Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Home|DigitalMags|Podcasts|WINPrizes|Subscribe|Advertise|AboutSOS|Help
Haveanaccount? Login
orRegisterforfree
SoundOnSound:Est.1985
Search
Inthisarticle:
Design&Construction
LittleBrother:The
HR624Mk2
Finetuning
Performance
Alternatives
MackieHR824Mk2&
HR624Mk2899/649
pros
Sensiblypriced.
Goodtonalbalance,with
plentyofbassextension.
Greatnewstyling.
cons
Connectorsareawkwardto
accessoncethespeakeris
inplace.
summary
Theseupdatesonexisting
favouriteshaveaslightly
classiersoundandmuch
bettercosmetics,yetthey
costlittlemorethantheir
predecessors.
information
HR824899HR624
649.Pricesperpair
includingVAT.
MackieUK+44(0)1268
571212.
+44(0)1268570809.
Clickheretoemail
www.mackie.com
News
Articles
Forum
SOSTV
Subscribe
Shop
Directory
Readers'Adverts
Information
MackieHR824Mk2&HR624Mk2
ActiveStudioMonitors
BuyPDF
PublishedinSOSSeptember2007
Printerfriendlyversion
Reviews:Monitors
TheHRseriesmonitorshavebeenhugelypopular,but
Mackiehavestillmanagedtofindroomforimprovement.
PaulWhite
Mackie'sHRseriesofactivetwowaystudiomonitorsisoneofthecompany'sbig
successstories,asthesespeakersareinuseeverywherefromhomestudiosto
professionalfacilities.Nowthecompanyhavefinallylaunchedapairofsuccessors,
intheformoftheHR824Mk2andtheHR624Mk2.Thenamesmaynotshowalotof
imagination,butonelookatthenewspeakersshowsthatalothaschangedonthe
outside,andtherehavebeenafewchangesontheinsidetoo.
Design&Construction
ApparentlyEAW'sdesignteam,bestknownfortheirhighendlivesoundsystems,
hadmorethanapassinghandintheredesign(likeMackie,theyarepartofthe
LoudTechnologiesgroupofcompanies).ManufacturingiscarriedoutintheFar
East,asitisformuchoftheMackieproductlinethesedays.
Photos:MikeCameron
AsboththeHR824Mk2andHR624Mk2modelsarequitesimilar,otherthaninwoofersize,powerandfrequency
specifications,IdecidedtofocusonthelargerHR824Mk2,butI'vealsodiscussedtheHR624Mk2inaboxelswhereinthis
article.
ThefirstthingInoticedisthat,insteadoftheusualutilitarianblackashveneer,thedenseMDFcabinetshaveanew,shiny,
glossblack'piano'finish.Also,thoughmonitorsofthistypeproducethewidestsweetspotwhenstandingupright,Mackie
havemadetheirlogorotatable,soanyonewhoinsistsonsidewaysmountingcanatleasthavethelogotherightwayup!
Anotherobviouschangeistheplainrectangularbaffle,whichhasbeenreplacedbyabespokealuminiummouldingwitha
curvedfrontandradiusedcorners,butthisisn'tsimplyacosmetictweakthoseroundededgesreducediffraction,andthe
tweeterwaveguideismouldedintothebafflesothattheflareiscompletelysmooth.Asymmetricaldriverlayoutmeansthat
thereisnoneedforleftandrighthandedmodels.
At425x273x351mm,thenewcabinetisslightlylargerthantheoriginal,buttheconvectioncooledamplifierdesignis
essentiallythesame,thoughwithsometweakstomatchthenewdrivers.TheseFR(FastRecovery)amplifiersuserelatively
lowamountsofnegativefeedback,whichimprovestheirdynamicdistortionperformance,andalsokeepstheamplifiers
stableiftheyaredrivenintoclipping.
Internalbracingisusedtomakethecabinetmorerigidand,aswiththeoldermodels,thefree
spaceisfilledwithanadiabatic(porousacoustic)foamtoreduceinternalreflections.Also
carriedoverfromthepreviousmodelistheconceptofusingapassiveradiator(somewhatlikea
flatfrontedspeakerwithnodrivecoil)attherearofthecabinet,inplaceoftheusualtuningport.
Thisactsmuchlikeatuningportbuthasadvantagesatverylowfrequencies,whereithelps
preventoverexcursionofthewooferandalsoavoidsportwindnoise.Theradiatorisquitelarge,
measuring12x6inches,butitishiddenbytheventilatedrearpanelassembly.
Duringmanufacture,thegainandfrequencyresponseofthespeakersisindividuallyadjustedto
reduceperformancevariationsduetocomponenttolerances,soweshouldbeabletoexpect
bettermatchingbetweenpairsofspeakers.Anindividualcalibrationplotalsocomeswitheach
speaker,whichisreassuring.Thelowendperformanceisimpressive,withtheHR824Mk2
covering35Hzto20kHz(+/1.5dB).Electronicprotectionisbuiltin,inordertoreducetheriskof
driverdamagethroughoverenthusiasticuse,andthedriversthemselvesarecompletelynew.
Handlingthelowendandmidrangeisan8.75inchwoofer,whichhasasyntheticcone,acast
magnesiumchassisanda1.6inchvoicecoil.Thehighfrequencies(HF)arehandledbyaone
inch,Ferrofluidcooled,titaniumdometweeter,inapolymersuspension.TheoriginalHR824
usedanaluminiumdomedtweeter,whichIfeltgaveitaslightlysweetersoundthansomeofthe
ratherbrashsoundingtitaniumtweetermodelsonthemarketatthetime,soI'vebeenlooking
forwardtoseeingifthisnewdesignsoundsassmooth.Bothdriversaremagneticallyshieldedby
meansoffluxcancellingmagnets.
Acomprehensivesetof
controlsontherearofthe
HRMk2seriesmonitors
enableyoutofinetunethe
setuptosuityourown
workingenvironment.
Thetweeterwaveguideiscalculatedtoproduceevendispersionofthetwodrivers,especiallyatthecrossoverpoint,which
notonlyprovidesawidesweetspotbutshouldalsoreducethecolouringeffectofroomreflections.Bothmodelsare'THX
pm3'approved,andcanbeusedinaTHXsurroundsystemwiththeadditionofasuitablesubwoofer.IntheHR824Mk2,the
lowfrequency(LF)driverispoweredbya150Wamplifierandthetweeteramplifierisratedat100W,thoughbothcan
produceovertwicetheirratedpoweronbriefpeaks.ThecrossoverisamodifiedLinkwitzRileyfilter,witha24dBperoctave
slopeandacrossoverfrequencyof1.9kHz.ThepeakSPLperpairatonemetreisquotedas120dBpeakor111dBshort
term.
LittleBrother:TheHR624Mk2
TheoriginalHR624semployasixinchbassdriver(hencethe'6'inthetitle)and,withtheLF
switchsetinthecentre47Hzposition,thebassresponseisroughlythesameasthatofthe
HR824s,whichisplentyformostsmalltomediumsizedprojectstudios.Becausethewoofer
issmallerthanintheHR824,themidrangehandlingisslightlybetter(infact,Itendtousemy
HR624Mk1sinpreferencetomyHR824Mk1s,astheyareplentyloudenoughandIlikethe
extramidrangedefinition),butthemaximumSPLisslightlyless.
TheMk2incarnationactuallysoundprettysimilarbut,liketheHR824Mk2,theyarealittle
smootheratthehighend.I'dsaytheuppermidrangewasprobablyabitcleaner,andthe
reallyhighendabitmorepronounced,whichresultsinasoundthatisbothsmootherandmore
detailedatthesametime.ThemaximumSPLis5dBbelowthatfortheHR824Mk2andthe
frequencyresponsedropsoffaround48Hz,butotherthanthatthecharacterisuncannily
similar.Subjectively(onceyouhavebalancedtheirlevels)onlythedepthofthebassextension
oftheHR824Mk2reallysetsitapartfromitssmallersibling.
Finetuning
www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep07/articles/mackie_hr824mk2.htm
AVINeutron
Five
2.1MonitorSystem
1/4
6/11/12
Performance
Asastudiomonitor,IreallyliketheoriginalMackie824s.IhadbeenabitworriedthatMackiemightchangeeverythingjust
forthesakeofmarketing,butitseemsthosefearswereunfounded.Despitethechangeindriversandtheswitchtotitanium
forthetweeterdomematerial,theHR824Mk2managestokeepessentiallythesamefamilysoundasitspredecessor,and
thoughsomeHFdetail,suchasridecymbalhits,comesthroughalittlemoredynamicallythanbefore,theoverallsoundis
stillsmoothandwellbalanced,anditdoesn'tstarttosoundbrashunlessthemixitselfisoveraggressive.Soifyoulikethe
originalMackiemonitors,you'llhavenotroubleadaptingtothese.
But,asI'vementioned,itisn'tasimplerepackaging.Onwellmixedmaterialtheoverallsoundisatouchsmootherand
seemsless'inyourface'.Themidrangeretainsclarityanddetailatleastaswellasbeforeandpossiblyalittlebetter
whilethesmooth,deepbassalwaysimpresses,particularlyforspeakersofthissize.
IknowthatsomeuserscriticisetheperformanceofMackiemonitors,butinmyexperiencethisusuallycomesdowntoroom
problemsorplacementissues.Thefactthatthepassiveradiatorisattherearmeansthatmountingtooclosetowallsis
neveragreatidea,andbecausethebassextensionissoimpressive,cornermountingisdefinitelytobeavoided.Problems
canalsoariseinroomsthatarenotacousticallysuitableforthereproductionofverylowfrequencies,thoughyoucanuse
theLFswitchtoselectthemiddlesetting.Inatypicalprojectstudioroom,thatcanworkreallywell,andthere'sstillplentyof
lowend.
Ialsoknowthatyoumaybeabletofindmoreaccuratemonitorsifyou'repreparedtoextendyourbudget.Butwhatreally
mattersisthatIalwaysseemtoendupwithwellbalancedmixeswhenIusemyMackiemonitors.I'vehadtheoriginal824s
and624sforsomeyearsnow,andthoughIhavetriedothermonitors,IkeepcomingbacktotheMackies,astheysomehow
justfeelcomfortabletoworkwith.
MonitorsDemystified
MonitoringTips
MonitorsvsHiFi?
SOSReadersAds
GRABABARGAIN
851,949
ofSecondUserGearforsale
nowdon'tmissout!
Alternatives
Ifyou'reconsideringpurchasingHR824Mk2monitors,youmayalsowanttoauditionmodelssuchastheDynaudioBM15A,KRK
VXT8,ADAMP11AandMAudioEX66.Ifyou'reinthemarketforsomethingliketheHR624Mk2,youcanlooktoequivalentmodels
intherangesofthesamemanufacturers.
PublishedinSOSSeptember2007
Home|Search|News|CurrentIssue|DigitalEditions|Articles|Forum|Subscribe|Shop|ReadersAds
Advertise|Information|Links|PrivacyPolicy|Support
This
interesting
monitor
systemuses
thenatural
rolloffofthe
satellitespeakersto
providethecrossover
withthesubwoofer.
TannoyReveal
601A
StudioNearfield
ReferenceMonitors
Buildingtoa
price
inevitably
entails
compromises.Theartis
inchoosingtheright
ones...
QuestedV3110
ThreewayActive
Monitors
Sometimes,a
doseofold
fashioned
good
engineering
delivers
somethingwellworth
listeningto...
AdamA7X
ActiveTwoway
StudioMonitors
TheirA7
nearfield
monitors
received
many
plaudits,not
leastinthepagesof
SOS,butmanufacturer
Adamthoughttherewas
roomforimprovement.
PMCTB2SAII
ActiveNearfield
Monitors
PMCbroke
newgrounda
decadeago
withtheirTB2
monitors,but
the
competitionhavebeen
catchingup.Does
PMCsnewactivated
designnudgethemback
tothefrontofthepack?
AvantoneActive
MixCube
SecondaryReference
Monitors
Avantone
haveadded
onboard
amplification
totheir
contemporarytakeon
theclassicHorrortone
secondarymonitor,and
theresultissomething
quitespecial...
SonodyneSM
50AK
TwowayNearfield
ActiveMonitors
Indiamaybe
agrowing
forceinmost
industries
thesedays,
butfew
Indianproaudio
companieshavemadeit
intoWesternmarkets.
CanSonodynes
speakerschangeall
that?
UnityAudioThe
Rock
MonitorSpeakers
Thetime
domain
responseof
monitorsis
often
sacrificedfor
level,butthissealed
cabinetdesigntackles
thatissueheadon...
InfrasonicBlow
4D
NearfieldMonitor
Speakers
Withdigital
andanalogue
inputs,these
small
speakers
www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep07/articles/mackie_hr824mk2.htm
2/4
6/11/12
BlueSkySat8&
Sub212
2.1MonitoringSystem
Ifyou
demand
brutaland
revealing
precision
fromyour
monitors,readon...
BarefootSound
MicroMain27
ActiveThreeway
Monitors
Aswellasa
distinctive
design,these
huge
nearfield
monitors
offerafrequencyand
timedomain
performancethat
compareswiththebest.
AdamS3XV
StudioReference
Monitors
Adammaketheleaptoa
threewayspeaker
designthatseemsto
paydividendsinclarity
andseparation.
JBLLSR2300
MonitorSpeakers
JBLhavea
reputationfor
clinically
precise
monitors,but
thistime
theyvecomeupwith
somethingalittle
smoother...
EquatorAudio
Q8
ActiveMonitors
Coaxially
mounted
speakers
mayseema
bitold
school,but
theresnothingwrong
withthetheoryanda
touchofDSPcanmake
themverymodern
indeed!
MAudio
Studiophile
DSM1
DSPReference
Monitors
BuiltinDSP
extendsthe
flexibilityand
usefulnessof
these
capable
speakers.
EventOpal
StudioMonitors
Eventsnew
ownersmake
some
extravagant
claimsfor
thesenew
highendmonitors,
whosedesignissaidto
putqualityfirst.Dothey
liveuptothehype?
SamsonResolv
A6&120A
StudioMonitors&
Subwoofer
Samsons
newlowcost
nearfields
canproduce
abigsound,
butdothey
measureupforserious
mixing?Wefindout.
ProdipePro
Ribbon8
ActiveMonitors
Ribbon
tweeterscan
yielda
smooth
sound,while
stillcapably
reproducingtransient
detailandthePro
www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep07/articles/mackie_hr824mk2.htm
3/4
6/11/12
FocalCMS65
ActiveNearfield
Monitors
Focalcontrol
everything
fromdesign
to
manufacture
intheir
factoryinFranceand
thisapproachappears
tobepayingoff.
Klein+Hummel
O410
ActiveMidfield
Monitors
Gettingthe
balanceright
betweenthe
benefitsand
disadvantagesofported
andnonportedspeaker
designsisatrickyjob,
andK+Hdoitbetterthan
mostwiththisported
model.
GLOSSARY:technicalterms
explained
WINGreatPrizesinSOS
Competitions!
WinAlchemeaCourse&
ProTools10Worth
2,500
WinMagixSoftware
Worth1,500/$1700
CurrentMagazine
Email:ContactSOS
Telephone:+44(0)1954789888
Fax:+44(0)1954789895
RegisteredOffice:MediaHouse,TrafalgarWay,BarHill,
Cambridge,CB238SQ,UnitedKingdom.
SoundOnSoundLtdisregisteredinEnglandandWales.
Companynumber:3015516VATnumber:GB6385307
26
eSubEdition
BuyPDFarticles
MagazineFeedback
News
Search
DigitalEditions
NewSearch
ForumSearch
SearchTips
UKedition
USAdigitaledition
Articles
Podcasts
Competitions
Subscribe
SubscribeNow
eSubFAQs
Reviews
Technique
SoundAdvice
People
Glossary
SoundBank
Help+Support
Home
Forum
MySOS
Today'sHotTopics
ForumChannelList
ForumSearch
MyForumHome
MyForumSettings
MyPrivateMessages
ForumRules&Etiquette
ChangePassword
ChangeMyEmail
ChangeMyAddress
MySubscription
MyeNewsletters
MyDownloads
MyGoodies
SOSTV
Information
Watchexhibitionvideos,tutorials,
interviews,masterclasses
AboutSOS
ContactSOSStaff
Advertising
LicensingEnquiries
MagazineOnsaleDates
SOSLogos&Graphics
SOSSiteAnalytics
PrivacyPolicy
ReadersClassifieds
SubmitNewAdverts
ViewMyAdverts
SOSDirectory
AllcontentscopyrightSOSPublicationsGroupand/oritslicensors,19852012.Allrightsreserved.
Thecontentsofthisarticlearesubjecttoworldwidecopyrightprotectionandreproductioninwholeorpart,whethermechanicalorelectronic,isexpresslyforbiddenwithoutthepriorwrittenconsent
ofthePublishers.GreatcarehasbeentakentoensureaccuracyinthepreparationofthisarticlebutneitherSoundOnSoundLimitednorthepublisherscanbeheldresponsibleforitscontents.
Theviewsexpressedarethoseofthecontributorsandnotnecessarilythoseofthepublishers.
Websitedesigned&maintainedbyPBAssociates|SOS|RelativeMedia
www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep07/articles/mackie_hr824mk2.htm
4/4