Mackie 808S PPM Professional Power Mixer Review

History:

Purchase: I purchased this unit after substantial research on comparable powered mixers. I bought mine at MMI Music in Birmingham, Alabama in April 2000. The purchase price was approximately $770 US.

What I Like About This Unit: The Mackie 808S has served flawlessly over the past 2+ years. It was in perfect condition right out of the box. It is simple to use, has plenty of power for moderately large rooms, and sounds great with my two 400w 15" speakers with horns. We run a wide variety of music through the 808S in outdoor and indoor venues. The passive cooling system is obviously dead silent and has never failed even after extended playing session. We have always been able to get a good blend and great overall sound from this unit.

What I Do NOT Like About The Mackie 808S PPM Professional Power Mixer: There is nothing that I don't like about the 808S. If I had to look for a way to enhance the 808S I'd say that I'd like to see Mackie make a rack-mount version of the 808S. That's not a defect, it's just a suggestion to accommodate those of us who like the ease of dealing with rack-mounted systems.

808S PPM Professional Power Mixer Quality: The construction of the 808S is rock solid. Knobs and buttons do not have any slop in their movement. Controls are labeled clearly. The carrying handle is more than adequate for the weight of the unit. No worries about a piece of equipment crashing to the ground due to a cheap handle design. After using the 808S for over 2 years, I haven't found any area where Mackie might have decided to cut corners in design, materials, manufacturing, or workmanship.

Summary: I did a lot of product research before settling on the Mackie 808S. I have had zero buyer's remorse arising from the purchase of this product. I have confidence that it will not let us down when we walk out on stage to play. If it fell off the truck and into a river I would probably buy another 808S PPM at the next Mackie dealer I came to. If an 808S wasn't available, I'd buy a Mackie M-1400 power amp to put in the rack and run it with my Mackie 1642 VLZ Pro mixer. Either way, based on my experience with Mackie products, I am confident that I'd be able to roll on to the next gig and not have to worry about equipment problems.

Rating of this product: 5

This Mackie Mixers Review Submitted By: Allan Morton

Date: 2002-08-09