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-- ADAM A7 vs. Mackie HR824
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Posted by alanzo on Jan-13-2008 20:38:

ADAM A7 vs. Mackie HR824

I've heard the Mackie HR824s and they sound very nice. Pleasent on the ears, great imaging, very powerful. But I can't find a store with the ADAM A7s to compare.

Has anyone done a comparison? How do they compare to eachother for trance production? Countless trance productions have been mixed on 824s, so the track record is impecable. But eventually, I would like to get ADAM speakers in the $3-5k range and an Apogee DAC... but that won't be for several years.

The 824s have a proven track record. But, I'm thinking the A7s would be a great stepping stone into the ADAM line as I plan to eventually upgrade to high end ADAM monitors.

Any thoughts?


Posted by Zombie0729 on Jan-13-2008 21:23:

people are raving to me about the Adam's monitor line but i have no form of comparison. they sounded superb against the dynaudio speaks that were in the studio but i'm unsure about the mackies.

do you know the main diff between the A line and P line?


Posted by echosystm on Jan-13-2008 21:47:

I like the A7s. I've never been much of a fan of Mackies; they are good, but not as good as the hype and price tag.


Posted by alanzo on Jan-13-2008 21:55:

quote:
Originally posted by Zombie0729
do you know the main diff between the A line and P line?


Not really. I'd imagine it's the size of the cabinet and the material the woofer is made from. They all have the same ribbon tweeter.


Posted by Fledz on Jan-13-2008 23:34:

quote:
Originally posted by Zombie0729
people are raving to me about the Adam's monitor line but i have no form of comparison. they sounded superb against the dynaudio speaks that were in the studio but i'm unsure about the mackies.

do you know the main diff between the A line and P line?


Same here. While the Dyns sounded a bit better, for the price the Adam A7's were superb.

Sadly I couldn't compare them to Mackies though.


Posted by Derivative on Jan-14-2008 16:22:

The A7 is almost exactly the same as the P11a except it costs half the money, has half the power and has a different woofer design.


Posted by alanzo on Jan-14-2008 16:23:

quote:
Originally posted by Derivative
has a different woofer design.


It will then sound very different.


Posted by Derivative on Jan-14-2008 16:28:

quote:
Originally posted by alanzo
It will then sound very different.


Yes thats probably true. I only auditioned the P11a. At that time the A7 wasn't even out yet.


Posted by Beyer on Jan-14-2008 16:54:

The main problem with the mackies, is that sound TOO good. They have poor detail in the midrange and smear the highs. This is what people say, when going from the mackies to s better monitor. I haven't heard these myself, but it's fair to say that this is true, since this is what keeps being said.

The A7 will be a lot more detailed, less bassy, and more "honest" sounding. They are most likely not as "fun" to listen to as the mackies, but that is a good thing. Haven't heard these either.

I think it's quite possible to do great mixes on the mackies, if you learn them really well. afaik SVD mix and master all his tracks by himself, and imo his mixes are amazingly good.


Posted by alanzo on Jan-14-2008 17:02:

Well the main reason I'm asking is because a slightly used pair of 824s goes for < $600 on eBay which is $300 cheaper than the A7s.

I think it just comes down to what you need and what you THINK you need. I mean, I'm already doing great (signed) productions on a fu**in pair of $100 Sony headphones.


Posted by rb2k1 on Jan-16-2008 16:09:

just go freaking mackie alan.. damn it man! hahaha i know deep down inside your a mackie monitor kind of guy


Posted by alanzo on Jan-16-2008 16:14:

quote:
Originally posted by rb2k1
just go freaking mackie alan.. damn it man! hahaha i know deep down inside your a mackie monitor kind of guy


Hah.. thanks, Ross. I'm obsessive, I know. I've been pondering this for the past two months.

Basically, my options are to just say fuck'it, get HR824s and a sub because it'll be good enough (cost about $1500 for sub and monitors, used on eBay).

Or to really save up and go with ADAMs because they're awesome -- I'd be looking at about $3-4000 for the speakers, $1500 for a DAC (useless to use an m-audio audiophile if I have ADAMs).


Posted by rb2k1 on Jan-16-2008 16:24:

save the money now.. remember how important the room acoustics will be, and if the benefits of the 2-3k extra will really be heard in the environment you are working in.. unless its a dead room, im going to say NO it wont be.. so save the $ now.. and believe me.. if things keep going well in your music career.. there will be a time for more expensive monitors.. but the mackies are by no means a sub-par decision.. keep that in mind! see you on AP.. i never post over hereanymore dont even know what im doing right now! haha


Posted by alanzo on Jan-16-2008 16:27:

quote:
Originally posted by rb2k1
save the money now.. remember how important the room acoustics will be, and if the benefits of the 2-3k extra will really be heard in the environment you are working in.. unless its a dead room, im going to say NO it wont be.. so save the $ now.. and believe me.. if things keep going well in your music career.. there will be a time for more expensive monitors.. but the mackies are by no means a sub-par decision.. keep that in mind! see you on AP.. i never post over hereanymore dont even know what im doing right now! haha


Well one thing I'm thinking is that the 824s might be fine without a sub. What was your experience with the 624s?

If they're fine without a sub, I can get a very slightly used pair for $700... and then just use those until I save up enough to put a substantial amount into room acoustics, a good DAC, and more expensive ADAMs.

Oh, and your posting on TA because deep down you <3 me.


Posted by rb2k1 on Jan-16-2008 20:00:

I would say to leave the sub out of the picture for now too.. you will be amazed at the difference having the monitors makes compared to the headphones.. probably already know this.. but i would suggest that you tune your ears to them by listening to your favorite tracks (or ones that you think have amazing production clarity etc.) and then youll have a basis to work from.. (its important tho! dont skip this!) I have never had a mix on my mackies that hasnt translated.. and thats not a cocky statement.. its just the reality of working with strictly controlled quality monitors. +/- 1.5 i believe which is **almost** nothing. And you get the extended low end with those 824s. I ran a sub for a bit, and I found in a largly untreated room (granted i had GOOD acoustics, pitched ceiling, natural traps, not square) I would under-produce my bass.. because what i was hearing was just blown out of proportion. Instead of letting me hear the low of the lows.. i ended up under producing the bass. So start with the 824s and work from there.. youll be suprised how effective they are. I am sure of it. and i do love you alan.. just dont spread that around.. might hurt my image! haha keep me informed man


Posted by alanzo on Jan-16-2008 20:41:

Ok... here's what I'm going to do. I have a coupon for 10% off at Musician's Friend. The 824 are $800 for a new pair which is $720 (shipped) after 10% off. Great deal.

I'll buy the Mackies, then down the line, buy a pair of A7s. After using both for a month or so, sell the ones I don't like... or keep both.

That's it, end of story... two months of research, reading testimonials, starting 5 threads on TranceAddict and AudioPioneers, listening to monitors myself.. that's the conclusion. The 824s where #1 on my list since the beginning, but the ADAMs got #2 after lots of research.

824s are a trance standard for the past 10 years... used by AVB, Signalrunners, Above and Beyond, Sander Van Doorn and so many others. They're a sure thing at a reasonable price.


Posted by Fledz on Jan-17-2008 02:04:

Hold on, you can get brand new 824s for US$800? A pair of them? WTF!!!


Posted by alanzo on Jan-17-2008 02:13:

quote:
Originally posted by Fledz
Hold on, you can get brand new 824s for US$800? A pair of them? WTF!!!


http://www.musiciansfriend.com/prod...WELAID=26047475


Posted by Zak McKracken on Jan-17-2008 02:45:

tempting!


Posted by cryophonik on Jan-17-2008 02:50:

quote:
Originally posted by alanzo
Ok... here's what I'm going to do. I have a coupon for 10% off at Musician's Friend. The 824 are $800 for a new pair which is $720 (shipped) after 10% off. Great deal.



Wow - that IS a good deal! Are you sure that the 10% off coupon can be applied to sale items?


Posted by alanzo on Jan-17-2008 02:59:

quote:
Originally posted by cryophonik
Wow - that IS a good deal! Are you sure that the 10% off coupon can be applied to sale items?



Already bought. $706 /w shipping for a pair. 10% off with a coupon + 1.5% off from my credit card.


Posted by Zombie0729 on Jan-17-2008 03:30:

i pulled the trigger on the Adam's... they'll be here in a month : P


Posted by alanzo on Jan-17-2008 03:32:

quote:
Originally posted by Zombie0729
i pulled the trigger on the Adam's... they'll be here in a month : P


It was a really tough decision between the two. Really the only way I could come to terms was to have both.


Posted by Fledz on Jan-17-2008 07:18:

Jesus fucking Christ, $400 for Mackie HR824s

BUY BUY BUY

I'm tepmted to buy a pair just for the hell of it man. That's soooooooooooooooo cheap!


Posted by mysticalninja on Jan-17-2008 07:41:

i paid 1200 for mine -_- also from musicians fried, about a year and a half ago.


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