Mackies or Behringers?

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maxabillion

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Hey I know the questions been asked, and I've looked at some of the answers, but I want some last minute advice. Which monitors would be better, the Mackie MR5 or the Behringer Truth B2031A? I've heard both are good, but I also read that Mackie discontinued the MR5's a while back, and now musicians friend is having a deal $99.00/monitor what they call MR5 2010. Seems like a pretty good deal to me, but I have also heard good things about the Truth's despite Behringer's so-so reputation. Any thoughts? BTW, I'm working in a smallish room (like 12x12), and would be close up against them. I can readjust if necessary, but I would probably be working within like 2-4 feet of them. Thanks guys!
 
Without ever trying either model...I would lean toward the Mackies just on their monitor reputation.

I have the Mackie HR824 monitors...great monitors for the price.
 
On the other hand, such a luminary on these here pages, Supercreep, has recommended the Behringer Truths. Not a guy whose thoughts can be so easilly dismissed in the welter of "get those %^&$£££"!!* Behri shitsters out of here !" emotives.
I think it's often a gamble. I took a chance with my 'bastard' monitors {the kids in South Kilburns' moniker for cheap, unbranded stuff !} and they've been wonderful for where I'm at. I would've bought KRKs or Adams' if I could've afforded them at the time. Why ? Haven't a clue other than what I read seemed rather positive. But I might've been a sucker. I might still be.
 
I've had decent results with most of the Behringer stuff I've tried.
I couldn't care less about their history or, for that matter, Bob Mackies' history.

That being said, for monitors I'd have to go with the Mackies.
 
The Behringer Truth's are not as awful as the rest of their gear and probably the only Behringer gear I would recommend as being "not as shit as you think". I have a very successful colleague who uses them along with his Genelecs and they're great for when you wanna smack the volume and get some boom-boom for your bum-bum. I always found their midrange quite pleasing and the top end isn't as fatiguing as you think. Although, they can sound quite "Hi-fiey" at times, especially when you compare them with Gennies!

The Mackie HDR24's are great monitors, IMO. Some call them "the Murkies" but I use them and even though they aren't K&H's I know them well at this point and they get the job done consistently. I have mixed dozens of albums on them and I have come to like them.

All that being said, you'll never really know how they translate if your room isn't up to scratch. You could have Dynaudios in there but if the room is troublesome you'll always be guessing.

In the monitor game here's the rules:

1. You get what you pay for (most of the time).
2. What you get is what you're stuck with learning how to use.
3. What you hear is not just your monitors but your room as well.
4. FIX YOUR ROOM.

Cheers :)
 
The question isn't asking if Behringer monitors/products are good/bad (that's a different discussion)...it's asking which monitors would you choose between the Mackies and the Behringers. :)
 
miroslav said:
The question isn't asking if Behringer monitors/products are good/bad (that's a different discussion)...it's asking which monitors would you choose between the Mackies and the Behringers. :)
Click to expand...

it's funny how often people don't address the actual question asked at all.
 
Just picked up a pair of 2031a's, I saw the bad rep that Behringer has received here on the forum, but I've had good luck with their mixer board so far. And it's by far one of the best 8" monitors out there for the money IMO. But the transition from the mix to commercial use is pretty impressive. The lows are pretty accurate, no coloring (that I can notice) and the mids and highs sound just where I had em. They're pretty heavy so you know they are a pretty solid set of monitors.
 
Lt. Bob said:
it's funny how often people don't address the actual question asked at all.
Click to expand...

Yeah..that happens often on forums, to all of us at one time or another. You pick up on one or two key words in a post, and off you go on some tangent. :D
 
What I seem to keep reading (reviews, forums, etc) is that the Mackies - especially the MR5's which are the ones I would be looking at - are quite boomy on the bass, and more fatiguing on the high end. The Behringer's keep getting the "good despite the fact that they're Behringers" thing. Plus I like that you can dial them in on the back to assist with a poorly setup room. I'm definitely going to make a slow-go at getting my room dialed (because of money issues mostly), so until then any help from my monitors would be very beneficial. Also, from my research it sounds like Behringer stepped up their game with the Truth's in terms of quality, even though they are cheap. They get 5 stars everywhere for clarity, not fatiguing, balanced output, etc, whereas the Mackie's are slightly tougher to pinpoint because they tend to have fewer reviews. But Mackie has a better reputation, plus I like that they are smaller (again, I'm in a small room), and cheaper. I dunno! haha
 
Also, what are your thoughts on the KRK Rokit 5 (generation 2) and the KRK Rokit 6 Limited Edition (any difference to the regular?) - I just saw that these are priced pretty competitively as well. It seems like everybody likes these a lot as well...
 
Haha ya you're right. Thanks for the input everybody! much appreciated!
 
Before you invest in either you owe it to yourself to go out to a "Hi-Fi" shop and look at consumer "bookshelf" speakers. Some aren't that bad and with their larger distribution [like via Best Buy - etc.] their "economy of scale" in the manufacturing process will give you a lot more speaker than any of the "would like to be a pro monitor when I grow up" things that are available through Banjo Mart [etc.]

At the end of the day the only way to figure out if a speaker is right for your purposes is to mix a few songs on them and then take those mixes out of the room to determine how the mixes reference on other systems. It really doesn't matter how the product sounds in the room, what matters is how the mixes reference on the street. Yes - the midrange character will shift around a bit when you listen on other speakers... but the question is whether the balances of the midrange stay in tact... whether the top holds true or disappears or gets harsh... whether the bottom stays focused or gets washy. You'll hear it if you listen for it!!

FWIW - whenever I try to evaluate a new set of monitors I will do 3 mixes on them with no other reference monitor... then I'll take the product out to a stereo store [after playing it on the home system, in the car... in my girlfriend's car, etc.] and pretend I'm interested in buying new speakers for my house. I'll make the mook at the stereo store [HiFi shop] play me 8-10 different sets. Obviously I'm not listening to the speakers he's playing... I'm listening to how the mixes reference on different sets of home speakers.

Its a damn good working program [and I have more than a few gold / platinum plaques to prove it].

Peace
 
miroslav said:
The question isn't asking if Behringer monitors/products are good/bad (that's a different discussion)...it's asking which monitors would you choose between the Mackies and the Behringers. :)
Click to expand...

I hope you weren't referring to me because I thought I gave a pretty good synopsis of both products. I didn't bad mouth either of them. I don't have extensive experience with the MR5's besides hearing them in the local gear shop but the HR824 MKI's were mentioned and they are the best monitors Mackie ever made, IMO, so I would recommend them over any of their monitors including the new ones. I do have experience with the Behringers, however and I reported fairly on that.

As always, it's just information so take it or leave it.

Cheers :)
 
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I've never heard the Mackies mentioned by the OP but the Behringer Truths are okay for the money (emphasis on "for the money"). Both are cheap speakers so don't expect miracles.

As for companies and reputations, I lump both in the same boat. Greg Mackie no longer has anything to do with Mackie--they're owned by "Loud Technologies". Both companies aim at the cheap end of the market (though Mackie tries to pretend--and sometimes price--otherwise) and both now manufacture in China. I don't know if Mackie control their own factory there but Behringer have their own campus style facility which, from all reports, pays and treats it's employees pretty well.

In short, if you can listen to both speakers, buy the one you like best. Don't worry about cliche reputations.
 
When it comes to target practice I find the two of them equal across the board.
 
What's Behringer's sordid history? I never knew about this. Is it thick with intrigue and revenge?
 
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