There’s no denying it: in-ear monitoring has been one of the greatest leaps forward in live sound, especially in smaller venues (like most churches). Banishing monitor bleed, reducing on-stage volume levels, giving performers greatly increased clarity—all these benefits are courtesy of those little monitors you put directly in your ears.
Mackie has been making highly regarded speakers, mixers and other electronics for decades. Whereas most in-ear monitors are made by companies known for slightly larger transducers—microphones—Mackie has decided to have a go at this market with their new MP series of in-ear monitors. Introduced at the January 2018 NAMM show, the MP series consists of three models.
All three use the same basic enclosure, which looks to be formed from a high-gloss black plastic. Also common across all three models is an over-the-ear cable routing, which many prefer for keeping the cable out of the way. That cable is shielded and braided for durability on all models. Because life happens and often does harm to delicate little cables, all three MP series models have a swiveling MMCX connector that makes it easy to detach and replace the cable.
Until a few years ago, a clear line of delineation between “professional” and less-expensive in-ear monitor designs was whether they use custom-molded or universal fit earpieces. Custom-molded earpieces fit your ears and nobody else’s, which translates to optimum comfort. Molded earpieces generally offer better sound isolation (noise rejection) and fuller bass response. Nowadays, many manufacturers make universal fit in-ear monitors clearly targeted at the needs (and budget) of professional users. No-compromise universal-fit in-ear monitors are now available at prices up to $500 and beyond.
Mackie opted for a universal fit design with detachable ear tips, an approach that’s worked well with inexpensive ear buds and in-ear monitors for decades. Three different styles of ear tips are included, each in three sizes: foam, silicone and double-flange. That’s a generous assortment of options, and folks with all but the smallest ear canals should be able to achieve a good fit. All three MP-series models boast impressive sound isolation specs of up to 40 dB.
We look forward to testing the fit of the universal ear tips to see how they compare to custom-molded designs.
Though all three Mackie MP-series monitors show the same frequency response on paper, they use two different driver technologies to achieve a range of sound quality and price. The least-expensive MP in-ear monitors (model MP-120) use a single full-range dynamic driver. Manufacturing complexity and cost are lower with a single driver, but fidelity and efficiency is usually decreased as well. The MP-120 in-ear monitors have a list price of $140.
The other two MP-series models offer dual drivers for increased fidelity and efficiency. The MP-220 monitors ($210) use a pair of identical dynamic drivers, both operating across the full frequency range. Fidelity and bass response should be better with two drivers sharing the workload, and the MP-220’s stated efficiency jumps by 2 dB over the MP-120 model (104 dB versus 102 dB). At the top of the line, the MP-240 ($279) pairs one dynamic driver with one balanced armature driver. Much like a two-way speaker design with woofer and tweeter, a crossover splits the frequencies between the dynamic and balanced armature driver. Fidelity should take another jump, along with efficiency (108 dB).
All three MP-series in-ear monitors come with a plastic carrying case that looks sturdy enough to toss in a gig bag or cable tote without fear of damage. A plastic clip allows the monitor case to attached to a backpack, instrument case or wherever. Nice touch.
When it comes to in-ear monitoring, sound quality and comfort are the most important factors. What level of quality Mackie has achieved with the MP-series in-ear monitors remains to be seen. We’re also intrigued by the opportunity to compare the three Mackie MP models to see how their performance compares across the price points.
Can a company known for making some great big speakers also make great tiny speakers? We look forward to finding out.
