I just bought a Mackie SRM450 . I find it to be the best speaker I ever had . Had JBLS,Yamaha,Community . One Power Mackie sounds like two . Covers the whole room . Front -- Back and sides . Great sound on all levels ..Power to spare . Really can crank up and retain a clear sound .My opinion . Worth every penny .

Alex

Hi Alex,
I still own two Eon power 15.
I listened to the Mackie a few month ago and must agree, that the sound was quite a bit better. The sales tech however told me, that at higher output the JBL sound better since they have a 15" driver compared with the Mackie's 12" driver. I didn't have a chance to verify wether this is true.
According to your post you state, that you did crank up the Mackie with a clean sound?
Thanks for your reply,
Eric

hey Alex,

I'm glad you made the change to the mackies. I knew when you came down to my Dance Club and heard me perform thru the Mackies you would never be the same again :>)

PS thanx for the CD and demo tape sounds great!

Good Luck

Donny

Hi Uncle Dave,
thank you for your reply.
I think I got to save up some money and trade
those JBL's in.
Eric

Alex,

The Mackie SRM450 is a great speaker but I think it be better to have a separate mixer. Here's why:

1. Ability to plug in up to 8 line-in devices like 4 mics, a keyboard, a cd-player, a cassette deck for recording, etc.

2. You can apply more Mixer DSP effects over the whole system or on just the devices you want. You can tailor your sound very precisely. The Mackie 808S and the Yamaha EMX800ST are stereo mixers that can really take advantage of our stereo keyboard's abilities.

3. Upgrading - If you want to upgrade speakers or the mixer later you can without sacrificing the whole system.

4. Price - The price for good speakers and a stereo mixer is about the same as just buying two SRM450s (running $750 to $799). The Mackie C300/C300i is nearly identical to the SRM450 but without the built-in mixer.

Two SRM450s will cost $1598. The Mackie C300/C300i speakers cost $389 each. A Mackie 808S Stereo Mixer delivers a lot of power (1,000 watts into 4 ohms) and costs $799. So, for $1578 you can buy the mixer and two C300 speakers. You'll have more power, more useable inputs, (yeah, one more piece to carry but each piece is lighter), and can be easily upgraded as you need (when the next generation of speakers hits the market).

Well, probably nobody will agree with me but that's where I am right now. If Mackies are too expensive, you could go with a Yamaha EMX860ST stereo mixer ($549) and two Yamaha S112-IV 12-inch speaker cabs ($259 each) for a total of $1069. Then upgrade the speakers to Mackie later when you've got more cash.

I'm expecting some money to come my way sometime before Xmas. If it does, then I'm going for the Mackie system. If it doesn't, then I hope I can afford the Yamaha system before the end of the year.

Sorry, didn't mean to write book . . .

I agree with you totally Stevizard..... Right now I'm using a powered loudspeaker for my XV-88, and even though I love having everything in one package, when I go to buy more speakers some day I will definitely go unpowered and get a good powered mixer...... It just makes more sense to me that way. Then if I want to add some better speakers or some monitors I don't have to shell out the extra $200-400 to get them powered too, the mixer will take care of that. Just one question..... what are some good powered mixers out there that run about $500-1000.... I'm looking at a Roland CPM300??? (I'm not sure if that's right) A Samson TM300 (Again not sure if it's right) and others..... Oh, and I want the tabletop kind, not the box version. Oh and can I run a powered speaker without power and just use it as a regular speaker???? If I do get a powered mixer I wouldn't want to kill the speaker by amping the sound twice.

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John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Hi KeyboardFreak. It sounds as if you've tried powered speakers and desire a change. The Samson TM300 is a 300 Watt system that delivers only 150 watts per side -- that's probably a little underpowered (although the price is right). However, if you're just playing small venues, then it might do OK.

The Mackie 808s (stereo) and the the 808M (mono) are both 1,200 watt amps and deliver 450 watts @ 4 ohms to each C300 speaker (no advantage for powered speakers here). The specs for the Mackie 808S/M with C300 speakers are the same as the SRM450s, and they sport DSP effects that the powered speakers don't. They also give you MANY MORE INPUTS and choices as to what you can do with it. Forget running monitors with the powered speakers, they can't handle it. I really don't think there's much of a decision on this one. Still, I guess it becomes just a matter of personal choice. I want the freedom to replace my speakers when something better comes along without having to throw my whole system out.

I've listened to the Yamaha EMX860 with the 12" Club Series speakers at a local music store . . . they sound very good (not as good as the Mackie System but they cost a lot less too). The EMX860 has 3 separate amps (one amp drives the monitors) each generating 200 watts of power. So, each speaker is driven at 200 watts.

I'm looking to upgrade too but I'm on a limited budget for this. Some of the guys on this board buy new equipment nearly every year. The latest and greatest is only good enough for them until the next NAMM show. Wish my life were that simple. My system MUST be within my budget and MUST LAST for a at least a few years (Bill Gates ain't my daddy).

KeyboardFreak, if you happen onto a good deal on the Mackie system or find something really great please let me know.

I have to agree and disagree with Uncle Dave. I bought the Yamaha EMX860ST. At $549 it is a great value. I think it has plenty of headroom and crystal clear response. Plus, it has the additional built-in 200 watt monitor amp. I use it with a pair of Peavey 10 inch cabinets for monitors and a pair of 12 inch Peavey cabinets for mains. Sounds great.

I do agree with U.D. (short for Uncle Dave) that the effects generally are below average. I use the effects on my X1 anyway so I don't really care. I thinking about a digitech S100 for additional effects.

This setup has more than enough power for everything but the very large gigs and you don't need an additional monitor amp. I'm happy.

Tom

I just came across a "heat" issue with the SRM450 and thought I'd share it. It seems that they automatically shut down at 113 degrees. Since the amp is built into the speaker cab a shutdown could happen if the speakers on on the floor when playing in rooms saturated with body heat (I've been in some pretty "hot" rooms). Here's the URL on the discussion = http://www.live-audio.com/messages/56079.html

Don't know if this has happened to any other SRM450 owners but its good to know about before buying them . . .

Thanks for all the info guys...... I'm not looking to buy any new gear right now, sometime later. I don't really want a change from powered speakers, I agree they sound great...... it just seems that for the price of two good powered speakers I could get a good powered mixer and two unpowered speakers. It seems that since some of you said you can't really drive a monitor or other speakers from a powered speaker, any other speakers I would want to get (monitors, another speaker) I would have to get powered, costing about $700-1000 more (all together) than their non-powered counterparts..... If I got a powered mixer I could add more speakers at will and not worry about having to get them powered too. Thinking about it though..... If I get another good powered speaker and a good unpowered mixer that would probably work.... then I wouldn't have an unused speaker (the powered one I have now) and I guess the sound would be better too.... which in the end is what really matters. Thanks again guys.

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John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I have a friend who has the Yamaha mixer with 3 power amps. Seeems to have enough power, but the effects are primitive.
I have found that the powered speakers (I still have those old out-dated EON 15's) sound great, but I'm not sure they really save that much setup time. Each has it's own power cord and balanced mic cable for input. With my old rack-mount system, I could leave everything connected. Just roll in the rack, plug in the keyboard, mic and speakers and play. Not much difference in setup time, really.
Of course to get the efficiency of the powered speakers, you would need to bi-amp, and this means extra stuff in the rack--crossovers and more cables. I'm half-way glad I don't have any money, so don't have to consider a change.
DonM

Don you have more money than all of us put together. You're out there 7 nights a week making the big bucks. I probably could live on just the tips you receive.

Tom

hello,

on the mackie srm450 heat issue,
when you leave the speakers on the floor on their side like a monitor this makes the rear COOLING FINS lay in a Horozontal Position (about 20 12" fins) thus the heat which rises from them cannot Cool fast enough and the heat builds up to a hotter level. If the heat becomes to much the Mackies have a Thermal Sensor Shutoff and the Amp will shutdown at a certian temperture. This has happened to me 2x so far until I learned the fan Trick, (ONLY when I have them layed down on the floor in hot weather or hot stage lights or when playing hard Loud music like a disco song etc) at low volumes it doesn't happen. If this occures
the red light will come on and you will have to wait for the unit to cool off about 5 minutes then it will be ok again to work. Here are two tips, try to alway keep the SRM 450 on a stand so that the cooling fins can Cool Properly as designed ( they have NEVER shut off on a stand indoors or outside ) if your gonna put them on the floor only, I use a small 6" portable fan on right against the Fins to prevent this happening during a show. With that aside, NOTHING Sounds better then the Mackies SRM 450's that I have heard so far,.!!!

Donny



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 11-08-2000).]

Yes Tom, I can't complain. I have made hundreds of dollars in this business.
DonM

Don, I was believeing everything you were telling me but after this post of yours I don't know what to believe. I made hundreds of dollars around New Orleans in the late 50' and 60's man. You must have made a few thousand by now heh?

Boo, the big city boys like you, U.D., Tom, Fran, Donny, Scott... make all the big bucks. I barely make enough to maintain my membership in the country club.
I'm down to my last two p.a. systems, and I've only had three keyboards in the last 12 months. Woe is me.
I thought you were coming to sit in with me?
Hurry before I lose my job.
DonM

Don,

I've not laughed this hard as I have at your last two post here in years. I love your sense of humor. I will stop in Shreveport to see you some day friend.
Boo