Mackie HR624 MK2 User Manual

O WNER’S MANUAL

HR624 MK2

High Resolution Active Studio Monitor

HR624 MK2

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

PORTABLE CART

WARNING

CAUTION AVIS

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK. DO NOT OPEN

RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE. NE PAS OUVRIR

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK)

NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL

ATTENTION: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE, NE PAS ENLEVER LE COUVERCLE.

AUCUN ENTRETIEN DE PIECES INTERIEURES PAR L'USAGER.

CONFIER L'ENTRETIEN AU PERSONNEL QUALIFIE.

AVIS: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES D'INCENDIE OU D'ELECTROCUTION, N'EXPOSEZ PA S CET ARTICLE

A LA PLUIE OU A L'HUMIDITE

The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure, that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.

Le symbole éclair avec point de flèche à l'intérieur d'un triangle équilatéral est utilisé pour alerter l'utilisateur de la présence à l'intérieur du coffret de "voltage dangereux" non isolé d'ampleur suffisante pour constituer un risque d'éléctrocution.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user of the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance.

Le point d'exclamation à l'intérieur d'un triangle équilatéral est employé pour alerter les utilisateurs de la présence d'instructions importantes pour le fonctionnement et l'entretien (service) dans le livret d'instruction accompagnant l'appareil.

1. Read these instructions.

2. Keep these instructions.

3. Heed all warnings.

4. Follow all instructions.

5. Do not use this apparatus near water.

6. Clean only with dry cloth. Use a non-scratch cloth to protect the ﬁnish.

7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the

manufacturer’s instructions.

8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers,

stoves, or other apparatus (including ampliﬁers) that produce heat.

9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type

plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding-type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not ﬁt into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

10.

Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at

plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

11.

Only use attachments/accessories speciﬁed by the manufacturer.

12.

Use only with a cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or

table speciﬁed by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

13.

Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long

periods of time.

14.

Refer all servicing to qualiﬁed service personnel. Servicing is required

when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as powersupply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

15.

This apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing, and no

object ﬁlled with liquids, such as vases, shall be placed on the apparatus.

16.

Note that this apparatus is not completely disconnected from the AC

mains service when the power switch is in the OFF position.

17.

The MAINS plug or an appliance coupler is used as the disconnect device, so the disconnect device shall remain readily operable.

18.

Exposure to extremely high noise levels may cause permanent hearing

loss. Individuals vary considerably in susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss, but nearly everyone will lose some hearing if exposed to sufﬁciently intense noise for a period of time. The U.S. Government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has speciﬁed the permissible noise level exposures shown in the following chart.

According to OSHA, any exposure in excess of these permissible limits

could result in some hearing loss. To ensure against potentially dangerous exposure to high sound pressure levels, it is recommended that all persons exposed to equipment capable of producing high sound pressure levels use hearing protectors while the equipment is in operation. Ear plugs or protectors in the ear canals or over the ears must be worn when operating the equipment in order to prevent permanent hearing loss if exposure is in excess of the limits set forth here.

Correct disposal of this product. This symbol indicates that this product should not be disposed of with your household waste, according to the WEEE Directive (2002/96/EC) and your national law. This product should be handed over to an authorized collection site for recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). Improper handling of this type of waste could have a possible negative impact on the environment and human health due to potentially hazardous substances that are generally associated with EEE. At the same time, your cooperation in the correct disposal of this product will contribute to the effective usage of natural resources. For more information about where you can drop off your waste equipment for recycling, please contact your local city ofﬁce, waste authority, or your household waste disposal service.

Duration, per day in hours 8 90 Duo in small club 6 92 4 95 Subway Train 3 97 2 100 Very loud classical music

1.5 102 1 105 Matt screaming at Troy about

0.5 110

0.25 or less 115 Loudest parts at a rock concert

Sound Level dBA, Slow Response

Typical Example

deadlines

WARNING — To reduce the risk of ﬁre or electric shock, do not

expose this apparatus to rain or moisture.

Owner’s Manual

INTRODUCTION

Tweeter

Woofer

Passive Radiator

Power Amplifier/ Crossover Assembly

• The ampliers are designed to provide maximum acoustic output from the speakers, yet minimize the danger of speaker damage due to overdriving.

Thank you for choosing the Mackie HR624 MK2 Studio Monitors. We began producing the original HR624 Studio Monitors in 2001, the baby brother to our agship HR824 Studio Monitors. The HR624 MK2s have been redesigned with modern components for improved accuracy and an extended low-frequency response.

Investments in Excellence...

When we decided it was time to update the HR624s, we turned to our expert loudspeaker and transducer design engineering team at EAW to determine how to make an already excellent studio monitor even better. The rst thing they noticed was that the front bafe could be redesigned with a rounder aluminum construction to further reduce edge diffraction for improved imaging. The volume of the cabinet was increased slightly to improve the low-frequency response. The ampliers have been adjusted with all new ‘voicing’ to match the new cabinets. However, the ampliers’ design is fundamentally the same and has a very similar characteristic to the original model. If you are upgrading from the original HR624s, you won’t have to relearn the sound. The MK2s still deliver the clarity, ultra-linear frequency response, and broad stereo imaging of the originals.

An elegant piano-black gloss nish emphasizes that these studio monitors are in a class by themselves, pleasing to the most discerning eye as well as the most discerning ear.

The result? The HR624 MK2 Studio Monitors are extremely accurate and versatile, loaded with unique controls that allow you to ne-tune the sound to match your individual environment precisely. You’re gonna love these!

• In addition, the ampliers’ gain and frequency responses are individually hand-trimmed to compensate for typical manufacturing tolerances between the drivers and produce a smooth frequency response from 45 Hz to 20 kHz.

• The connecting wires between the amplier outputs and the drivers are kept to an absolute minimum, so the damping factor of the amplier isn’t compromised by the resistance of long speaker cables.

• The acoustic sum of the outputs from the two drivers are optimized electronically, as well as physically, so the amplitude response is unity and the phase difference is minimal.

In short, all the complex interconnected components in the system are designed to work in harmony with each other to produce the best possible sound.

The Transducers...

The monitors feature a 6.7-inch high-precision, lowdistortion woofer and a 1-inch ferrouid cooled titanium dome tweeter on the front, and a 6-inch x 9-inch elliptical at piston passive radiator in the back.

The high-frequency driver is mounted on a massive, acoustically non-resonant die-cast aluminum exponential waveguide, which results in wide, controlled unique passive response down to 45 Hz – an astounding accomplishment for a cabinet of this size! And since the radiator is producing most of the sound at the lowest frequencies, there is very little distortion from the woofer because its cone movement is minimal at those frequencies.

dispersion of high-frequency sounds. The

radiator design provides a smooth

What are they? The Advantages...

The HR624 MK2 Studio Monitors are highresolution employing a 6th-order Butterworth system with a built-in rear-ring mass-loaded passive radiator. Whew! There are many benets to integrating an active crossover, power ampliers, and drivers into a single cabinet, and we’ve taken full advantage of these benets in the design of the HR624 MK2.

•

, two-way, bi-amplied, active monitors

The crossover point is designed so that the

high- and low-frequency drivers are fed only the frequencies they are best able to reproduce.

Figure 1. HR624 MK2 Cutaway side view

HR624 MK2

The Cabinet...

The cabinet is made of MDF with a high-gloss pianoblack nish. Internal bracing increases the strength and rigidity (stiffness) of the box. An open-cell adiabatic foam material lls the inside of the box to absorb internal reections and dampen standing waves. Mounting hardware is installed on the bottom of the cabinet that ts the WB-60 OmniMount wall-mount bracket.

Power Ampliers...

The low-frequency amplier produces up to 100 watts continuous before clipping, while the high-frequency amplier produces up to 40 watts continuous.

QUICK START

We realize that you can’t wait to hook up your new Mackie HR624 MK2 High Resolution Studio Monitors and try them out. Nevertheless, please take the time to read this page NOW, and the rest can wait until you’re good and ready.

1. Connect the line-level monitor signal from your mixer, preamp, or other signal source to the SIGNAL INPUT [1] jack on the HR624 MK2 Studio Monitor (1⁄4-inch PHONE, XLR, or RCA).

2. Connect the supplied AC power cord to the IEC socket [7] on the back of the monitor. Plug the other end into an AC outlet properly congured with the voltage corresponding to the Voltage Selector Switch [11] setting.

3. Set the POWER MODE [6] switch on the rear panel to the ON position. With the front panel power switch [9] out, the power amplier is in Standby mode.

4. Start your signal source (tape deck, CD, DAW, or whatever), but leave the master volume control on your mixer or preamp down.

5. Push in the power switch [9] on the front of the HR624 MK2. The power ring [10] around the switch will illuminate.

6. Slowly turn up the INPUT SENSITIVITY [2] control on the back of the monitor to its fully clockwise position (NORMAL).

7. Adjust the master volume on your mixer to a comfortably loud listening level. Enjoy the silky smooth highs and authoritative, commanding lows of the HR624 MK2. Then read the rest of this manual.

AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT NOTE

Make sure the Voltage Selector Switch [11] on the bottom of the cabinet is set to the correct voltage setting for your AC Mains supply.

Each of the HR624 MK2 cabinets has its own built-in power ampliers. That’s right, two ampliers per speaker cabinet; one for the high-frequency tweeter and one for the low-frequency woofer. You should turn the INPUT SENSITIVITY [2] control on the back of the cabinet down (fully counterclockwise) before turning on the Studio Monitors for the rst time. Also be sure to set the power switch [9] on the front panel to its standby position (out). This will prevent you from accidentally connecting a hot signal source to the monitors and getting a rude surprise.

There are a number of other settings you can make on the back of the HR624 MK2, and you can look at the graphic instructions relating to each of them on the back of the cabinet (or wait until you read about them later on in this manual so you really know what they do). For now, just leave them at the factory default settings (ACOUSTIC SPACE = WHOLE; LOW FREQ = 49Hz; HIGH FREQ = 0), except for the POWER MODE [6] switch. Be sure it is set to the STANDBY position.

ON HR624 MK2 BASS RESPONSE AND YOUR CONTROL ROOM.

Your new HR624 MK2s achieve their best bass response in a room that’s optimized for bass reproduction. A lot of factors can conspire to thwart

the HR624 MK2s’ extended low frequency — including room shape, room volume and acoustical treatment.

This is not a cop-out or an apology. It’s plain old physics in action. Luckily we’ve armed you with some compensating controls that you can use to optimize the frequency response of the speakers in your particular room. Consider the following:

The ACOUSTIC SPACE switch must be set correctly.

When you put your HR624 MK2s in a corner or up against walls, their bass characteristics change. Adjust the ACOUSTIC SPACE [3] switch setting accordingly to avoid muddy or exaggerated low frequency response.

Owner’s Manual

ACOUST IC SP ACE

0dB

–

3dB

–

20 100Hz

LOW FR EQ

LOW CUT

80Hz

HIGH FREQ

0dB

–

2dB

10kHz

ACOUSTI C SPACE A PPLICATI ONS

SPEAKERS AGAINS T WALLSPEAKERS I N CORNERS

CONSOLE

HALF SPAC E

QUARTER S PACE

49Hz

SPEAKERS A WAY

FROM WALLS

CONSOLE

WHOLE SPA CE

0dB

INPUT

SENSITIV ITY

–

10dB

NORMALOFF

ACOUSTIC

SPACE

LOW

FREQ FIL TER

POWER

MODE

(NORMAL )

AUTO

–2dB

2dB

STANDBY

HIGH

FREQ FIL TER

HALF

WHOLE (NOR MAL)

QUARTER

80Hz

LOW CUT

49Hz

(NORMAL )

MAINS INPU T

SIGNA L INP UTS BAL/U NBAL

XLRPHONE RCA

CBA

RISK OF ELE CTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

WARNING:

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.

AVIS:

RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE — NE PAS OUVRIR

120

BOTTOM OF CABINET

Set the Voltage Selector Switch to “120” for 120 VAC mains, and to “240” for 220-240 VAC mains.

HR624 MK2

Feel free to experiment.

Placement

In many respects, every room is unique in terms of its

acoustics.

Even after you’ve read about how to set the HR624 MK2’s rear panel switches, try other settings to see if your particular room environment requires different adjustments.

And, even after you’ve placed your monitors where you think they’ll sound best, try moving them around. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Finally, keep an open mind about improving your room’s acoustics and bass-handling ability.

Nobody likes to buy a new set of monitor speakers and then be told that they should spend extra bucks on bass traps or a remodeling job. But the simple fact is, “standard” rooms, i.e., rectangular rooms in conventional business or residential structures, are rarely if ever conducive to optimal low bass reproduction without some modications.

The HR624 MK2s were designed to be placed in a vertical position. If you nd it necessary to place the speakers in a horizontal position (on their sides), place them so that the woofers are toward the inside; that is, so the woofers are closest to each other. This provides the best low-frequency summing and overall imaging.

The HR624 MK2s may also be wall-mounted using the mounting hardware located on the bottom of the cabinet. These are currently designed to be used with the OmniMount 60.0 WB (Wall-to-Bottom) wall-mount bracket, which provides a wide range of horizontal and vertical movement to meet your coverage requirements. However, many companies change specications without notice. Please refer to the OmniMount website and contact their team for more details:

www.omnimount.com/pro

When the monitor is operated at high sound pressure levels, a fair bit of heat can be generated by the internal power ampliers. These internal ampliers are part of the rear panel electronics assembly. To ensure adequate ventilation, the rear of the monitor should be placed at least three inches away from the wall.

Luckily, there are plenty of options short of building a new control room, many of which are covered in this manual.

Additional Tidbits of Wisdom

• When you shut down your equipment, turn off the

HR624 MK2 studio monitors rst to prevent thumps and other noises generated by any upstream equipment from coming out the speakers. When powering up, turn on the monitors last.

• Save the shipping box! You may need it someday, and

you don’t want to have to pay for another one.

• Save your sales receipt in a safe place.

• Also record all HR624 MK2 serial numbers in the space

provided on the next page, along with where and when you bought them.

Note: The Mackie logo can be rotated 90º so that it is oriented correctly when placing the speakers on their sides. Gently pull out on the Mackie emblem, rotate it, and push it back into place.

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