For hobbyist DJs who are doing gigs just for the fun and not as a job or business but as a hobby, the Mackie Thumps are pretty much all they need. They are a great pair of first speakers for new mobile DJs who are getting their foot in the door for their careers.
I still have my Thump15As and always push them to the max! Great speakers! I always run them until the limit light blinks! 🔊I just bought the LD Systems ICOA 15A w/ Bluetooth but, I should have bought the new Thump 15XTs. I hate how heavy these new speakers are.
It’s useless for me without a sub. Unless I’m missing something. I pair the 2nd to the main and not getting audio out of the 2nd. Am I doing something wrong ?
The Bluetooth signal goes directly to the speaker, so if you need a sub you'll have to flip the way they're wired. Instead of running a main signal to the sub and then to the main, try instead plugging the full-range out on the XT into the sub. That way the Bluetooth connected wirelessly to the main can be passed through to the sub and you'll hear the full range from the Bluetooth. Just make sure you only have the one cable from the out on the speaker to the input on the sub and nothing else. That way you can avoid a loopback and other problems.
@@DJSwitchPDXhave you tried this? It doesn’t work for me. I bought the profx10v3. Problem solved and I love it. Also no more messing around with the link/pair functions. I did a party in the middle of a field with a pair of 215xts and a pair of 118s subs. I set the xts to club the 118s to deep and never exceeded 25% volume. I recieved countless compliments on sound quality. I love them plenty of bass even in the wide open!
@@44GR0WThat's great you found a solution! All I'm saying is the reason you can't get the Bluetooth signal to the subs is because it's connected to the main speaker and doesn't pass through the sub. Like ... if you plugged a microphone into the back of the speaker, you can't get mad that the mic signal doesn't come out of the subwoofer. Using a separate mixer is a great way to bypass any confusion. I'm glad you found something that works!
great review sir! You touched on linking the two speakers, anyway to expand on that as I'm having some difficulty getting mine to link. I have the mackie thump 215xt. ✌
I get it that you miss the screen but using the phone app or from laptop is even better. I like you am an analog guy and appreciate to not have all the options but the ducking is truly a sweet option for those lil MICRO gigs
For the price, I would recommend some decent home theater speakers for watching TV instead of pro PA speakers. These have dedicated line channels, so hooking them up to a TV source is super easy, but with the noise floor and the amount of throw these have, they're way better suited for professional audio applications. If you need a nice set of home speakers, check out The Sevens or The Nines by Klipsch. They're going to sound much better in your home for around the same price.
Thanks for the amazing video! This was really helpful. I initially had trouble connecting the Bluetooth, but turned on only one speaker, connected Bluetooth, and then linked to the other speaker. My mixer is plugged into channel 1 and it’s not controlling anything. I suppose I should go through channel 2. I’m so stupid when it comes to this stuff. I’m an artist, not a sound engineer lol! 😅
I brought one 215XT because the regular 215 was sold out.. now I want to purchase a second speaker should I get another 215xt or should I just buy the 215
@@Suga9lum depends on what your application is but many people will do that and just utilize the additional features from one when needed. Great idea we offer them at djsupplystore.com. Please let us know if we can be of assistance.
Great share Fam!!!! Looking at getting one of these bad boys. Bluetooth worth it or should I get the plain Jane w and just use a BT adapter? Mahalo in advance.
I love having the Bluetooth channel. It's definitely one of those things where it's "better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it" kind of things. My drummer likes to connect his phone to his monitor and warm up before rehearsal 😂
Killer video, great work bro. I'm looking at them now. Can you tell me if ducking works good on them? Do they send music down alot or is it just a soft ducking. Also does it stay in ducking until you turn off the mic? Thanks for the help.
Hello! We purchased 2 Thump 215xt for a fitness studio sound system. We have LOTS of problems with the Bluetooth and are wondering if it’s b/c we have so many devices connecting/disconnecting to the speakers (14 instructors each with their own iPhone or android). Do you think this could be the problem? Some days and for multiple days, it connects quickly and effortlessly for each instructor. Others days, absolutely not! I called tech support and they gave me instructions on how to hard reset. Sometimes hard reset needs to be done multiple times before it will connect again. (We have an aux cord for those days that it’s being difficult). Looking for any suggestions, feedback, solutions. Thanks
great review. I currently use an older pair of alto pro wireless ts115w and am looking to now upgrade. Would these make a worthwhile upgrade? mind you, i still want to stay in the budget 15inch space; ( I may even consider 12" speakers) . One feature i like on the TS115W isthe ability to stream wireless bluetooth to the speakers and also use the monitor out to drive in my case, an external 18" subwoofer when i have to play in somewhat larger venues. Can i do this with the 215XT? I read somewhere this was missing on the new TS4 line from ALTO so i will not consider those
Ty for your comment we are here to help- reach out to us direct so we can better assist and get you the best fit for your individual needs - thedjsguru.com/contact-the-djs-guru/
Very helpful review. Convinced me to buy the 215XT's. I have another question, though. Currently, doing children's musicals, we use a CD player that stops after every song and cues the next in the playlist. If I upgrade to the 215xt's and an Onyx mixer, I'd like to go digital with the music. Do you know of any app that will play a single cut, stop, and cue for the next? I've looked and look and can't find one. I'm guessing that that feature is embedded in some other, more complex, app, but I have yet to find it.
Rip your CDs and encode all your music as FLAC and play them back off your favorite portable device. I'd recommend a Linux laptop and USB DAC. I use a FX-Audio DAC-X6, which works well if you don't have to drive a long cable. I'm looking and see a Rhythmbox plugin named "StopAfterCurrentTrack" (I prefer Linux on my personal computers). I would personally try that. Windows computers have too many issues to use in production environments (you'll get stuck upgrading or crashing in the middle of something). Also, get the standard 215's. You probably don't need the XT feature set. Most of the extra features beyond the gain control are gimmicky.
I boughtt the Thump215s (not the BT capable ones, just the standard), and have experienced some frsutrations. The sound quality is clear and the deep is is great. My only complaint is the noise floor. When I power my pair of Thumps on, they have an unpleasantly high white noise hiss coming from them that is audible 15 feet away. When music is played it does fade away, but even with NO audio input into them at all they still have a quite loud white noise hiss or noise floor. I have tried working with turning down channel 1, and also the main output amplification, but even with both set at zero the hiss is still present. Is there anyway to fix this? I tried an affordable power conditioner from my outlet as well, and that didnt help. Please let me know if there is any solutions to this! This unfortunately is a big enough of an issue for me that I really wish would not have been the case. Thanks!!
@@skunkeyebandit Called Mackie, and they told me yes it was the noise floor. The white noise hiss is due to them cutting corners in the parts for the amplifier. If you are okay with a little bit of a hiss when powered on then these are still great speakers, but if you want absolutely no noise when they are turned on (like me) then I would recommend spending a little more money and buying something nicer.
@@skunkeyebandit it’s not a fault or defect it’s just the components they used to make it (Plastic can hiss when under pressure). It’s a lower priced speaker - and that’s what’s going to happen sometimes.
Are the mackie thump 15 super loud and crisp? Just wondering how well they would sound with my current 4 sound town 18 inch active subs. I am using 2 proreck 15 inch loudspekers now and they just do not have that crisp sound once the volume is really jacked up
I just got a pair of used Mackie Thump 212's, probably about a year old. I took them out in the back yard last weekend and cranked them and was amazed. I don't think I heard any distortion or limiter kick in at a moderately loud volume. Obviously, they have plastic cabinets and there are some odd resonances (a 250hz null), but otherwise they sound amazing. I still don't like plastic cabinets, but I get what I paid for.
Hey im gunna get my first one on large payment hows the bass does it hit hard and thump like it should but still have clear crisp treble and mids on point ?
Yeah the response is pretty clean, and my NYE party asked me to turn the bass down even though I was only running the two 15s on tripods. I've been really happy with these 215XTs especially considering the price. Of course, I was happy with my older Mackie 12s too, but these new 15s are fantastic🤘
I'm a bit confused... the 215XT has BT and wifi option BUT you can also connect normally thru XLR cable if you dont want to use BT/link right? @TheDJsGuru
I am trying to hook up my 215xt with a 115s subwoofer but what i found out is that I am not able to use the thru xlr to Connect the sub, when using Bluetooth as source. I hope someone van explain why that is. Now I have to feed the 215xt through the 3,5mm Jack or ch2 XLR Any ideas on this?
Hey there! Yeah, you just need to follow the signal path. If your Bluetooth is connected to the speaker, it'll only play through that speaker, so you need to connect the Bluetooth device to something farther up the signal chain. A mixer with a Bluetooth channel or a BT receiver plugged into a mixer that is THEN plugged into a sub and finally to the main should get you the full range output you're looking for. Good luck!
Bro I still have a pair of those TH-15A😂 and I’ve had them for over a decade. I’m honestly looking to upgrade and buy a few for a church setup, I need your advice: I’m thinking of buying 4 Thump SRM210 for band and vocal monitoring, as well as 2 Thump SRM215 for front of house. The church is a 200-300 seater hall. Would that be a decent setup? (I’ll include subs later on the budget)
@@yan5362 Unfortunately I can’t give you any opinion on a line array speaker. I have only seen one once in person, wasn’t too impressed. I don’t think the traditional top and sub will ever go away. With that being said, I was practicing with both tops on and the bass was so good, I didn’t even realize I had not turned my sub on. Definitely sufficient for two tops.
@@gatchmanphoenix1418 marvelous. given that i dont use sub and wants to get the best bass out of the tops. was amazed by the old SRX 715 jbl and want something that is quite similar or even better in terms of bass
@@TheDJsGuru I finally pulled the trigger on Friday. They arrived in the post today, I tested them with my current speaker stands, and I also tested them both over bluetooth, in link mode with the app. I haven't tested them, with my Traktor Kontrol S8 through XLR, or my mixing desk yet. However out of the box they sound great, and I love them so far. They will probs sound even better once EQ'd on my Traktor or my mixing desk. :)
Hello i have my mackie thump 215xt but the connect 2 app is loading with my speaker connected to Bluetooth and cannot find a uk number could you assist me in sorting it i even uninstalled and reinstalled the app still no luck i ment that it wont detect it is there any chance you know why
@@TheDJsGuru unfortunately i dont think they would be able to support me with this issue il still keep this speaker as its a good performer to be honest
You have the best video on this speaker. I do have a question. I linked both speakers. I have one connecting to my mixer using xlr. I only hear the music out of the hard wired one, how do i get the other speaker to get audio?
@@binhiddin1 did you ever figure it out I jus got a pair yesterday and only hear sound out of one speaker as well. Can’t even link them together. The app picked up one speaker but the other it keep saying linking speaker and never finds the other one. Any help would be great!
@@user-ko5wx4sy8x I have not, I just gave up and daisy chain them. No one seems to know. I thought they would let me have one play wirelessly from the other. If you ever figure it out please drop a comment
@@TheDJsGuru fair enought, but unable to answer. Looking at something for weddings, could be inside small, might be outside small. The thing I'm lost on is the WATTS per person typoe math. So I'm at a loss, I'm sure these would be fin for a 100 person party ina 150 cap room? What would these sound like in a room that holds 250 people?
I think I am jsut going to pull the trigger, most of my weddings booked this year are 100-150ppl I am going to get 2x Thump15s 2x Thump Go and 1x Thump115. Thoughts? The Thump Go for ceremony and maybe some fill or monitor during reception. Can I BT the Go from the 15s? or do I need to run XLRs?
I walk in anywhere and see Mackie equipment . You know it's going to be a noisy event. Every Mackie product I've ever ran into in the past has some kind of weird grounding issue. After replacing Mackie Equipment out of the equation, miraculously there are no more ground loops. I don't know what happened to Mackie they used to be a respectable company with really decent gear but the last 10 years or so man they just went downhill. I definitely wouldn't be putting my money into Mackie.
@@TheDJsGuru anything that's not Mackie. They have quality control issues big time. I got an fx 16 V3 ready to go in the garbage. I replaced that board with the allen & Heath product and magically all of my ground loop issues disappeared. I did some poking around and found out some of my colleagues that do sound also have had grounding issues with Mackie equipment. And you ask what's better for the price point. Anything that doesn't have buzzing issues. You get what you pay for. Hell I've had better results with the pyle and alto brand. Peavey or EV are the recommended go to for speakers even JBL. But if you don't know you don't know. I hope you get some good service out of those thumps. But for me and my money we will definitely not be going to Mackie ever again.
I use them to play hip hop with a live kit, but I've never explicitly run a digital kit through them. I think you'll be surprised with how full the range is on these and how beefy the bass can be in the right context. Should work great with a digital kit IMO
I plan on using these with my Roland TD-17 practice kit (my show kit is a custom racked TD-50X). We use QSC for our live shows and I usually practice with headphones, but for a live rehearsal or jam session I'm hoping these do the trick. I previously ran my practice kit though a QSC K10 and it sounded great, but once I added the Ksub, it was night and day. I do NOT want to use a sub for this use case so I wanted a much bigger woofer than just a 10". The thump of the kick is what I'm looking for so the Thump 15 seems like it'll do the trick. I'll find out soon enough!
Hey @richardparsons1312 thanks for watching! I'm personally very happy with the quality of both largely thanks to their modern DSP, I think comparing the two I have isn't a fair fight because the 15s hit lower and harder than the 12s. That's just simple physics -- bigger cone means more surface area which means more bump. If I had a pair of the older 12s and the newer 12s side by side, I bet it would be pretty close.
I've used PA speakers for LAN parties back in the day, and I wouldn't really recommend it. PA speakers like these have a higher noise floor and a much higher "throw," which makes them great for parties, but not great for sitting in a room by yourself. In my office I see use a set of 8" near-field monitors and a 10" sub, and that's plenty to piss off my neighbors if I wanted to 😂
@@DJSwitchPDX Well My situation's a little bit more unique as I'm trying to simulate the sound and vibrations and environment of being in a 900 horsepower stock car, such as a NASCAR stock car while I sim race. Along with other games especially music that I would want to listen to through it. I actually have two DCM Tower speakers with 12-in woofers along with two sealed 12-in subwoofer boxes with mid-grade 12-in Kenwood car subwoofers in each box wired together to be a 4 ohm impedance with a crown amp. Now don't get me wrong this stuff is loud and the base kind of makes my water bottle dance across my desk a little bit but I want to go big lol. Thoughts now lol?
@@racerx2580 Yes. Bigger in your case isn't necessarily better. I would start looking into room treatment, bass traps, and other ways to control your environment. You already have plenty of sound, you just need to control it, and louder speakers isn't the answer, especially for a racing sim setup. Look into studio-grade foam solutions, and start looking into isolating anything that isn't bolted down to eliminate any extraneous vibrations or bounceback. With the right room treatment, you'd be surprised how good a $200 pair of speakers can sound compared to a $1000 set in an untreated environment.
Not everyone is rich, not everyone can afford the most expensive equipment. We are happy to see people happy so not sure what point your comment serves George
@@TheDJsGuru You pointed out that a 1 inch driver is a great feature when that’s what most entry level plastic DJ boxes come with also more EQ control is a good thing for Musicians so they can use these for foldback, feedback function is not always ideal for this purpose.
Essentially RMS is half of what the rated wattage is. But even then with budget stuff you could probably half it again and that would be what you would be getting at close to full volume. Having the volume knob spiked and the amp clipping you would get 1,400 Watts but not long because it would end up going.
@@TheDJsGuru This goes back to 2012 now I was a mackie guy for a long time. I had the original srm 450’s had the original thumps. Great speakers Then mackie came out with the pro fx line so I bought one of those boards well right out the gate the board was crap. No sound was coming through the board. Also bought the 450v2’s at the time. Well those speakers had no bottom end. So if I wanted to use just the speakers for a party it wouldn’t cut it. They were horrible so I ended up just using those as monitors. As the og 450’s had more low end. Then mackie started following the trend of all the nicer sleeker speakers. At this point I was an Electrovoice guy. However I needed another pair of speakers as to use for a party and my 2 suppliers I go to to buy my gear we’re out of the EV’s. So I figured I’d give Mackie another try Well right out the box amp was dead on the one speaker and the other one wouldn’t power on. Right after that I swore I would never touch mackie again.
@@djjamie84 Hey Jamie! That sounds pretty frustrating, but at least there's a lot of good choices these days! I was frustrated with Mackie for a long time too, but after doing some homework and picking up the 12BSTs in 2021 to try them out, I was pretty impressed. That's part of why I pulled out that ancient TH-15A for the video ... that thing was TRASH when it was new! But I've seen the amount of work Mackie has been doing the last few years to get their products right, and for the price and features they're pretty competitive. That being said, EV, RCF and JBL all have solid mid-range options that are worth taking a look at, but none of them reached out to me 😂
Also if you wanted a phone controlled eq there's plenty on app stores atm but some aint as good i reckon il be going for a sound board tho to customise it specifically
Could you do a banging sound test with multiple genres please ive ordered mine want some sort of an idea of the different voicing modes also if you would i would really appreciate it man
I chose not to conduct a sound test because any audible speaker test would have been fed through a mic and compressed through TH-cam to the point where none of it would be relevant. I would encourage you to try them for yourself and see how they compare for the price. I've been happy with them, but the biggest difference between the XT and BST speakers is how you interact with them on the fly. The screen is cooler than the knobs and buttons, but there's a wisdom in being able to change/adjust something without having to use a click wheel to do it.
@@DJSwitchPDX i have a thump215xt and the bass seems to come through different im not complaining just doesnt sound the same as the thump15a for example which is the normal version of the old model without bluetooth so im kinda confused tbh
@@joshuagilfillan3190 I would play with the voicing modes to find what suits you best. Also, keep in mind that if you run the chain through a sub first, the crossover on that sub will naturally curb a lot of that low end you're hearing in the 215, which should flatten everything out.
@@joshuagilfillan3190 i miss thump 15a. I use to use them and they are strong. the 215 seems to not be as strong. I cant turn them up as load before the distort
I believe you can only do two channels through their built-in wireless link, which you can control through the app on a smart phone. If you wire them using the XLR out, you can chain as many as you want.
For hobbyist DJs who are doing gigs just for the fun and not as a job or business but as a hobby, the Mackie Thumps are pretty much all they need. They are a great pair of first speakers for new mobile DJs who are getting their foot in the door for their careers.
👍
Would you say Mackies are better for this use than EV or JBL?
@@walasfilmsThey're all really great brands. I'm still using these same 215XTs and I think Mackie really knocked these out of the park!
I still have my Thump15As and always push them to the max! Great speakers! I always run them until the limit light blinks! 🔊I just bought the LD Systems ICOA 15A w/ Bluetooth but, I should have bought the new Thump 15XTs. I hate how heavy these new speakers are.
❤️
Sound quality wise, do they have better bass and sound quality the ICOA or Thumps 15A? Thanks in advance
Every review i’ve watched has failed to mention that the bluetooth is useless if you plan to run a sub with them!
It’s useless for me without a sub. Unless I’m missing something. I pair the 2nd to the main and not getting audio out of the 2nd. Am I doing something wrong ?
I just got a pair of thump 118s to got with my 215xt’s. Disappointed the Bluetooth signal doesn’t pass threw to the subs😒
The Bluetooth signal goes directly to the speaker, so if you need a sub you'll have to flip the way they're wired.
Instead of running a main signal to the sub and then to the main, try instead plugging the full-range out on the XT into the sub. That way the Bluetooth connected wirelessly to the main can be passed through to the sub and you'll hear the full range from the Bluetooth.
Just make sure you only have the one cable from the out on the speaker to the input on the sub and nothing else. That way you can avoid a loopback and other problems.
@@DJSwitchPDXhave you tried this? It doesn’t work for me. I bought the profx10v3. Problem solved and I love it. Also no more messing around with the link/pair functions. I did a party in the middle of a field with a pair of 215xts and a pair of 118s subs. I set the xts to club the 118s to deep and never exceeded 25% volume. I recieved countless compliments on sound quality. I love them plenty of bass even in the wide open!
@@44GR0WThat's great you found a solution!
All I'm saying is the reason you can't get the Bluetooth signal to the subs is because it's connected to the main speaker and doesn't pass through the sub.
Like ... if you plugged a microphone into the back of the speaker, you can't get mad that the mic signal doesn't come out of the subwoofer.
Using a separate mixer is a great way to bypass any confusion. I'm glad you found something that works!
My experience for the screen is It failed after 6 months I'm actually I'm happy they went this way
Word!
It'd be helpful to some folk if the actual rms at running load would be given.
1400w may be the peak.
Why isn't this mentioned ?
Seems they don't like ti give those anymore. Industry secret. SPL helps to know.
great review sir! You touched on linking the two speakers, anyway to expand on that as I'm having some difficulty getting mine to link. I have the mackie thump 215xt. ✌
did you ever get them to link? what happens?
I get it that you miss the screen but using the phone app or from laptop is even better. I like you am an analog guy and appreciate to not have all the options but the ducking is truly a sweet option for those lil MICRO gigs
Great feedback
Thank you for this comparison!!! I too have the old Thump TH, I needed to see this!
❤️
Can you connect the Mackie to tv? Trying to get these speakers with a good excuse with wife . Thanks
For the price, I would recommend some decent home theater speakers for watching TV instead of pro PA speakers. These have dedicated line channels, so hooking them up to a TV source is super easy, but with the noise floor and the amount of throw these have, they're way better suited for professional audio applications.
If you need a nice set of home speakers, check out The Sevens or The Nines by Klipsch. They're going to sound much better in your home for around the same price.
Thanks for the amazing video! This was really helpful.
I initially had trouble connecting the Bluetooth, but turned on only one speaker, connected Bluetooth, and then linked to the other speaker.
My mixer is plugged into channel 1 and it’s not controlling anything. I suppose I should go through channel 2. I’m so stupid when it comes to this stuff. I’m an artist, not a sound engineer lol! 😅
I brought one 215XT because the regular 215 was sold out.. now I want to purchase a second speaker should I get another 215xt or should I just buy the 215
@@Suga9lum depends on what your application is but many people will do that and just utilize the additional features from one when needed. Great idea we offer them at djsupplystore.com. Please let us know if we can be of assistance.
Great share Fam!!!! Looking at getting one of these bad boys. Bluetooth worth it or should I get the plain Jane w and just use a BT adapter? Mahalo in advance.
I love having the Bluetooth channel. It's definitely one of those things where it's "better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it" kind of things.
My drummer likes to connect his phone to his monitor and warm up before rehearsal 😂
Killer video, great work bro. I'm looking at them now. Can you tell me if ducking works good on them? Do they send music down alot or is it just a soft ducking. Also does it stay in ducking until you turn off the mic? Thanks for the help.
The ducking is ducking great!
The ducking works great and you don’t have to turn off the mic, once you stop talking the ducking fades off smoothly and faster
How do you link these speakers. I have the bluetooth comnected. Have both link buttons flashing and they do not link. Any suggestions?
Bought 2 thump 215 xts and 2 18s subs based on this review... cant get the 215 xts to connect to bluetooth or the thump connect 2 app
Great review! Thx
Switch did a true deep dive here - ty for your comment
Hello! We purchased 2 Thump 215xt for a fitness studio sound system. We have LOTS of problems with the Bluetooth and are wondering if it’s b/c we have so many devices connecting/disconnecting to the speakers (14 instructors each with their own iPhone or android). Do you think this could be the problem?
Some days and for multiple days, it connects quickly and effortlessly for each instructor. Others days, absolutely not! I called tech support and they gave me instructions on how to hard reset. Sometimes hard reset needs to be done multiple times before it will connect again. (We have an aux cord for those days that it’s being difficult).
Looking for any suggestions, feedback, solutions.
Thanks
Most likely the reason. Why not get a mixer and then output to speakers for more stability. Call us for help at thedjsguru.com 1888-378-1744
Good review. I am torn between the thump 215xt and Alto TS415. Which would you recommend between the two
Both are solid - we offer both so give us a call and we can help you decide - 888-378-1744
great review. I currently use an older pair of alto pro wireless ts115w and am looking to now upgrade. Would these make a worthwhile upgrade? mind you, i still want to stay in the budget 15inch space; ( I may even consider 12" speakers) . One feature i like on the TS115W isthe ability to stream wireless bluetooth to the speakers and also use the monitor out to drive in my case, an external 18" subwoofer when i have to play in somewhat larger venues. Can i do this with the 215XT? I read somewhere this was missing on the new TS4 line from ALTO so i will not consider those
Ty for your comment we are here to help- reach out to us direct so we can better assist and get you the best fit for your individual needs - thedjsguru.com/contact-the-djs-guru/
Very helpful review. Convinced me to buy the 215XT's. I have another question, though. Currently, doing children's musicals, we use a CD player that stops after every song and cues the next in the playlist. If I upgrade to the 215xt's and an Onyx mixer, I'd like to go digital with the music. Do you know of any app that will play a single cut, stop, and cue for the next? I've looked and look and can't find one. I'm guessing that that feature is embedded in some other, more complex, app, but I have yet to find it.
Rip your CDs and encode all your music as FLAC and play them back off your favorite portable device. I'd recommend a Linux laptop and USB DAC. I use a
FX-Audio DAC-X6, which works well if you don't have to drive a long cable. I'm looking and see a Rhythmbox plugin named "StopAfterCurrentTrack" (I prefer Linux on my personal computers). I would personally try that. Windows computers have too many issues to use in production environments (you'll get stuck upgrading or crashing in the middle of something).
Also, get the standard 215's. You probably don't need the XT feature set. Most of the extra features beyond the gain control are gimmicky.
Great review well done !
Ty!
I boughtt the Thump215s (not the BT capable ones, just the standard), and have experienced some frsutrations. The sound quality is clear and the deep is is great. My only complaint is the noise floor. When I power my pair of Thumps on, they have an unpleasantly high white noise hiss coming from them that is audible 15 feet away. When music is played it does fade away, but even with NO audio input into them at all they still have a quite loud white noise hiss or noise floor. I have tried working with turning down channel 1, and also the main output amplification, but even with both set at zero the hiss is still present. Is there anyway to fix this? I tried an affordable power conditioner from my outlet as well, and that didnt help. Please let me know if there is any solutions to this! This unfortunately is a big enough of an issue for me that I really wish would not have been the case. Thanks!!
Seems more connection problem rather than speakers
@@skunkeyebandit Called Mackie, and they told me yes it was the noise floor. The white noise hiss is due to them cutting corners in the parts for the amplifier. If you are okay with a little bit of a hiss when powered on then these are still great speakers, but if you want absolutely no noise when they are turned on (like me) then I would recommend spending a little more money and buying something nicer.
Why not return to Mackie if fault
@@skunkeyebandit it’s not a fault or defect it’s just the components they used to make it (Plastic can hiss when under pressure). It’s a lower priced speaker - and that’s what’s going to happen sometimes.
Can confirm: the noise floor is horrible on these...they sound good though!
Are the mackie thump 15 super loud and crisp? Just wondering how well they would sound with my current 4 sound town 18 inch active subs. I am using 2 proreck 15 inch loudspekers now and they just do not have that crisp sound once the volume is really jacked up
I just got a pair of used Mackie Thump 212's, probably about a year old. I took them out in the back yard last weekend and cranked them and was amazed. I don't think I heard any distortion or limiter kick in at a moderately loud volume. Obviously, they have plastic cabinets and there are some odd resonances (a 250hz null), but otherwise they sound amazing. I still don't like plastic cabinets, but I get what I paid for.
Hey im gunna get my first one on large payment hows the bass does it hit hard and thump like it should but still have clear crisp treble and mids on point ?
Yeah the response is pretty clean, and my NYE party asked me to turn the bass down even though I was only running the two 15s on tripods. I've been really happy with these 215XTs especially considering the price.
Of course, I was happy with my older Mackie 12s too, but these new 15s are fantastic🤘
I've subscribed im impressed with your videos very professional and executed very well 🙂👍
Ty
same!!!
I'm a bit confused... the 215XT has BT and wifi option BUT you can also connect normally thru XLR cable if you dont want to use BT/link right? @TheDJsGuru
yes it has xlr
Sorry how do you connect in stereo via say pioneer dj controller
need to know RMS on this new speakers , Thank you
I am trying to hook up my 215xt with a 115s subwoofer but what i found out is that I am not able to use the thru xlr to Connect the sub, when using Bluetooth as source. I hope someone van explain why that is. Now I have to feed the 215xt through the 3,5mm Jack or ch2 XLR
Any ideas on this?
Yes, you have to use stereo via XLR cables. The sub is incompatible with bluetooth / wireless mode
Hey there!
Yeah, you just need to follow the signal path. If your Bluetooth is connected to the speaker, it'll only play through that speaker, so you need to connect the Bluetooth device to something farther up the signal chain.
A mixer with a Bluetooth channel or a BT receiver plugged into a mixer that is THEN plugged into a sub and finally to the main should get you the full range output you're looking for. Good luck!
Bro I still have a pair of those TH-15A😂 and I’ve had them for over a decade.
I’m honestly looking to upgrade and buy a few for a church setup, I need your advice:
I’m thinking of buying 4 Thump SRM210 for band and vocal monitoring, as well as 2 Thump SRM215 for front of house. The church is a 200-300 seater hall.
Would that be a decent setup? (I’ll include subs later on the budget)
Love that! We are happy to help just use our contact form thedjsguru.com/dj-gear-advice/
How do these compare to the SA Riot 15s? Ev15?
Thanks
And is that a 3.5mm jack on a pa i see ?
Does this speaker have a Bass Boost Button much like many others? and do you get an equalizer on the app, i dont see one on the speaker
No bass boost. But I think the app does have an EQ. I don’t use it. I’m fine with using the pre loaded EQ modes.
@@gatchmanphoenix1418 how is the bass on the 215 xt? same or better than the woofer of column array speaker like RCF evox 8? LD maui etc?
@@yan5362 Unfortunately I can’t give you any opinion on a line array speaker. I have only seen one once in person, wasn’t too impressed. I don’t think the traditional top and sub will ever go away. With that being said, I was practicing with both tops on and the bass was so good, I didn’t even realize I had not turned my sub on. Definitely sufficient for two tops.
@@gatchmanphoenix1418 marvelous. given that i dont use sub and wants to get the best bass out of the tops. was amazed by the old SRX 715 jbl and want something that is quite similar or even better in terms of bass
Do you like the Mackie Thumps better than the Samsons?
Yes
Is this a better speaker than the Monster X6 they sell at Sam's Club?
Yes
@@TheDJsGuru I bought a Monster X6 but thinking of returning for a bteer one even if i have to pay a little more
Good for disco/karaoke and go loud enough, for pubs and social clubs?
@@benlovemusicuk absolutely.
@@TheDJsGuru I finally pulled the trigger on Friday. They arrived in the post today, I tested them with my current speaker stands, and I also tested them both over bluetooth, in link mode with the app. I haven't tested them, with my Traktor Kontrol S8 through XLR, or my mixing desk yet. However out of the box they sound great, and I love them so far. They will probs sound even better once EQ'd on my Traktor or my mixing desk. :)
The thumps or LD icoa 15a?
thanks man.
✊
Hello i have my mackie thump 215xt but the connect 2 app is loading with my speaker connected to Bluetooth and cannot find a uk number could you assist me in sorting it i even uninstalled and reinstalled the app still no luck i ment that it wont detect it is there any chance you know why
Hi Joshua, For any technical support/service outside of the US and Canada, Mackie's website suggests contacting your local distributor.
@@TheDJsGuru unfortunately i dont think they would be able to support me with this issue il still keep this speaker as its a good performer to be honest
You have the best video on this speaker. I do have a question. I linked both speakers. I have one connecting to my mixer using xlr. I only hear the music out of the hard wired one, how do i get the other speaker to get audio?
I got the 15bst. You need an Xlr coming out of both speakers into mixer. I would say Bluetooth on them is amazing also.
I got the 15bst. You need an Xlr coming out of both speakers into mixer. I would say Bluetooth on them is amazing also.
@@keironullah4634 right but my understanding is I plug one into xlr and the other can be across the room and connected
@@binhiddin1 did you ever figure it out I jus got a pair yesterday and only hear sound out of one speaker as well. Can’t even link them together. The app picked up one speaker but the other it keep saying linking speaker and never finds the other one. Any help would be great!
@@user-ko5wx4sy8x I have not, I just gave up and daisy chain them. No one seems to know. I thought they would let me have one play wirelessly from the other. If you ever figure it out please drop a comment
Agree on the screen and sound on the low end is not as deep
Have you tried the ALTO TS415? I heard they sound even better and for a better price, wish there was a comparison video of both
All my altos be getting busted!!! My Mackies be lasting
Altos massive problem with blown tweeters and subs
oh ok then ill forget about ALTO, Mackie is definetly the best way to go for the price
Are these a 100 person party or a 250 person party speakers?
That’s a big gap and we are missing 1 key piece of information to answer the question- what’s the room like?
@@TheDJsGuru fair enought, but unable to answer. Looking at something for weddings, could be inside small, might be outside small. The thing I'm lost on is the WATTS per person typoe math. So I'm at a loss, I'm sure these would be fin for a 100 person party ina 150 cap room? What would these sound like in a room that holds 250 people?
I think I am jsut going to pull the trigger, most of my weddings booked this year are 100-150ppl I am going to get 2x Thump15s 2x Thump Go and 1x Thump115. Thoughts? The Thump Go for ceremony and maybe some fill or monitor during reception.
Can I BT the Go from the 15s? or do I need to run XLRs?
Do you think they would preform better than the Behringer b115d??
Yes
Yes
I walk in anywhere and see Mackie equipment . You know it's going to be a noisy event. Every Mackie product I've ever ran into in the past has some kind of weird grounding issue. After replacing Mackie Equipment out of the equation, miraculously there are no more ground loops.
I don't know what happened to Mackie they used to be a respectable company with really decent gear but the last 10 years or so man they just went downhill. I definitely wouldn't be putting my money into Mackie.
What do you think is better for the price point?
@@TheDJsGuru anything that's not Mackie.
They have quality control issues big time. I got an fx 16 V3 ready to go in the garbage. I replaced that board with the allen & Heath product and magically all of my ground loop issues disappeared. I did some poking around and found out some of my colleagues that do sound also have had grounding issues with Mackie equipment.
And you ask what's better for the price point. Anything that doesn't have buzzing issues. You get what you pay for. Hell I've had better results with the pyle and alto brand. Peavey or EV are the recommended go to for speakers even JBL.
But if you don't know you don't know. I hope you get some good service out of those thumps. But for me and my money we will definitely not be going to Mackie ever again.
The original Thumps were Tapco brand bought by Mackie...
Anyone use one or two of these with a digital drum kit?
I use them to play hip hop with a live kit, but I've never explicitly run a digital kit through them.
I think you'll be surprised with how full the range is on these and how beefy the bass can be in the right context.
Should work great with a digital kit IMO
I plan on using these with my Roland TD-17 practice kit (my show kit is a custom racked TD-50X). We use QSC for our live shows and I usually practice with headphones, but for a live rehearsal or jam session I'm hoping these do the trick. I previously ran my practice kit though a QSC K10 and it sounded great, but once I added the Ksub, it was night and day. I do NOT want to use a sub for this use case so I wanted a much bigger woofer than just a 10". The thump of the kick is what I'm looking for so the Thump 15 seems like it'll do the trick. I'll find out soon enough!
Hey dude how does the sound quality compare between the XT and the BST?
Hey @richardparsons1312 thanks for watching! I'm personally very happy with the quality of both largely thanks to their modern DSP, I think comparing the two I have isn't a fair fight because the 15s hit lower and harder than the 12s. That's just simple physics -- bigger cone means more surface area which means more bump.
If I had a pair of the older 12s and the newer 12s side by side, I bet it would be pretty close.
What about two of the 212s and a 115 sub as a PC speaker setup?
I've used PA speakers for LAN parties back in the day, and I wouldn't really recommend it. PA speakers like these have a higher noise floor and a much higher "throw," which makes them great for parties, but not great for sitting in a room by yourself.
In my office I see use a set of 8" near-field monitors and a 10" sub, and that's plenty to piss off my neighbors if I wanted to 😂
@@DJSwitchPDX Well My situation's a little bit more unique as I'm trying to simulate the sound and vibrations and environment of being in a 900 horsepower stock car, such as a NASCAR stock car while I sim race. Along with other games especially music that I would want to listen to through it. I actually have two DCM Tower speakers with 12-in woofers along with two sealed 12-in subwoofer boxes with mid-grade 12-in Kenwood car subwoofers in each box wired together to be a 4 ohm impedance with a crown amp. Now don't get me wrong this stuff is loud and the base kind of makes my water bottle dance across my desk a little bit but I want to go big lol. Thoughts now lol?
@@racerx2580 Yes. Bigger in your case isn't necessarily better. I would start looking into room treatment, bass traps, and other ways to control your environment. You already have plenty of sound, you just need to control it, and louder speakers isn't the answer, especially for a racing sim setup.
Look into studio-grade foam solutions, and start looking into isolating anything that isn't bolted down to eliminate any extraneous vibrations or bounceback. With the right room treatment, you'd be surprised how good a $200 pair of speakers can sound compared to a $1000 set in an untreated environment.
You’re excited about a 1 inch compression driver?
Not everyone is rich, not everyone can afford the most expensive equipment. We are happy to see people happy so not sure what point your comment serves George
@@TheDJsGuru You pointed out that a 1 inch driver is a great feature when that’s what most entry level plastic DJ boxes come with also more EQ control is a good thing for Musicians so they can use these for foldback, feedback function is not always ideal for this purpose.
You failed to mention they're no longer biamp two amps now one amp biamp better that's backwards to 80's
What is RMS?
Essentially RMS is half of what the rated wattage is. But even then with budget stuff you could probably half it again and that would be what you would be getting at close to full volume. Having the volume knob spiked and the amp clipping you would get 1,400 Watts but not long because it would end up going.
This or alto 15s
This
I’ll never touch Mackie products again.
Their products are just horrible.
Oh yeah? Tell us more, it’s just you and I here and we would love to hear why you think this.
@@TheDJsGuru
This goes back to 2012 now I was a mackie guy for a long time.
I had the original srm 450’s had the original thumps. Great speakers
Then mackie came out with the pro fx line so I bought one of those boards well right out the gate the board was crap.
No sound was coming through the board.
Also bought the 450v2’s at the time. Well those speakers had no bottom end. So if I wanted to use just the speakers for a party it wouldn’t cut it.
They were horrible so I ended up just using those as monitors.
As the og 450’s had more low end.
Then mackie started following the trend of all the nicer sleeker speakers.
At this point I was an Electrovoice guy. However I needed another pair of speakers as to use for a party and my 2 suppliers I go to to buy my gear we’re out of the EV’s.
So I figured I’d give Mackie another try
Well right out the box amp was dead on the one speaker and the other one wouldn’t power on.
Right after that I swore I would never touch mackie again.
@@djjamie84 Hey Jamie! That sounds pretty frustrating, but at least there's a lot of good choices these days!
I was frustrated with Mackie for a long time too, but after doing some homework and picking up the 12BSTs in 2021 to try them out, I was pretty impressed. That's part of why I pulled out that ancient TH-15A for the video ... that thing was TRASH when it was new! But I've seen the amount of work Mackie has been doing the last few years to get their products right, and for the price and features they're pretty competitive.
That being said, EV, RCF and JBL all have solid mid-range options that are worth taking a look at, but none of them reached out to me 😂
Also if you wanted a phone controlled eq there's plenty on app stores atm but some aint as good i reckon il be going for a sound board tho to customise it specifically
Great content bro
Could you do a banging sound test with multiple genres please ive ordered mine want some sort of an idea of the different voicing modes also if you would i would really appreciate it man
I chose not to conduct a sound test because any audible speaker test would have been fed through a mic and compressed through TH-cam to the point where none of it would be relevant.
I would encourage you to try them for yourself and see how they compare for the price. I've been happy with them, but the biggest difference between the XT and BST speakers is how you interact with them on the fly. The screen is cooler than the knobs and buttons, but there's a wisdom in being able to change/adjust something without having to use a click wheel to do it.
@@DJSwitchPDX i have a thump215xt and the bass seems to come through different im not complaining just doesnt sound the same as the thump15a for example which is the normal version of the old model without bluetooth so im kinda confused tbh
@@joshuagilfillan3190 I would play with the voicing modes to find what suits you best. Also, keep in mind that if you run the chain through a sub first, the crossover on that sub will naturally curb a lot of that low end you're hearing in the 215, which should flatten everything out.
@@joshuagilfillan3190 i miss thump 15a. I use to use them and they are strong. the 215 seems to not be as strong. I cant turn them up as load before the distort
Can you only link 2 speakers??
I believe you can only do two channels through their built-in wireless link, which you can control through the app on a smart phone.
If you wire them using the XLR out, you can chain as many as you want.
Im British by the way