I just found a nice pair of technics speakers to use for fronts with my realistic sta 76 receiver. I like the looks of my mc 500 speakers and was thinking of using them as the rear speakers ,the problem is I'm not sure they can keep up with the technics. The grills do not come off on the mc 500s so inspecting them is difficult. Should I just retire them to the attic? Anybody else use the Realistic mc500 speakers?
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Realistic mc 500 speakers
- Thread starter Dandan111
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stereofanboy
Addicted Member
They are ok, I actually preferred the MC500s over the MC1000s. I used mine with Radio Shack's tiny integrated amp for a mini system for a while. They are nice cabinets if in good condition. The grill is easily pried off with a butter knife.
I removed the grills and inspected,the surrounds seem to be in great shape but have a sticky tare feel to them,should I try and clean them? Problem is they seem to distort around 1/2 volume right where the technics start to open up. I know it's not recommended but maybe a woofer replacement would help.
HTHMAN
Super Member
If you do not like the sound, you would be better off selling them and putting that money plus what you would have spent on a woofer toward a pair of speakers you like. In general, replacement drivers reduce the value of a speaker. The T/S parameters of a replacement woofer will likely not match the enclosure as well as the original and you will actually degrade the sound.
stereofanboy
Addicted Member
As far as the distortion, remember these were made when fifty wpc was considered high power, and that they are a small speaker. They aren't really made for cranking. That isn't to say they won't play fairly loudly, I used to be able to hear my mini system from the living room when I was out on the porch.
The stickiness is from a coating that seals and protects the surrounds, it's good that it is still there.
Reusing those cabinets isn't too bad an idea, because you probably couldn't build new cabinets for anywhere close to what you would be likely to get if you sold the MC 500s. HTHMAN is correct that replacing drivers willy-nilly will likely yield a worse sound than what you had when you started.
If I were planning to use these with different drivers, I would pick a woofer whose needs matched the air space in that box, and then pick tweeters and crossovers to match the woofer. I wouldn't bother trying to match the physical dimensions of the old drivers, but would replace the front baffles with baffles cut to match the new drivers.
The stickiness is from a coating that seals and protects the surrounds, it's good that it is still there.
Reusing those cabinets isn't too bad an idea, because you probably couldn't build new cabinets for anywhere close to what you would be likely to get if you sold the MC 500s. HTHMAN is correct that replacing drivers willy-nilly will likely yield a worse sound than what you had when you started.
If I were planning to use these with different drivers, I would pick a woofer whose needs matched the air space in that box, and then pick tweeters and crossovers to match the woofer. I wouldn't bother trying to match the physical dimensions of the old drivers, but would replace the front baffles with baffles cut to match the new drivers.
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tmccullough
You are who, who you are
I just took a pair of those to Goodwill. I liked the look, and they looked sharp once I refinished them. Unfortunately, I had no place for them, I didn't think they sounded all that terrific, and I was unsuccessful selling them on CL. Not a bad speaker, but I wouldn't buy them again, even for the $10 I paid for them. Really, though, they are cool looking.
tmccullough
You are who, who you are
For rears in an HT or 4 channel system, I think they'd be fine.