Images courtesy of Mackie.
We got our hands on the new Mackie MP Series professional in-ear monitors at the NAMM tradeshow at the start of 2018, and published a “First Impression” based on what our eyes could tell us. Mackie is a company known for making some great big speakers. Could they also make great tiny speakers? We didn’t have to wait long to find out.
We recently had the chance to evaluate the full Mackie MP line, including the MP-120 ($140), MP-220 ($210) and MP-240 ($280) in-ear monitors. All three are cosmetically identical, with a glossy black finish and charcoal-gray cable. All have detachable cables at the earpiece, making it easy to replace the most vulnerable (and least expensive, thankfully) component in the system. All three offer a generous selection of ear tips, with three styles in three sizes each. All three come in a sturdy, locking plastic case.
The presence of interchangeable ear tips reveals a key fact about the MP series—they use a universal fit instead of custom-molded design. The sound rejection, comfort and performance of molded in-ears is unmatched, but the cost is prohibitive for folks on a smaller budget. With a few pricey exceptions ($500 and beyond), universal fit designs are the least-expensive style of in-ear monitors available. That’s why universal fit in-ear monitors are so popular, and the options myriad.
Tiny speakers, gigantic sound
Back to those tiny speakers. As with PA speakers and studio monitors, in-ear monitors can use several approaches to convert electrical signals to sound. Mackie used a different transducer arrangement for each model in the MP series, giving each its own particular “voice” (and helping set its price point). The MP-120 is the simplest transducer design, with a single full-range dynamic driver. No full-sized speaker driver can effectively reproduce the whole human hearing range, but it works at this scale because of the tiny volume of air being moved. Efficiency is a little lower with a single driver, and distortion may set in sooner at high volumes. The design is simpler, however, and less expensive to build.
Mackie used a different transducer arrangement for each model in the MP series, giving each its own particular “voice” (and helping set its price point).
The MP-220 takes the more-is-better approach, splitting the workload between two identical full-range dynamic drivers. This increases sensitivity a bit, and only slightly alters the sound. At the top of the line, the MP-240 most closely emulates a traditional two-way speaker with woofer and tweeter. It uses two drivers and a crossover, with low frequencies going to a dynamic driver and high frequencies going to a balanced armature driver. This offers the same benefit as for full-sized speakers: drivers get to “specialize,” reproducing only a portion of the frequency spectrum. The dynamic driver generates plenty of low frequencies, while the balanced armature excels at high frequencies.
Plug them in
Though members of the same family, all three MP series monitors have a distinctly different sonic character courtesy of their different driver designs. The MP-120 has lots of deep bass (like a cranked subwoofer) and a somewhat subdued midrange—almost a “hi-fi” sound. The MP-220 has less deep bass and a noticeable upper-midrange emphasis. The MP-240 is balanced across most of the frequency spectrum, rising above 5 kHz to deliver a crisp, detailed sound. It’s ironic that the slight frequency emphasis climbs with the model numbers from bass to upper-mid to treble (or thump, crunch, sizzle).
Although a flat response is preferred, in-ear monitors aren’t designed for critical listening or mixing. Most monitoring systems have EQ for this reason, and it’s rare to find any floor wedge or in-ear monitor that needs no EQ whatsoever. The MP series is quite normal in this regard, [and] I found that all three models benefited to some degree by corrective EQ. Rather than being ruler-flat, in-ear monitors should be capable of revealing what you need (and desire) to hear from a monitor mix. Does the MP series deliver in this regard? Yes, across the board.
Rather than being ruler-flat, in-ear monitors should be capable of revealing what you need (and desire) to hear from a monitor mix. Does the MP series deliver in this regard? Yes, across the board.
In-ear monitors should also be comfortable and non-fatiguing, both in their physical fit and their sound quality. The MP series felt a bit bulky in my ears at first, but in time I was able to forget that they were there. That’s the goal. To avoid hearing fatigue during long gigs, I needed to make a few minor EQ adjustments.
The MP-120s had enough deep bass that I felt compelled to roll some of that off, and add a touch of top end for clarity. The MP-220s needed some 2 kHz upper midrange pulled back to manage fatigue. The MP-240s were fine for lower volumes and acoustic or vocal music, but their generous top end needed to be tamed a bit for mixes heavy with drums and electric guitar.
Reviewer's take
Mackie isn’t known for its subtlety, and with the MP series they enter yet another new market with a bold statement. Offering three different models, price points and sonic signatures allows Mackie to cover a broad swath of potential users. Do all three models carry their weight? I personally felt the real value was at the top and bottom of the line. The MP-120 offers very good sound and great value, while the MP-240 boasts excellent sound quality at a reasonable price point. The MP-220 made the least sense to me, [because] it lacked the performance improvement over the MP-120 to justify the jump in price.
If you’re in the market for an affordable pair of in-ear monitors that offer full bass and pro-level quality, check out the MP-120. If you have a bigger budget and prefer a bright, articulate sound, the MP-240s are worth a listen. Regardless of where in the MP series you land, all three models show that Mackie has indeed made a fine entrance to the world of in-ear monitors.
