Mackie C300 Loudspeakers Review
(Mackie | Posted 2001-07-26)
Last year we reviewed the new 808S PPM (Professional Powered Mixer) from Mackie and found it to be one of the best investments you could make for your band. It even made a great dual purpose tool to use as a mixing front end to our project studio. At the time, we had a pair of Optimus PA cabinets in our review rig that housed a horn and a 15 in each. These cabs would only take 150RMS and 300 Watts peak, I believe, but they sounded great and the dynamic power that the 808S put out into two channels seemed to be a good match. We thought they sounded great with new life being breathed into them after our Acoustic 4 channel powered PA died.
Fast forward almost 9 months later and on the doorstep of Music Gear Review arrive a pair of C300 loudspeakers from Mackie. These loudspeakers are designed specifically for the PPM series professional powered mixers and are designed to handle 300 Watts RMS each. You could use these loudspeakers with any powered mixer, however, we just don't know why you'd want to.. 8-)
The first thing we always like to do before getting into instruments or vocals when testing amp or pa gear is crank up some tunes with the equipment. After all, you want your rig to sound as good between sets as it does when you're up there putting on a show. The C300s have a wonderful, balanced sound across the whole frequency range with a nice tight bass response that would make them a decent choice for a smaller DJ rig as well as for performing musicians. The tonal characteristics are more reminiscent of a pair of quality stereo speakers than your average PA cab. When it was time to perform, our vocals and especially the acoustic electrics were much more crisp and clean than you might expect with other cabinets in this price range.
As far as portability, the units aren't terribly heavy and lugging them to an acoustic gig was a piece of cake. The cabs are also well balanced, which makes them less awkward than some of the other units you've strained your back with before. However, when it comes to sound pressure level, size doesn't necessarily always matter. These cabs can crank and will take every ounce of balls-out power the 808S or any other matched amplifier can deliver.
Some of the more interesting things you can do with these loudspeakers may not be evident to you when you first look at them. Due to the asymmetrical shape, you might think that their applications are limited. However, the C300s can actually double as floor monitors in a pinch and with the optional feet that provide improved stability, you can even stack the C300s into a wall of intense sound fury. Depending on your application, you might find other speaker cabs and arrangements more suitable though. For instance, for bands with a lot of bottom end, such as heavy metal, rap or dance we would recommend a good set of subwoofers on either side of the stage with some intense amplifier power behind them. The C300s, though, will outperform just about anything in their price range for most other types of music.
Here at Music Gear Review we don't always get into the minutia of product or technical specifications but there are certain things you should know when you're shopping around for products of this type. First off, the C300s will take 300 Watts RMS into an 8 ohm impedance. They're built around a 12" long throw woofer with a 3" voice coil. The C300s have 1/4" speaker jacks and "Speakon" jacks on the back of each unit for your flexibility and convenience. In addition, inserts are built in for stands so setting these up at your gig is a piece of cake. The drivers are of a high output titanium compression variety and the horns are wide dispersion studio quality units. Low impedance compensated cross-overs with full driver protection round off the impressive list of features.
Bottom Line:
In need of a robust, high quality, reliable sound system with great output and audiophile like reproduction? The C300s paired with an 808S PPM are designed to combine as the perfect system for budget-minded performers, from rock to jazz and/or acoustic solo performers and duos, as well as DJ's, and anyone else prioritizing sound quality over saving a few bucks. When you factor in that Mackie has one of the best extended warranties of any manufacturer in the USA, well all I have to say is, "Buy the best. You'll never be disappointed."
