Mackie Brings Professional Sound to Every Listener With Next-Gen CR Monitors

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Oct 17, 2024, 03:00 ET

Creative Reference Series Enters 3rd Generation With Flexible Tone Control and Location Switch for Studio-Quality Sound in Any Application

BOTHELL, Wash., Oct. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mackie, a global leader in professional audio gear, announces the third generation of their Creative Reference powered studio monitors. The new CR Series speakers bring professional sound to a wider range of users than ever before thanks to a pair of revolutionary features: the built-in tone control knob and location switch. These powerful, easy-to-use controls allow you to place CR speakers anywhere and adapt the sound for anything you do—producing music, gaming, video editing, casual listening or partying.

Mackie CR Series Creative Reference Powered Studio Monitors with Bluetooth® combine professional-quality sound with a tone shaping knob for moving from studio reference to casual listening to party mode. Featuring a selection of inputs, Bluetooth® and switchable desktop and bookshelf modes, these speakers give you clear, powerful sound in any space.

A render of the CR Series featuring CR3.5, CR3.5BT, CR4.5, CR4.5BT, CR5BT, CR8BT, and CR8SBT.

First introduced a decade ago, Mackie CR Series were the first studio monitors to offer clear, articulate sound at an accessible price for working musicians and producers. But users discovered that CR Series speakers also sounded great for all their listening, whether for work or play. So, the third generation embraces every application with sound you can customize.

"When we introduced CR in 2014 they were an overnight success," said Product Manager Ty Vaughn. "Over time we noticed the speakers extending beyond their intended purposes with musicians and content creators, appearing on bookshelves, or hooked up to vinyl record players. So, we baked that right into the product. This iteration of CR balances the nature of work and play by giving flexible features that shape your sound based on your use case. They are perfect for any situation, and are truly your 'everything' speakers."

The innovative tone control knob is placed right up front for easy access, letting you shape the sound instantly. The knob starts with the transparent, "flat" response of reference monitors. Turn the knob to gradually boost the bass and add high-end sparkle, perfect for using CR Series as immersive gaming speakers, casual listening speakers or all-out party speakers.

Using the location switch on the back, CR Series speakers can also adapt to where you place them. Use desktop mode for listening up close (like in the studio) and bookshelf mode for listening at a distance (like from the couch).

Mackie CR Series speakers connect to just about anything. Hook up audio interfaces, mixers, record players and other playback devices with TRS, RCA and 3.5 mm input connectors. Switch to quiet listening with the built-in headphone output—just connect your headphones to cut the speaker audio. The "BT" models can even pair with smartphones, laptops and other Bluetooth® devices for studio-quality sound you can stream wirelessly.

The new Mackie CR Series sports a fresh visual design and new capabilities, but one thing hasn't changed: the core sound quality that makes Mackie one of the most trusted brands in professional audio. Each speaker contains a silk dome tweeter with a protective grille and woven-fiber woofers available in 3.5, 4.5, 5.25 and 8-inch sizes (see model list below).

The new CR Series also includes the new Mackie CR8SBT Creative Reference subwoofer, designed specifically to work with Creative Reference monitors for floor-shaking sound. (Pro tip: The subwoofer has Bluetooth®, so you can connect any non-Bluetooth® speakers to the subwoofer and stream wirelessly through the whole system.)

The new Mackie CR Series studio monitors are now shipping and will be available on Mackie.com and at participating retailers, with the following MAPs:

CR3.5 3.5" Studio Monitors (Pair): $99.99
CR3.5BT 3.5" Studio Monitors With Bluetooth® (Pair): $129.99
CR4.5 4.5" Studio Monitors (Pair): $129.99
CR4.5BT 4.5" Studio Monitors With Bluetooth® (Pair): $159.99
CR5BT 5.25" Studio Monitors With Bluetooth® (Pair): $199.99
CR8BT 8" Studio Monitors With Bluetooth® (Pair): $279.99
CR8SBT 8" Subwoofer With Desktop Remote: $199.99

For more information, visit mackie.com/cr-series

About Mackie
Mackie is a global leader and manufacturer of professional audio products used across live sound, content creation, and studio recording settings. Since 1989, Mackie has paved the way for innovation in audio through our commitment to forward-thinking designs that deliver maximum real-world benefit to a loyal base of everyday users, or "Mackoids." From loudspeakers and mixing consoles, to monitors and more—Mackie products can be found everywhere music goes, including a diverse base of end-markets such as clubs, bars, houses of worship, schools, corporate AV, and professional recording and production environments. Mackie is headquartered in Bothell, Washington and sells its products globally through a mature network of distributors, installers, systems integrators, and retailers.

For more information on Mackie, visit www.mackie.com.

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SOURCE Mackie