Slightly worn with some sticker residue on the top and side of left monitor but in great working condition.

NEEDS AN INPUT CABLE (XLR, RCA OR TRS) AND AN IEC (Jug) LEAD!

*Review from soundonsound*

The S5's combine good overall performance with a sensible UK cost. Although you can obviously buy better monitors if you have the budget, these will allow you to make well-balanced mixes in a typical project studio.

Despite their small physical size, the S5s don't have a small-monitor sound unless you push them too hard, in which case a slight boxiness creeps in. They deliver plenty of punch for kick drums and bass synths, though they don't have the kind of bass extension that allows you to really feel sounds as well as hear them. Even so, there's nothing thin or lightweight about the sound at all, and when I first switched them on I quite forgot that I wasn't using my main monitors.

Once you have the frequency switches set optimally for your room and monitor position, the overall spectral balance is actually very good, with a comfortable but reasonably revealing sound. The stereo imaging is also good, as you'd expect from physically small speakers, but if I were to be picky, I'd say that the impression of depth and clarity wasn't as good as with Mackie's HR speakers. You can't hear quite as far 'into' the mix, but then the HR-series speakers use a metal tweeter, which tends to make them sound slightly forward by comparison anyway. Nevertheless, the overall sound is very workable, with a smooth high end and no perceived hardness or honkiness to the tone.

These monitors retain their quality of sound up to moderately high listening levels, and only start to lose their integrity when pushed hard. They may not suit reggae bands or anyone working on club-level dance mixes, but in a small to medium home studio situation, they work perfectly well.

Despite being conceived as a budget alternative to the Mackie HR monitor range, the S5s are beautifully designed from a cosmetic viewpoint, incredibly solidly put together (they weigh 15.5lbs each) and they deliver a nominally accurate sound that is free from serious vices. Clearly there must be compromises with a monitor of this size and cost — the bass end drops away quite rapidly below the traditional kick-drum frequencies, the overall 'focus' isn't quite the equal of expensive monitors, and the maximum SPL is lower — but there are no compromises so serious that you can't make great mixes on them. They do a workmanlike job of interpreting a mix, which is ultimately what counts, and they don't sound at all like small monitors. I also found the sound comfortable to work with, which is very important when monitoring for long periods. If Mackie manage to maintain this quality/price ratio with all their new Tapco offerings, I foresee the range doing very well for them.

Dimensions:
28.7 cm x 19.3 cm x 23.1 cm


Open to Negotiation