Re: OT: Mackie SRM150 / tiny PA

["Rick Walker" <looppool@cruzio.com>]

Ted Killian asked me to make a special trip to
check out the Mackie SRM 150 speakers at
NAMM.

I went and tested them out with a very good singersongwriter and
some heavy duty beat boxing.

I have to say that I was really underwhelmed.

I have a lot of experience with the SRM 450s,  the SRM 350s
and the equivalent RCF Italian speakers (the company who made them 
originally
and now are competing with Mackie to make a similar product.

The SRM 150 strikes me as a very good close monitoring system for
a singersongwriter playing guitar and singing but as a really underpowered
and, even more importantly,  under -timbred monitor for anything requiring
full spectrum audio.

They are just to tinny and lacking in low mids and bass to be anything 
other 
than a monitor.

They are NOT a good small P.A.  in my humble opinion.


Recently,  I got a pair of the RCF powered 10" monitors and I have to say 
that I'm really impressed with them.

Competing with Mackie (who they parted ways with after manufacturing their
SRM450 and SRM350s)  they have made a 10" speaker/horn full range powered
speaker that has decent volume for a small gig and also goes 10 hertz 
lower 
than
it's Mackie equivalent----40 hz).

for a 10" speaker that's quite extraordinary!

They are also smaller than the Mackie 350s and (this is a big one for me), 
they are
squarer in shape which means that it's much easier to transport them in 
pairs from the car in one trip.  The Mackie's rounded shape makes them 
easy 
to slide off a
light weight foldable dolly.

They used to be slightly cheaper than the Mackie's but the Euros dominance 
of the US dollar in the american market place probably makes them slightly 
more expensive.
I think they are great.    A small mixer (Mackie 1202 VLZ?) and two of 
these 
puppies and you can have a great sounding gig in a small place.

That's my two cents (or two kroner, as I'm performing in Oslo this evening 
and
have no more cents with me).

Rick Walker