Mackie HR824mkii 8-inch2-Way Studio Monitor Review
Mackie HR824mkii 8-inch2-Way Studio Monitor Feature
- Ultra-linear frequency response for accurate mix translation
- 8.75-inch high-precision, low-distortion LF transducer
- 1-inch titanium dome, ferrofluid cooled tweeter
- Optimized Waveguide for wide, even sweet zone
- Twin FR Series amps - 150W for LF / 100W for HF
Our HR824mk2 and HR624mk2 high-resolution Active studio reference monitors represent the evolution of revolutionary thinking. Our engineers, joined by audio gurus from EAW, worked hard to conceive of a way to preserve the all-important character of the original HR, while delivering performance—as well as appearance—that’s better than ever. And even moreso than the original HR824 and HR624, which were designed apart from each other, the HR824mk2 and HR624mk2 are part of the same family, true siblings in design and sound. Sharing the same engineering, they are created to work together, whether in surround systems, or as part of complementary monitoring setups in different sized rooms.
Zero-edge Baffle The new one-piece cast aluminum Zero Edge Baffle™ features precisely engineered curvature that minimizes diffraction for a crystal clear image of your mix, and effectively controls sound waves so you get detailed lows, full, articulate mids, and shimmering highs. The integrated Optimized Waveguide accurately and efficiently controls dispersion characteristics of the sound on and off axis, resulting in a wide sweet spot with smooth transitions from lows to highs. More inert than a wood or plastic baffle, the Zero Edge Baffle’s cast metal surface reduces surface vibrations during playback, thereby minimizing distortion to the sound’s waveforms; the result is improved time-domain characteristics, which equates to dramatically enhanced depth of field.
Thanks to the design of the Zero Edge Baffle, the HRmk2’s imaging is stunningly accurate, with wide, even dispersion, and three-dimensional sound, delivering a much broader sweet spot than any other studio monitor on the market—so broad, in fact, that we like to call it a sweet zone.
Passive Radiator
The HRmk2 delivers outstanding bass response, thanks to our passive radiator design. First used in the original HR Series, the passive radiator design avoids the drawbacks of ducted ports or slots.
When you mount a loudspeaker in a box, there are two things that you can do with the radiation from the rear of the cone: use it to enhance the low-frequency performance of the speaker system (bass reflex system) or soak it up (acoustic suspension system). A bass reflex system uses the rear radiation to extend the low-frequency response; most systems provide holes (ports) in the front or back of the cabinet to release the rear wave. The HRmk2 is a bass reflex 6th-order system. Rather than use ports, the vent takes the form of a passive radiator, a mass-loaded flat piston coupled to the air trapped within the enclosure. You can’t see the passive radiator because it is located at the rear of the cabinet, behind the power amplifier assembly.
The passive radiator replaces the port found on most speaker systems. Simple ports or ducts must have sufficient surface area to prevent the velocity of the air within them from exceeding 5% of the speed of sound, which keeps the vent from becoming audible (breathing and wheezing sounds) at high signal levels. This requirement for sufficient surface area creates a design problem when using ports—finding enough space in the enclosure for them to fit.
One primary advantage of a passive radiator is that it can reproduce low frequencies with lower distortion and at a higher sound pressure level (SPL) than a simple port or duct. Our unique passive radiator design uses a flat diaphragm, providing exceptional stiffness to the radiating surface. The elliptical shape of the passive radiator takes up nearly the entire surface area available on the rear of the enclosure, allowing the passive radiator to move more air than a port. And as a result of this design, our HRmk2s deliver superior bass response, with virtually no distortion.
Amplifiers
The HRmk2 Series monitors are a true Active design, meaning they contain separate onboard amplifiers for each driver, plus onboard active crossovers and time-correction circuitry, which helps ensure highs and lows reach your ears at the same time. The HRmk2s also have protection circuitry built in to protect from damaging input levels. With the same class A/B amplifier design as the original HR Series, the HRmk2s retain the much-loved character of our classic monitor, and carry on the Acoustic Space circuitry of the classic HRs, which allows you to tune the monitors to your room.
Designed into the heart of the amplifier circuits are EQ and filter sections that allow each amplifier to be precisely factory-tuned, ensuring that what we designed in our labs is what you end up with in your studio. Before assembly, we first hand-trim the amplifiers to exactly match the amplifiers in our Golden Reference Unit. (See "Unparalleled Quality" for more on the Golden Reference Unit.) During final assembly and testing, the amplifiers are voiced to match the rest of the components in the entire monitor system; they’re hand-trimmed to compensate for very slight manufacturing tolerances between the drivers. This meticulous process results in each monitor being within exacting references of the Golden Reference Unit.
Woofer/Tweeter Selection
Each HRmk2 monitor features a high-precision, low-distortion woofer—8.75-inch for the HR824mk2 and 6.7-inch for the HR624mk2—and a 1-inch ferrofluid cooled titanium dome tweeter. An exhaustive process, the selection of the new HRmk2 drivers consumed considerable engineering resources. Our team spent countless hours in their quest to find drivers that met our stringent criteria, including the ability to be manufactured in volume with virtually no variability between units, the ability to produce the desired frequency response, and the ability to meet the tight price goals that allow us to make our monitors affordable. After having rejected multiple candidates, the team eventually narrowed down the field. With further engineering input, we sourced drivers that met our standards, and successfully managed to fine-tune a system that delivers unparalleled results.
Cabinet Design
The HRmk2 monitors feature a wood cabinet, with custom internal bracing to increase its strength and rigidity in desired locations. To absorb internal reflections and dampen standing waves inside the cabinet, an open-cell adiabatic foam material is placed strategically inside the box. While an all-metal cabinet had been considered as a potential design strategy, in the end our design team used their ears to make their choice of cabinet material. And what they heard from an all-metal cabinet was a sound that was accurate, but overly sterile. Combining a wood cabinet with our metal Zero Edge Baffle adds that unquantifiable "bit of warmth," producing sound that’s true—and never lifeless.
To say we here at Mackie are detail-oriented is an understatement. We obsessed over every last detail on the HRmk2 Series—from the color and finish, to the power indicators and even the vents in the heat sink.
With the potential for the speakers to be used in settings from home theatres to gaming rooms to studios, we opted for a look that would be universally appealing. The high-gloss, piano black finish of the cabinet complements the deep charcoal grey of the Zero Edge Baffle, and gives the HRmk2 a modern, professional look that suits just about any environment. All HRmk2s ship with peelable, protective film on each side to ensure that they look as brilliant in your studio as they do when they leave the factory.
Our LED power indicator is a tasty shade of white—a cool, refreshing change from your typical red. We took care to make sure the brightness is just right, too. The light shines bright enough... read more
Along with Acoustic Space Controls that allow you to adjust low frequency response to compensate for placement next to the wall, in corners, or in the center of a room, the HRmk2s come with... read more
We go to elaborate lengths to ensure each HRmk2 sounds as good as our experts intended. Each one we manufacture is subject to rigorous testing and pre-screening during the production process, then calibrated and tuned with an environmentally controlled test chamber before final packaging. Our Golden Reference Unit serves as the reference point for calibration; there is one of each model in the HRmk2 family. Hand-engineered in the US, the Golden Reference Unit is the "master" for HRmk2 production units—it is the final design arrived at and approved by the HRmk2 team. The Golden Reference Unit and the test chamber are calibrated as a system every few hours, to compensate for temperature and humidity variations, and the resulting measurements are used to calibrate each HRmk2 production unit. Each HRmk2 monitor is tuned to be within 1.5 dB across the entire frequency range of the Golden Reference Unit, and gets its own "birth certificate" with a chart plotting the frequency difference between it and the Golden Reference Unit. The birth certificate is then verified and signed by a Mackie Acoustic Technician.
Our strict quality control means all our HRmk2s meet our published specifications, and that there is little-to-no variability between units. No matter if you get your first HRmk2 pair now and add another pair for your surround setup months later, you can be confident you have a precisely tuned system that has been designed to work in unison, and that every HRmk2 pair is a true "matched pair."
Our Golden Reference Units serve as the reference point for calibration; hand-engineered in the US, the Golden Reference Units serve as the "masters" for HRmk2 production units... read more
- High resolution Active studio reference monitor
- Ultra-linear frequency response for accurate mix translation
- 8.75-inch high-precision, low-distortion LF transducer
- 1-inch titanium dome, ferrofluid cooled tweeter
- Optimized Waveguide for wide, even sweet zone
- Twin FR Series amps — 150W for LF / 100W for HF
- Cast aluminum Zero Edge Baffle™ minimizes diffraction
- Full internal damping eliminates midrange artifacts
- Passive radiator provides tight, articulate bass extension down to 35Hz
- Acoustic Space, LF roll-off, and HF controls
- Balanced XLR, TRS, and unbalanced RCA inputs
- OmniMount™ ready for easy wall/ceiling placement
- THX pm3™ certified for surround sound applications
- Perfect for High-Definition audio, cinema and gaming systems
With its smooth sound and design, the 8.75-inch HR824mk2 high-resolution Active studio reference monitor turns your studio?s sweet spot into a full-on sweet zone.
