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MusicRadar

Entertainment

Daniel Flitcroft

"Mackie has gone above and beyond to make the ShowBox an absolute no-brainer for buskers and small live performances": Mackie ShowBox battery-powered all-in-one PA review

Mackie (Organization) Future

Mackie ShowBox Battery-Powered All-in-One Performance Rig review.

Mackie ShowBox review: What is it?

Mackie hasn’t been a name I’ve ever closely associated with the ‘portable PA system’ market, but the ‘ShowBox’ changes everything. Bose impressed me with the S1 Pro +, which included the ability to house and charge two wireless receivers. And while that system sounded great, I did find the controls and effects to be a little restrictive. The last thing a live street performer wants to do is to spend time messing with the back of their speaker, trying to adjust the levels or control the feedback. The ShowBox includes a ‘breakaway’ mixer which pops out of the back of the speaker and connects via a supplied ethernet cable. This conveniently fits on to any mic stand with a simple supplied adaptor.

The system allows for two microphone XLR inputs and two instrument inputs with an additional stereo line input for the likes of keyboard and/or drum machine. You can really let your imagination run wild with the number of uses for the ShowBox. Not only that but external devices such as phones or tablets can also be connected via auxiliary and Bluetooth. Effectively, what you have here could be the easiest and most versatile mobile karaoke system ever seen.

What sets this system apart from every other portable solution on the market is the breakaway mixer. Each channel can be individually controlled and managed, allowing for fine-tuning of EQ, effects, compression, gain, volume and more. An SD card slot can be found on the rear, which allows for single-button recording of your entire performance. The ShowBox also doubles as an audio interface and can be connected directly to devices for live streaming.

Mackie ShowBox review: Performance & verdict

If I were to review the ‘Showbox’ as simply a portable, battery-operated PA speaker, I would say this is a good, well-made product. The sound is warm, clear and well-rounded. It doesn’t have the power and throw of something like the Bose S1 Pro + or any of the ‘column’ array PA alternatives, but as a portable solution, it does a fantastic job.

It is the addition of the ‘breakaway’ mixer which elevates the Showbox to something that I haven’t seen any portable PA system do before. Having access to all the channels and controls at my fingertips is, frankly, a brilliant and entirely welcome concept from Mackie. The mixer feels solid and satisfyingly tactile. The buttons and knobs are chunky, clicky and, best of all, easy to use. One-touch recording, muting and looping enable the most amateur performer to feel confident in their performance.

Channels 5 & 6 incorporate the Aux, Bluetooth and Stereo Line Inputs, and cleverly, Mackie has allowed all three of these to be used at once. One could argue that this technically makes this a 7-channel mixer.

Each channel has its own effects, which can be controlled independently of all the other channels. Quickly tapping the knobs will let you mute the effects and easily compare the before and after sound. The more time you spend with the breakaway mixer, the more you will fall in love with its effortless simplicity and brilliance. I really can’t stress enough how impressed I am with this new and entirely unique feature.

So impressed am I by the breakaway mixer, I’m left scratching my head at why this kind of external control has not been implemented before for the standard Mackie series of mixers. If Mackie decides to start selling a 12-channel passive mixer with a breakaway controller like this, which I can hang off a mic stand, I will happily give them my money now.

With the entire system weighing in at less than 10kg, the ShowBox is an excellent choice for travelling performers. The speaker can be pole-mounted or angled like a floor monitor. The slightly textured plastic finish feels nice and robust, and the inset handle is comfortable and ergonomic.

Also consider

Bose S1 Pro Plus: Beautiful, rich, and clear sound and weighing just 6.5kg make this a truly portable option. Just a shame the wireless receivers are an expensive added extra.
Mackie Thump GO 8: The same Mackie robustness and sound at a fantastic price point. Lacks the amount of channel inputs and versatility of the ShowBox, though.
Electro-Voice Everse 8: One of the original and still best portable battery-powered speakers. It has a fantastic, award-winning sound. However, the feature list pales significantly in comparison to the Mackie Showbox.

My only major criticism of the ShowBox is that it doesn’t quite have the amplification of some others I have tried. When pushed hard, the vocals started to sound a little crushed and distorted. Additionally, the music playback didn’t have the warmth and richness of either the Bose S1 Pro + or the column array alternatives available.

As is a gripe of mine with most of these portable solutions, the padded soft case does not come as standard. Given the most obvious practical applications of the ShowBox, I would say the soft case is an absolute necessity for this device. Mackie also offers an optional 2-button footswitch, which I would suggest is only necessary if you plan to use the looper function heavily.

Final verdict

Mackie has produced a fantastic product with the ShowBox. I fully expect to be seeing these appearing on the high streets soon, being used by aspiring Ed Sheeran and Sabrina Carpenter wannabes alike. Isn’t it great when you get the feeling that some companies actually listen to the wants and needs of their customers? Take a bow Mackie.