Mackie Thump Go Bluetooth Enabled Battery Powered Speakers.
Mackie has been smart in bringing to life the Thump Go speakers as they are fundamentally loaded to deliver killer punches, time & again. Sonotone Audio LLP, the distribution company for Mackie, kindly sent a pair for us to review. The retail price of each Thump Go is Rs.60000/- (Email us at hifihunt1@gmail.com for further information)
Armed with :
Bluetooth gives the convenience to let the users take the thump go’s pretty much anywhere and stream their choice of music/content via their phones, tablets & what have you. The Thump Connect 2 streaming & controls app is easy to use, has all the features available on the back panel of the speakers, does the job seamlessly & is available for android & iOS users. The pairing was seamless as was the stereo pairing by means of pressing the link button, that is next to the Bluetooth pairing button.
2 Channel digital mixer & XLR Mic output controls are placed on the rear right side of the enclosure, All the buttons are neatly labelled & their functions being self explanatory. The end user can pretty much set up the speakers to their desired preferences within a few seconds, based on the application. EQ Curves are also printed below the controls for ones reference. The power ON/OFF rocker switch is placed at the bottom end of the rear center of the enclosure. A green light strip below the speaker grille bottom lights up when the speaker is powered ON. It can be switched off if so desired, via a button at the rear. Personally speaking, we would have liked the green ring around the Mackie logo to be lit, but then that is just nit picking.
The battery power gives them enough juice to drive these efficient Class D amped speakers for a pretty long duration of upto 12 hours (as claimed by Mackie) mainly depending on the volume levels certainly but as per our hands on experience, 8 hours at full tilt, quite consistently. The battery pack is removeable and one doesn’t require any tools, the screws can be undone using coins or a pick, can be swapped with another in a matter of seconds, so that one can continue to remain wireless & charge the drained battery separately. Mackie has spare batteries, speaker carrying bags & mounting poles sold separately as accessories.
The light weight moulded cabinet enclosures come with powder coated steel grilles. The Thump Go’s have a relatively slim form factor & are quite portable to carry around(the handle on top is brilliantly integrated into the enclosure), making the thump go’s a pleasure to carry from gig to gig, or party to party, effortlessly. They can also be placed at the desired 45 degree monitor angle, if so desired or pole mounted. Flexibility built in is definitely a bonus. ‘Built like a tank’ text with a tank illustration is what Mackie have proudly printed on top of the packing cartons!
The 2 way speaker design has a 1” compression drive tweeter with an 8” woofer powered by a 200W Class D amplifier, seamlessly and efficiently enough to make these play on the battery power for long enough that the end user would most certainly appreciate.
4 Way voicing modes give the options of playing for Music/Speech/Monitor/Sub
Again making these versatile for any situation, including dedicated indoor & outdoor modes.
Necessary features of music ducking mode, which automatically lowers Ch2 levels, when Ch1 receives a signal. Ideal for DJ’s & Compere’s. Feedback eliminator mode prevents nasty unwanted squeals and undesired rumbling.
Box Packing – 5/5
Well packed in cardboard boxes, having pretty much all the relevant info printed on the boxes makes it educational & convenient to one & all. The ‘Dog Not Included’ message gave us a good laugh. Thermocole inserts at the top & bottom ensure that the speakers remain in place & safe from getting damaged in transit, are easy to unpack & reuse for future shifting. Good job Mackie.
Contents – 1 Speaker with battery pack, 1 Power Cord(Schuko Plug), 1 Instructions Leaflet
Design – 4/5
The Cabinet of the Thump Go is moulded black plastic that is quite nicely finished and looks the part with regards to texture & feel as well. Mackie could probably give some color options to really make the thump go’s stand out against it’s competition. The grab handle is very conveniently integrated into the top part of the enclosure, with a green strip to break the otherwise black monotony of the enclosure, making it stand out. Overall, the appearance not only looks quite good, it also seems to be durable for the multiple journeys that one will most certainly be making with the speakers. Mackie sells carrying bags separately as an accessory, which one should most certainly purchase to ensure the Thump Go’s look the part as far as appearance maintenance is concerned.
Sound – 4/5
Play any type of music, the Thump Go’s just perform, no questions asked. We played pretty much everything under the sun to see what would be the Thump Go’s reactions, but they never flinched even once. Western classical, sure. Indian classicial, why not? Hard rock & Heavy Metal, yes please. Electronics & Dance Music, hell yea! The Thump Go’s just go about their merry way at playing what you want, when you want & where you want, no questions asked! Audiophile tracks ? Yea, they shine as well – duh!
You want volume to be dialed up, certainly you do as the Thump Go’s just demand that you do exactly that. Deep dive bombing is the cliché that works very well with the Thump Go’s. At full tilt, the cabinets do resonate which Mackie could probably have taken care of with better cabinet bracing & insulation.
Verdict – 4/5
Never has been the Mackie ‘Running Man’ figure so relevant than for the Thump Go’s! A winner as far as we are concerned as the Thump Go’s open up a new market segment that converges pro & home audio requirements with the desired results. Bluetooth & Stereo pairing are definitely the USP’s that make the Thump Go a pleasure to start any party / get together truly wirelessly! We foresee a huge opportunity for Mackie to make decent in roads into both segments as the Thump Go’s are really good. We hope that the marketing team at Sonotone Audio LLP, go all out to promote the Thump Go’s as they surely deserve to be heard by a larger audience.
Specifications :
· Model: Mackie THUMP GO
· Frequency Response: 57Hz – 20kHz
· Radiation behavior: 90 x 60 degrees
· Maximum sound pressure: 115 dB
· Total power: 200 watts peak
· Driver assembly: 8/1 inch
· Separation frequency: 2000 Hz
· Inputs: 2 x mic/line combo jacks, 1 x mini jack, 1 x Bluetooth
· Output: XLR Through
· Power supply: cold device socket (100 – 240 VAC), lithium-ion battery
· Protection circuits: Peak & RMS limiter, temperature protection for power supply and amplifier
· Remote control: yes, via an app
· Dimensions (H x W x D): 457 x 230 x 285 mm
· Weight: 8kg