These sit in different price classes - Sony Signature Series SA-Z1 costs roughly 47.1x what Mackie CR4-XBT does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | Sony Signature Series SA-Z1 digs deeper - 51Hz against 65Hz. |
| Built-in power | A | Sony Signature Series SA-Z1 has the bigger amplifier (212W vs 25W RMS). |
| Connections | depends | Sony Signature Series SA-Z1 adds digital inputs; Mackie CR4-XBT adds Bluetooth. |
| Size | depends | Mackie CR4-XBT is easier to place; Sony Signature Series SA-Z1 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Price | B | Mackie CR4-XBT is cheaper - $170 against $8,000, about 98% less; arguably a different class. |
A Sony Signature Series SA-Z1 B Mackie CR4-XBT
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
The usual trade-off: Sony Signature Series SA-Z1 measures better, Mackie CR4-XBT costs about about 47.1x the price% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 65Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Mackie CR4-XBT much easier to justify. In a large or open-plan room, Sony Signature Series SA-Z1 has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Mackie CR4-XBT is the easier speaker to get right.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.