Mackie refreshes MR studio monitors with ‘Acoustic Space Control’
The MR series might not be brand new, but they offer quality on the cheap. · Source: Mackie
Popular brand Mackie has made a “complete refresh” of its MR series of powered studio monitors. The affordable speakers are designed for home studios and content creators, and are available in 5-inch (MR524), 6.5-inch (MR624), and 8-inch (MR824) configurations. There’s also the 10-inch MRS10 powered subwoofer to handle the low end of things.
The MR Series uses a ‘logarithmic waveguide’, which Mackie says provides a wide listening sweet spot and enhanced stereo imaging, allegedly resulting in higher fidelity and consistent sound over a wide listening area. Each monitor also includes an acoustic isolation pad that decouples the monitor from the desk or stand to prevent unwanted vibrations and reflections. That’s a good bit of added value!
The MR speakers allow for three different acoustic space settings to compensate for monitor placements close to walls, corners, and other problematic conditions. The high-frequency EQ control allows for further adjustments in order to get a more accurate response for your particular room. This “Acoustic Space Control” feature is evidently a response to the fact that many musicians nowadays convert spare spaces, like bedrooms and garages, into makeshift studios. But these spaces are often not acoustically optimal, and were never designed or planned to support sound recording and mixing to begin with. Mackie is stressing this ‘adaptability’ aspect in their marketing, and is probably offering as much as you can reasonably expect in the way of user influence over the sound given the affordable price point.
Sold individually, the recommended pricing in USD for the MR series is $209.99 for the MR524, $279.99 for the MR624, $349.99 for the MR824, and $559.99 for the MRS10. They come in priced below the company’s XR range, which we wrote about back in September. All in all, these monitors sound like viable alternatives to JBL’s excellent LSR series, which have been a staple of budget studios for a good few years now. What do you think of Mackie’s MR models?
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