Bluetooth key to Mackie launches
Published: PRODUCTS
Bluetooth connectivity is at the heart of a pair of Mackie launches. The Reach professional PA uses the technology for music streaming, while two new CR series monitors have it as their key differentiator.
Starting with Reach, the manufacturer is describing its new solutions as ‘the ultimate self-contained PA system’. As well as the aforementioned Bluetooth streaming, the system offers built-in EarShot personal monitoring, a 6-channel digital mixer and a control app for iOS and Android.
The speakers call on Mackie’s ARC array technology. The ARC (Amplified Radial Curve) high frequency array technology in Reach uses three horizontally angled high-frequency drivers paired with dual vertically spaced high-output low-frequency drivers. This reportedly provides 150-degrees of coverage. Combined with the EarShot personal monitoring system, which is via a full-range driver on each side of Reach, users can achieve a total of 250-degrees of coverage.
The system offers wireless control via the Mackie Connect app. It can reportedly be used for all aspects of control from level adjustments to professional features. These include 3-band channel EQ, a built-in feedback destroyer, application-specific speaker voicing modes, 16 vocal/instrument effects and three recallable memory settings.
The second release from Mackie is a pair of additions to the CR series of monitors. The CR4BT and CR5BT join the CR3 and CR4, and are designed to bridge the gap between professional and personal applications. The CR5BT features a 5-inch woofer, and a ¾-inch silk-dome tweeter while the CR4BT has the same tweeter and a 4-inch woofer.
Unique to the line, a left/right speaker placement switch allows users to locate the volume control on the left or right of their workstation. The front panel includes an on/off/volume knob with a lit power indication ring that will also control the volume of headphones, which can be plugged directly into the front of the monitors. Both new models feature a front panel Bluetooth button for pairing and connection indication. There is an additional front panel aux input for connecting alternate audio sources.