Installation:
To test the MR8s, I will be connecting them to the Mackie Onyx Satellite audio interface via balanced 1/4" TRS cables. The monitors will be isolated from the desk on a set of Auralex Mopads. A variety of mixes will be listed to at 24bit/48khz and some regular MP3 audio will be listened to ranging from 128kbps to 320kbps. I'll be listening for overall sound quality and precision as well as seeing how they perform at different volume levels and on/off axis listening.

Testing:
For the price of the MR8s in comparison to many higher priced monitors I have used in the past, I was very surprised at just how good they did sound. Sound reproduction was very clear and seemingly flat on these monitors based on my comparisons I was able to make. In addition to my own mixes, I used a large variety of music from my personal collection while making sure I also had a large variety of genres to listen to. The overall frequency balance seemed great and could be further modified to meet the room conditions by using the settings switches on the back. I decided to throw on a few tunes that I knew were well mixed and mastered, then I wound the volume pot up as high as I could, surprised to see that the MR8s were still not distorting! Mackie is right to be advertising these monitors for the fact they could also be used to DJ small parties, because they have plenty of power to keep up with volumes way higher than you'll ever use in the studio.

Of course if you go for the larger MR8s over the MR5s then you either need more power, or need the extra speaker size for better low frequency reproduction. To check out the bass capabilities of the MR8s, I decided to use Kanye's '808s and Heartbreaks' album and some of Jay Z's latest material. Bass reproduction seemed tight and controlled on kick drums and sub-bass from the Kanye tracks didn't seem too uncontrolled or boomy like I find on some larger monitors. I couldn't find a use for the bass frequency boost switch on the back because the minute I used it I found the MR8s to be way too boomy to be useful for my mixing - even for hip-hop tracks. I suppose if you're in a room that really eats the low frequencies then this might be useful, but the two rooms I used them in I found it was completely unnecessary.

Mackie also advertises the MR8s as having a really wide sweet spot. Although it isn't good practice to poorly place your monitors because of this, it certainly would help in situations where good placement may not be possible (or if you have a bunch of musicians crowding around your console to all have a listen). Compared to a few other sets of monitors I use around my home studio, I was actually surprised at how large the sweet spot on the MR8s was. It seemed that when I got to approximately 65 degrees off axis that I could hear the highs start to diminish [approximate estimation of degrees off-axis].