Mackie HR824MKII Studio Monitors
8.75 in. Active High-Resolution Studio Reference Monitor.
The standard for near-field monitoring!
When the original HR-series speakers were released back in the 90's, Mackie set a new standard for studio-quality reference monitors. Their high power-rating, ruler-flat frequency response, and precise sound reproduction gave engineers and producers a whole new level of mixing accuracy. In this decade, the HR824MKII surpasses its predecessor with even better sound quality and a sleek new design.
Truly active amplification
Some studio monitors are passive, requiring external amplification, and some are internally powered, but HR824MKII monitors are actively powered. While all active monitors are internally powered, not all powered monitors are active. Truly active monitors contain individual power amplifiers for each driver in the enclosure, where other powered monitors use a single amp for all drivers.
Specially matched power
Since it takes much less power to drive a high-frequency tweeter at high volume than a low-frequency woofer, single-amplifier monitors tend to sound unbalanced. When the tweeter is producing comfortable highs, the woofer is probably underpowered. Crank up the volume to get more bass, and you're pushing the highs too hard. There may be applications where you can get away with this, but accurate mixing isn't one of them. As one of the few speaker manufacturers that also build their own amps, Mackie is in a unique position to tightly match the power with the driver. HR824MKII's contain two FR-series amps, specifically rated to push each speaker to its optimum performance level. You'll have plenty of headroom across the entire frequency spectrum for a detailed mix at any volume.
The Woofer
Obviously, speakers are crucial to the performance of any monitor system. Fortunately, Mackie uses only the best. The 8.75-inch long-throw woofer delivers punchy, controlled lows for increased clarity at the bottom of your mix. The stiff, mineral-filled cone reproduces low-mids and below with crisp definition, and is strong enough to handle all 150 Watts from the matched fast-response amplifier. When bass frequencies are muddy in the mix, it can be difficult to know how they will sound on the home stereo or in the car. Since most commercial audio systems are tuned to boost the bottom, even a slightly bass-heavy mix will be exaggerated when it reaches your audience. This woofer gives you better sonic control for the most accurate listening experience.
The tweeter What's a sweet spot? Waveguide technology and the sweet zone THX and surround-sound support Cabinet design Room compensation and connectivity Features:
Producers often steer clear of small-format monitors, because they want more bass. After all, how can an eight-inch driver get as low as a fifteen-inch driver? Never fear, HR824MKII's produce all the bottom you can handle. The woofer is coupled with a 6 x 12-inch passive radiator for increased bass response and clarity. Servo-feedback circuitry closely monitors the motion characteristics of the woofer, and automatically applies damping control through the honeycomb-pattern radiator. This constant correction produces clear, tight rumble, all the way down to 35 Hz! You get well-defined articulation of individual bass notes and kick drum thumps, rather than a general sense of low-end tone. When you can better position the bass, drums, and keyboard in the low-end spectrum, the whole mix becomes tighter. The energy works together to push the music forward instead of fuzzing-out the rhythm and muffling the song.
Many monitor manufacturers use a fabric-dome tweeter, but Mackie prefers metal. Their extensive testing uncovered a 1-inch aluminum alloy tweeter that outperforms fabric. Laser vibration analysis reveals rippling and undulation in fabric domes, while the aluminum exhibits true pistonic motion. This translates into a more efficient speaker for less heat buildup and smoother high-frequency response. With a 100-Watt amp for the highs, thermal control is key. You get more natural-sounding vocals and instruments at the top of the mix, with less strain on your ears. Shrill, tinny tweeters will drastically increase ear-fatigue, limiting your effectiveness during mixdown. Mackie's tweeters let you work more productively for quicker project-turnaround. Let's face it, the faster you can put a pro-quality product into your client's hands, the more likely they are to come back again. With all the extra business, these monitors pay for themselves.
Volume and frequency-response are certainly important to the overall mix, but so is the stereo image. When all of the individual musical elements have their own space to live and breathe through the stereo field, your finished product is much richer and more textural. The audience can connect with your music on a more intimate level, resulting in a stronger emotional response. It's the difference between "yeah, that was nice," and "wow, this rocks!" Engineers take great pains to be sure they are located in the "sweet spot" during mixdown. The sweet spot is created by forming a triangle between the stereo monitors and the engineer's ears. Million-dollar control rooms are often designed with this triangle in mind, but project studios aren't always so lucky. Space constraints often shrink or widen the triangle, leading to an unnatural stereo spread and an inaccurate sweet spot. Tom-rolls that travel from hard-left to hard-right may sound psychedelic and cool in your headphones, but that's not how you hear them live.
Mackie uses a special waveguide technology for the high-frequency drivers to gently disperse sound throughout the space. The output is spread both horizontally and vertically, giving a crystal clear representation of the stereo field. With the HR824MKII, you get more of a three-dimensional "sweet zone" than a sweet spot. You can move around the control room, make adjustments to effects on the rack and tweak settings on the board, trusting your ears from one place to the next. Spotlight the lead vocals dead-center in the mix, then stagger guitars, drums, and keyboard ambience out to the sides. Each sound sits in its own special place, taking the focus when appropriate, and adding subtle texture the rest of the time. Once you truly hear an accurate stereo image, you'll never want to mix any other way. People who listen to your CD will feel like they're standing in the room with the band.
Stereo mixes are great for songs, but many studios are getting into TV, DVD, and video game production to supplement their income. New High Definition standards demand even more detailed audio tracks, with lush surround-sound atmosphere. The latest HR monitors were approved for THX pm3 compliance on their initial trial, so you can mix music for any medium with absolute confidence.
You can see how the electronics contribute to the overall sound quality, but HR-series cabinets are a key ingredient, as well. Real wood enclosures help temper the output of pristine internal components, adding warmth and character to an otherwise sterile mix. The zero-edge, cast aluminum front baffle and fully radiused cabinet corners bring tight, focused clarity to your sound. Traditional box-style cabinets have sharp corners which diffract, or spread out, audio waves as they pass through the edges. This adds mud to the mix. Edges are rounded on the HR824MKII to let the sound out with no diffraction. The music reaches your ears, unchanged. More than great sound, the piano-black finish brings a touch of class to any studio. When a gear-savvy client sees these in your space, they'll know they're dealing with a pro.
The best scenario for near-field monitoring involves plenty of space surrounding the enclosures. As we have seen, this is difficult to manage in small home studios, and nearly impossible on the tour bus. Space limitations often require monitors to be located against a wall, or even in a corner. These conditions will increase bass response, coloring an otherwise clean mix, causing you to roll off the low-end more than you ought to. For these situations, HR824MKII monitors have a room-compensation switch. This lets you tune the speakers to your space, ensuring a true representation of your sound wherever you plan to use them. What's more, the balanced and unbalanced input connections are angled so they don't stick straight out the back of the cabinet. You can place your monitors right up against a wall when space is extra-tight. XLR, TRS, and RCA connections are available for easy integration into any audio setup. HR monitors are sold as singles, so you'll need to order a pair to get the full stereo experience.The high-resolution HR824mk2 Active studio reference monitor sounds as smooth as it looks. The new Zero Edge Baffle minimizes diffraction for a crystal clear image of your mix, and controls sound waves for wide, even dispersion. The rear-firing, mass-loaded passive radiator ensures tight, detailed bass extension, down to 35Hz. And thanks to remarkably linear frequency response, you always get accurate mix translation. Acoustic Space, LF roll-off and HF controls let you tailor the sound to suit your space—and your taste. With all this and more, the HR824mk2 turns your studio’s sweet spot into a full-on sweet zone.
