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Similar speakers to Realistic Mach two/three

J

JonathanN97

New Member
Hi all,

I've been searching for the past few months for a pair of realistic mach twos or optimus mach threes. I know they aren't highly regarded speakers by some but i personally like them. However, I have yet to see a pair pop up, and the only pair that has the seller is asking way to much. Are there any speakers similar to these so that I can broaden my search spectrum. I've been looking for some Cerwin Vega's D-9 or AT-15, while these are more common they can be a little pricey also. I'm a college student so my budget is a little tight, but anyway what are some speakers that are similar to the Realistic Mach twos that I should be keeping an eye out for?

Thanks for the help
 
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Well, I'd say Klipsch Heresy (smaller) or Cornwall (larger) -- but those two have horn midranges, for better or worse.

A loudspeaker much closer in philosophy to the Mach 2, with a horn tweeter and conventionally loaded cone woofer, though, is (was) the Electrovoice Esquire.
The Esquire, however, has a 12 inch woofer in a sealed (non-ported) box.

The Esquire is a really excellent loudspeaker but best suited to high-ish quality, low-powered amplifiers. The drivers used in them are very good, and very sensitive, but not capable of high power handling.

Esquires are not terribly common, but they're also not terribly expensive.

EV Esquire noflash by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

There were similar EVs with 18" woofers, but I've not heard a pair with my own ears.

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source: www.radioshackcatalogs.com (1961)
 
I have 4 - Mach 2.they've been In my possession since I worked at RS (1987). They were last used in 1997. Stored neat and dry since then.
 
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Altec Model Nines are a 12" 3-way that can give Machs a good run for their money. And, sometimes they can be had for relatively small $$$.
 
Hey John! I personally like the Realistic Nova 9! They came out in 1972. I've owned both the Mach 1 and 2. The Nova 9 have a 15 " wooofer and sound better to me than the Machs. They are fairly rare but show up on craigslist and eBay from time to time. Big sound but not "Boomy" Very under rated speaker, After a recap and stiffening of the woofers they sound big clean and clear. I'm listening to mine as I write this... One of Radio Shacks best in my opinion.
 
I found this thread because I was looking for upgrades for the Mach series. I share the respect for these underappreciated classics. Recently I stumbled on a pair of Optimus 400 speakers which are not in that series, but deserve a look. They are in a large box similar in size to the Mach series. These are 3 way ported units with 12" woofer, 5" mid, and leaf (ribbon) tweeter,. I don't have measurements so don't know the response curve, and reviews say they are "Radio Shack's effort at duplicating the Pioneer S-910"w1710034676807.png. Somewhat rare birds. But to my ears these are excellent speakers,with somewhat boomy bass but superb highs. I have exceptional hearing at high frequencies, and I have always loved ribbons, (as well as electrostatics). So these speakers impressed me, and of course being from Radio Shack, they were cheap, $40. It may be worth your time to give them a listen. If you have room in your hoard, that is.
 
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