Tom
25-01-2009, 11:57 PM
This is a review for the Mackie SRM 450 V2
Weight – 9/10
Style – 9/10
Sound Output – 8/10
Ease Of Use – 10/10
This will be my second review of these speakers but as I have had them for while a while, I can give a much better report on them. I bought them in May 2008 so had them for 8 months from todays date.
So where do I start. Lets compare the original SRM 450 with the new V2 version.
From what I can tell, the cab is the same size but it might be slight different inside due to using a different bass driver but the external measurements are the same. These speakers are active. If you don't know what this means, it means that the amp is built in to the cab. The amp has been matched to suit the drivers so the risk of blowing the speakers is reduced.
The new V2 speakers are 5.2kg lighter. This is because of the new neodymium bass driver and the use of digital amps. The second thing is the amp. The amp in the V2 runs very cool compared to the original V1 amp which runs quite hot, but only usually with bass heavy music. When out DJ'ing I can run these speakers flat out (volume at 12 o'clock on the back of the speaker) and running a max of 0db in the mixer with no problems. The amp does not get any hotter when playing bass heavy music like RnB for example.
Now, these speakers do not produce massive amounts of bass but don't forget that they only use a 12” driver compared to other brands that use a 15” and in some cases an 18” bass driver. They do go down to 50hz which is quite low for such a small driver in a small cab. But for a 12”, it's not bad. The good thing about these speakers is that its quite punchy. But thats because it's a small driver. Punchy bass from the Mackies and deep bass from a sub. Perfect combination I believe.
Now how to they sound. This is the big question. I like to believe that my hearing is quite good but in my opinion I think they sound a little harsh. There is a bit to much treble and the mid range is a bit, hmm, sharp shall we say. Don't forget that the original Mackie SRM 450 also had quite a bit of extra treble. People just turn this down on the mixer. If you were using the V2 speakers for a large hall then they sound ok as they are but for small functions or room, you need to turn down the treble and mid range on the mixer. If you have some kind of EQ then even better. Just a little tweak and your done. No speaker cab is perfect. I use something called Loudspeaker Management for my speakers to get the best sound boy does it work. This will be another review.
I have used these V2 for all types of gigs from 18th birthday party's right up to weddings and they perform and sound excellent (apart from the changes). You really do get the bang for the buck.
Now having said that I did have a little bother with one of the V2's but this no longer happens. The LED on the front used to flicker and go out. Not sure why this happened but it might have been a dry solder joint somewhere. This only happened a few weeks after having them but after that I have had no problems at all. Apart from that, they are strong and reliable cabs that will keep performing as long as you can, providing you look after them. Just like anything.
If anybody has any questions about these speakers, please feel free to ask below.
Weight – 9/10
Style – 9/10
Sound Output – 8/10
Ease Of Use – 10/10
This will be my second review of these speakers but as I have had them for while a while, I can give a much better report on them. I bought them in May 2008 so had them for 8 months from todays date.
So where do I start. Lets compare the original SRM 450 with the new V2 version.
From what I can tell, the cab is the same size but it might be slight different inside due to using a different bass driver but the external measurements are the same. These speakers are active. If you don't know what this means, it means that the amp is built in to the cab. The amp has been matched to suit the drivers so the risk of blowing the speakers is reduced.
The new V2 speakers are 5.2kg lighter. This is because of the new neodymium bass driver and the use of digital amps. The second thing is the amp. The amp in the V2 runs very cool compared to the original V1 amp which runs quite hot, but only usually with bass heavy music. When out DJ'ing I can run these speakers flat out (volume at 12 o'clock on the back of the speaker) and running a max of 0db in the mixer with no problems. The amp does not get any hotter when playing bass heavy music like RnB for example.
Now, these speakers do not produce massive amounts of bass but don't forget that they only use a 12” driver compared to other brands that use a 15” and in some cases an 18” bass driver. They do go down to 50hz which is quite low for such a small driver in a small cab. But for a 12”, it's not bad. The good thing about these speakers is that its quite punchy. But thats because it's a small driver. Punchy bass from the Mackies and deep bass from a sub. Perfect combination I believe.
Now how to they sound. This is the big question. I like to believe that my hearing is quite good but in my opinion I think they sound a little harsh. There is a bit to much treble and the mid range is a bit, hmm, sharp shall we say. Don't forget that the original Mackie SRM 450 also had quite a bit of extra treble. People just turn this down on the mixer. If you were using the V2 speakers for a large hall then they sound ok as they are but for small functions or room, you need to turn down the treble and mid range on the mixer. If you have some kind of EQ then even better. Just a little tweak and your done. No speaker cab is perfect. I use something called Loudspeaker Management for my speakers to get the best sound boy does it work. This will be another review.
I have used these V2 for all types of gigs from 18th birthday party's right up to weddings and they perform and sound excellent (apart from the changes). You really do get the bang for the buck.
Now having said that I did have a little bother with one of the V2's but this no longer happens. The LED on the front used to flicker and go out. Not sure why this happened but it might have been a dry solder joint somewhere. This only happened a few weeks after having them but after that I have had no problems at all. Apart from that, they are strong and reliable cabs that will keep performing as long as you can, providing you look after them. Just like anything.
If anybody has any questions about these speakers, please feel free to ask below.