Mackie SRM450 V2 Review + pictures

[Tom]

Hello everybody.


Here I am going to write a review on the Mackie SRM450 V2. Now before we get started I have only had these about an hour and I will be adding mote to this as I have a gig to night in a small room and a gig tomorrow in a marque so I can then give tow more bits on info on how they perform.


Also I have added pictures just to prove that I have them and with them the speakers bags. Moving on.




When I took the delivery the delivery man said that they are quite large boxes and asked what they were, I said my new speakers. Even he said that they weren't that heavy either (18kg). So I take them in and take them out the boxes and look at them, as you do :D . As you know they are blue but the cab looks the same to the old SRM 450. I have checked the stats of old and new cab and they are the same size. Why change something that works???


Before I get in to it, both speaker have a 300 watts RMS LF driver and a 100 watts RMS HF driver.


I set them up in the front room with my other pa speakers that will be sold or kept as spare. I got my Denon box down and plugged it all in. At first I used the Mackie speakers first to hear what they sound like. Well to be honest words cannot describe it but I will give it a go. The sound is really clear. The top end is a little bit high but I like that. It was not hurting my ears, even at half volume so thats ok. The bass is well... ok. Its not really strong but don't forget that they are a 12” speaker and I was using a 15” before but the Mackie is a lot more punchy. You can really feel the bass hit you in the chest, which I like again.




After I had a little play I had one Mackie and one of my original pa speakers which was the Studiospares Fortissimo 15A (active). Now I know these are not wonderful speakers but they are really good for the money as well. So any start up j's who want a loud pa speaker I can say at around £200 each I can that these will do you very well.


I had the Mackie playing on the right channel and the other on the left. I played the Mackie first then moved the fader over to the left and boy can you hear such a difference. The mid is a lot smoother compared to the other speaker but lacked in bass. The high end was a lot clearer and brighter than the other pa speakers but then again these Mackie speakers are around £600 each so it will have better components.


For this mini test I did play a lot of different music from Drum & Bass, R&B, Dance and Rock.


With the Mackie you can turn them up really loud, add loads more bass,mid or high on the EQ and still there is no distortion, which is handy as you may need to add some a bit of EQ on the low end.


At this point I was really impressed with these new speakers. So far so good but the real test is when I use them tonight for the first time.


Well this is it so far. If anybody wishes to add any comments below please feel free. If you have a question about these speakers then I will try to give you a reply. :)


Below I have added some pictures of the speaker with the new bags, which are not Mackie as they did not have any in stock but I they shop did me a deal and gave me £20 off the price they were selling them at. They are the Gigskins GSSB Speaker Bags.




Watch this space for more to come later. :)

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb129/tommyboy6996/03.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb129/tommyboy6996/02.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb129/tommyboy6996/01.jpg

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http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb129/tommyboy6996/05.jpg

[Penfold42]

They look nice......be interested to hear how you get on with them after a gig....:)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Nice review Tom.

The only advice would have given you is to get the proper Mackie bags as they are very very good.

Even the RCF bags are crap compared to the Mackie ones!

[h8ytr]

thanks Tom, how heavy are they compared to the old mackies? would be good to review them against old mackies and see exactly what the real differences are

[rob1963]

Thanks for that review, Tom.

I'll be interested to hear how they go in a gig situation, and I'm seriously thinking of getting a pair myself later in the year.

From what I could tell, the two main problems with the normal SRM450 speakers were the weight and possible overheating.

I understand the V2 ones are 5kg lighter - which is a fair amount, so that's the weight problem solved (especially for an unfit oldie like ME!).

They seem to use digital (Class D) amplifiers, which produce very little heat, so I think that's the overheating problem also taken care of.

My only slight problem is the price. They seem to be about £1,200 a pair, so maybe I'll have to speak to someone who runs a forum to see if he can get me a good deal!

:D

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

From what I could tell, the two main problems with the normal SRM450 speakers were the weight and possible overheating.



But how can they be problems Rob, when the cabs you are using are the same weight and the heating problem was years ago?

[Paul James Promotions]

Changed your mind about the Void then? ;)

[Tom]

The only advice would have given you is to get the proper Mackie bags as they are very very good.

Even the RCF bags are crap compared to the Mackie ones!

I will get the mackie bags when these get ripped apart. They cost me £90 so i'm hoping they will last a while. But then again I'm so careful with my equipment anyway so even the bags will last a long time. :)

I found the Mackie bags for £50 each. Thats rather cheap if you ask me, thats why they are out of stock. lol :(


thanks Tom, how heavy are they compared to the old mackies? would be good to review them against old mackies and see exactly what the real differences are

The old Mackie SRM 450 speakers are 23kg each and the new one's are 18. As rob said thats a save of 5kg. Some people that might not be a lot but if your lifting speakers up and down most nights it can get heavy.



I'll be interested to hear how they go in a gig situation...
:D


They look nice......be interested to see hear how you get on with them after a gig....:)

I will keep you posted. ;) :)


EDIT


For Jamie, I really did think about it and to be honest I didn't think it was worth it. I know void are a quality speaker brand but you only get 1200 watts out of 4 speakers that are quite heavy. With the mackie you get 800 with a spl of 120 odd which is ok.

Maby in the future yes but as insurance is so expensive I need to keep gear small and light weight to fit in my car

[rob1963]

But how can they be problems Rob, when the cabs you are using are the same weight and the heating problem was years ago?

Yes, I have the same problem with my current speakers...the weight, but the V2 are lighter than their predecessor AND my current speakers, so problem solved.

I had no idea about when the overheating problem first occurred or whether it had now been cured, I just remember reading various articles about the problem.

:)

[Paul James Promotions]

For Jamie, I really did think about it and to be honest I didn't think it was worth it. I know void are a quality speaker brand but you only get 1200 watts out of 4 speakers that are quite heavy. With the mackie you get 800 with a spl of 120 odd which is ok.

Maby in the future yes but as insurance is so expensive I need to keep gear small and light weight to fit in my car

Fair enough. Suppose you pay for what you get :).

Although I would say that the 1200watt you do get is probably the best 1200watt you will get from any system.

[rob1963]

With the mackie you get 800 with a spl of 120 odd which is ok.

They quote a maximum SPL at 1m of 124db long term and 127db peak, which I understand is extremely efficient compared to many speakers.

:D

[Tom]

They quote a maximum SPL at 1m of 124db long term and 127db peak, which I understand is extremely efficient compared to many speakers.

:D

Thanks for that. I knew it was somthing like that but didn't want to put a specific number and get told it was another, so i added the odd. lol

Thats one of my reasons why I got them.

[rob1963]

Full details, specs, photos etc are on Mackie's site here:

http://www.mackie.com/products/srm450v2/

:)

[Tony Scott]

They look a bit unhappy don't they?

[Jiggles]

Its an uhappie mackie :p

[Dragonfly]

Nice review Tom.

The only advice would have given you is to get the proper Mackie bags as they are very very good.

Even the RCF bags are crap compared to the Mackie ones!

indeed but have to say my gig skins bags have lasted me 3 years or so... flippin zip broke on my last gig ...... still got 3 months to replace it ... any link for those mackie bags Daz?? :D :D

[Tom]

They look a bit unhappy don't they?

You leace my Mackies alone. :p :D


indeed but have to say my gig skins bags have lasted me 3 years or so... flippin zip broke on my last gig ...... still got 3 months to replace it ... any link for those mackie bags Daz?? :D :D

Good to see you back Davee, hope all is well. :)



So here it is, the second part of the trilodgy of the Mackie SRM450 V2 review.

So tonight I was playing for a football team end of season and tbh, this was the best gig I have ever done. Just wish I could post pictures but this is a family forum. lol.

When everything was setup I played some music. Now in all honesty they sounded really harsh, which annoyed me. I had a play with the EQ and got it sound quite good. I added some bass and lost some mid and hi. But then again it got me thinking, these are new speakers and needed to be broken in.

Started off with quite music and you could hear the speakers start to sound better. This may sound strange but you had to be there to believe it.

As the night was getting the cabs were running quite hard. Channels 1 & 2 were running at 0db and the main output was running at +3db (one yellow bar on my mixer) and the speaker set to half way. So really I was giving them a good beating. So far so good. I played some new chart music and some drum & bass. The speakers can cope with the bass rather well for a 12". I was shocked that I could feel my shirt vibrate and I was standing behind the speaker.

Also with this I nipped to the little boys room and all I could hear was rattling on every bass note. I was impressed. These speaker do really have a lot of punch. Anyway.

Got to the end of the night and the amps were warm but not hot. The speakers did not distort at all even though I was pushing them quite hard. These sound so much better than my other PA speakers and they have a 15" main driver.

TBH I can't really put words on how I feel about these. They are totally worth the money. I have only heard the old SRM 450 a few times but these really kick backside. :D:D:D

But today (saturday) I will be getting my new mixer (Denon DN-X900) so i'm hoping that the sound will improve a lot more as im running a behringer VMX1000 mixer atm.

Will write more after the gig tonight. Tonight I have a marque gig for a 50th, so this would intresting to how they handle outside where there are no solid walls.


Any questions, fire away :)

[Penfold42]

Nice one Tom......and well done. :)


Any questions, fire away :)

Two -
1) Does this mean you transport is not so loaded now......leaving you room for a futher roadie...........:D :D :D
2) Where do you keep them at night......:eek: :eek: :eek: :D :D :D

[Tom]

Nice one Tom......and well done. :)



Two -
1) Does this mean you transport is not so loaded now......leaving you room for a futher roadie...........:D :D :D
2) Where do you keep them at night......:eek: :eek: :eek: :D :D :D


1) You got it. When I get round to getting a car I will save up for a trailer and maby get some subs but that going to be quit a while away yet. :(

2) Well I think I'm going to share my bed with them. They both did me very proud. :lol: :D :D :D

[Tom]

Ok, for anybody who is intrested here is the final part of my review. I have just got back form a 50th birthday in a marquee. Also with this I have my new mixer which to be honest did improve the whole sound.

Fot this gig we were set up in a corner with little space to work with but got somthing sorted out in the end.

As for the sound, well as I have said before they are really punchy which is a good thing. The only thing I would say is if you do with to buy these speakers and are going to use them for a marquee then I would say get a mackie sub to go with them.

Like any speaker, you can olny add so much bass on the EQ before thay start to sound nasty. As for me this was only a small marquee so it was not a problem but a sub would of been nice for the extra deep notes and a bit more kick.

As a marquee has no solid walls, it was strange that where ever you stand the sound was the same. You could stand next to the speaker or at the back, the sound was still as clear, even the bass aswell.



Well to sum it all up. If you are looking to upgrade your speaker system and have about £600 for each speaker then give these a go. They are light, compact, yet powerfull to fill a whole room with sound, where ever you stand.

For anyone who was intrested in this, thanks for reading. :)

[Penfold42]

Reading from all your post's it sounds like you have one very good sound system......congrats mate...and enjoy it.....:)

Like the review.......very good.....:approve:

[h8ytr]

yeah nice review....very informative!

[Tony Scott]

As a marquee has no solid walls, it was strange that where ever you stand the sound was the same. You could stand next to the speaker or at the back, the sound was still as clear, even the bass aswell.





Good review, although I still maintain they look very unhappy! :D

Marquees are great at sucking up the Bass aren't they?. Just like being outside I guess.
Did a gig for 250 people on a farm. I put in 6kw of bass alone and it still didn't sound that loud in the marquee, but if you walked 1/2 mile up the road it sounded like Glasonbury.....the neighbours were a bit miffed mind! :D

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Tom

Although the Mackies are generally loud enough for most small to medium venues on their own, you'll be amazed at the diffference in sound when you add a sub or 2.

[Tom]

Tom

Although the Mackies are generally loud enough for most small to medium venues on their own, you'll be amazed at the diffference in sound when you add a sub or 2.


Intresting.

Just out of intrest, how come you went from Mackie to RCF???

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Intresting.

Just out of intrest, how come you went from Mackie to RCF???

It's a long story....

I don't think there's a great deal of difference with the tops, but the RCF705AS is much better than the SWA1501 IMO.

[Tom]

It's a long story....

I don't think there's a great deal of difference with the tops, but the RCF705AS is much better than the SWA1501 IMO.


Ok. Was going to say don't forget that the RCF is much louder than the Mackie as the RCF is 800 watts and the Mackie is only 500 watts, but I guess what you mean is that the RCF has a better can design:confused: