In this review, we will be comparing A500 and Mackie CR3-XBT, two Powered Bookshelf speakers from Buchardt and Mackie. Being Powered speakers, they both have built-in amplifiers so you don't need an external power amp or an integrated amp to power them. Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Buchardt A500 and Mackie CR3-XBT first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Buchardt A500 and Mackie CR3-XBT compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that A500 is a 3-way design whereas the Mackie CR3-XBT is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
Driver |
Buchardt A500 |
Mackie CR3-XBT |
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
Tweeter
|
0.74-inch
|
0.75-inch
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
- |
Woofer
|
1 x 6-inch
|
1 x 3-inch
|
A500 features a 0.74" fine weave soft fabric textile aluminum waveguide Tweeter , a 6" Midrange and 1 x 6" paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 150Hz and 1800Hz. On the other hand, the Mackie CR3-XBT features a 0.75" Silk Dome Tweeter and 1 x 3" Polypropylene Woofer .
Frequency Response
A500 has a frequency range of 25-40k Hz whereas Mackie CR3-XBT has a frequency range of 80-20k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 25Hz, the A500 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Mackie CR3-XBT's min frequency of 80Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
High Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Buchardt A500's and Mackie CR3-XBT's external dimensions. Buchardt A500 has external dimensions of 365.0 x 180.0 x 280.0mm ( 14.4 x 7 x 11inch) whereas Mackie CR3-XBT has external dimensions of 206.4 x 139.7 x 190.5mm ( 8.125 x 5.5 x 7.5inch) .
Buchardt A500 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 40.3mm wider, 158.6mm taller and 89.5mm deeper than Mackie CR3-XBT.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Buchardt A500 and Mackie CR3-XBT in scale.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Buchardt A500 is approximately 504.0cm2 / 78.1inch2 and base area of the Mackie CR3-XBT is approximately 266.1cm2 / 41.2inch2. The A500 requires 89% more surface area than the Mackie CR3-XBT which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Here is an another comparison that shows both speakers on a BDI Octave Media Cabinet, next to a standard size amplifier and turntable in scale:
What's in the Box of Mackie CR3-XBT?
Here are the items that come with the Mackie CR3-XBT:
Powered monitor w/ attached 5.5-feet power cord (C7 unpolarized)Passive monitor6.5-feet Speaker wire5-feet Stereo mini to RCA cableQuick Start Guide