Mackie HR824Mk2

[SpaceMonkey]

Hi everyone,
would anyone possibly have measurements for Mackie HR824Mk2 on- and off- axis? Also I would appreciate any first hand experiences with them posted. People seem to be rather polarized about them.

 

[Erik]

You can find their on- and off- axis measurements in this downloadable PDF file sold for 8,90 €.
https://www.soundandrecording.de/shop/studiomonitore-special/

 

[SpaceMonkey]

You can find their on- and off- axis measurements in this downloadable PDF file sold for 8,90 €.
https://www.soundandrecording.de/shop/studiomonitore-special/

Thank you! I think this is a very modest investment against a rather costly mistake

 

[SpaceMonkey]

I searched for it and could not find. So, obviously, as soon as I made a topic i found measurements:
https://www.resolutionmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Mackie-HR824-Mk2.pdf

 

[q3cpma]

Thanks for finding this. Not too shabby, but could be flatter for the price (which is only 100€ less than a 8040B, here). Strange that directivty takes a dive after 10 kHz.
Wonder if the 624 is better.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Thanks for finding this. Not too shabby, but could be flatter for the price (which is only 100€ less than a 8040B, here). Strange that directivty takes a dive after 10 kHz.
Wonder if the 624 is better.

I am being offered a pair at less than half the price. But I am seeing on the graph all 3 issues people complain about.
1. muddy bass. This is really visible in waterfall and frequency delay. Plus big 3rd harmonic distortion is not helping either.
2. weird midrange. not smooth at all. up-down, up-down
3. no HF. This is not a problem for me. I get annoyed by more HF, than less of it.

Overall, this is the issue, these 824s are very cheap, but I prefer fast bass, and really get annoyed with boominess. I cant audition because of the whole covid-19 situation so overall 824s look like a product that would require tinkering with passive radiator (people report good results when mounted in the soffit, not my case) and EQing.

 

[q3cpma]

The massive passive radiators may be the cause of "boominess". I'd consider these (at half price) only if you need midfield speakers and can't own a subwoofer; and can do some EQ. There, they would shine.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

The massive passive radiators may be the cause of "boominess". I'd consider these (at half price) only if you need midfield speakers and can't own a subwoofer; and can do some EQ. There, they would shine.

In fact I was thinking of opening and replacing passive radiator with some sort of very think damping panel or just marine plywood with damping. But then again why bother with DIY if it is possible just avoiding purchase. More like "want-to-have" instead of "need-to-have" situation

 

[q3cpma]

In fact I was thinking of opening and replacing passive radiator with some sort of very think damping panel or just marine plywood with damping. But then again why bother with DIY if it is possible just avoiding purchase. More like "want-to-have" instead of "need-to-have" situation

I wouldn't do this, it's like removing the driver from a 3-way speakers. The 624 might not suffer from this problem, though.

 

[ferrellms]

Hi everyone,
would anyone possibly have measurements for Mackie HR824Mk2 on- and off- axis? Also I would appreciate any first hand experiences with them posted. People seem to be rather polarized about them.

This may not be what you are interested in... I've had the HR624Mk2 for years and can recommend them as uncolored, great imaging, great dynamic range, a manageable bookshelf size at a very fair price. Visitors to my living room are often amazed I am sure the HR824Mk2 are also excellent, although I have not heard them. IMHO, the controversy about Mackies is essentially snobbery - the earlier version upended the entire market for small studio monitors in the 90s with superior performance and they became very popular, and we know what that means for snob appeal. Some complain about the passive radiator bass as being not "tight" - I cannot hear any problems on my HR624s, in fact, given the size, the bass is surprisingly deep and solid. (No, they are not subwoofers.) Also, the Mackies are available widely used if you look around you can find a great bargain.

I do have Genelecs in my home studio, and they are marginally smoother in the midrange. They are no better than the Mackies in terms of imaging or bass or dynamics. They cost 3 times as much.

 

[q3cpma]

I do have Genelecs in my home studio, and they are marginally smoother in the midrange. They cost 3 times as much.

You can't say that about the HR serie. At least here, the HR824 is basically the same price as a 8040B; it doesn't even go lower (both are around -6 dB at 39 Hz). By the way, I can't say if that "muddy bass" story is true; we'd need other measurements from the same facility to compare.

 

[ferrellms]

Well, I got the 6" woofer Mackies for $500/pr (used), and the 6" woofer Genelecs 8040s cost me $1200/pr used. So I should have said "over twice as much". I do prefer the Genelecs, but for the price and size the Mackies are very satisfactory to me and I can recommend them.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Really curious to see the Mackie HR series tested here at ASR because they were in project studios everywhere for about 10-15 years. A friend has owned a pair of HR824mk1s for about that amount of time and he doesn't seem to be inclined to move on.

Thanks for posting the Resolution measurements, @SpaceMonkey. More or less confirms my experiences with the HR824s. Even though the low bass is a question mark due to resonance/ringing especially in under-treated rooms, they do make a commendable effort to be full-range; the graph shows flat FR to around 40 Hz.

When I auditioned a pair of mk2s on a monitor listening spree in 2008, they were the winners for under $2K/pair. People who listen to "active" music like rock, pop, electronic, metal, etc. may find them to be a good match.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Another interesting measurement of 624 mk2:

http://dtmblabber.blogspot.com/2010/08/mackie-hr624-mkii.html

Not sure how scientific, but still interesting.

 

[frankrcarter]

Here’s the spinorama of the HR824 Mk1....appears to be better than the Mk2 to me.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Here’s the spinorama of the HR824 Mk1....appears to be better than the Mk2 to me.

Yes, looks kind of more even.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Speaking of HR824mk1s, at one point I ordered a pair of used mk1s from Guitar Center. When they showed up, one was made in the USA, the other made in China. The individual monitors sounded different to me. I auditioned them separately, swapped their positions in the room. Not a huge difference, but enough not to want to keep them. Could have been age-related or who knows what else. Just another data point.

 

[LTig]

I inherited a pair of HR824mk1. Compared to my K&H O300D (attention: subjective opinion) the bass is a little softer and goes a little deeper but it's not boomy at all. Imaging is much more diffuse but has a certain charme (even mono recordings sound broad and room filling). I could live with them if I had to part my O300Ds.

Looking at the photo of the mk2 in the review posted above the wave guide of the mk2 seems to be smaller than that of the mk1.

 

[Sloppy Joe]

Hi guys. New here, first post.

I purchased a pair of HR824mk2 a few months ago. Reading up on it before, SOS and other pro-magazine reviews, I decided it was time for something totally different. Boy, what a happy surprise! First of all I have been in recording and mastering half my life and retired a year ago.
Always a big fan of B&W loudspeakers with hefty Bryston amplification I sold my B&W800 Nautilus monstrosities to a friend. (125 kg a piece!!!)
Gave my ears a rest for a while and now I am ready for something new. Again, for a price of less than 600 euros a piece, I have a pair of speakers that blew my socks off. You have to consider the price here. The 800 Nautilus cost 18,000 euros in 2002! Yes, they are/were better sounding than these babies, but not by 30 times...

The accuracy of the HR824mk2 is stunning, the low end is very nice and the top, ah, who cares what happens above 13 kHz (that's my limit fer now). No seriously, it's fine, more than fine! I have them set up on stands 62 cm high and 2,75 meters apart, free standing in a moderately damped space, kind-a DELE, about 50 cm from the side and 100 cm from the back.
In my room the mk2's go easily down to 30 Hz, which I think is amazing for the size of these speakers. I could use some more low end though, sub lows actually, for those rare recordings that go down that far. I have been looking at the Dynaudio 18s subwoofer. Has any of you experience with that sub? Appearantly they go down to 16 Hz (at what level?).

Anyway, I am very happy with these 824's and my friend still comes over to listen to stuff, because his 800's stand in a living room now, with no acoustic treatment whatsoever and to be honest, they sound pretty awful over there. ;-)

 

[Sloppy Joe]

Here is a pic of the current set up. Demping material in the back and on the side walls. Slanted walls front and back, straight walls to the sides. I am using a Emotiva DA convertor as pre-amp. The thingy on top is a Yamaha streamer.