Live sound sometimes seems like a wild, uncaged animal—very hard to control. With the SRM Series Portable Active Loudspeakers, we came up with the technology to help tame the beast, so you could focus on your performance, instead of being distracted by constant EQ and level tweaks. Now, with the SRM450v2, live sound is whipped completely into submission, giving you more control over your shows than ever. Thanks to its all-new design—from adding new amps and transducers to a new lightweight power supply—the SRM450v2 surpasses the performance of the original SRM450 to deliver pure studio monitor sound at more powerful, full-on loudspeaker levels. We kept it affordable, too—even though the SRM450v2 is a complete redesign from inside out, we retained the musician-friendly price tag. With the SRM450v2, live never sounded so good …or behaved so well.
The “SRM” Stands for Sound Reinforcement Monitor
Over a decade ago, Greg Mackie and a dedicated team of engineers set out to create a portable loudspeaker that could deliver studio monitor sound quality. Unlike a relatively small, acoustically controlled studio where the “sweet spot” is well defined, live venues vary greatly, and most are far from acoustically balanced. Despite the challenges, after two years of extensive research and development, the first Sound Reinforcement Monitor was born—a loudspeaker that truly lived up to its name. The SRM450v2 continues the SRM450’s tradition of studio monitor sound quality—and trumps it—to deliver sound that makes any venue seem like a well-tuned studio.
Ultra-Wide Dispersion
Undoubtedly you’ve been to a show where the sound is all over the map—stand in front of the band, it sounds okay, but move a little to your left or right and all of a sudden you’ve got mud in your ears. When the SRM450v2 loudspeakers are on stage, no matter where you stand, you hear sound with impeccable stereo imaging, depth of field and definition—at full-on loudspeaker levels. This is due to the SRM450v2’s wide dispersion pattern, which is achieved through its multi-cell horn throat aperture. To those of you whose eyes just glazed over, let’s just tell you what it does—the multi-cell horn throat aperture allows for much wider and more even dispersion of high and mid frequencies, so whether you’re listening intently front and center, or playing it cool on the perimeter, you’ll hear the same great mix.
Want to know more? Then read on.
Stunning Bass via Servo Feedback Controlled, All New Lightweight Woofer
Many portable loudspeakers produce lows that lack substance—they just don’t have it in ‘em to give you that chest-pounding punch. But the SRM450v2 delivers astonishingly deep and defined bass frequencies. In fact, it outperforms the original SRM450, which was renowned for its ability to deliver real low-down sound. That’s thanks to the SRM450v2’s servo feedback technology combined with its all-new woofer and 3-inch voice coil.
Based on Mackie's award-winning HR824mk2 studio monitor technology, the servo feedback damping electronic circuit within the SRM450v2 “locks” the woofer in place with the positive and negative outputs of the amplifier. This creates a solid direct-coupling that allows the SRM450v2 to deliver extremely deep bass from a small cabinet. And the new lightweight woofer is lighter in mass, but still delivers the same deep low punch you expect. The new longer 3-inch voice coil allows the woofer to handle heat more efficiently, so it produces a consistently full dynamic range—even at maximum output. So you get full, thumping, detailed lows, even after long hours of use at near-peak volumes.
Super low distortion thanks to Mackie’s own Class-D, Fast Recovery Amplification With its combination of Class D topology and Fast Recovery circuitry, the SRM450v2 operates with incredible efficiency, and delivers much more power and clarity. With this “Class D Fast Recovery amplification,” as we’ve lovingly (and creatively) dubbed the technology, the SRM450v2 handles maximum volume—and associated heat—with ease, so there’s no unwanted noise, and no thermal problems. Even after hours of sustained use at near-peak levels, your sound remains clean and your SRM450v2 keeps cool. Read more.
Legendary Active Electronics
In a passive loudspeaker setup, an external amplifier is connected to a passive crossover inside the speaker, which distributes frequencies to the transducers. Because power amps and transducers vary widely in sound and quality, trying to match the right power amp with the right speaker can be challenging, especially if you’re not a professional acoustic technician—or rolling in cash so you can hire one. Our proven Active design does all the work for you. With our SRM450v2, you get a complete loudspeaker system, with complex electronics and carefully chosen components, all precisely tuned and tweaked to work together. The result is a loudspeaker with phenomenal sound quality and power, that’s completely plug-and-play—no EQ needed. Learn what’s inside.
Built-in Protection Circuitry for Long Life
We know our Active loudspeakers are pushed hard—often to, or beyond, the limit. That’s why we have reliable protection circuitry built in to every one. The SRM450v2 employs a built-in limiter for less distortion at peak levels, and an automatic sliding high pass filter to give you that little bit extra volume when the crowd demands more. And thanks to the advanced technology of its power supply and Class-D amp topology, the SRM450v2 is greater than 90 percent efficient—more of the power from your outlet goes straight to the transducer, without the power supply and amp giving off loads of heat. Less heat means better performance, and longer life.
Versatile, Portable, Tough—And They Look Good, Too
When designing the SRM450v2, we considered every angle. From every angle is just how you can position it, too—pole-mount it from the bottom, fly it vertically or horizontally via its integrated M10 mounting points, or use it as a wedge monitor. With all this flexibility, it’s the most versatile portable Active loudspeaker around. And now moving it into place is easier than ever. Weighing in at about 40 pounds—11 pounds lighter than the original SRM450—you’ll have plenty of strength left over to play after loading in. Plus, the SRM450v2 retains its rugged, Mackie “built-like-a-tank” durability, thanks to the polypropylene cabinet. So not only do you get a portable loudspeaker that sounds phenomenal, you get one that’s tough and portable for the road, and handsome enough for the show.
If you ask me, Mackie has made some major improvements to an industry favorite. The unit is a worthy investment.
DJ Times