[bizkid]

Mackie released their first headphones 2 years ago with MC-150 and MC-250. I'm a big fan of the MC-250 which has a great neutral/natural tuning, especially considering its pricepoint. I think there are some reviews here on head-fi so check out the review section if you're interested in the MC-250. Today i want to share my first impressions of it's older brother, the newly released MC-350:

First impressions:

When the MC-350 was announced i was a bit skeptical of the plastic build, but now holding it in my hands it feels very rugged. This headphone will easily survive daily studio abuse. It comes with a solid travel box that feels good as well and 3 cables. I opted for the 3m cable for home use. There is also a 1,2m cable for mobile use as well as a coiled cable for studio use. I think Mackie uses a proprietary connector for the cable.
The comfort is great so far, yesterday i've been using them for 5-6 hours straight without any discomfort. The pads are made of real leather and are medium plush. Also there are no comfort problems with the headband (i don't have much hair left on my head). There is some pressure on the ears but nothing as bad as a stock HD650/600. The cables introduce some microphonics when not playing any music but i can't detect it anymore with music playing.

Sound impressions:

First i want to say that this is a very lifely vibrant colorful (not to mistake with colored) headphone. The tuning is very flat, sweeping through the freq range reveals no major dips or bumps. The MC-250 had some small bumps but Mackie seems to have improved on that even more.

Bass: Very tight, dry and punchy (better than the MSR7b), nicely textured, goes deep enough for my music.
Mids: Vocals and instruments are very lifelike. Sometimes they are upfront, sometimes more at a distance, really depends on the recording.
Highs: Nicely fit in, these are neither dark nor specially bright headphones.

What i mean by colorful headphone: Imagine a photograph that has a green tint and compare that to the same image without the tint. Many colored headphones have a tint comparable to that. The MC-350 has a great transparency for it's pricepoint, the ATH-MSR7b sounds more green tinted in comparison.

What else? This is a revealing headphone which means that some of current pop music won't sound as good. It can still deliver fun in spades for well made pop but it sounds especially amazing on properly mastered dynamic content. Classical, Jazz, Acoustic music and so on. If you're looking for an audiophile entry to closed headphones the MC-350 could be interesting for you and maybe you should give it a try.

I'll post some comparisons to other headphones at a later date (MSR7b, Sony MDR-1ABT, Sennheiser Momentum 3).

 

[495709]

Mackie released their first headphones 2 years ago with MC-150 and MC-250. I'm a big fan of the MC-250 which has a great neutral/natural tuning, especially considering its pricepoint. I think there are some reviews here on head-fi so check out the review section if you're interested in the MC-250. Today i want to share my first impressions of it's older brother, the newly released MC-350:









First impressions:

When the MC-350 was announced i was a bit skeptical of the plastic build, but now holding it in my hands it feels very rugged. This headphone will easily survive daily studio abuse. It comes with a solid travel box that feels good as well and 3 cables. I opted for the 3m cable for home use. There is also a 1,2m cable for mobile use as well as a coiled cable for studio use. I think Mackie uses a proprietary connector for the cable.
The comfort is great so far, yesterday i've been using them for 5-6 hours straight without any discomfort. The pads are made of real leather and are medium plush. Also there are no comfort problems with the headband (i don't have much hair left on my head). There is some pressure on the ears but nothing as bad as a stock HD650/600. The cables introduce some microphonics when not playing any music but i can't detect it anymore with music playing.

Sound impressions:

First i want to say that this is a very lifely vibrant colorful (not to mistake with colored) headphone. The tuning is very flat, sweeping through the freq range reveals no major dips or bumps. The MC-250 had some small bumps but Mackie seems to have improved on that even more.

Bass: Very tight, dry and punchy (better than the MSR7b), nicely textured, goes deep enough for my music.
Mids: Vocals and instruments are very lifelike. Sometimes they are upfront, sometimes more at a distance, really depends on the recording.
Highs: Nicely fit in, these are neither dark nor specially bright headphones.

What i mean by colorful headphone: Imagine a photograph that has a green tint and compare that to the same image without the tint. Many colored headphones have a tint comparable to that. The MC-350 has a great transparency for it's pricepoint, the ATH-MSR7b sounds more green tinted in comparison.

What else? This is a revealing headphone which means that some of current pop music won't sound as good. It can still deliver fun in spades for well made pop but it sounds especially amazing on properly mastered dynamic content. Classical, Jazz, Acoustic music and so on. If you're looking for an audiophile entry to closed headphones the MC-350 could be interesting for you and maybe you should give it a try.

I'll post some comparisons to other headphones at a later date (MSR7b, Sony MDR-1ABT, Sennheiser Momentum 3).

Hi,just wondering if you still have the 350s,and if you are still liking the sound.

 

[bizkid]

Yeah i still have them and i absolutely love their sound. They have an IEM like precision, mids and especially female vocals are lifelike and uncolored. Bass is very tight and free of cup reflections, some other headphones which i thought have good bass sound boomy/reverby compared to the MC-350. It's not very bass heavy but it can hit hard. Compared to my calibrated Studio Speakers it maybe lacks 1, max 2dB in Bass. I have many (pop) recordings which just sound so good on these, it's a joy to use them every day. I'm not much of a headphone person anymore since i got the speakers but these make me come back to headphones more often. I'm really curious how the open MC-450 compares.

 

[495709]

So a definite upgrade from the 250s?
I bought the 250s about a year ago, and put them into storage after just a couple of hours use.Just dug them out again and have been surprised how good they sound.Surprised how the Mackie headphones appear to be overlooked.

 

[bizkid]

It's been too long since i have owned the MC-250, can't remember much about them only that i liked the sound, the build quality not so much. MC-350s build quality is very good. I can only say from memory that i enjoy the MC-350 more than i did the MC-250 even though it sounded good too.

 

[Mad Max]

How's the isolation?

Also, have you guys also tried the Audio-Technica M70x and Pioneer HRM-7?

 

[495709]

It's been too long since i have owned the MC-250, can't remember much about them only that i liked the sound, the build quality not so much. MC-350s build quality is very good. I can only say from memory that i enjoy the MC-350 more than i did the MC-250 even though it sounded good too.

How do they compare against the audio technica msr7bs?I am trying to decide between the mackies and the msr7b s but not much info for the mackies on the internet

 

[495709]

Purchased the audio technica msr7b and am finding them a bit bright/sibilant.Would like to know if the mc-350 is the same.

 

[Mad Max]

I tried the older MSR7, it is rather bright, the M70x is the much better version of it, I feel. M70x is also bright, just less bright, and non-sibilant.

Anyway, I would love to know if anyone tried these Mackies and what they thought of them. Too bad that these are not likely Mackie's own designs, they did make good studio monitors in their MR and HR series speakers.

 

[crewcut]

Although I was tempted I didn't get the 350s when they were first released.
Just got a pair and have to say I am very impressed with the build and especially the sound quality. I had the beyer dt 700 pros and liked the sound signature, and the mackies for me are equal if not better.
As mentioned in several reviews the fit is tight,and for big head size might be a problem. For me they fit,but at full extention.
For anyone looking for a low price pair of headphones these are definitely worth checking out.

 

[Slush]

I have had these for a short time (the white ‘special edition’). Unfortunately I had to send them back. I read that this headphone might not work on larger sized heads as the headband does not extend too far. Well, I am a slim guy and I have certainly not a very large head, but even at the max headband setting I could feel the headband pressure on top of my head and it felt uncomfortable. I had to reposition it a couple of time. Even half a hour after wearing them I could still feel it. Build quality is excellent, very sturdy with real leather padding and headband, so no complaints. Sounds definitely detailed and natural. The M30x is more bass, less neutral, less detail. Noise cancellation on the Mackies is absolutely zero, I could hear all sounds from my surrounding in these headphones, I dare to say even worse than my ATH. Maybe that’s a good thing for some but not for me, I want isolation. I can’t say these are bad phones, they deliver good neutral and detailed sound, absolutely, but the comfort and noise canceling issues are unfortunately for me dealbreakers.