the sound of monitors

Years ago, I decided to invest in some good monitors because I had always heard the sage advice that the two most important things you could buy for recording were good mics and great monitors. Well, everything is crucial when recording, pretty much, but I accepted this sage advice and invested in Mackie HR624 MKIs. This is a 6.7" woofer reference monitor with a relatively small footprint. They had been lauded all over the internet as industry standards in the $400(each) price range. I took the plunge. But I also was eyeballing some 6.5" woofer YSM1Ps released by Canada's Yorkville Sound company (who formerly made the noteworthy Traynor tube bass amp line in the 70s).



Both speakers had similar specs (Mackie, Yorkville), but there were a handful of important differences. First, the Mackies were really well known and released by a reputable company, whereas the Yorkvilles were basically unrepresented online. The Mackies' smaller size was also attractive given they'd be in a confined space. Lastly, however, the Yorkville price was much more favorable. Mackies were selling in the $600USD range whereas the YSMs were selling for under $300 for the pair. So I did what any idiot with a limited budget does. I bought them both with the intention to sell the losers. It didn't go down like that, though.

Design

Both  sets are Bi-amped Tweeter/woofer 2 way systems. The Mackie features 100w woofer/ 40w tweeter (presumably peak) and the YSM1p is 85/30w peak. I'd say, however, that power ratings are usually not useful for these kinds of speakers because no one wants to hear these things blaring for several hours at a time. And if you ever did need to crank them, I doubt 15 watts are going to matter. Both are made with particle-board enclosures. The 624s have a classy wood-grain veneer and the YSMs have the cheaper-looking, but durable, textured stuff similar to what is found on amp heads. The latter looks cheaper, but is actually more scratch resistant, if that matters to you. As mentioned, the YSM is a good bit taller and wider, accommodating the bass-reflex hole that the 624s lack. Both feature calibration options to tailor to room applications (624s are easier to adjust, and include low-mid-high, whereas the YSMs are just low-mid). Features only on the Mackies, that I just love, are first the auto-on standby feature so that you don't have to touch the power buttons, and second the multiple input options. The former works wonderfully. Speakers kick on when sound is produced in about the time it takes to blink, and they auto shutoff after about 5-10min of silence. This is invaluable when you wish to place them out of convenient reach. I will say, that one of mine tends to power down about 15-30 seconds later, though. The addition of independent XLR, 1/4" and RCA inputs also diversifies its usefulness. Want to add these to your home theater? There's an input for that. The YSM are just dumb old rocker switches and the combo-input xlr-1/4" type.

Sound

Mackie: To my ears, the THX certified Mackies were more detailed and had a more limited, focused stereo field which could be advantageous in stereo-critical mixing situations in tight control spaces, useful in less than perfect listening rooms if your head stayed in the right spot. I was bothered by a seeming boost in the low-mids that made the bass sound muddy. The punchy tight low end was still there, but hard to discern due to the increased midrange. I also had a really hard time hearing reverb that had been added to the material, and often found this way too pronounced when I left the mixing room. In fact, mixes never sounded like I had intended, which is an engineer's nightmare. I admit, that my listening space was all wrong, but I also think that a balance should have been struck given this small near-field monitor is ideally suited for home recording and small-budget studios where the appropriate sound environment is next to impossible.

Yorkville: The YSMs, on the other hand, had less of a reference feel to them. They were airy and very listenable, which concerned me at first. Ideally, monitors are exact reproductions of the listening material. This coloration could be a problem when trying to mix. However, I discovered that when I mixed on them, they produced mixes that closely resembled what I heard on other stereos. This reminds me of stories how famous engineers said that they do all of their studio listening on home stereos because that's where the music ends up anyway. All material tends to sound good on the YSMs, for better or worse. But when polishing a mix or mastering tracks, these are tight enough to expose the difference between great sounding and bad sounding material.

Longevity

I bought both sets of speakers used at the same time going on 8 years ago, now. I've had no major issues with either set, which is saying something because I have been using both extensively ever since, and they have been moved a few times. As I mentioned, the Mackies have a tendency to show more wear, and both have minor chips on the edges from moving. The power button on one of the HR624s has been quirky, and may require patience getting it to actually power on/off, but if you use the auto feature, this doesn't matter. Soon after I bought the YSMs, some fiberglass insulation inside started to droop down, and was visible through the bass reflex port. I took the whole thing apart and taped it back up, and never saw it again. They do show a little dust in the ports which may be from the movement of this seemingly cheap choice of material. Also, someone once barely touched the flexible cover over one of the tweeters on a YSM, which popped it in and caused wrinkles rather easily - I had to gently coax it back out to its original shape. The HR624s have metal grills that cover the tweeters, so that is not an issue. All in all, both have aged extremely well, which speaks to the Yorkvilles more than Mackie by virtue of their much cheaper price.

Bottom Line

Both of these monitors are outstanding and worth a look on the used market. If I was talking to a fellow hobbyist, I'd have no problem recommending the much cheaper Yorkvilles. They sound great, are way cheaper and last a good long time to get your money's worth. To my ears, the Mackies are best applied as a supplement in a multi-montor setup or at least with properly tuned acoustics. I'll bet someone out there will swear by them because they are truly rock-solid. But for me, I found them limited and rather frustrating to mix on due to the low-mid boost. Worth noting: I did use these for home theater listening for a brief stint and they were fantastic, but the tight stereo field did create issues. For example, turning your head makes a big difference, and not setting in dead center made the stereo pan feel off.

At any rate, if you find either of these sets used in great condition, I doubt you'll ever regret buying them.