Mackie HR624's First Impressions

One nice thing is that when you get a good mix with these, it translates well.

The Dynaudios are great speakers; these, however, are quite a useful reference, and you might grow to like them.

 

Thanks a lot, Scott. I was all set to buy some Dynaudio BM15A's next month but now I'm re-thinking it all over again for the hundredth time. The HR624's and a LA-610 for the same price as the BM15A's. GAS!

 

Just curious, have you ever used Event 20/20 passives? If so, how do they compare to the Mackies?

The reason I ask is that in my home studio environment, the Events are not accurately reflecting low end content. I know this could be the result of a thousand variables, but I've tweeked many of these and still the same problem.

 

Hey Scott...

What can you tell me about the Benchmark DAC1 vs other options you've used or will use? Did you use the level control on the front panel to adjust the monitors' volume?

I've got an RME Multiface for my DA, going into a Behringer MX882 (mixer/splitter) for controlling monitor levels.

Thanks.

 

Thanks Scott. I'm confident your ears are better than mine, and you confirmed my impressions re the 20/20s. I've had to adjust to them, so I may keep 'em anyway.

 

I know exactly what you're talking about. I feel your impression of them is very accurate, but I disagree as to whether that "softness" is always a good thing. I've had some of those "softened" transients that sounded so sweet in the studio hit very hard on other systems. I feel that's where the 624s fall short, is that they're weak on the extreme ends both high and low. I've found I have to be careful there. Though the mix might sound pretty good overall there are often certain tracks that need taming, and it always seems to be either <40 Hz or >14 kHz.

If you want great out-of-the-box monitors that really do the whole job you're not going to find them at anything near that price range. 624s are designed to be "something for everyone" right out of the box, and for that concept they are terrific. I've just come to accept that without the ideal acoustic environment AND significant bucks for finely tweaked monitoring components, there will be compromises at those frequencies that are universally the most "finicky." Either that or our ears will be killing us in no time because those frequencies will be pushed beyond reason just so we can hear them (which is what I don't like about the 824s - they hurt, and fast!). That's the compromise we have to live with if Tom Hidley isn't our interior decorator.

So those key words - "good overall" - is what I like about the 624s. That in itself is very cool. I can get very good mixes very quickly with them, but I still need to play my mixes in a bunch of different systems to hear the nagging things that occaisionally pop out on the extreme ends.

 

You won't get away with this, whoever you are. I'm calling Scott right now to tell him his ID has been stolen.

 

>whew<

Good to have you back, bro.

 

Would it be safe to assume that the 624's are a good choice for those of us who are working in a home studio, without the benefits of proper acoustic treatments, etc? Mine is in a small nook in our bedroom.

 

Bad acoustics only make things worse, and no monitor will compensate for that. Then you have to figure out whether the room is screwing things up or the less than ideal monitors.

In that case, a good set of headphones, ie: Sennheiser MD600 or Ultrasone, etc, will at least let you hear the details, separate from the room and monitors. But you'll need good headphones (like above) for any reasonable level of accuracy.

 

Nothing is safe to assume!!

I dunno, probably. They're pretty forgiving, but Ron is right that if your room really sucks they won't make it as if it didn't.

They are the only monitors I'd recommend in the under $1000 range.

 

Dude, buy the BM15As. You'll never need another monitor. Make sure your room is big enough to handle them, tho.

Thank me later.

Loudboy

 

Nice thoughtful review, Scott. I'm looking forward to checking a pair out at some point.

 

As you know, I've been saying good things about the 624s for a while.

I intend to add the matching subwoofer to the system at some point. I think that will solve the very low end rolloff problem...after all, we are talking about a 6.5 inch woofer.

As to the shortage of transient response, I agree, and I think that problem might be related to the dispersion of the speakers, forcing the woofer to handle lots of low end, and phase anomalies from the placement and the room.

Just for fun, I tried cupping my hands behind my ears to see how the response of the speaker changed, blocking out reflections in the room, etc., and it was significant.

I am also of the belief that the amplifiers on these little pups are pretty much at their practical limits at normal mix levels. Again, not having to handle a ton of low end will help, once I hook up a sub.

 

Very true. If your room is small to moderate sized, you'd be much better off with the BM6As.

Dynaudio just released their new BM5A powered monitors. I had the Mackie HR824s and replaced them with the BM6As - what a major improvement! No comparison. The Dynaudios are more balanced and accurate. I haven't tried the BM5As, but my guess is that they will blow away the HR624s and they're in the same price range.