Having a home studio is an excellent idea, yet searching for studio monitors on a budget can be challenging. Fortunately, Mackie is focusing on producing affordable products like its CR-X series. So if you are hunting for a Mackie CR4-X Speakers Review, you are in the right place.
Generally, studio monitors are loudspeakers confined in speaker enclosures. These are essential for pro-level production applications like filmmaking and are perfect for recording, radio, television, and project/home studios. In addition, such products are crucial when accurate audio reproduction is needed.
In this Mackie CR4-X Speakers Review, we will check out the CR4-X Speakers and what it can offer. We used it for two weeks to share details on its features, design, functions, specs, and performance.
But before looking into these details, let us check its packaging and contents.
Mackie CR4-X Speakers Packaging
The speakers shipped in a box with hints of white, black, and apple green for aesthetics. In front of the package, you will see an image of the speakers, its name, and their highlighted features.
More details on the product are on the rear and sides of the box, which you can check whenever necessary.
Inside the package, the CR4-X ship with additional accessories, such as the following:
- 3.5mm to stereo RCA cable
- Speaker-to-speaker cable
- 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable for connecting your Smartphone to a monitor
- Limited 2-year manufacturer warranty
Mackie CR4-X Speakers Review – Design and Functionality
These speakers are perfect for creating multimedia. Yet as we looked deeper into it for our Mackie CR4-X Speakers Review, it is more than that. The CR4-X has studio quality build standards to provide you with top-notch performance.
The product is ideal for music production, home DJing, and creative activities. Plus, the speakers are portable and compact, making them excellent for studio or home use. Another aspect to consider is their solid build, plus the style that will look excellent in most setups.
Some may not be into the green highlights of the speaker, but these look good with the product. In addition, its unique design and appeal make it stand out in a field of basic black-looking stereos.
Compact and Solid Build
The best aspect of the CR4-X is its compact design, which allows it to fit on any table or desk. So you can set it solo, next to your laptop, or with all your home studio equipment.
These speakers measure 8.9 x 6.1 x 8.3 inches (HxWxD) and weigh 4.5kg. Their build and dimensions make the speakers ideal for anyone needing something portable and compact.
Most of the material used for the speakers is plastic. However, it is a solid hard plastic that can withstand bumps and knocks. Then, it has a wooden cabinet that is just as solid and sturdy.
Mackie CR4-X Speakers Inputs and Switches
The pair of CR4-X speakers have a powered speaker and a passive one. You will know which speaker is the powered and passive type once you bring them out of the box.
When you look at the front part of these speakers, you will see a 4-inch woofer. In addition, it sports a silk-dome tweeter that measures 0.75 inches. Finally, one features a headphone jack and volume knob in front, plus 1/8-inch, 1/4-inch, and RCA inputs.
Depending on which side of the speaker you prefer to switch on, a left/right button is available. It is a convenient touch that lets you position the headphone jack wherever you want.
Aside from its monitors and speaker cables, you also have one RCA cable and a 1/8-inch cable. These are everything you need to get started, so kudos to Mackie for providing these.
Key Features of the Mackie CR4-X Speakers
What makes these speakers an excellent product? Learn more as we discuss its elements in our Mackie CR4-X Speakers Review.
Studio Sound Quality
The CR4-X uses premium tweeters, woofers, high-headroom amplifiers, and all-wood enclosures. As a result, the speakers produce a clean, accurate, and professional-grade sound, making them ideal for home studios and gaming.
Professional Speakers for Your Lifestyle
Mackie is an experienced manufacturer of studio monitors that are high-quality and affordable. As a result, the company poured its years of expertise into the CR4-X, making the speakers deliver accurate audio representation. With the sleek look of the product, they are perfect for recording studios in smaller homes.
Aside from content creation and recording, the CR4-X is excellent for gaming. It offers balanced lows and mids for enhanced immersion and crisp highs that let you hear each footstep.
Sleek Aesthetic of the Mackie CR4-X Speakers
Mackie offers more than high-quality audio. The company built the CR-4X with sharp aesthetics to make it look good in your studio and bedroom. As a result, this product gives a bold sound without compromising style.
Extra Bass
The CR4-X offers a bass boost since it has polypropylene woofers and rear-firing ports for tight bass response. Later in our Mackie CR4-X Speakers Review, we will discuss its sound quality, bass, and other audio elements.
However, you can enhance it further by adding the CR8-XBT studio subwoofer from Mackie. It uses a 200W amplifier and an 8-inch high-output woofer, delivering a deep low-end punch.
Convenient Controls
Mackie knows that users prefer to avoid digging around for controls. So, to make things convenient, the company placed the power switch and volume control on the front of the CR4-X. Plus, you can toggle the speaker placement switch and decide where you want the volume knob on.
With the CR4-X, your speakers are your command centre. In addition, Mackie provides you with better tools to improve your creative space.
Connect Your Headphones
The CR4-X features an integrated headphone output on the front panel, allowing you to listen closer. When you plug in your headphones, the speaker output automatically mutes.
Flexible Connections
The standard CR4-X models have a 1/8-inch aux and 1/4-inch balanced/unbalanced and RCA inputs. In addition, Bluetooth versions allow you to stream audio wirelessly.
Specifications
We looked into the different specifications of the product for our Mackie CR4-X Speakers Review. For starters, it offers a 4-inch woofer that is polypropylene-coated and can handle low-end frequencies.
Usually, this type of coating is for car speaker systems due to its internal damping. Plus, it provides top-notch protection against water, dirt, and the like. Its rear port also does an outstanding job of providing an optimised and pronounced low-end response.
Speaking of its tweeter, it is a 0.75-inch ferrofluid-cooled silk dome, a popular type of tweeter. These deliver quality reproduction of higher frequencies for enhanced performance. As mentioned earlier, the speakers measure 8.9 x 6.1 x 8.3 inches (HxWxD) and weigh 4.5kg.
For your convenience, Mackie offers the CR4-X with a two-year warranty.
Hands-on with the Mackie CR4-X Speakers
Small speakers like the CR4-X usually only produce less sound. Fortunately, when we tested the product for this Mackie CR4-X Speakers Review, we proved this idea wrong. The speakers can deliver adequate power and punch to almost any listening situation, whether for mixing, entertainment, etc.
If you consider its end price, the CR4-X provides you with plenty of wonderful studio-quality sounds. These are excellent for general audio listening since they offer extensive and ideal low-end frequency response. Once these start playing, you can expect to hear punchy and top-notch audio your audience will enjoy.
Generally, these are excellent for providing music to a crowd or even playing favourite tunes for your enjoyment. But of course, the CR4-X is also ideal for precise and analytical editing, which these products are for. However, its performance still needs to match the more highly-priced models.
Mackie CR4-X Speakers – The Lows
The lowest frequencies among the three levels are highly noticeable and can produce impressive bass sounds. However, if you have specific preferences for your tracks, you might need to look for even deeper sounds.
For general listening, the speakers work well. Plus, these also work perfectly for music production and standard multimedia editing. But for the latter, it will not be as analytical as you want.
The CR4-X also works effectively as a reference monitor.
But do not worry about the CR4-X speakers lacking bass. Fortunately, these can still pump out adequate amounts of the boom from their woofers.
When listening to the bass heavy instruments, the pounding beats give enough kick to get through a mix. Bass-wise, the tunes sound warm and smooth.
When you plan to mix and require accuracy for the task, it is best to use a compatible subwoofer. However, if you cannot/do not want to use one, you will still appreciate the lows offered by the CR4-X.
When listening to these speakers, you can immediately determine that the mids are finely balanced and well-calibrated. That means you can expect a pleasant and natural sound from the CR4-X. In addition, these can offer an economical and fairly-accurate listening experience.
In terms of the mid-range frequencies, they come across as clean and distinct, allowing for excellent differentiation between tonal properties. Furthermore, both male and female vocals are excellently-presented, highlighting the clarity and accuracy of the midrange.
Moving on to the high frequencies, these remain crystal clear without harsh, jarring, or tinny notes. These can often become a problem with cheaper speakers. Overall, the CR4-X offers an exceptional mid and high-range performance worth the investment.
The highs of the CR4-X were among the things we highly appreciate. Although not as pronounced as we wanted, it offers good detail in this frequency. We have no complaints about this since speakers with more prominent highs often cost higher.
For this price range, the CR4-X delivers exceptionally crisp highs. Plus, it does not produce disrupting and jarring high notes common in affordable powered speakers.
Overall Sound Quality of the Mackie CR4-X Speakers
The overall sound quality of the CR4-X is good. It emphasises low-end frequencies. As a result, you can tune the bass and treble conveniently. Thanks to its focus on low frequencies, the product has become a favourite of DJs.
We prefer Mackie to include higher-quality cables since using more premium ones significantly improves the sound quality. However, it is common in studio monitors, so we highly recommend using good ones with the CR4-X.
When using the CR4-X with headphones, it also offers good sound quality. Furthermore, we noticed that it delivers the same sound quality whether we use the loudspeaker or headphones.
However, note that the audio will still depend on the quality of your headphones. A high-quality pair delivers better audio, while a low-quality model offers fewer details.
Overall, the CR4-X from Mackie offers an excellent listening experience. Although it has some imperfections, like its minimal hissing, the audio quality is good for its price. Since it is not highly audible when audio is playing, we have no complaints about this issue.
The CR4-X produces an impressive sound that is ideal for home studios. You can also enjoy it for gaming since it makes various nuances more audible. With its budget-friendly price, it offers superior performance, making it easy to recommend.
Mackie CR4-X Speakers Review Summary
The CR4-X is a versatile set of speakers with adequate inputs, including a headphone jack for private listening. This product offers excellent detail and an impressive amount of bass for its price range.
Mackie designed these speakers principally for multimedia creation, but the product also meets studio-quality standards. As a result, they are suitable for music production, creative tasks, gaming, and more. In addition, their compact design makes them highly portable and excellent for small studios and homes.
When we tested the product Mackie CR4-X Speakers Review, we enjoyed the audio quality it delivered. We had no issues with these speakers since they were also easy to use.
Overall, the CR4-X is an outstanding product, and we highly recommend this to anyone who wants high-quality home speakers. These speakers offer high-quality recording, music production, and gaming sound.
To learn more about the CR4-X Speakers, visit the official Mackie product page for additional details.
