Mackie M-4000The 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 M4000 utilize
the higher power capacity 3-rail Class-H circuitry. 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. *
| power (1kHz@1%THD) |
M2000 |
M3000 |
M4000 |
| Stereo Mode |
| 8 ohms per channel |
400W |
600W |
800W |
| 4 ohms per channel |
650W |
1000W |
1300W |
| 2 ohms per channel |
1000W |
1500W |
2000W |
| Bridge Mono mode |
| 8 ohms |
1300W |
2000W |
2600W |
| 4 ohms |
2000W |
3000W |
4000W |
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 M4000
sports 16 output transistors per channel. 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 2? load like eight speaker
cabinets—having more output transistors is the only way to go. So
that's just how we roll.
M-Series power amps employ twice as many output components as
competitive models. This costs us a bit more to design and manufacture,
but it's well worth it for the extra reliability.
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. Features:
- 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
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