Mackie M-3000 Power Amplifier
Power amps aren't at the top of most people's "exciting" lists.
After all, what's exciting about big, heavy pieces of rackmount gear
tucked into a corner or under a stage? Well, what if an amp made
your loudspeakers sound 10 times better the moment you plugged in?
And what if this amp was designed to squeeze every drop of power
from conventional wall outlets? And what if there was a group of
quirky, eccentric and mostly bearded analog engineers in
Woodinville, WA whose eyes glow wildly at the mere mention of these
new amps? Introducing the new M-Series High-Efficiency Stereo Power
Amplifiers: the next generation of Mackie muscle. The M-2000
(2000W), M-3000 (3000W), and M-4000 (4000W) represent the pinnacle
of Class-H power amp engineering, from a design team with a
collective 38 years of amplifier experience. We named the M-Series
"High-Efficiency Amplifiers” for their ability to squeeze every drop
of power out of standard 120/240v power outlets, delivering more
watts to your loudspeakers than anything even close to their price.
And not only do the M-Series deliver major watts, but they sound
incredible, thanks to Class-H power stages, new built-in limiters, a
sparing use of negative feedback, and perfect crossover integration
with Mackie's Precision Passive loudspeakers.
The final major M-Series advantage is their next-generation Fast
Recovery and Adaptive Slew circuitry, a Mackie hallmark which lets
them run "in the red” for hours on end without compromising sound
integrity.
High-Efficiency Design
What makes the M-Series so efficient? Glad you asked. The M-2000
utilizes 2-rail Class-H circuitry, while the M3000 & M4000 utilize
the higher power capacity 3-rail Class-H circuitry. (If you
understand this, skip this paragraph and give us a call. We’re
always hiring at Mackie.) For the non-engineers among us, 2- and
3-rail Class-H circuitry taps into additional power rails only when
needed. This results in much greater efficiency and less destructive
heat. So it runs very cool versus other types of power amp designs,
especially in real-world applications playing real music. This
design not only maximizes power, but also improves long-term
reliability. *
Fast Recovery Circuitry
Borrowing from technology found only in high-speed test equipment,
the M-Series amplifiers employ Fast Recovery circuitry with Baker
Clamps. The Baker Clamps prevent both the output stage and final
Class-A voltage amp stage from saturating—a phenomenon known as
“sticktion,” where the amplifier delays its recovery past the
original input clipping point. When recovery finally does take
place, it can be abrupt, and generate a massive amount of
higher-order harmonic distortion.... which sounds like, well, crap.
Other amp manufacturers forgo the Baker Clamp since its effects are
only noticeable when you are clipping your amp. But at Mackie, we
know that most folks run their amps at unseemly clipping levels, so
we figured it was worth it.
Fast But Remarkably Un-Furious Transients
Before we tell you about the M-Series exclusive Adaptive Slewing
technology, here’s what you need to know about slewing: the faster
an amplifier’s rate of slew, the better its transient response, the
faster its recovery from clipping, and the less risk of slew-induced
harmonic distortion through the entire audio band. A Mackie
exclusive, new Adaptive Slewing circuitry allows M-Series amplifiers
to pass the fastest transient attacks—like kick and snare drum, or
any bass player trying to imitate Marcus Miller—while minimizing
Class-H switching distortion. As a result, the M-Series have the
lowest distortion of any Class-H amplifier on the market. And no
matter how hard and fast you thrash, the M-Series amps are gonna be
a couple of steps ahead, making sure the output is clean.
50% More Output Components than Our Competitors
Check out the competition, and you’ll find the M-Series amps
typically use 50% more output parts for the same power output
levels. The M2000 uses 10 output transistors per channel, the M3000
has 12, and the M4000 sports 16. Sure, this costs us a lot more
money to design and manufacture. But in extremely hot
environments—like a punk show where one amp is driving a real-world
2Ω load like eight speaker cabinets—having more output transistors
is the only way to go. So that’s just how we roll.
Low Feedback / Low Distortion
In addition to the aforementioned High-Efficiency design, advanced
Filters and Adapting Slewing, M-Series amplifiers employ some good
solid amp design principals. Namely, triple Darlington output
stages, purely resistive loading of all voltage amplifier stages,
and fully complementary / differential design from amplifier input
to output—all working together to give the M-Series some of the
lowest distortion numbers of any manufacturer, without having to
resort to substantial amounts of negative feedback. (Because, lets
face it, you probably get enough negative feedback about your music
as it is.)
Internal and External Protection
Amplifier reliability comes from both robust design and internal and
external protection. Internally, M-Series amplifiers feature power
supply over-temperature protection, low voltage / brownout
protection, extensive fusing, and fusible resistors throughout. Each
amplifier channel features Output DC offset protection,
overtemperature protection, Input Slew clamping, and extensive
Output stage protection. On the external side of things, the
M-Series are over-designed to withstand bumps, drops and twists of
fortune. Taken together, the chance of one of our M-Series amps
failing at some critical moment is right up there with destruction
of our planet by rogue asteroid collision.
High Efficiency Class-H Stereo Power Amplifiers deliver more clean
power and less destructive heat from a standard 120/240V power
outlet
Three models: M2000, M3000, and M4000
Adaptive Slewing Technology for incredibly fast transient response
with minimal distortion
Fast Recovery circuitry reduces distortion at the edge of clipping
and beyond
Switchable 150Hz LPF/HPF for instant 2-way loudspeaker systems
Extensive Protection Circuits for power supply over-temperature
protection, low voltage / brownout protection, and fusible resistors
throughout
Low feedback / Low distortion design with triple Darlington output
stages.
True 2-Ohm power drive capability means the M-series can sustain
real-world 2-Ohm loads
M-Series Specifications
M•2000 M•3000 M•4000
Continuous Average Output Power in watts, both channels driven
20 Hz-20 kHz into 8 ohms per channel
325
475
650
20 Hz-20 kHz into 4 ohms per channel 525 800 1050
40 Hz-20 kHz into 2 ohms per channel 800 1200 1600
Bridge Mono: 20 Hz-20 kHz into 8 ohms 1050 1600 2100
Bridge Mono: 40 Hz-20 kHz into 4 ohms 1600 2400 3200
Maximum Output Power in watts, both channels driven
1 kHz @ 1% THD into 8 ohms per channel
400
600
800
1 kHz @ 1% THD into 4 ohms per channel 650 1000 1300
1 kHz @ 1% THD into 2 ohms per channel 1000 1500 2000
Bridge Mono: 1 kHz @ 1% THD into 8 ohms 1300 2000 2600
Bridge Mono: 1 kHz @ 1% THD into 4 ohms 2000 3000 4000
Note: Power ratings are specified at 120VAC (U.S. and Canada) and
240VAC (Export) line voltages.
The M-Series power amplifiers draw large amounts of current from the
AC line with continuous sine wave testing. Accurate measurement
of power requires a steady and stable AC supply. This means the line
impedance must be very low to insure that the peak
AC line voltage does not sag to less than 97% of its value.
If driving highly reactive loads, we recommend that the limiter
circuit be engaged.
Power Bandwidth (rated power into 4 ohms):
20 Hz to 20 kHz
(Output power typically –3 dB at 50 kHz. Amplifier protection
circuits
typically mute the output signal above 40 kHz at full power.)
Frequency Response (1 watt into 8 ohms):
< 10 Hz to 55 kHz (+0, –3 dB)
Distortion:
THD, SMPTE IMD < 0.05% @ 8Ω
< 0.10% @ 4Ω
< 0.20% @ 2Ω
Signal-to-Noise Ratio:
> 107 dB below rated power into 4 ohms
Channel Separation:
> 80 dB @ 1 kHz
Damping Factor:
> 500 (8 ohms @ 400 Hz)
Input Impedance:
24 kΩ balanced
12 kΩ balanced
Input Sensitivity:
1.23 volts (+4 dBu) for rated power into 4 ohms
Gain:
M•2000 31.4 dB (37.3 V/V)
M•3000 33.3 dB (46.0 V/V)
M•4000 34.4 dB (52.7 V/V)
Maximum Input Level:
9.75 volts (+22 dBu)
Rise Time (8 ohms):
< 6 μs
Slew Rate:
M•2000
Voltage Slew Rate 50V/μs
Current Slew Rate 25A/μs at 2Ω
H-Switch Slew Rate 10-50V/μs (program dependent)
M•3000
Voltage Slew Rate 55V/μs
Current Slew Rate 27.5A/μs at 2Ω
H-Switch Slew Rate 16-70V/μs (program dependent)
M•4000
Voltage Slew Rate 60V/μs
Current Slew Rate 30A/μs at 2Ω
H-Switch Slew Rate 16-70V/μs (program dependent)
CMRR:
> 34 dB, 20Hz to 20kHz
Load Angle:
8(±jx) time independent at 8Ω
4(±jx) time dependent, T > 6 min. at 4Ω
2(1±jx) time dependent, T > 2 min. at 2Ω
Transient Recovery:
< 1μs for 10 dB overdrive @ 1kHz
Maximum Output Offset Voltage:
±50 mV
High Frequency Overload and Latching:
No latch up at any frequency or level.
High Frequency Stability:
Unconditionally stable driving any resistive or reactive load.
Turn On Delay:
3 seconds
High-Pass Filter:
150 Hz, 2nd-Order Butterworth
Low-Pass Filter:
150 Hz, 2nd-Order Butterworth
Limiter Section:
Complementary Positive and Negative Peak Detecting
Indicators:
Power ON LED (in power switch)
6 meter LEDs per channel
SIG (Signal Present), –20, –9, –6, –3, OL (Overload)
CH 1 & 2
PROTECT LEDs, SHORT LEDs, OVER TEMP LEDs
AC Line Power:
U.S./Canada 120VAC, 60Hz
Europe 240VAC, 50Hz
Japan 100VAC, 50/60Hz
Korea 220VAC, 60Hz
(Factory configured)
AC Drop-out Voltage:
At approximately 65% of rated line voltage
Physical:
M•2000
Height 3.5 in/89 mm
Width 19.0 in/483 mm
Depth 15.7 in/398 mm
Overall Depth 17.0 in/432 mm
Weight 41 lb/18.6 kg
M•3000
Height 3.5 in/89 mm
Width 19.0 in/483 mm
Depth 18.1 in/460 mm
Overall Depth 19.5 in/494 mm
Weight 48 lb/21.8 kg
M•4000
Height 3.5 in/89 mm
Width 19.0 in/483 mm
Depth 18.1 in/460 mm
Overall Depth 19.5 in/494 mm
Weight 53 lb/24.0 kg All of our
Mackie products are listed at MAP (the lowest price that the merchandise
can legally be sold for). Mackie does NOT honor any warranties
from customers who purchased their equipment from a dealer with prices
below MAP.
$25 Rebate - Click
here for details
Regular Price: $1099.99
Our Price: $849.00 (FREE shipping within the 48 states) |
