Mackie HR824
Our Score:	Imaging	9.5
A+	Dynamic Performance	8
	Frequency Response	10
	High Volume	9.5
	Sound Quality	9.5
	Price / Performance	9
	Overall	98 A+
	List price	Approx $1600/pr
	Web site	http://www.mackie.com

The Mackie HR824 practically stole the show at the Winter 2000 NAMM, and for good reason. This biamped nearfield offers a unique design with its large passive radiator underneath the rear-mounted amp, high power output, and surprising bass response. In fact the usual reaction people have to the HR824 is “where’s the sub?”

The HR824 offers a 150 watt bass amplifier and 100 watt treble amplifier. The speaker components include a mineral-injected polypropylene woofer cone and 1” aluminum liquid-cooled tweeter. The tweeter is mounted into an 8” treble waveguide horn that allows the tweeter to be properly time-aligned with the woofer. The cabinet is rigid and internally braced.

Probably the most interesting thing about the HR824 is the 6x12” composite honeycomb passive radiator that more or less covers the entire back of the cabinet. The passive radiator is mounted underneath the amplifier, which means that you can’t see it or touch it. Unlike the conventionally ported speakers in our comparison, the woofer of the HR824 is quite damped. Not as tight as the woofer in a bass-reflex system, but much harder to rattle than the ported speakers. Result: we could play the Mackies louder, longer, with better control than any of the other speakers we tested. If you have a commercial studio that occasionally has to blow away hardcore rock and rollers (as we do) then you’ll appreciate the ability to crank out the volume.

And how about that bass? The HR824 definitely wins the Mo Bass award. In the right listening position, you’d just swear that there’s a sub somewhere. Unlike the ported models (most of which produced some port chuff at high bass levels) there is no audible distortion from the passive radiator. The bass goes lower, stays flatter, has less audible distortion than any of the other speakers we tested, and yet in a side-by-side comparison, does not sound hyped compared to other reference speakers like the Genelecs and the Dynaudios.

And yet, even with this strong bass performance, the Mackies were among the loudest and toughest of the bunch – handling serious abuse like high-gain spikes from a bass guitar or kick drum. The damped woofer – tighter than any other speaker in the lineup – is much more capable of handling all kinds of low frequency abuse. This design does come at the expense of transient response. The HR824s do not have the same fast, snappy bass response of the Dynaudios or the Genelecs.

Even though the HR824s will play very loud, I have found that I tended to listen and mix at a slightly lower volume with them. This is almost certainly due to the bass response which always conveys a sense of authority. Even at low volume the Mackies have a certain deep punch that lets you know just exactly where the low end is in relation to the mix. Over time I found the lower volume and overall sonics of the HR824 made them easy to listen to for long periods. These are not fatiguing speakers. Even after a grueling mixing session, I am still able to make reasonable decisions based on what I think I’m hearing. Good stuff for the working studio.

One feature I loved was the convenient power switch on the front of the cabinets. I found that it is very useful to just reach out and turn the speakers off when I am going to do something wacky with the mixer or when I have a live mic in the control room and want to put the speakers into “safety” mode. Unfortunately I learned that if you turn the power off, and hit the HR824 with a loud signal, they’ll POP on for a second. This is very bad when there’s a live mic in the control room: instant full-volume feedback. Here’s the deal: when the switch says “Off” I want it OFF!

In the end the Mackies were one of my favorite speakers of the bunch. They are just all-around great. From the moment I started mixing with them, my mixes were dead-on. There was no learning curve with these monitors at all. You just can’t beat that. I worked with them for a few weeks and knew they weren’t going to leave my control room. You are welcome to try to pry them from my cold dead fingers.