Studio sound and Bluetooth music from one pair of desktop speakers. The Mackie CR5BT are powered studio monitors from Mackie’s CR Series with built-in Bluetooth. Use them for music production, video editing and gaming, then stream music from your phone when you just want to listen.
Why customers choose it
Who it is for
Home studios and beginner producers, content creators, gamers, students and anyone who wants better sound from a computer and wireless music from a phone.
Specifications
| Type | Powered studio monitors (pair) with Bluetooth |
|---|---|
| Power output | 50 W RMS |
| Frequency response | 60 Hz – 20 kHz |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, aux input |
| Front panel | Headphone output, aux input |
| Audio output | Stereo |
| Colour | Black |
| Weight | 7 kg |
| Dimensions | 5 in |
Good to know
- Plug in headphones at the front for private listening.
- Monitor pads are included to place the speakers on a desk.
FAQ
Can I play music from my phone without a cable?
Yes. Pair your phone over Bluetooth and stream music directly.
Can I connect a computer with a cable?
Yes. Use the aux input.
Talk to Suhavi
Priartha –
Sexy Speakers…..
I’ve been a hobby musician for over a decade, but I recently set up a small recording space in my home. Before owning these I was using various Logitech computer speakers or Studio Beats by Dre to monitor all of my audio and recordings. These Mackies are a game changer. At a price considerably lower than most professional studio headphones, these monitors deliver. The audio is clear and accurate, and after reading some reviews complaining about a lack of low ends, I was pleasantly surprised at the punch these have. As far as using these as media/bluetooth speakers, they are equally impressive. You hear everything the artist wanted you to hear. I personally had a few minor stutters in the audio streaming from my phone at about 15 feet, but that could be from any number of causes. I’ve also used them with my Playstation 4, they are especially great with any music centric games.
Placeholder –
Great set of stereo speakers for enjoying music and movies @ home
I got a great deal during the Amazon sale. It’s q great set of speakers not only as a studio monitor but also for someone who enjoys casual music and movies. The sound quality is good and so is the built quality.
rm –
pure sound
shocking …thats what it is! it beats all the conventions on “good” audio we audiophiles seem to have.What a kick in the face? When you hear every bit of sound, it takes you to a different realm and the conventional music listening has to be now reoriented. After listening to an Denon AV amp on wharfdales and Bose, these are miles ahead in terms of clarity you begin to think there is something wrong with the music or your ears!! Simply said its the BEST …I have now learnt to listen to music as it should be..enjoy the experience…
Bisu –
Good sound, however unreliable quality of components
Like:
– Quite neutral.
– Sound good. Quite transparent. Your source should be good.
– Sound good at mid to mind-high volumes
Bad:
– Sound separation and stage could have been better.
– Poor quality components. the switch that selects left/right speaker does not work properly after a few months.
– Run’s very warm/hot even when not in use while switched on or OFF
– the TDA amp chip blew after one year of light to moderate use. Did not get good support and had to remove, procure and solder the chip myself. Therefore not very reliable.
Update: Died again. Very poor amp circuit design.
I would not buy it again or recommend to people due to poor reliability and poor support.
Edifiers are a better option.
I have R1700Bt. They are a bit less neutral but are more musical and run cooler and more reliable. They also have a remote. I would recommend this for people on a budget.
For people with higher budget, I recommend the the Edifier s3000 pro. I have this and these are leagues ahead in sound quality.
Abhishek –
A constant Vibrating Bug for Bluetooth model
All is fine, the build quality the audio are all really good, the 4ange on this thing is also amazing but to those of you out there planning to buy it, I have something to tell. The bluetooth button on this thing gets loose almost immediately after a few days of use and hence leads to a constant vibrating noise through anything above average volume and bass levels. This becomes specially bugging when listening to and creating house and pop rock music. You might wanna go for non Bluetooth on this one to avoid this issue.
Vinush Bharadwaj –
Best Go To Monitor Speakers under 16k.
Under 16k this is probably the best studio monitor speakers you can get…
Crystal clear sound, limited bass.:)
Sethu –
Perfect for home Studio – Worth Buying
Mackie – Always Trustable, Cyrstal clear sound, you can hear all sort of instruments and tone very clearly even for the normal songs.
Nikhil G. –
Mackie Customer Support assures that, the new batches of speakers, will not fail.
UPDATE 2: Working Great after 200 days
UPDATE : Working Great after 100 days. Average usage is 6-8 hours per day. Initially the back side of the Active Speaker (Right Speaker) was getting a little hot (not excessively though @ comparable levels with my PreSonus Active Monitors), but after about one week of usage, the Speaker started running a lot cooler. Still Very Satisfied with the purchase!
After reading the horror reviews of buyers, wherein almost 10% of speakers had failed within a few months, I was very apprehensive about investing in these speakers. I wrote to the Mackie support staff in the US, and they assured me that, the fault leading to speakers dying out, has been successfully addressed. They advised me to purchase speakers made in late 2017, or later. Due to their stressing the view, that the ‘selector switch’ problem has been resolved, and also due to their Professional, Courteous and Prompt assistance, I decided to take a chance and buy these. It’s been three days, and the monitors sound great! I would have preferred if the monitors were Bi-amped, but at this price point, these are a good buy. I will try to update this review, with my feedback, after 6 months.
Sebastien W. –
COMPACT, ACCURATE, GOOD SOUND MULTIMEDIA SPEAKERS
Please note I bought these speakers about 8 months ago, so I’ve been using them for quite a while now and I can honestly say that I love em’
I don’t know much about speakers but what I do know is they are far better that any speakers I ever had, not that they are super loud or super bassy but I feel like I get a very clear and good sound representation. I feel like the music sound way better that what I was used to.
They are not that loud, they’re near field monitors so don’t think these will be filling a large living room as I thought. If you like to listen to hip hop and loud longs at super high volume, these are not for you.
For me they’re pefect, all around very good multimedia speakers that still pack quite a punch.
Andrew Ballantyne –
Great sound for powered speakers.
I have had these speakers for nearly 2 weeks . I specifically bought the CBT 5 inch model with bluetooth. Short review : The speakers sound phenomenal for the price point, and should fit into any setup you are looking for.
As far as Bluetooth goes the sound has been great and there has been no feedback from the speakers even with poor placement. I do unfortunately have to leave them too close to each other with my current room setup which can sometimes provide unwanted noise with some speakers, but this has not been a problem. The Bluetooth may drop for a second but that’s par for the course with Bluetooth.
As far as analogue setup goes I have been using them with my Audio Technica LP120. The sound has been fantastic from them. The bass is punchy, but lacking excessive vibration which is important due to my poor placement of the record player above the speakers. I have not had any rumble shake my player around, which is great for me, but If you’re looking for room shakers, you may not want these.
This note may be unnecessary but these speakers do not play nice with my DAC. I tried playing FLAC files from my phone through the DAC into the speakers, but the sound was muted and poor quality. I did not find it necessary anyways to run it through the DAC because the speakers do have the built in preamp, but it may be an issue for you if this is something you wanted to do.
As a “budget audiophile” I can recommend these speakers for pretty much any setup you could want. They get loud and keep the sound fidelity sounding great. Also with the volume low you will still hear the bass, highs and lows.
I see many complaints about the speakers dying an early death, if this is an issue for me I will update the review accordingly.
Miguel –
Good speakers!
Good quality/price. Not really for professional use
Craig G. –
Absolutely great value for home studios
I bought the Mackie CR5BT CR Series Channel Studio Monitors, which I use for mixing and mastering sound using SONAR Cakewalk software in my home studio.
First, let me say that all-around construction seems to be very hefty and of excellent quality. No cheapie plastic cabinets here, but instead they’re constructed of solid MDF, then wrapped. I guess you can’t call it true wood, but even so fiberboard is far superior to plastic regarding speaker cabinet sound.
My preference is the larger woofer for studio use, 3″ and 4″ just seem too small for the purpose. While an absolutely “flat” response is impossible for any monitor, I was quite surprised that these seem to be on-par with far more expensive monitors I’ve used in the past. While mixing, I didn’t notice any coloring of sound that concerned me. If anything, they may be a little hot on the low-end, but I’m sure that’s due to the fact that they’re rear-ported. Moving them further away from the wall and using the provided isolation pads on my DAW table seemed to clear that up almost completely.
Bluetooth connectivity originally didn’t interest me, but it proves to come in really handy when someone stops by with a demo on their phone or tablet. It’s nice that you don’t need to hassle with cables for on-the-spot listening in those situations.
As a side note, I also picked up a UGREEN 3.5mm to 1/4″ TS splitter to go along with these monitors. There really shouldn’t be much difference between RCA and TS connectors, but I prefer the latter because they’re usually much better shielded, reducing line noise. That’s important when working with studio equipment in general. It’s a very nice cable for the price:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZKM3SHK/
Bottom line, you can’t go wrong with the value these monitors provide. I’m extremely pleased with the purchase.
* Note: I strive to write concise reviews with honest opinions to assist you as a potential buyer, and receive no monetary compensation for doing so. If you’ve found this information useful, I’d appreciate a click on the “Helpful” button below. Thanks!
Majik –
Great Reference Sound, Compact Package
I bought the 5” version. These monitor housings are a little smaller than I thought they would be, but the sound they produce is quite good even using unbalanced RCA inputs. Highs are clear and articulate, lows are punchy and deep without being obnoxious. The sound produced is very clear and correct – great reference sound when mixing and mastering!
Very impressed with just how loud, clear, tight, and correct the sound is from these little things. And I only have the monitor volume knob up about 25% so far.
I will say the BlueTooth audio quality is bad. It sounds down-sampled and distorted. Kinda sounds like they used an old BlueTooth standard and/or junk circuits for it. Sound is way way better using actual wired inputs.
I would recommend these for anyone that needs great quality reference audio for listening/mixing and doesn’t want to pay a huge amount of cash. Best sound for the buck! Just don’t expect quality BlueTooth.
Also, there are reports of the L/R switch going bad. My advice is to set it how you want it, then don’t touch it. And always turn your speakers off when not using them so the internal amp and components aren’t stating hot. That should improve the lifetime of the monitors and maybe prevent switch failure.
If they do eventually fail, contact Mackie directly for warranty replacement. Everyone says they are very good about taking care of any issues.
4/5 Stars due to crappy BlueTooth. If BlueTooth wasn’t a feature on these, I would rate 5/5.