Mackie Review: SRS1500 / SR1530 PA Speakers

History:

Purchase: We loaned these units for a gig. The SRS1500 is a 600 Watt self powered sub. The SR1530 is a 500W self powered 3 way cab. We had one of each on each side of the stage. This was a high school ball in a noisy gymnasium

What I Like About This Mackie SRS1500 / SR1530 PA Speakers: These speakers CRANK! There is no doubt that we could have used this system in a whole heap of places, outside included. Strictly plug and play. Output from the Rack (compressor), into the sub and dispersed from there via normal mic leads. We had it fairly thumping, and the system wasnt even breaking a sweat. I got a huge fat bottom end sound - unbelieveable from such a small sub. Fully mic'd kit and band. We were running the subs on about 3/4 vol. They have their own EQ as well which allowed me to take out just a little . I found I had to take out a fair bit of 400hz and 1.6khz, but that I think is fairly normal for any PA, and the room wasnt the best sounding.

What I Do NOT Like About The Mackie SRS1500 / SR1530 PA Speakers: I didnt like the fact that you seemed to have to run it in stereo. We normally dont bother, but it seemed that it couldnt be set up if you didnt have 2 leads going into the sub with the passive splits. The other bad factor is the cost. The SR1530 is nearly $3,000 each in AUD.

Mackie SRS1500 / SR1530 PA Speakers Quality Rating: These things appear to be very well made. Fairly heavy but not to bad. For their size they pump out some mean sound.

Review Summary: Its a pity these things are so damn expensive. With this small system, its a huge sound and I think would be suitable for just about any application (certainly that my band plays in anyway). If I could give it a 4.5 I would, because of the price. So It'll have to be 4.

Rating of this Mackie product: 4

This Mackie SRS1500 / SR1530 PA Speakers PA Gear Review Submitted By: Tubedriver

Review Date: 2001-06-30