ive had the v1s for 3 years now... ive had to replace the diaphram..but that was my fault... i also have a pair of srm 350s i think mackies are great speakers.... Get a 56 too.. youll be in good shape with the new additions to your dj setup.

Depends on the condition of the old units. I'd usually prefer new anything except when it comes to the Mackies. The V2's have quality issues (I've personally seen a brand-new/directly out of box unit die in less than 10 seconds) and what was Mackie thinking make a blueberry colored speaker.
If you want to get a house party capable and personal speaker AND save a ton of loot, I'd strongly consider the Tapco Thump 15" speaker. $265 each and very decent bottom end. I'm DJing at a Mercedez Benz dealership for an outdoor event tonight and I'll be using some Thumps. The bass is stellar.

Mackie's are great... V1 has overheating issues. If you are going to be playing using them in a hot environment (like outside in the summer) or always have them turned up very high then go with the V2. I have the V1 still and overheating has always been an issue.

How about neither. Save a little more and get the new QSC K Series. The QSCs sound WAY better and are lighter and go louder.

Mackie is on the ropes and about to get their knockout blow. Warranty service takes forever if anything goes wrong and ordering parts is a pain also. QSCs come with a 6 year warranty and they handle business promptly.

+ 1 on the QSCs, dont try to save a few bucks and kick yourself when you pay for it later

mackie's are done.

big no on version 2 and big no on latter version ones. The Italian ones are decent, but now old.

Here is something to consider. I have never seen a Mackie speaker not break. At some point the woofer, the amp, or the tweeter goes. Thats all fine if you are under warranty and you have time to wait. I have seen costs get up to $350 to repair a 450. Not worth it if you ask me.

I went to Skip's in Sac to do a side by side and they don't even carry Mackie anymore. Thats says a lot because that is where Mackie recommends repairs when you are in little ol' Humboldt like me.

These "what speakers should I buy" threads are getting as bad as the "Mac vs PC" threads

DAFS

Mac and JBL's (prx's)

Let's begin.

PC and Peavy's

Mac vs PC is a realistic debate. Mackie are done. They are no longer in large chains and are having major manufacturing issues. Parts are hard to find and service takes forever. No need to take my word for it. Call a dealer like sweetwater or even PSSL. Guitar center no longer carries them.

I wonder if mac vs pc will be realistic once snow leopard and windows 7 drop.

first off $29 upgrade price is very user friendly
and
OSX already kicks windows but. W7 will add more files and clutter and 10.6 will take away files and clutter. Some of the "features" of 10.6 are pretty damn cool.

not wondering too much, so no debate is necessary

+1 to the QSCs, either the K-series or the HPRs

also +1 to the JBL PRXs

great sound and durability,

I've heard that the v1s overheat like crazy
I picked up a pair of Samson 500s and I love them

I wanna talk to samson!!

In my experience, the V1's have been known to overheat from time to time, but I always thought they were pretty much solid.

As far as the V2's, they are lighter than the V1's, and the blue color didn't bother me much, but the few pairs I've used have a hum problem, and it never seemed to be a problem with the mains, as switching with a V1 or another speaker would get rid of the problem. They don't overheat like the V1's. I also heard a while ago that Mackie was having problems with their Chinese suppliers, and due to this parts might be scarce.

I've used the Tapco's only once and had no problem with them.

I personally have the Behringer B412DSP's, and while Behringer doesn't have the most spot free rep, I've never had a problem with them either.

I have a pair of SRM 350's. Pretty good sound to me.

I have a pair of SRM450s (v1) and must have gotten lucky with them because I have never had an overheating issue or any other problem. I have had them about 7 years. If they were to die now, I would feel like they probably have earned it (although I hope that they do not - I don't want to spend money on speaker replacement right now).

That being said, I would probably not buy them now. Experience has taught me that they run out of bottom end pretty fast as the volume goes up so if you do mobile work, you will also need a sub(s) to round out your sound. I also think that the possibility of overheating would steer me towards another manufacturer (I was was unaware of the overheating issue when I bought mine, and luckily must have bought the one pair that doesn't overheat), but there is rarely a return policy when you buy used gear so if you purchase a pair of v1's that does overheat, you are screwed with sub-par speakers and out $800 or so. As far as the v2's go, it seems that Mackie quality has gone downhill over the last few years and I just don't trust many of their products anymore.

I think some of their smaller mixers are still ok; I have one of these guys for some shows that I do with a 3-piece band and it has help up pretty well so far: www.mackie.com
Of course, this mixer was pretty inexpensive so at this point, if it were to die, I still would feel as though I've gotten my money's worth from it.

Thanks grrillatactics, that was really helpful. I appreciate all the input you guys. Seems like I'm back at square one with choosing a pair of powered boxes but I guess it's better to do more research now than dish out a grand on on stuff that really isn't all its cracked up to be. Any other brand suggestions or pointers would be really, really helpful! thanks

Like I mentioned in another recent thread, I'm hearing a lot of good things about QSC's powered speakers...if I was in the market for powered speakers now, I'd start there.

I wouldn't call the sound I've heard from any plastic-box speaker "good". The original (1998/99 era) Mackie 450's definitely raised the bar at the time for inexpensive self-powered speakers. But they always had the overheating issues, and always sounded ear-shatteringly harsh in the high end when levels were pushed. The JBL EON's always sounded just plain terrible to me (at any volume level)...serious harshness, and very irregular frequency response that makes using them even just as booth monitors a very unpleasant experience.

I still have a 1993-vintage Mackie studio mixer, and 2000-vintage HR824's...both made in the USA, and they still work perfectly. But after Mackie moved all their manufacturing to China a few years ago, quality went totally to hell.

If it's just between those two models then GO FOR THE V1s !!! The v2s have the same tweeter and a better woofer but it doesn't matter cause the new amp is Garbage. As DJMark points out they are bright espeically at high volume its good to run them -3 high 0 mid and +3 low then they sound fantastic untill the LOUD volumes which REQUIRE a sub to not ear bleed people.if its mostly for personal use /small house parties then you might actually wanna look at a pair of KRK RP8s with a RP10S. QSC is a damn good company with quality products but I'm am not a huge fan of the K-series. So far my favorite fair priced DJ monitor / small house party main is the 450 v1 with a v2 woofer. It really helps even the brights out and warms the mids and deepens and strengthens the low. If you have the money spring for KV2 Ex 10 or 12s. Stay away from anything Tapco or new age Mackie.

I work for a shop that repairs PA systems and this is where I draw my knowledge as well as Owning and maintaining a 7.5kw PA system.

Is there a fix for their thermal issue?

Is there a particular reason you brought this 2 year old thread back to life?

Maybe he saw me talking shit about Mackie

Lol..then why wouldn't he post on that thread..at least it was current…damn "Rip Van Winkle" Lol

I have used the v1's for 5 years now without a hickup, Never overheat even in direct sunlight during a 4 hour wedding. I am getting the 350 v2's for ceremony use as well. Macking makes great stuff and I have made thousands with my Mackie gear!!

Hold up. Wait a minute. You mean there's somebody here besides just me who doesn't hate Mackie? I'm shocked!
I have a pair of V2's I bought new and have been running for about five years with ZERO problems. And a pair of V1's that were already almost 10 years old when I bought them used 2 years ago. Also ZERO problems. And I have a LOT of other gear and therefore a basis for comparison. Not to mention I see them all over the place installed in bars and clubs throughout Cincy and San Fran. I'm sorry for you guys on here that had problems. In my experience they've definitely got the bang for the buck. There are better speakers. Just not that I've seen at the same price point.

still faithfully in love with my swa1501.. and absolutely loved the sound of the hd1531.. my buddies 1531's have been going strong and sound SOOO amazing

You won't catch me buying any Mackie speakers because of their lackluster service, support and parts scarcity; however, those 1531's are amazing sounding. I personally compared them and they blew away my 2-way EV ZXa5's in overall loudness, sound quality and bass.

^^^ (nm)

Jackie's are fine within their limits, push them and it becomes harsh. Can't say nothing bad, but if we were talking about behringer ....well they just are horrible period no matter what you do.

I like my Mackie 450s... Does that make me a bad person?

Depends of where they are made... If it's Italy then your good

NM MH

LMao

Mackie fanboy here... I currently own a 2 pairs of the OG sr1530 towers, 1 pair of SWA 1801 subs, 1 pair of srs1500 subs, a pair of Thunps (yuck, I know) and a pair of the Mackie Fussion 1800 subs... The old school stuff I can vouch for as being top notch, but they really $#!+ the bed with the chinese made stuff.

RCF loaded Mackies were decent except for the occasional thermal failiures when used as monitors. The newer V2 Chinese stuff combined with poor customer service would make me avoid the company completely these days. So much better stuff out there with better warranties and Customer service. QSC, Yorkville, Yamaha etc...

Please expand on that.

When used as monitors (on their sides) the 450s had the reputation of shutting down due to inadequate cooling when in this position.

Al

I remember a bunch of V1s shutting down from overheating even when mounted on stands. I think it was fairly common - especially when they were pushed...

I beat on mine on a weekly basis and never had any problems with thermal shutdown. I got a set of v1 and v2s. I hear the stories and am glad it hasn't happened to me yet. I did have a bit of a problem once with a crappy generator, but I don't think that was a Mackie issue specifically.

Thanks.
I've heard people complain about overheating issues a million times and I have NEVER had even one issue with any of my four of them. Maybe it's because 99% of the time I've got them up on stands.

or maybe you know how to set your levels unlike half the djs in my city

Hahahahahahaha

i NEVER had a problem with my srm 450 china or italian made. set my gain to 11pm position and bass and eq flat. that's it ! watch the red line . it's not just there for aesthetics hahah. music sounds better and cleaner without distortion. why clip it? and then complain it overheats ? instead of pushing add one more speaker or two. nx55p same thing. solid like a tank.

Just picked up a 3rd pair of SRM 450s. Got two v2 and 4 originals. They all pound - no issues ever. One has a slight hiss in the tweeter, but not noticable when music is roaring, only up close during dinner music. Inherent of powered speakers I guess.

Get the SRM650. EXCEEDED expectations.

Looks cool.

BTW - I did an outdoor gig last summer where it rained suddenly on my SRM450's. Wind blew so hard it knocked over one of the tri-pods with the speaker on it. It took a 6 ft fall... I was worried, but when I got home, dried it out, and put it through the ringer, it held up! I've been using it ever since with no problems.

I have the Mackie SRM 450's. They work incredible. Never let me down at a gig. I also have the matching 1500 subs and the same quality. if you take care of your equipment it will take care of you.

Well here's a nice change of pace. I used to be the ONLY one in here vouching for Mackie. And getting flamed for it. Nice to see I'm not the only DJ on Earth smart enough to run them correctly so they don't overheat.

mackie was good back in the day when RCF made there speakers

mackies were great when there was very little competition. they're still ok, but just have alot of comp that is either cheaper or better imo.

I do agree with the V1's being a better choice. I'm a DJ in Jamaica and I own and maintain my own sound system which i rent out to events. It's very true that the vast majority of DJ's dont know how to set their levels properly, which would attribute to their overheating problem. I swear by the SRm-450 v1 because half of my passive system failed me during an event due to an amplifier chipping out, i replaced them with the V1's in a flash and they held up wonderfully and i was running them red. Stay away from the new age Mackie stuff though, go with another brand, is my advice.

I compared my Grey Italian (not China made) V1's to my Blueberry V2. No comparison; the Italian V1 is a much better speaker. The V1 has a much deeper, richer bass and more blistering screaming highs. I think the V2 is 70% to that of a V1. You don't need a sub with the V1. It's a much louder more reliable speaker.
I have no overheating issues because I use it indoors while air conditioning is on during summers. I am not a DJ so I use it for live music performances. If I pushed the speaker the audience may complain. The V1 does has much more hiss the V2. I can see how the V1 may overheat; have air passing through the back especially when pushing it. I have seen my friend's brand new Black V2 fry after 2 songs. That shocked me and turned my friend off from Mackie. The same thing happened to me with a Behringer 12" powered speaker before they had the digital ones. I played for my friends wedding after it the Behringer failed half way through, I promised to stay away from Behringer. That is why I went Mackie. I did buy a NEW Mackie 5" powered speaker and it gave out on me after 2 gigs. So, returned it and I bought a Th12A and have been happy since. I wish Mackie made all thier speakers in Italy. The world would be a better place.

I picked up another SRM 450 v1 (Italian made) from eBay a month or two ago. Came in with a torn up woofer. I replaced it with the Eminence driver made for Mackie. Actually, it was just a modified 12" with enlarged holes for the screw mounts. The thing pounds! Compared it to my other sets (V2 and V1) and it definitely has bass thump. I plan on using all six and a couple subs for a high school gig in March.

Man, i wish i could make it to that dance. That event will be the best ex amplíe of a Speaker prowess event.
You have THE Best speakers On THE planet working for you. Can you tell me how many people will be at the event!? And how many speakers and suba? Thanks. Best wishes
Flamenconyc.com

I have to give props to my 1999 v1 mackies 14yrs old and still kicking... only over heat on parades in daytime and once on a night parade but I was jammin all the way up for 2 hours.
Now would I buy another pair... NO! I like the EV's but that just because I couldn't afford to buy all my DJ's QSC or else I would have. But you don't know the history of a used speaker so I would ALWAYS... buy new.
Mac > PC
Traktor> Serato> VDJ>others
I'm Done...

I couldn't and wouldn't give props to a speaker that is known for over heating. Those SRM450s had a design flaw and are just unreliable if you have the constant fear of amp thermal shutdowns.

those may be the ones that were made by rcf…very different than the made in china stuff

Never personally owned the SRM450. But seems like it would work well as a nice monitor speaker.

I need a bit more headroom for my events though... Got mackie?

i159.photobucket.com

I find them really unsuitable for nearfield use. The high frequencies are painful at close range. Better to use a speaker with a direct-radiating or waveguide tweeter than one with a horn for nearfield purposes.

I tested out my Mackies next to QSC and JBL versions and found that the high frequencies had a much wider spread with the Mackies. Too narrow coverage on the others.

Did notice a bit more bass with other brands though, but it was a smaller room. One would have to factor in the acoustics here.

I never had a Mackie overheat, but I did have one of the tweeter connections break off recently and had to solder the wire directly. Replacement parts are easy to get, but the push connectors look pretty cheap quality.

I've been running my QSC 18" subs (HPR series) pretty hard the last couple months and have had great success with them! One is on rental tonight in fact for a local rock band. The others I took with me to a wedding.

I find it kind of weird that alot of people say the SRMs have thermal issues. There is a summer camp in a heavily wooded area with a square mile or so of land. There are 2 SRMs in one corner of the camp on tripods that run at full load all day in the sun everyday. They haven't had any problems with them breaking down, and to my ears the sound quality is good. The sound does project very well and even being on the other side of the camp with a forest as a barrier, you can still make out most of the words of the song that is playing.

It's well documented old news. People did all sorts of patch fixes trying to attach fans to the heatsinks. A couple of solutions were pretty solid.

So much for summer camp getting kids out in nature :-(

They're probably not running the speakers up to or beyond their design limits. Most of the cases I ran into with SRM450's "thermalling" involved DJ's blasting clipped audio through them (redlining some crap Vestax or Pioneer mixer), and paying no attention to the built-in "warning feature" those speakers have: when you're playing too loud, the high frequencies become painful.

@DJMark If they aren't running the speakers to their limits, then I am thoroughly impressed with the output! Maybe they just have a really rare set that is very good lol. As for the statement about nature, the camp does indeed get the kids out in nature. There are many activities like archery, mountain biking, and even banana-boating.

They sound quite decent when given clean audio and not overdriven. When they first came out in 1999 they were pretty much in a class of their own (as far as moderately-priced self-powered speakers are concerned).

Some of the overheating I've heard about involved them being used on a floor sideways as stage monitors...something the SRM's weren't designed for, and is likely to make the heatsink less efficient.

Thanks for the info! If they sound decent, then I would love to hear a GREAT sounding speaker. Do you know how the SRMs compare to the RCF FD12As? Wondering if Joee will chime in...

rcf is the company that made mackie famous back in the day the made the speakers for mackie

now a days there made in china fd vs srm……no comparison in my book

What about speaking purely performance wise. i am looking for high SPL with good bass response.

if you want to go by specs the there both similar , real world use my experience with the new mackie and rcf

srm450 vs fd12…..winner fd12

if you can up the budget the hd32-a is great choice

Old thread but.....like others have said...I have the old V1 SRM450 bought used in 2011. Overheated a couple of times when I had it set to 12o'clock. I now play at 11o'clock on volume. No heat issues and play ALL night. Plenty loud and believe it or not, I carry an extra set of non powered JBL speakers just in case I need more power.....never had to use the jbls. The two SRM450s have done most of my weddings and parties alone, no subs. Now the only thing is woofer replacement time....trying to find original woofers.

Not likely. You may have to buy some RCF equivalents (not Mackie) because Mackie's home is in China.

There's an eBay dealer that sells custom Eminence drivers for the Mackie SRM 450's. I replaced one and they sounded great!

thats like celebating that your vehicle that was recalled 10 yrs ago is still running well and has yet to explode and kill you in a ball of flames......lol

Well then again that's what I think about ALL mackie speakers when someone says anything in reference to them "working well".......

LoL. I hear ya. My buddy has a Behringer mixer (digital live sound board). Super sweet and works well for his applications. Another sound guy we talked to gave him crap all night about using Behringer products. Then we see the other guys set up... he's using Harbinger!

Yep same shit. But in behringer defense they did make 1 great product called the Behringer X32 Board. Lol

They sell a boatload of those and lots of pro sound guys use them.

I just can't when the names are Mackie, Yahmaha, Behringer or Harbinger.....

That's kind of like saying "I won't overheat my car engine anymore, because I backed up my driver's seat an inch". You can still overheat your car of course, as you will simply be stretching your foot a bit more to reach the speed you need. Same principle here. Reducing your gain a little just means you'll need a bit more signal from your mixer to reach a given output level. Your speakers can likely still be overdriven and overheat even if you set your gain set at 9 o'clock - if you provide enough mixer signal...

Al

as much as I hate the 450s... (still have two Italians) they are work horse as fuck when run right.

I also think they hold up better to physical abuse on the outer casing than most of the newer plastic boxes.

I think of them as my mad max speakers. They go to the beach parties, I let my super homies "use" them, I let the newbs carry them, etc.

You don't like Yamaha speakers?

*****blank stare******


those dxr's are some of the best speakers on the marker today, when you factor in price / performance / sound quality

i have a powered 15 yamaha from 99 that still works and sounds good.

That's what he has! :)

One of SMR 450's blew over in a storm once off it's tripod (got all wet too) and I had to use the next day at a wedding. Sucker took a lickin' and kept on overheating... uhhh, I mean tickin'!

They are work horses - I'll give 'em that.

Funny that the Mackie SRM's (v1 v2 and now v3) have been around for a while and we're still talking about them. With all the other powered speakers out there, somehow the SRM series is still worthy of debate. Not all trash talk like Gem Sound or Pyle Pro, but actual pros/cons debate. Gotta say something...

That is true, ive even considered the x32 compact for that reason.

Never have....

My boy used to ALWAYS have Yahmaha's in the SHOP all the time...

I've always dealt with JBL, EV and RCF's.

and Cerwin Vega right?

What kind of Yamahas? Mine have help up fantastic tomy abuse, and Ive seen so many other happy customers

*held *to my *I've

I had the original Cerwin Vega V35's that were manufactured in California purchased originally in 1996. They STILL bang until today for weddings and such. The only reason got the EV powered joints is because I was downsizing to an SUV, and they're more modular.

The Cerwin Vega drivers in the SUBS were classically horrible. I always replaced them with JBL's because the actual Folded Horn design was WAYYYYY before it's time....they just made crappy drivers for them.

I don't know, because I never SAW THEM, as they were always in the shop. They were from the same '95 era, so they were definitely passive.

I remember asking him for speakers a few times while I was getting my game up, and he'd always say they were in the shop.

Yahmaha MAY have made improvements over the years, but I've always bought quality components that lasted for YEARS, so there was never a need to upgrade until absolutely necessary.

For example, I remember when Numark put out Quality mixers, and when they started to suck. So my last impression is that they suck.

as is my impression of Mackie

Yamaha gear is great nowadays. The DXR tops are awesome.

I have 6 SRM 450 V2s been using them never had a problem. Only thing I notice is the original blue ones sound a little better than the black ones. If

Cosign.
My DBR15s bang hard and have taken quite a few beating and are still fantastic

See, I never had the time to wait for something to eventually be good...

I just went with what was the best at that time...

JBL, RCF, EV, Peavey (for tops), Cerwin and Sonic cabinets, Crown and QSC amps, Rane Crossovers, Soundcraftsman Preamps, Alesis, BBE, Furman, Calzone, Technics, Realistic...

No worries....ever.

Helo.I using the srm450 v2 for 4 years I have the china assembly version,and the speakers are very great.Never overheat o nothing else.I thing this speakers are wonderfull.The life of the speakers and the performance depend how you using that correctly'thats its my opinion.I already have the jbl eon 15 g2 active the old version and I thing theyr speaker are one of the best speakers are made of the all time.Maby this is my personal opinion..!!!Scuse me for the bad englesh.

Amyone tried the version 3 s ?

With SO MANY better options out there from manufacturers who produce quality reliable gear that is well backed, why would anyone want to use Mackie... who now have a reputation of producing unreliable crap that no shops want to work on when they fail. Mackie products and customer service are simply crap these days. Yamaha, Yorkville, QSC, EV, RCF, JBL all do it so much better.

Al

I would think after version one came out to wide praise and then the pile of crap that was v2 the company would have seen substantial drop in sales. Their only solution is to produce another good quality product (like v1) and make it very cheap to try and recapture their lost market. Therefore - V3 might be a steal. Id like to hear off anyone who actually used them for a gig.

Anybody ignorant enough to buy Mackie speakers within the last 10 years probably is not the right person to be taking recommendations from.

I disagree - I think its more ingnorant to judge something you havent actually heard (or used in the field) . I would still like to hear someones opinion who actually uses them.

out of curiosity ,do you know that RCF was responsible for that V1 mackie? they actually made the speaker, that explains why everyone really liked that speaker



interesting you can't find an opinion from a experienced knowledgeable user of mackie V3's?

You've gotten solid advice from some of the most reputable people on the board. A board that you came to asking for advice. Since you didn't get the answer you want you are downplaying that advice.

Here's some alternate advice. Buy the speakers from a company with a good return policy. Try them out and see if you like them. If they work great...if not return them.

i'VE learned a long time ago that some people can not be saved from themselves and MUST be allowed to fail repeatedly on their own in order to learn.

what happens when they don't learn?

Well by definition, I think it would be safe to consider them an idiot.

LOL…..

Id still like to hear from someone who actually uses the version 3 . Please dont be put off by online morons who might put you down for the crime of owning a mackie speaker lol - I'd still like to hear your opinion !

Ivve been working professionally in the industry for over 25 years - probably when most of you were still wearing nappies - but this is the internet - you see Mackie srm450s all the time in the real world including some of the biggest production companies in the world so....I take internet discussions with a pinch of salt. I would really like to hear the opinion of someone who actually use the new model - and I think they might be put off by some of the frankly ignorant posts baove.

again i ask

"you can't find an opinion from a experienced knowledgeable user of mackie V3's?"

well I could phone up one of Londons biggest and most succesful speaker hire companies and ask them I guess :

www.londonspeakerhire.com

but of course they are obviously amateurs. Look the thing is if you are a DJ playing small gigs and you only have one pair of speakers or maybe a few theny yes - it probably makes sense to buy something a bit higher end. But for working companies - we have to buy dozens - even hundreds of these things (for stage monitors etc) and at this point the slight improvement in quality will not be notices (especially with an experienced engineer) and secondly will not justify the tens of thousands of dollars extra you have to spend.

Hey look what I found www.djforums.com

LOL

you were right

thanks - thats exactly what I was looking for. Look slike we will be going down the RCF route.

Did you read what London Speaker Hire wrote about the Mackie?

"*** Please note we now stock the QSC K12 speaker which is far superior and no longer stock this model ***"

That should answer your question.

lol