moonbass Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Hi, I'm looking at buying a subwoofer to go with Mackie SRM450 tops. The logical choice would be the Mackie SRM1801 or HD1801 (or 1501). Anybody got any experience of them and relative merits for the price? I've heard mixed reports on Mackie subs reliability though, so has anyone tried other makes out with Mackie tops and had success? It's a fair amount of money down the drain if things go wrong so all opinions appreciated. If it helps the band is an 8-piece function band and it would mostly be for supporting the kick drum in medium sized venues. Cheers, Andy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monckyman Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Hi, I recently had two 1501 subs, one of which had a blown amp and the other went the same way after one gig. I didn`t buy them, they were inherited from a previous band member. The boxes sound great, the amps are totally unreliable due to a design flaw whereupon the power capacitors get loosened with the obvious vibrations and break a leg, which causes an amount of misery to the rest of the board. I ran mine for a bit with an external amp and crossover, but finally got rid. I now just run some cheap Hisys Peaveys (sans badge) with an external rack amp under my Mackie tops. I think most folk tend to overdo it on subs, and feel that lots of it is needed, but I think a little goes a long way for that bit of thud in the mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pietruszka Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I think I'll follow this thread as Im going to be buying a sub soon. A friend had a Mackie 15"sub and it sounded great. He loved it to and he didnt have any problems with reliability, he only had it however, for a couple of gigs. My issue is more along the lines of space, I have the PA as well as my bass gear to go in the back of a Micra (!). I was looking at the Behringer 1500 and Im also looking at 12" subs to. Any one any experience or thoughts on 12" sub woofers? Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbass Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 Thanks Monckyman, that's useful info - there seem to be a heck of a lot of disaster stories with Mackie subs going back years; you'd have thought they'd have done something about it! Anyone got any suggestions about other sub makes? Behringer seem very cheap, and they seem to be getting a lot of things right recently! Or separate power amp and cabs - would need a crossover as well so could get expensive... A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vax2002 Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Its transport but if someone has an empty car, a pair of peavey hysis 4 throw the most chest thumping bass I have ever heard in 1 pair of cabs, 4x15 black widows can move some serious air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 We use a Mackie Thump active...and we need to put more time into it as initial results have been average. Too flabby and not strong enough would be my description... we run it off a controller and there might be reasons for the mismatch but my choice was for e bay EV subs as they are more compact and I would hope, tighter.even though you'll need two, I think. Mackie are mid range stuff..altho I am not of that opinion atm after our experience, but I would strongly advise you don't touch the cheaper end for a decent P.A. Start with these [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EV-Electrovoice-SB122-Compact-400w-Subs-ONE-PAIR-NEXT-WORKING-DAY-DELIVERY-/200751159764?pt=UK_ConElec_SpeakersPASystems_RL&hash=item2ebdb399d4"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EV-Electrovoice-SB122-Compact-400w-Subs-ONE-PAIR-NEXT-WORKING-DAY-DELIVERY-/200751159764?pt=UK_ConElec_SpeakersPASystems_RL&hash=item2ebdb399d4[/url] you might be lucky to get them S/H for around £400. Also look at RCF.and HK Anything from Martin Audio is a step up again.. IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Probably a bit late after all the horror stories, but a word in defence of Mackie subs if I may... I ran 1501's as part of a Mackie active P.A. (with SRM450's) that I used for my own band as well as a number of hire gigs, and I never had any problems (although I'd certainly endorse Monckyman's point about not overdoing it with them - most people don't really use them properly - they crossover at around 100Hz IIRC so you're only ever going to hear the kick drum and the bottom end of the bass and/or keys, and it could be said that their only real job is to make life a bit easier for the tops). In due course I sold them on this forum and AFAIK they're still doing their job. I'd had them for several years, and sold them nearly two years ago. If you really don't want them in your P.A. then I'd go with RCF's - these are the people that made the original drivers for Mackie, and are the reason people try to hunt down older units if they can, rather than the Chinese tat that goes into more recent examples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertbass Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Ever thought of building your own? I, along with many others, built a pair of BFM T39s. They are about as good as it gets and a lot cheaper too. http://billfitzmaurice.com/T39.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregBass Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 Sadly, the physics of the situation tells you that if you don't move a lot of air, you won't get deep bass. I remember hearing a bass player trying to get depth out of a Genz Benz 1x12 and it sounded like someone kicking a dustbin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbass Posted May 9, 2012 Author Share Posted May 9, 2012 Well, despite all the sage advice above I've been seized by a moment of madness and ordered two Mackie HD1501's! (I'm afraid my joinery and electronics skills leave a lot to be desired bertbass!) They have 2 year warranty on speakers and and 3 on electronics so if all goes wrong hopefully there will be some support. I guess you only learn through mistakes, but so far (touch a lot of wood) all my Mackie stuff has been reliable. The HD1501's just seem to hit the right spot for size, price and power. They should be with me for the next gig in 2 weeks time so I guess I'll let you know how it goes! By the way, does anyone know if subs like this need running in before first proper use? (I don't plan to have them going full tilt at the gig anyway, but I'd rather play things safe as possible!) A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertbass Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 If the actual speakers in the cabs are new, which they should be, then they'll need breaking in but 10 or so gigs should see that done and you should notice an improvement in sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 [quote name='moonbass' timestamp='1336597770' post='1648336'] By the way, does anyone know if subs like this need running in before first proper use? [/quote] No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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