Feature:
The rear panel has plenty of switches to help optimize the sound. I took the time to experiment with the room switches and the low cut switches but I like them all at their default settings. These features mattered in my buying decision as well but I'm happy not using them for the time being.

Quality:
Excellent quality. My boy Ying, an acoustic technician at Mackie, provided me with a certificate of calibration and sure enough the FR is straight up and down like a 3... nevermind. The key overall though through all my personal research is the more effectively you treat your acoustic environment the better the performance of these monitors. Many others who made comments on these speakers before never talk about their rooms. I've seen a couple reviews where people aren't happy with them but never talk about the fact that their setup in a basement with five foot ceilings and set against a brick wall. My point is just that if you're going to drop some bread on new monitors consider your space. These are flexible though so I'd recommend them for just about anyone who is willing buy them.

Value:
I'm poor, Mackie. But I'm happy.

Desirability:
I got it.

Sound:
Alright. I'm writing this review the day these were delivered (purchased from zzounds). I am very happy with the sound quality of these monitors. My project studio still needs quite a bit of acoustic treatment, but the hr824s sound worlds better than what I upgraded from, the Alesis m1s. I am most impressed with the stereo imaging and the low-low distortion output. I had the opporitunity to play with the hr824s in a collegues studio and was sold the instant I heard them. Right now I'm just in love with the sensation of hearing sounds sweep left & right across the stereo field. You can actually feel it -- not just hear it, and it tickles my ears everytime -- can't get over it. I took the time to find the ideal placement for them in my studio and that has made a big difference in the preceived frequency response and stereo imaging.

Ease of Use:
The manual is a good time. Always read an instruction booklet no matter how trite you might think it is. Setting up the monitors is simple but I spent a couple hours trying several different positions and might even continue trying some more positions later. I've got a nice wide sweetspot though so I'm on the right track.

Support:
My boy Ying at Mackie hooked me up, yo! (refer to the "Quality" section of this review). The book makes a strong point to record your serial #s, date of purchase, save your reciepts, sign your own checks! That last one is my own bit of advice... Anyway. The manual also has printed, like, twenty-six times how you need to be careful about powering up and down and plugging in and unplugging. A basic troubleshooting section incase you didn't turn on your speakers. "My HR824s won't power on!" -- "Did you plug in your HR824 into an electrical outlet?" See, that is tech support, my friend. Mackie's got your back. Just keep the boxes they comes in and you'll be fine.

Overall:
Read the manual. Listen to your room and treat accordingly. The HR824s won't let you down.

• User: I don't want to be eligible for rewards
• Submitted: 2/6/2007
• Style of Music: Electronic/Dance
• Location: Brooklyn, NY

Feature:
Very nice to have the switches on the front for those times you want to turn the speaks off and record a quick vocal or acoustic guitar track in the control room. Very nice also to have compensation switches for the speakers being placed against the wall or in a corner. The passive radiator in the back gives this small monitor a huge bass performance for its size. Automatic limiters keep you from blowing them up when you make the occasional mistake or just get carried away.

Quality:
Some folks really like those Adams monitors with their smooth sounding ribbon tweeters. Hey, I do too, they sound very nice. But what I want is accurate and reliable. Speaking of reliable, my cat knocked one of my 824s off the elevated stand. It sheared off the front controls of my Joe Meek preamp, bounced off a hard wood table, and fell all the way to the floor crunching another piece of gear I had. After I finished screaming I hooked the monitor back up and it worked just as it had before. Only reminder of its long fall was a small scrape in the cabinet that I used a black marker to hide.

Value:
Well, it is pretty expensive. But wouldn't you really rather pay ONCE and get something you'll use for a long time without lusting after some other monitor? Before I had these, I had three pairs of monitors in my control room and I was always running out to the car or the living room stereo to see how my mix sounded. I still have a bunch of speakers in my control room, but I haven't used them for a couple of years, just the Mackies. And I don't worry about my mixes sounding bad on other systems anymore, or even at the mastering lab. How much is all that worth to you?

Desirability:
I don't want my monitors to be "sexy." Sexy like an Adam monitor with a ribbon tweeter, I guess. You know, the "in" monitor of the day. I just want my monitors to tell me the truth and to keep working. I don't want to think about them or worry about them, I just want them to show me exactly what's on my tracks - and that they do in spades.

Sound:
The sound is very accurate, which is what's required of a monitor. I've done many mixes on 824s and then heard them in a mastering lab - very slight differences, all due to my room acoustics I'm sure. Speaking of which, there are some misconceptions in the previous reviews. Yes, 824s ARE flat within 1.5 dB over the stated frequency range. The very first thing I did when I bought one was to test it in the anechoic chamber at the university where I work - I do acoustics research for a living. You can't test these things in a room for accuracy as a previous reviewer mentioned, the room acoustics GREATLY affect your measurements. If you get your room acoustics in shape, these speakers WILL do the job for you. No more running out to the car, trying four different speakers, etc..unless you're just so excited you want to!

Ease of Use:
Powered speakers are wonderful. Not only do you not have to mess with a power amp, but the internal amps are perfectly matched to the speakers and give the monitors some additional mass which helps withe sound. And then you have the built in limiters to protect the speakers. This all adds up to effortless use. Some people probably leave them on all the time and put the switch in the position where they come on when sound is sent to them. I'm too paranoid about fire to do that. A thief will take a few things he can quickly carry, a fire takes everything.

Support:
Mackie writes very good manuals compared to most companies. That's about all I know about them because even though I have several pieces of Mackie gear, I've never needed their service. I called them after my monitor took the header, they were very friendly and supportive. They said it probably wasn't damaged, but if I wanted to I could send it to them and they'd check it out, no charge.

Overall:
I've had these monitors for a few years, I don't have any desire to buy a new or "better" pair. Now I can focus on mixing and I have one less piece of gear to worry about. Because you know what they say: if you can't hear right, you can't possibly mix right. Mixing with these monitors is like looking at the world through a clear pane of glass. It doesn't get any better than that.

• User: a customer from aol.com
• Submitted: 1/26/2007
• Style of Music: I can record almost anything, and do
• Location: Austin, TX

Feature:
the sub is very good and loud, very useful overall.

Quality:
Perfect. Nice. Excellent. need i go on?

Desirability:
its sexy..but the blue circle and the shape could use a little work.

Sound:
great sound, i highly reccomend getting a pair of these.

Ease of Use:
plug it in and play!

Support:
havent had to deal with it

Overall:
i would immeadiatly replace it if it was stolen or broken. i think ive already said enough about before! its great!

• User: a customer from bellsouth.net
• Submitted: 12/26/2006
• Style of Music: metal, heavy metal, black metal, death metal, grunge, rock, alternative, alternative metal, nu metal, rap metal, punk, hardcore,
• Location: Georgia

Feature:
i don

• User: a customer from hotmail.com
• Submitted: 7/8/2006
• Style of Music: dance
• Location: portugal

Quality:
These babies last.

Value:
It isn't cheap, but you ar investing in something you will have for a long, long, time. You are paying for Quality, so it's worth it.

Desirability:
I've heard them, and that was all I had to do for me to want them.

Sound:
It doesn't get any better than this. Perfect,realistic recreation of whatever it is you are listening to. It's crisp, clear, and beautiful.

Overall:
I've never heard a better speaker in my life. I am DEFINITELY going to get a pair of these when I can afford them.

• User: a customer from yahoo.com
• Submitted: 3/17/2006
• Style of Music: R&B, Jazz, Hip-hop, and funk
• Location: San Anselmo, CA. USA

Feature:
I like the auto-on/off feature and the adequate switching to compensate for different rooms/acoustics.

Quality:
Chinese sourced or American made. I own both "versions" and, to my ears, there isn't any difference. (BTW, I bought some "b-stock" which I'd bet was used at a conference. They were $75 cheaper (each one!) and arrived in like-new condition.

Value:
This product is worth the price I paid for it!

Desirability:
Hey, it's a two-way box speaker. Well built but hardly a piece of furniture. Function over form.

Sound:
I'm using five Mackie powered monitors in my home theater/5.1 system and I could not be more pleased. I listen critically to SACDs and DVD-As as well as using the system to watch HDTV and dvds. The Mackies provide a well-balanced, detailed soundstage with unexaggerated true timbral response and an "inky-black" background. They sound like they're hardly working though I do like to listen at realistic levels. IMHO, my older Mackies, made in the USA are not superior to the current Chinese sourced Mackies. They sound the same, THX certification or not.

Support:
Never had to deal with their service. Since the old days when Tapco was their main product Greg Mackie has offered top-quality goods.

Overall:
These speakers are keepers. I'm not shopping anymore.

• User: a customer from aol.com
• Submitted: 2/15/2006
• Style of Music: Jazz
• Location: Ohio

Feature:
What other features could you add to a pair of monitors?

Quality:
Perect!

Value:
For a pair of monitors this good, Just be glad your not paying thousands and thousands of dollars because they are sure worth it.

Desirability:
My friend has them, and im in his band so I get to use them all the time. Oh yea!

Sound:
The only reason i didnt give this a 10 is because genelecs are the absolute best of all time. Mackie is still up there though. hahahah those people who say the behringers are the same as these, man they are really messed up. Is 1,200$ the same as 340$? I think not, and thats exactly why the mackie hr824s provail. I mean im tired of all the people who say "Just because something is expensive doesnt mean it is the best," well I think the more money something is, the better qualitiy and more performance it will have.

Support:
Didnt have to use it.

Overall:
Simply amazing speakers.

• User: a customer from verizon.net
• Submitted: 10/1/2005
• Style of Music: Ska/Punk
• Location: Ivyland Pa, US

Feature:
You get what you need, but you don't need many features because these speakers already have an amazingly flat sound.

Quality:
Sturdy and well made.

Value:
These are incredible speakers, and it's no wonder they are the industry standard. Anybody who hates on them is truely a sound snob who actually has the extra few thousand to blow on a some insane speaker, and of course will try to compare these speakers to ones that are nowhere near this price range. Don't you think that's a good sign?! If you are debating paying this much for a speaker, or going with something a bit lower, definitely swallow the few extra hundred and splurge on these guys. You'll thank yourself later ;)

Desirability:
Yeah, "sex appeal". I'm spending this much on monitors because I want chicks to come into my studio and wanna jump my bones because of the speakers I have! In actuality the asthetic appeal isn't the sleekest or most chic, but once you know what you've got under the hood, the practical yet sophisticated elegance of their design becomes all the more sexy. But really, if you didn't know what's inside, what looks more "sleek and sexy"? A Mitsubishi Eclipse *yeah* or a Rolls Royce?

Sound:
Lovely. I've actually never heard music sound this good before in my life. Amazing clarity, and the sweet spot is a huge field that presents a scene in front of you with such detail and depth that it seems as if you could actually "see" or "touch" the sound exactly where it is in the mix. Needless to say, these are an absolute pleasure to mix with.

Support:
I've never had to deal with support and that's the best kind.

Overall:
In any market, you generally get what you pay for. And when the reviews say that these are a "revelation", you get a hint of what you're in for. For those of you that are thinking they're a bit expensive, look on the bright side: If you buy these, you won't ever have to think about upgrading.

• User: a customer from hotmail.com
• Submitted: 7/31/2005
• Style of Music: From Acoustic/Classical to Hard-hitting Hip-Hop to Super-chill Electronica beats
• Location: Portland OR

Feature:
Have to love a monitor with the switch on the front. I used to hate reaching behind my events..

Quality:
Exceptional quality. If your looking for a non fatiguing monitor that still gives you the base response of a club speaker in a price range that is just above a project studio budget. This is it. I have friends with genelecs and I can honestly the 824's sound just as good if not better to my ear. Granted these arn't the most asthetically pleasing thing on the planet but your not taking them to a fashion show.

Value:
Priceless

Desirability:
It's not the sexiest thing. But damn does it have a nice voice.

Sound:
Hands down the best investment I've ever made. I have a lot of toys in my studio that were much more expensive but these monitors are priceless. I would pay twice the amount If I had to. God, I hope I never do but I would. They are that good! beg borrow..well don't steal.. but yeah you get the picture.

Support:
Never had to deal with them.

Overall:
until I die. the monitors die or we both die simultaneously. And if I do die before they do, they will be burried with me. so don't even ask..

• Submitted: 6/24/2005
• Style of Music: Ambient Electro
• Location: North Bay

Feature:
I didn't like the fixed controls they give you that boosts or decays frequency in fixed steps. Environments vary a lot and controls should be continuosly variable so you can adjust to more fine accuracy.

Quality:
Build quality is excellent.

Value:
Not as expensive as Genelec 1031 which this design seems to be based on, but once again check out other monitor speakers especially since there are many product that's lower priced.

Desirability:
I own it. Duh !

Sound:
I had few problems with the sound of this monitor. First the speed between the PP cone woofer and duraluminium tweeter is vastly different. This makes accurate application of sound effects more difficult. Bass was sluggish but full, would like it to be little faster. I have a MLS measurement equipment in my studio and try as I may, I could not get their claimed +/-1.5dB frequency response. I think they use some kind of averaging scheme to smooth out their measurement. On some recordings, amplifier went into compression without much output of sound (This was on a fairly loud acoustic drum, but my other systems plays it okay). Overall the sound lacks expressiveness and in my opinion on the dark side (I don't mean it lacks highs either). Listen to other monitors before you buy it, and you might see what I mean.

Support:
Mackie has one of the best support I've dealt with.

Overall:
Don't be mesmerized with the technical hoopla Mackie puts out such as laser interferometry measurement. They don't tell you that their woofer at the midrange is even more distorted than the softdome tweeter they show in their brochure. They only highlight the best part, but you are responsible for judging overall response.

• User: a customer from yahoo.com
• Submitted: 4/26/2005
• Style of Music: Almost anything except classical, hip-hop and rap
• Location: SF Bay area

Feature:
The flexible EQ options on the back make it very flexible as a cart-around-with-you monitor. The intelligent connector design allows you to mount it against the wall. These people are obviously using the products they design! Nobody else does these things.

Quality:
Design is well thought out, from every crossover to the passive radiator, to the venting ports, to the amplifier. Every single monitor is spec'd out. So you know what you get. Read the manual. You walk away knowing that they combed over every design option making these things. They just didn't throw in a crossover, or guess at "passive radiator design". It's a Butterworth filter for a well thought-out reason. 3rd order. not 4th. etc, etc etc. What you end up with is years of tweaking by Tweakers. That's what I like to see.

Value:
You DO get more monitor than any other in it's league, even tho it's the priciest in it's league. More EQ options, rolloff options, interconnection options - you ARE getting more monitor for those extra $$.

Desirability:
Aesthetic Design is simple. Not extraordinary. no neon lights. don't need 'em- Amazing sound comes out of such a small space.

Sound:
The soundstage is nice and broad. AND FLAT!.

Support:
N/C. I have had no problems as of yet.

Overall:
This is it. These are razor flat with no lies, 39Hz-22KHz. People argue with me that a Genelec or KRK "sounds better or brighter". That's a fine argument for a home-speaker purchase. But not for a monitor. I don't want a monitor that biases me to dull down my mixes. This is my last monitor purchase probably. I don't believe in $5,000 monitors. Because nobody you know has $5,000 home speakers, right? Okay, we all know one. Let's face it, if you can't make a mix sound good on $1,000 speakers, you are a complete loser as a mixer. Get out of the business.

• User: a customer from aol.com
• Submitted: 7/29/2004
• Style of Music: All but Opera
• Location: Cedar Hills, Utah

Feature:
The connectivity and adjustment capacity of these speakers is excellent. Balanced and unbalanced input are provided as well as a host of useful attenuators for room acoustice adjustment. You can even shut off each speaker component seperately to check the status of the transducers.

Quality:
This is hard to rate. I have not owned these for long. The way this thing is put together is very imressive though. These monitors are not wimpy. They are pretty hefty. Although weight is not always a sign of quality, it helps. (Maybe there are lead weights glued inside the cabinets to make them seem more substantial than they really are!) The long term reliability is a question I can't answer. I do know that Mackie reliability isn't perfect either and they cost 4 times as much as these.

Value:
This has got to be the best value period. I mean the speakers are very decent sounding and compare favoribly with anything out there. Most non-powered studio monitors cost more than these and realistically can't even begin to compare in terms of sound quality. I personally believe that most people who own overly priced gear are basically musical snobs and can't admit that there are products available that you don't have to mortgage your home to buy and do in fact give you excellent value for your money. If these speakers do hold up they will have proven my point if not I will sadly admit I was wrong.

Desirability:
These speakers even "look" good. They are more attractive than the Mackies I would say'

Sound:
The sound of these monitors seems to be fairly transparent from what I can tell. I am pretty critical when it comes to audio quality even though this really is a very subjective matter. For example I also own a pair of Mackie SRM450 stage monitors which are very highly rated speaker but to me the highs sound rather harsh and even somewhat brittle. Sound is a subjective matter, you are better off listening for yourself in the end.

Support:
I have had no dealings with the company.

Overall:
These speakers will have to last me for a loooong time. At least I hope they last. I was fortunate enough to get the money to buy these in the first place.

• User: a customer from juno.com
• Submitted: 12/23/2003
• Style of Music: Rock, Jazz-Rock Fusion, Blues, Jazz
• Location: Titusville, Pa USA