Last year, when Mackie first showed its DLM series with three powered, DSP-driven speakers. I was intrigued. Here were two extremely compact two-way systems with a 12-inch or 8-inch LF driver paired with a coaxial 1-inch exit compression driver, 1,000 watts RMS of biamplification (2,000W peak), a built-in, two-input digital mixer with line/mic inputs, 3-band EQ, 16 DSP effects, multiband feedback destroyer and memory presets for storing mix configurations. Also in the line is the matching DLM12S, a powered single-12 subwoofer.
What’s particularly impressive about the DLM speakers is their size. At 12.3 by 12 by 11.7 inches and 22 pounds, (DLM8) and 16 by 15.3 by 14 inches and 30 pounds (DLM12), these surely qualify as the most compact, high-power speakers I’ve ever seen. I definitely wanted to check these out, but first, a few technical details.
» Features, Functions
From the outside, the full-range DLM speakers are housed in tough high-strength PC-ABS enclosures with an integrated top handle, a standard 1-3/8-inch pole/tripod mount socket, black powder-coated steel front grills and three M10 fly points. The XLR/TRS/RCA inputs and controls for the onboard mixer are on the rear panel, along with an IEC power cable, AC switch and a swing-out “kickstand” that supports the cabinet at a 50-degree angle for slant floor monitor use.
The drivers in the DLM12 and DLM8 are a variant of the usual coaxial approach. Rather than a separate compression driver structure mounted on the rear of the woofer, these use what Mackie calls a TruSource™ design. Here the HF and LF drivers share a common magnet structure resulting in vertical alignment of the two voice coils, with the added benefit of a combined driver that is lighter and more compact than a traditional coaxial design.
Mackie’s acoustical correction DSP, used with the near-coincident drivers, leads to point-source performance, with reduced image smear and an overall perception that lows and highs emanate from the same location. The 1.75-inch diameter diaphragm on the HF section leads to a 1-inch exit throat that uses the woofer cone for the high frequency horn flare for a wide conical 90° dispersion.
Beyond the two mic/line/instrument-level combo XLR/TRS inputs, the mixer section also offers some slick tricks. There is no available phantom power, limiting the microphone selection to dynamics, but when using a speaker as a monitor, you can plug a mic or guitar into one input, bring an “everybody else” monitor feed into the other input and blend the two into a custom monitor mix, while sending a dry direct out of just the mic from the thru XLR to the house PA. Alternatively, both the DLM8 and DLM12 function very well as compact wedges (using the flip-out kickstand bracket) fed from a conventional monitor mix. Here, the wide dispersion, the (highly-effective) onboard feedback suppression function and the high-SPL output are real plusses.
Getting past the six-button interface and deeper into the units, the built-in DSP includes independent channel level, 3-hand EQ and effects control, a choice of 16 effects (variants of reverbs, chorus and delay), up to 300 ms of alignment delay, six speaker voicing modes and three memory locations for storing user preset settings. These are all accessed via four function buttons and a +/- increment switch and a 3.0 x 0.5-inch OLED screen. There are also two physical pushbuttons for selecting line/mic sensitivity on the channel 1 XLR and another that sets the thru XLR to output either the signal from the channel 1 input or the overall mix output. Placed near the connection panel, these two can easily be inadvertently bumped to the wrong setting while setting up or adjusting the speaker angle, and here either slide switches or recessed switches would have been preferable.
The onboard mixer is convenient, but reducing the interface down to six buttons can lead to some head scratching while trying to remember exactly what button leads to where. There are also six speaker modes — PA, DJ, Soloist, Monitor, EQ K and EQ Y — all are application-specific equalization presets, except for the latter two, which are designed to mimic the voicings of competitive speakers. I mostly stuck to PA (flat) mode and simply made any EQ changes at my console. Fortunately, once you get what you need, you can simply enter the lock mode, which locks out all controls and prevents any inadvertent changes.
» The Subwoofer Side
The DLM12S sub has a more traditional black-painted 15mm poplar ply enclosure, with two side carry handles, top pole-mount socket for supporting a DLM8 or DLM12. It’s not designed to be flown, but comes in at a compact 18 x 16.4 x 20.8 inches (HxWxD) and weighs 48 pounds. The rear panel has six XLRs — two inputs, two high-passed outputs for connecting full-range speakers routed from its onboard stereo crossover for bass management, and two “thru” outputs for daisy-chaining additional full-range speakers or subwoofers to the system. Like the other DLM speakers, the DLM12S has 1,000 watts RMS (2,000W peak) of onboard Class-D amplification with SMART Protect peak/RMS input limiting and thermal protection. Speaking of protection, all DLM speakers have a quiet onboard multi-speed cooling fan to keep operating temperatures under control, and the amplifiers remained fairly cool, even under harsh, high-SPL conditions.
The DLM12S uses a similar six-button interface for access to its setup paramaters, ranging from level to setting alignment delays, crossover points (with presets for the DLM8/DLM12/SRM350/SRM450 or variable 60 Hz to 120 Hz) and also has the handy lockout function and three user-memory presets. There are also switches for choosing normal/inverted polarity (phase) and whether the thru outputs are mono or stereo. Like pushbuttons on the fullrange speakers, users need to be careful not to accidentally bump these into the wrong setting while connecting cables or moving the sub.
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The Bottom Line
Aside from a few minor points mention above, the Mackie DLM system provided exactly what I expected and more. Here is an ultra-compact rig that transports easily (fits into a hatchback with room to spare), is fairly lightweight and delivers the performance of a much larger system. I found the DLM8s to be an ideal solution, whether used as compact, high-SPL front fills, monitors or as a run-and-go PA for smaller gigs offering punch and even, wide dispersion in near-field, short throw applications, with the DLM12s being the perfect step-up into larger venues in the 150 to 200 range. The DLM12S seemed much larger then they were, sounding more like a 15 or double-12 cabinet. But my back liked these the best and there’s something very appealing about a compact, lightweight system that delivers the goods. Absolutely!
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At a Glance: Mackie DLM Speakers
PROS
Compact; flyable; versatile onboard mix/DSP; clean and loud sound; flexible integration with optional subwoofer.
CONS
Mix/system interface can be confusing for first timers; sensitivity/thru-assign/phase buttons can easily bump to wrong position during setup.
Price (Street)
DLM8, $699; DLM12, $999; DLM12S, $849
More Info
www.mackie.com/dlm
