Realistic Speakers, any good?

zackk

zackk

Well-Known Member
I know some of the radioshack speakers are actually pretty well regarded... was wondering if these were one of them?

http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/ele/3850674467.html

Pair of Mach Two speakers by Realistic. Don't laugh because they're from Radio Shack! These speakers produce awesome sound. 28"h x 17.25"w x 10.25"d. 15" woofers deliver deep bass. Adjustable high frequency and midrange. The heavy walnut cabinets are in perfect condition except for a minor water discoloration on the top of one. When I was shopping for speakers I'd bring along a CD of intense organ music as a test, and these speakers handled it beautifully. Price is firm; pick-up only.
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They are good speakers and some people really like them. That's a great price. I would grab them.
 
I'm a bit shy on cash. I have Polk 5jr and Infiniti RS-7b speakers... would they outperform either of those, or should I skip?
 
zackk said:
I'm a bit shy on cash. I have Polk 5jr and Infiniti RS-7b speakers... would they outperform either of those, or should I skip?
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I would say that the sound is quite different from either of the two you mentioned. 'Outperform' is a term that could only be answered by you. I have a set of Mach Two's, and I'm not that impressed with them, but that is just me. Many people like them a lot, they're a good rock-and-roll speaker without much doubt, and there's a huge thread here on AK for various mods that can be made to these and similar speakers. So they certainly have a following.

Sorry to say, but IMHO, your own ears have to be your guide here.
 
If the pair I passed on at 125.00 was 40.00 like those, I would have bought them. That's practically a giveaway.
 
If you like to crank it up, you listen to a lot of rock, and you like your sound heavy on the bass impact, the Mach's are great. I had a pair of Mach One's, and though a different design, I'd say the "ethos" is the same. They were a lot of fun.
I will say I put my Mach Ones up against my BIL's JBL L300's...and the Mach Ones more than held their own.
 
Sounds like you could flip em if they didn't put a smile on your face after getting them home...
 
They're not bad; far better than the Mach Ones in terms of sound quality IMO. As it turns out, the benefit greatly from the old "lift 'em off the floor an' tilt 'em back a bit" gambit.
 
Well the price is right. You might be able to sell them for more than you paid if you don't like them. I had a pair of the Mach Ones I bought in 1977. They worked great with my New Rush - "Fly by Night" and Areosmith - "Get you Wing's" LP's, but overall I always felt something was missing. IMO Realistic's larger Nova Series Speakers, and their Optimus Towers were much better Ballanced Speaker's for my tastes. The Mack Two use a Cone Midrange instead of the horn in the Mach Ones I had, I'm guessing that will improve the sound a fair bit.
 
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There was a pair at my local flea that sat there for several weeks with a $50 pricetag on them. I have no regrets on passing on them.
 
Funny, I was unable to sell a pair of Mach 2, that I had refoamed (Both woofer and the mid). I actually used a high quality foam, from an AK member purchased on ebay. I used them for about a year and they were fun, sounded fine. I had to move them out because I kept buying new stuff. I listed them at $40 and announced a Student discount (need to corrupt the younger generation, with loud music). I received no response (posting on and off) for a few months.

Finally I received a response about two weeks ago - with the question ... would I offer a military discount? Of course I would; we met (he was in uniform) I gave him the speakers and a small (70W) Sansui receiver (black, 1982 vintage). You can have them for free, if you promise to play them loud, I said.

the Mach 2 are fine, fun speakers. I think that the market for them, though, is greatly diminished ... as our numbers decrease.
 
It's been about a year or two since I sold a pair locally with new woofer and midrange foam, but no recap. I got $125 for them fairly quickly.
 
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