Mackie HR824mkii 8-inch2-Way Studio Monitor

Amazon.com 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 you