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MACKIE HR824 ACTIVE MONITORS
Considering the phenomenal success of every product Mackie Designs has introduced, it's a bit of a surprise that the company took so long before manufacturing other products besides mixers. Still, when the Mackie people build something, you can bet they want to get it absolutely perfect. So when the company announced it was going to Like everyone else, you probably saw the double page spreads in all the major publications announcing these speakers. All the pre-release industry buzz was enough to guarantee that the initial production runs of Mackie's HR824 Active Monitors ($749 list each) were in extremely short supply. Musicians around the world lined up to buy a set before ever hearing them - they knew this was going to be a winner... and they weren't wrong. Fact is, here at Sweetwater we had a huge waiting list for HR824s, which was frustrating for everyone. But the good news is that production is finally catching up with the overwhelming demand, and we are starting to get adequate supplies of this wonderful speaker. If you've never experienced the awesome audio that active monitors deliver, get set for a revelation. Because such systems are designed from the ground up, all the subtleties of cabinet design, equalization, power handling and crossover frequencies can be taken into account, meaning that every component works in harmony with every other component. The power amps match the drivers which match the exact size of the cabinets. What's more, active systems like the HR824 allow you to adjust the speaker to exactly match your listening environment. Let's start with the amplifiers. The HR Series (which stands for High Resolution) monitors feature dual power amplifiers: 100 watts (with 150 watt bursts) for the high frequencies and 150 watts (with 200 watt bursts) for the lows. Both amplifiers make use of Mackie's high speed, latch-proof Fast Recovery design which features extremely low negative feedback. The bass amp is directly coupled in a servo loop to the 8.75 inch mineral-filled polypropylene low frequency driver. It constantly monitors the LF unit's motion parameters and applies appropriate control and damping. An oversized magnet structure and extra long voice coil lets the woofer achieve over 16 millimeters of cone excursion, so bass notes start and stop instantly without any overhang, distortion or "tubbiness." Instead of relying on ports or slots, the woofer is acoustically coupled to two aluminum mass-loaded 6.5-inch passive drivers, meaning you get bass response that is the equal of 12-inch drivers with flat frequency response to a throbbing 42Hz! The high resolution metal alloy dome speaker handles the critical high frequencies above 2kHz. It has a flat response up to 20kHz, delivering pristine, uncolored treble output that reproduces exactly your source material. In addition, thanks to Mackie's proprietary exponential high frequency wave guide, you get a gigantic "sweet spot," meaning everyone in the control room hears the same incredible sound. The HR824's wave guide maximizes dispersion, time aligns the acoustic center of the HF driver to the LF transducer's center and avoids enclosure diffraction. Since we're talking about enclosures, this might be a good time to mention that the HR824's front board is one-inch thick with radiused edges to further eliminate diffraction. What's more, during final assembly, each and every HR824 is individually hand trimmed to plus/minus 1.5dB from 42Hz to 20kHz. And every monitor comes certified with its own serialized, guaranteed frequency response printout! Because every control room (and listening environment) is different - they come in all sizes and shapes and cubic volumes - every HR824 has a three position Low Frequency Acoustic Space control. This maintains flat bass response, regardless of whether you place the monitors away from walls (whole space), against the wall (half space) or in room corners (quarter space). A low frequency roll-off switch at 80Hz allows you to emulate small home stereo speakers or popular studio monitors - a nice touch. In the October 1997 Electronic Musician ("Power Stations" article), Stephen Webber wrote: "The imaging and high frequency dispersion is brilliant: I was amazed at how far off axis I could scoot my chair and still hear what was going on in both channels." Who can argue with that? By now, you're probably wishing you had a pair of HR824s in your own studio. Hey, who wouldn't? And since we now have them in stock in our giant new warehouse, we've got a great price for you on these amazingly accurate monitors. All you have to do is pick up the phone and give us a call at (219) 432-8176. Just tell your Sweetwater Sales Engineer that you're ready to own a set of Mackie High Resolution monitors. They'll understand - heck, most of them are planning to add these speakers to their own studios. As they say on TV: "Operators are standing by!" Master Index | Sweet Notes Index | Home | Back Page | Next Page |
produce a set of active monitors, everyone in the industry sat up and took notice... and for good reason.