.

Not saying that is all that mattered, but it did to some.
Most speakers around that price had far smaller woofers, that maybe went deeper bass wise, but would bottom out, and give up far easier.

 

[mhardy6647]

Two things that made Radio Shack the leader it was in the market place were it's free nationwide advertising including a highly detailed annual catalog and several sale flyers mailed during the year, and the huge half price sales they would host once or twice a year.

Back in the day a pair of spanking new Mach Ones for 199 bucks was a speaker deal that was near impossible to beat.

I dunno -- that was the price of the Polk Audio Monitor 10 in those days. Personally -- a pair of the Polks is where I woulda spent four hunnert Samoleums (had I four hunnert Samoleums in those days). Indeed, a pair of Monitor 7As is where I did spend a good chunk of my student work-study earned lucre in 1978. Still have 'em, too.

As with most R/S audio componentry, the Mach Ones (IMO, of course) would've been OK at the half-off sale price.
I'd like to think that most R/S audio hardware was sold via those regular sales and not af full price.

I think R/S had market penetration going for them in those days. An R/S in every mall -- and even out in the boondocks, a bevy of R/S associate stores.

 

[kevintomb]

I dunno -- that was the price of the Polk Audio Monitor 10 in those days. Personally -- a pair of the Polks is where I woulda spent four hunnert Samoleums (had I four hunnert Samoleums in those days). Indeed, a pair of Monitor 7As is where I did spend a good chunk of my student work-study earned lucre in 1978. Still have 'em, too.

As with most R/S audio componentry, the Mach Ones (IMO, of course) would've been OK at the half-off sale price.
I'd like to think that most R/S audio hardware was sold via those regular sales and not af full price.

I think R/S had market penetration going for them in those days. An R/S in every mall -- and even out in the boondocks, a bevy of R/S associate stores.

Are you sure the Polks were THAT low priced?

I bought a pair of Rta11t got them at a huge discount in 1989 for about $400.00 and the regular new in box price was like $850 or $900.00 as I remember distinctly paying a bit less than half price.

Just looked up the 10B/s in 1988 they were going for $660.00 pair.

Huge Polk fan here, and loved the Rta11 and the 7's, but will admit upfront, the Mach one was far more powerful and able to do things the polks would wimp out on.
Loud bass and power handling were just far better with the Mach ones.

One 6.5" woofer, although better sounding in general, could not compete with a huge 15" woofer in some key ways.

 

[damacman]

Post #53 - still relevant today. Try it for yourself.

 

[kevintomb]

Louder bass does not mean better bass. I know somoene, a long time ago, who put the 15" driver from the Mach 1 in a properly sized box, it didn't sound like a wooly thumpy box (which is how would describe the Mach one bass).

I found that the Polks need a very stout amp to drive them, one that can push a lower ohm loads - maybe this is your issue?

I have no issue, nor do I have any Polks now. That was in the 90s!
I was playing Devils Advocate as to why Many did like the Mach ones.

Apples to oranges comparison. I would say the same of most Cerwin vega speakers also. Not the best sound, not the best bass quality, but for outright slam and power, not many compare!


The Polks could not do that well, but did other things quite well for sure.

 

[544man]

The amazing thing is, this thread is approaching three years old! And AKers are still chiming in!

This proves that the Mach One speakers are totally polarizing. They are not audiophile, and those in that camp love to put them down. That's not a problem. But they do exist for the masses that purchased and enjoyed them. In their day, they were bought for their massive woofers that promised output at parties. Let's face it, at parties in the late-70's-early 80's, volume and bass were king. How much sound can we get as we are pumping our vinyl and self-recorded cassettes.

As much as they don't appeal to the audiophile, that was never their intention. They were meant to appeal to the listeners that wanted a stylish, large speaker that was within their budget. And would impress the visitors to their party. They did that in spades.

40 years on, we have an icon that was a part of the 70s-80s culture. They are not bad speakers, and because they appealed to such a wide part of the listening masses, they cannot be diminished. Truthfully, audiophiles did not shop at Radio Shack for their speakers, or any other part of their kit as well. But the RS offerings were geared to the masses, and it was a good business plan; worked for a long, long time.

Now, let's appreciate them for what they are, a picture in time that filled a void, wonderful cabinetry pleasing to the eye, and sounds in a crowd that could be spot-on.

 

[safebet]

I never had so much fun, made so much money (relatively), won so many awards at great convention venues and met so many great people as the years I spent working in and then managing a Tandy Electronics store.

Mach Ones were gone, but Mach Twos, T120s, and all the other good stuff was in abundance.
Computers were HX1000 and PCAT compatibles, Made in the USA. We had the first mobile car phones (a rebadged Uniden), talking clocks, great radio control cars to rip around the shopping centre at Christmas Time, the best scanners on the market, etc.

Ha! My experience exactly. Working in then managing a store was a great experience in my early 20's. I met some lifelong audio friends and got connections for next steps in my career. My tenure saw the Mach Two's also (which were actually pretty decent) and I picked up my SCT-42 pair and some other goodies along the way, particularly when the discontinued items were found in my or other managers stores at ridiculously low prices.

It was the payment plan that gave annual bonuses and little otherwise monthly that made me leave after receiving my $7700 bonus check. After all, if you were thinking about leaving you might as well quit while you're ahead!

That bonus money bought my M&K V-1B 400 watt subwoofer and Spica TC-50's. I had Dynaco Mark IV amps at the time driven by a Quad 34 preamp that soon was replaced with a NAD 1700. So much time has passed...

 

[kevintomb]

The amazing thing is, this thread is approaching three years old! And AKers are still chiming in!

This proves that the Mach One speakers are totally polarizing. They are not audiophile, and those in that camp love to put them down. That's not a problem. But they do exist for the masses that purchased and enjoyed them. In their day, they were bought for their massive woofers that promised output at parties. Let's face it, at parties in the late-70's-early 80's, volume and bass were king. How much sound can we get as we are pumping our vinyl and self-recorded cassettes.

As much as they don't appeal to the audiophile, that was never their intention. They were meant to appeal to the listeners that wanted a stylish, large speaker that was within their budget. And would impress the visitors to their party. They did that in spades.

40 years on, we have an icon that was a part of the 70s-80s culture. They are not bad speakers, and because they appealed to such a wide part of the listening masses, they cannot be diminished. Truthfully, audiophiles did not shop at Radio Shack for their speakers, or any other part of their kit as well. But the RS offerings were geared to the masses, and it was a good business plan; worked for a long, long time.

Now, let's appreciate them for what they are, a picture in time that filled a void, wonderful cabinetry pleasing to the eye, and sounds in a crowd that could be spot-on.

For sure...Not a bad speaker, but not a great audiophile speaker either.

Filled a void, as there were very few speakers that did what it did. Fairly compact, powerful 15" ACOUSTIC suspension woofer and could play loud etc.

With EQ, the deep bass COULD be decent, but as is they roll off maybe around 50hz or so, but have very high power handling and can just fill a room easily.

 

[garf666m]

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.

1737$ in todays $

 

[Cleve]

Wow, some extreme comments.
They are far from perfect, but filled a void in the 70s and 80s.

Not many could do a few things they did.
Loud, POWERFUL bass.

I remember hearing them at my local Radio Shack playing "Speak to me" from Dark side of the moon.

The biggest Radio shack receiver AND their 12 band eq, with the 32hz controls ALL THE WAY UP.
It shook EVERYTHING in the store, when the sales guy cranked it up really loud.
That was 40 years ago and I still remember that "Event"

Most other speakers would wimp out playing that with all kinda bottoming out and harsh sounds.

I did the exact same test at the Radio Shack in the Parkway Plaza in Canandaigua NY. They weren't even optimally placed - about mid-way along the wall of the store - and they had (to me) prodigious bass, and could handle it without 'bottoming out' or distortion. Probably the bass was exaggerated - but still - they were the first speakers I had encountered that could pass that test.

 

[Flaps100]

I had a set of these in 1984 I think, Radio Shack has a sale $99.95 each and I got me a set. Based on memory I loved them, they sounded very good with my system at the time which I am pretty sure was an older JVC 401 with EQ. I have good memories of these overall.

 

[Pete B]

I've never heard these, maybe in passing in the store but certainly not for a serious listening session
and I've never tinkered with them.
But, if I had to guess I'd say that in stock form it probably IS a lot of hype, I'd also guess that the VL
mods are probably a very significant improvement.
Recently, thinking a lot about the Altec M19 I thought, hmm are these trying to look like them with
the sectorial horn but in a much smaller box?

They are sealed, so they should take EQ well, add damping material as needed and EQ them to go lower.

NO talk about an Econowave version? This seems to make the most sense for a big improvement.

 

[RS Steve]

I've never heard these, maybe in passing in the store but certainly not for a serious listening session
and I've never tinkered with them.
But, if I had to guess I'd say that in stock form it probably IS a lot of hype, I'd also guess that the VL
mods are probably a very significant improvement.
Recently, thinking a lot about the Altec M19 I thought, hmm are these trying to look like them with
the sectorial horn but in a much smaller box?

They are sealed, so they should take EQ well, add damping material as needed and EQ them to go lower.

NO talk about an Econowave version? This seems to make the most sense for a big improvement.

The problem in my opinion has always been the mid horn. It doesn't go low enough and is positioned to far from the woofer for any type of near field listening. Good party speaker for filling a room with sound, just not audiophile quality. VL mods make them way better, but less efficient. I always liked the way they looked, and had a great time working the mods for them.

 

[maxhifi]

They do a great job with dynamics. For example, a saxophone is an extremely loud and somewhat abrasive instrument, and although a lot of audiophile speakers can make it sound pleasant, the Mach Ones convey to me more of the sensation of actually sitting up close to the front at a concert.

Similarly, a drum kit moves a lot of air, and those big woofers really deliver the kick. I used to have a pair of these years ago, the 4024, and at that time I thought they were PA speakers at best. Now I have 4029, and I kind of like them more. Maybe I'm just listening to different music now, that flatters them a little more.

I find with the Mach Ones that if I try and use them for background music, they don't sound that good, but as foreground music, they come into their own.