Mach 5 Audio MJ18 Review

[jmanpc 5,000+ posts]

I got this sub back in April, and it sat in my dorm room, and then sat in my room at home, and then it sat in the attic... I've always wanted to tinker with it, but just never got around to it. Well, a few months back, I lost the SPL bug and sold my HD3 15 and my X1.2000.1D. Having stupid loud bass is fun, but it gets old when everything sounds the same on it.

So, I decided that since I've had the MJ sittin around for months, I'd give it a whirl. I built it a box today that was 20x20x20, about 3.6cf before sub displacement, so it should be pretty much spot-on with Mach 5's sealed enclosure recommendation. I am powering it with an MB Quart PAB1200.1D, which makes 500w at 4 ohms.

First CD: Roper - Brace yourself for the mediocre (Rock)

After doing a little tweaking, I got the MJ18 to the point that it just melts into the front stage. Roper is very fast-paced, and this CD has lots of pronounced kickdrum. In the past on my L7, the kickdrum was forceful, but soft around the edges. The MJ18 wasn't only forceful, but razor-sharp. On "Amplify," the MJ18 kept up beautifully, and was neither overly pronounced or absent. "Red Eye to Miami" has a strong, low bass guitar and a thick kickdrum. The bassline was very transparent, and meshed wonderfully with my midbbasses, and the kickdrum had excellent impact. The MJ18 will rock on rock. Forceful, punchy, and sharp.

Second CD: Jeff Beck - Jeff (Electronic / Rock Blend)

This CD will whip your sub's ***. Complex synthesized basslines are prevalent throughout the CD, and I gotta say, I haven't yet heard a sub accurately reproduce this album. The third song, "Pork-U-Pine," has a droning bassline with little punches inserted. The bass is muddy, and the sub just goes into arrest. I wouldn't say the MJ sounded horrid, but it just doesn't sound accurate. Again, I haven't yet heard a sub that doesn't blow that song. (Anyone wanna let me borrow their Mag or Dub6?) Anyhow, on other songs, such as "Hot Rod Honeymoon," the sub is great fun to listen to. It is dynamic and forceful, with little discoloration. "Line Dancing with Monkeys," has low synthesized bass, and the MJ doesn't mind it at all. This CD definitely tested and exceeded the limits of the MJ18, but it did show some of the merits of its performance.

Third CD: Gorillaz - Self Titled (Electronic-ish)

The MJ18 was also great fun to listen to on this CD. The beat in "Tomorrow Comes Today," was punchy and tight, and the background bassline wasn't muddy or overbearing. The lows in "Clint Eastwood," were very forceful, but not out of place, and the sub sang on the higher notes of the bass line. "Sound Check (Gravity)," is another challenging song, as the bass line drones and rumbles, and most subs seem to get caught up in it, but the MJ fared pretty well. Not perfect, but admirably. The low bass in "Slow Country," was forceful, but not over-pronounced, and the bassline was smooth and controlled. "Dracula," demonstrated the excellent tonality of the MJ18; the bass guitar line was smooth, and sounded very natural and true to the recording.

Overall, the Mach 5 Audio MJ18 is a very fun woofer to listen to. It really kicks *** in rock. Kickdrums seem to be its favorite flavor of bass. However, it treats droning, synthesized bass about like a five year old treats broccoli. It doesn't mind lower bass at all and its tone is spot-on for bass guitar. It sounds very natural, and will melt right in with your front stage when tuned properly. For the ~$100 that it costs, it is definitely well worth it.

Props, Mark //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

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[terra 5,000+ posts]

"props mark" x2

 

[Mitch86 5,000+ posts]

Nice review. The MJ18 is really an awesome sounding driver for the price. I dont know of another 18" driver in it's price range, and if there are, I doubt they compare.Worth every penny for sure.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[jmanpc 5,000+ posts]

I just went for a drive and listened to it some more. It is a splendid driver. My biggest problem with it, is that it doesn't have a gasket on the back side of the mounting flange. That doesn't mesh to well with bare MDF. I really like how M5A's products are plain, simple and to the point, though. No unnecessary stuff.

 

[Immacomputer 10+ year member]

You should drive down to Ocala; I'll show you a sub that plays Pork-U-Pine just fine. My av12 in my room sounds great on that song and pretty much anything from Jeff Beck.

Good review.

 

[jmanpc 5,000+ posts]

 

[jmanpc 5,000+ posts]

You should drive down to Ocala; I'll show you a sub that plays Pork-U-Pine just fine. My av12 in my room sounds great on that song and pretty much anything from Jeff Beck.
Good review.

It's fine at low volume, but not loud. Y'know?

 

[snoopdan 5,000+ posts]

you know, RE MT dustcaps fit on those drivers nicely. Dont ask me how I know //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/uhoh.gif.c07307dd22ee7e63e22fc8e9c614d1fd.gif

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

I love my MJ, hope I get to do my HA set up soon.

 

[jeremiah 10+ year member]

I love the sound

 

[D3r3k 10+ year member]

have had 2 of these for almost a year now, and its definitely one hell of a good driver for the price imo

 

[slapmaster 10+ year member]

will they work in 2cft sealed net each. im just might think about running 4 of them.

 

[mrogowski 5,000+ posts]

I wouldn't suggest it.

Jmanpc, see if the sound improves after running it for ~30 hours. Try the Jeff Beck song you were referring to to see if there is an improvement. I'd be curious about the results...

 

[evan 10+ year member]

Are some people using this in IB setups?

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

They started out being very popular in IB for home audio, then a few guys in the car audio world, caught wind of Mach5 and you know the rest.