STEREO GUID verdict
The Mackie Thrash212 offers plenty of power and good sound quality in the mid-high range. Apart from its weight, the 12-inch Bluetooth speaker is comparatively handy, but the lack of an integrated equalizer could be a decisive disadvantage, especially in closed rooms. The strong bass emphasis is not necessarily suitable for standard rock and pop recordings, but it is for party music.
Pros
- Extremely level-resistant
- Quite natural mid and treble reproduction
- Stereo pairing of two Thrash212 Go via Bluetooth possible
- Replaceable battery
Cons
- Bass is too thick for many types of music
- Somewhat high noise level
- Correction option for the bass would be appropriate
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Sound: tonal balance / transparency8.2
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Sound: Bass / Dynamics9.4
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Ease-of-use / Connectivity8.7
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Price/Performance9.5
The Mackie Thrash212 Go embodies the continuation of the idea behind the “Thump Go 8” reviewed a year and a half ago. It is bigger, heavier, stronger. However, there is one point where the heavyweight loses out: The Thrash212 Go has to make do without an app. I automatically tried to pair the party box with the Mackie Thump Connect 2 like the Thump. After repeated failures, I googled and was amazed: at a time when you can control any standard Bluetooth speaker with a suitable app, even in the under 100 euro class, the 550 expensive, heavy device of all things fails.
If you disregard this anti-cyclical app abstinence, the Mackie Thrash212 Go is truly not stingy with features and fascinating values: First and foremost is the performance. With a total peak output of 1300 watts from a highly efficient Class D amplifier with separate channels for each of the two drivers of the 2-way bass reflex speaker, the mobile Bluetooth speaker puts an entire hi-fi tower for the living room in the shade. But performance is not everything.
1300 watts is a word
To prevent the 1300 watts of impulse power from simply fizzling out, sound reinforcement specialist Mackie has equipped its Thrash212 Go with a 12-inch high-performance low-midrange driver, which is supported by a 1-inch compression driver with a titanium cone in the high-frequency range above 2.4 kHz. The bass driver has 1000 watts and the tweeter horn a powerful 300 watts of impulse power according to the R.M.S. standard. The electronics are protected by a thermal limiter so that they are not damaged during continuous operation at high power. Speaking of continuous operation: Here you can save the battery and power the party speaker with a Schuko plug via its integrated mains adapter from the socket.
To ensure that the speaker, which is comparatively portable in view of its heavy weight, can withstand tough outdoor party use, it has not only been fitted with a 12 V lithium-ion battery for up to 10 hours of playtime at medium volume, which can be replaced after loosening a few screws. With a housing made of robust, yet somewhat rustic plastic and the solid metal grill, it also follows the Mackie motto “built-Like-A-Tank”. With a maximum sound pressure level of 125 dB – the equivalent of a jet plane taking off from a distance of 100 meters – it already falls into the PA speaker category. This also applies to the connections on the rear, which can be controlled using rotary potentiometers: Inputs 1 and 2 have XLR/TRS combo inputs and accept both line and microphone levels.
The “Main” control meters audio signals from both analog input channels plus Bluetooth. Below this is a balanced XLR output from professional technology to pass the sum signal on to another speaker. This allows entire chains to be formed for particularly loud mono playback.
Stereo pairing only directly or via the Bluetooth interface
Even without an app, a button next to the Bluetooth pairing button allows you to pair two Thrash212 Go speakers via Bluetooth to form a stereo pair and adjust the level together from your cell phone. However, the smaller Thump Go also offers a sound control via equalizer in its app in addition to mixing options from a distance – a function that would be particularly useful for the extremely bassy Thrash212 Go. We would like to go into this in more detail below in the listening test.
Bluetooth or not, the heavyweight from Mackie looks like a professional speaker that has been fitted with a Bluetooth receiver and a rechargeable battery. The latter should even be an interesting feature for active musicians who have no use for the Bluetooth interface. The normal Mackie Thrash212 can only be operated from a power socket.
The Mackie Thrash212 Go has professionals in focus
This detail also reflects the professional design of the Thrash212 Go, which is equipped with carrying handles on the top, bottom and both sides: the standard pole mount on the underside allows the Bluetooth speaker to be positioned above the heads of the dancing crowd at parties like a PA speaker on a professional stand.
Angled side panels allow the Bluetooth speaker to be used as a floor monitor at a 45 degree angle. The rotating Mackie logo is a clever detail that ensures that the little man with the poisonous green frame is upright even when the speaker is lying flat.
Sound check of the professional speaker
In the listening test, it was immediately apparent that the Mackie Thrash212 Go is in a completely different league to the Thump Go 6″ in terms of tonal balance. Their unagitated naturalness in the mid-high range would do credit to a hi-fi system. There’s no question that this Bluetooth speaker not only provides parties with immense sound levels and astonishing cleanliness. It is also recommended as amplification for acoustic musical instruments such as guitars. If you really apply hi-fi standards, you can attest to the Mackie’s somewhat thin, rather bright voice reproduction. But the whole thing remains within a framework that not so long ago was exceeded by numerous expensive stereo speakers. And the highs are really good: not too sharp, but finely accentuated and resolved.
Gary Moore’s voice and guitar on “Live At Montreux” are emotional, nuanced and with immense coarse and fine dynamics. The slightly throaty touch goes well with the song “Still Got The Blues” and even in our mono set-up it spreads a certain live feeling. Only the bass is out of line. Grumpy like a grizzly and pumped up like the biceps of an anabolic steroid-fed body builder, it pushes itself to the fore at every inappropriate opportunity, obscuring the subtle nuances in the midrange.
Lots of Bass
Different recording, same highs and lows: On the song “And Still” in the Brightside Mix from Peter Gabriel’s current “I/O” album, the voice of the former lead singer of the band “Genesis” convinces us, but the bass bangs away unbridled even at low volumes. That’s a pity, because the dynamics, playfulness and attack of the speaker, which was developed for concert volumes, can be quite impressive even at moderate levels. Many loudspeakers of this size only become so broadband and lively at higher levels. In this respect, we could definitely recommend the Macki Thrash212 Go for stereo applications. There would be no need for sources and amplifiers and you could unleash a hurricane directly from your smartphone.
Perfect for party beats
Of course, we also checked the Mackie Thrash212 Go with all kinds of pop, dance, electro and hip-hop tracks. Here, of course, the described tendency fits the music better – for example with “Let Me Be Your Fantasy” by Baby D or “Born Slippy (Nuxx)” by Underworld. Although the bass is also quite thick here, the timing is clearly better. The beats go straight to your legs. The short, hard punch fits here just as well as in “Beachball” by Naim & Kane. Still, it’s a pity, because with an equalizer or at least a bass adjustment, the mobile Mackie could also be recommended to rock fans.
Bass tuning favors electronic beats
But even in combination with electro beats, it’s important to remember that although the bass is powerful, it doesn’t go down very far in terms of frequency response. Instead, it pushes powerfully in the upper bass around 100 Hertz to create the impression of punch and drive. As a result, it can become a little annoying when listening for long periods of time, even with suitable beats and at a moderate volume. This reduces the Mackie Thrash212 Go, regardless of certain talents, to a party whip that fills the dance floor in no time. In this area of application, no one should be bothered by the broadband noise that spreads between tracks during normal music listening.
This flaw is also a little tricky. Because the volume control on the back is not synchronized with the digital control of the smartphone, you have to turn it up wide to cover a large control range of the cell phone. In such cases, it is also good for the sound if the digital control in the smart device is not turned down too far. However, this measure not only amplifies the noise in absolute terms. Because it depends on the level you have set on the speaker, the low frequency noise increases in relation to the useful signal, which arrives at the Bluetooth interface at a low playback level. This is another argument for using the thoroughly talented Thrash more like a PA than a normal Bluetooth speaker.
The oomph is astonishing
Unfortunately, the loud, soft bass, which lags behind the highs and mids in terms of timing, is diametrically opposed to hi-fi ambitions. What’s more, it ensures that the neighbors get a bass pack even at room volume, especially when placed on the floor. Placement close to a wall or even operation in the corner of a room virtually cry out for a bass adjustment option. For parties and party rooms, it is advisable to connect an equalizer upstream of the analog inputs – an investment that could act as a considerable damper when used with a focus on Bluetooth streaming.
If, like me, you primarily listen to songs from your iPhone’s memory, you can easily and effectively put a stop to the excessive bass with the equalizer hidden in the Music app settings. The EQ preset “Reduce bass” makes the sound aggressive and sharp. You might as well go for the not quite as cultivated and bassy, but much cheaper “Thump Go 8”. “Late Night” works wonders to avoid the humming without sacrificing all the fun.
Mackie Thrash212 Go: Conclusion and alternatives
Although it is only slightly larger, the Mackie Thrash212 Go proves to be a much more grown-up alternative to the previously tested Thump Go “8 . However, the increase in power and sound performance is also clearly reflected in the weight: the party speaker for professionals and advanced users weighs twice as much. This increase is even reflected comparatively moderately in the price. The Bluetooth loudspeaker with its 12-inch bass is also comparatively handy, despite its considerable weight. In our opinion, the lack of an equalizer alone is a disadvantage, especially when used in closed rooms – and even a knock-out criterion in the living room of an apartment building.
Mackie Thrash212 Go: Technical specifications
- Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: 550 Euro
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 37.5 x 66.9 x 31.3 cm
- Weight: 16.5 kg
- Battery life up to 10 hours
- Special features: Mixer, 2 jack/XLR inputs, 1 XLR output, replaceable battery
- More at: mackie.com
