REALISTIC speaker opinions

[kevintomb]

I owned an immaculate pair of Mach II's for a bunch of years. They were an OK speaker. They did not handle anywhere near as much clean power as their size suggested. They were rated at only 40 watts RMS power, 160 watts peak, which for a speaker with a 15" woofer made as recently as these were is kind of laughable and should tell you something about the components used... The tweeters would distort on bass hits at higher volume levels, I'm guessing because they weren't crossed over steeply enough for what they were. The midrange performance was just OK. I replaced them with a pair of B&W DM602s and never looked back. The Mach II was a fun speaker for playing music at moderate levels for backyard parties and such but there are so many better speakers that take up a lot less floor space. I got $250 for my Mach IIs when I sold them about 5 years ago and I thought that was a LOT of money to get for them. I wasn't complaining though. I have read about how great the original pre-ferrofluid cooled Mach I's are but every time I get curious about the Mach I I see that the midrange horn is a tiny plastic bullet stuck in the middle of the speaker and I lose interest.

I hate to say this, but I see NO mention of 40 watts, as you say, but ONLY the 160 watt rating.

And if anything, playing loud was on of their strong points. I think you have judged these quite uh .......not sure how to say it....lol

 

[Sooopa]

That was a hellova zombie bump

 

[woofercooker]

Mach Two Speaker System
(400-4032/A) Specifications Faxback Doc. # 7248

Frequency Response:.........................................24 - 40,000 Hz
Power Handling Capacity:.........................................160 Watts
RMS Power Rating:.................................................40 Watts
Impedance:..........................................................8 ohms
Speaker Complement:..................15" (38.1 cm) high-compliance woofer,
5" (12.7 cm) midrange for more lifelike sound.
Advanced design dual radial super horn with ultrawide
frequency range for exceptionally detailed highs.
Enclosure:...................Tuned port design for extended bass response,
removeable grille.
Controls:.......................Midrange and High Frequency level controls
Dimensions:...............................28-3/8" x 17-5/16 x 12-7/32" HWD
(720 x 440 x 310 mm HWD)
Shipping Weight:.........................................46.2 lbs. (21 kg)

The MACH-TWO is a high-quality, three-way speaker system. The speaker
elements and electronic components are manufactured and assembled under
strict specifications to assure quality and consistency.

The tweeter and midrange controls let you customize the sound to your room
and personal taste. (Bass response will be affected by the placement of
the speakers.)

The speaker cabinet is made of fine, furniture grade particle board and
genuine walnut veneers.

The decorative grille is acoustically transparent to give you brilliant
highs.

Specifications are typical; individual units may vary. Specifications
are subject to change without notice.

(br/ir-07/18/95)

 

[JB1962]

The only RS speakers that I have owned, besides having bought single drivers for home built cabinets are the Optimus STS-1000's. Rated at 100w, 40-20k Hz with a sensitivity of 90dB.

Haven't really played around with these much as I am running out of places to put them. Right now they are in my woodshop because I really don't want my other speakers getting all dusty, though I really don't want to get these all dusty either, they are in really good shape. I had a set of KLH-900B's in the shop with the Fisher stuff but sold them, along with others, to get an amplifier

What I have heard from them mostly was in my lower garage below the shop, wired to a Technics 75wpc integrated. I only used them when I was working on my lawn tractor, emptying the dust collection bags, etc. They sound pretty good, I wouldn't call them special but I think they are better than some negative reviews I have read. Nothing really wrong with them

I moved my Onkyo TX-2500 MKll out of the living room to use with them but haven't hooked it up yet, want to place that where it won't get loaded up with dust. I had my Fisher Studio Standard FM-2121 tuner and 2120 integrated amplifier in the shop but just had to get it out of there because the dust was killing it. I got some separate volume controls where I can adjust Ohm's, those will allow me to keep the Onkyo somewhere clean. Still trying to sort that out.

 

[katana1100]

The best RS speaker ? The Optimus t-300!
Offered only one year ( ‘84?) priced higher than the Mach speakers
A friend bought them at the end of year 2-4-1 sale and they were great.

 

[mythless]

Realistic aka Tandy made some really decent speakers and really awful speakers. The good ones, like with all speaker manufacturers they were built to a certain price point.

Would I buy another set of Realistic speakers? Yes, depends on what they are and price. But, I probably wouldn't keep them due to lack of space and they will not best my current speakers.

 

[Bodyblue]

My favorite Realistic speakers so far are my Nova 8Bs. I looked for almost 3 years for a decent set and still had to replace 3 of the drivers.

They are incredibly detailed after I recapped them.

 

[BobGAL]

The only RS speakers that I have owned, besides having bought single drivers for home built cabinets are the Optimus STS-1000's. Rated at 100w, 40-20k Hz with a sensitivity of 90dB.

Haven't really played around with these much as I am running out of places to put them. Right now they are in my woodshop because I really don't want my other speakers getting all dusty, though I really don't want to get these all dusty either, they are in really good shape. I had a set of KLH-900B's in the shop with the Fisher stuff but sold them, along with others, to get an amplifier

What I have heard from them mostly was in my lower garage below the shop, wired to a Technics 75wpc integrated. I only used them when I was working on my lawn tractor, emptying the dust collection bags, etc. They sound pretty good, I wouldn't call them special but I think they are better than some negative reviews I have read. Nothing really wrong with them

I moved my Onkyo TX-2500 MKll out of the living room to use with them but haven't hooked it up yet, want to place that where it won't get loaded up with dust. I had my Fisher Studio Standard FM-2121 tuner and 2120 integrated amplifier in the shop but just had to get it out of there because the dust was killing it. I got some separate volume controls where I can adjust Ohm's, those will allow me to keep the Onkyo somewhere clean. Still trying to sort that out.

View attachment 2508650

The STS 1000s were my first actual decent set of speakers I bought when the bug bit me. I don't remember the model # of the Optimus receiver I bought with them. My speakers were the floor models they had in the store. So they most likely have been put through their paces before I got my hands on them. They had a sale on them speakers and receiver. I had them for a few years until my first born was on the way. I felt they were pretty decent speakers. I had a speaker battle withmy Father and brother at the time. Dad had Pioneers and my brother had some Jensons floor standers. These little RS speakers put their speakers to shame in all out performance and sound quality. I would be very interested if I could find another pair that either had the surrounds replaced or ONS in box. I never see them anywhere for sale.

 

[Adam S]

I'm really liking my T-120's after refoaming and recapping. These are nice and balanced speakers with beautiful cabs.

 

[katana1100]

I had the ribbon tweeter from the 400 and fried it, sparks came out!

 

[Adam S]

I had the ribbon tweeter from the 400 and fried it, sparks came out!

Mine are sounding great. I just recapped the tweeter to make them live a long and happy life.