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Mackie CR3™ Creative Reference™ Multimedia Monitors 2-way powered studio monitors with 3" woofer and 3/4" tweeter

Item # 863CR3

These pint-sized monitors deliver rich, powerful sound.

These pint-sized monitors deliver rich, powerful sound.

California customers:
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7 questions - 19 answers

Item # 863CR3

About the Mackie CR3™ Creative Reference™ Multimedia Monitors

Dave Bar

Big on sound, not on space

These pint-sized monitors deliver rich, powerful sound thanks to a combination of premium quality components and solid, all-wood cabinets. Each boasts a rugged, poly-coated woofer enhanced by a custom-tuned, rear ported enclosure for smooth, even bass extension. Their 3/4" silk dome tweeters feature a smooth waveguide design for improved sound dispersion and stereo imaging. Whether you're creating your next album or simply enjoying your tunes and videos, the CR3 monitors will deliver the goods.
Mackie CR3 Creative Reference Multimedia Monitors

The CR3's amplification, connections and controls are all found on the powered monitor, which connects to the passive monitor using the supplied 6' speaker wire.

Big on sound, not on space

These pint-sized monitors deliver rich, powerful sound thanks to a combination of premium quality components and solid, all-wood cabinets. Each boasts a rugged, poly-coated woofer enhanced by a custom-tuned, rear ported enclosure for smooth, even bass extension. Their 3/4" silk dome tweeters feature a smooth waveguide design for improved sound dispersion and stereo imaging. Whether you're creating your next album or simply enjoying your tunes and videos, the CR3 monitors will deliver the goods.

Convenient features and flexible connections

Setting up your CR3 monitors is easy. The speaker's left/right selector switch lets you choose which side of your work station gets the volume knob, headphone output and auxiliary input jacks. (Thanks Mackie, a lot of us really do have a preference!)  Your choice of balanced 1/4" TRS or unbalanced RCA rear-panel inputs are ready to handle line-level monitor signals from your PC or mixer. The front-panel volume knob makes setting volume levels a snap, and allows you to turn the monitors on and off. An illuminated ring around the volume knob lets you know when the monitors are powered up and ready to play.

Now includes Avid's Pro Tools First DAW — an industry favorite

As of September 2019, this Mackie hardware includes powerful Pro Tools First recording software, a highly popular choice among recording artists and producers. It also now comes bundled with Avid's The Music Collection suite of 23 plugin effects. Software is redeemed using your unit's serial number.

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Product highlights:

  • 3" polypropylene-coated woofer and 3/4" silk dome tweeter
  • Class A/B amplifier with 14 watts RMS x 2 (25 watts x 2 peak)
  • frequency response: 80-20,000 Hz (-3dB)
  • peak SPL: 97 dB
  • includes Avid Pro Tools First DAW plus The Music Collection bundle of 23 plugins
  • front-panel volume knob with power ring LED display
  • left/right speaker placement switch lets you decide which side of your workspace has the volume control
  • MDF bass-reflex cabinet with custom-tuned rear port
  • connections:
    • stereo balanced 1/4" TRS line-level inputs
    • stereo unbalanced RCA line-level inputs
    • front-panel 1/8" stereo auxiliary input
    • front-panel 1/8" headphone output
  • included isolation pads minimize vibration and provide up or down tilt for more focused listening
  • includes 6' speaker cable to connect the left and right speakers together
  • 5-1/2"W x 8-1/4"H x 6-1/4"D
  • weight: 9.4 lbs. (pair)
  • warranty: 1 year
  • MFR # 2044029-00

What's in the box:

  • Powered multimedia monitor speaker
  • Passive multimedia monitor speaker
  • 6.5' Speaker cable
  • 5' Stereo minijack cable
  • 5' Stereo minijack-to-RCA cable
  • 2 Isolation pads
  • Owner's Manual

Customer reviews for Mackie CR3™ Creative Reference™ Multimedia Monitors

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4.5 out of 5 stars
57 reviews

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More details on the Mackie CR3™ Creative Reference™ Multimedia Monitors

Stacey B.

Features & specs

Connections
USB Port No
Aux Input 0
RCA Input 1
XLR Input No
Phono Input No
Digital Input No
HDMI Input 0
Headphone Jack 3.5mm
Subwoofer Output 0
Wireless Features
Bluetooth N/A
Wi-Fi No
Wi-Fi Bands No
Driver Details
Tweeter Size (Inches) .75
Tweeter Type Soft-Dome
Tweeter Material Silk
Midrange Size (Inches) ---
Midrange Type ---
Woofer Size (Inches) 3
Woofer Type Polypropylene coated
Audio Specs
Watts RMS (Continuous) 28
Watts Maximum (Peak) 50
Frequency Response 80-20,000
Max. Digital Audio Bit Depth N/A
Max. Digital Audio Sample Rate N/A
Control
Handheld Remote No
Control by app N/A
Amazon Alexa No
Google Assistant No
Other Specs
Width (Inches) ---
Height (Inches) ---
Depth (Inches) ---
Parts Warranty 1 Year
Labor Warranty 1 Year

Product Research

Features

Two-Way Speaker Design: Each Mackie CR4 multimedia monitor speaker features a two-way driver design with one 0.75" ferrofluid-cooled, silk-dome tweeter and one 3" polypropylene-coated woofer with rubber sound. This combination of premium drivers provides a rich and natural studio-quality sound.

Built-in Amplifier: All drivers are powered by a built-in 28W RMS/50W Peak Class AB amplifier which provides clean, articulate stereo sound and an ultra-wide frequency response of 80Hz to 20,000Hz.

Bass Reflex MDF Enclosure:  The CR4 multimedia monitor speakers employ a bass reflex enclosure with custom-tuned rear-firing ports for smooth, even bass extension. These all-wood MDF cabinets provide a natural sonic character superior to low-grade plastic designs. The CR4 speakers do not included grilles.

Convenient Controls: A convenient front-panel volume knob with lit power-ring give you On/Off/Volume control and power indication. There is a rear-panel speaker placement switch which lets you choose which side of your desk gets the speaker with the volume knob.

Balanced & Unbalanced Analog Inputs: The CR4 multimedia speakers give you a choice of analog inputs including stereo 1/4" TRS jacks (balanced or unbalanced) and stereo RCA jacks (unbalanced) on the back panel, plus a 3.5mm aux input (unbalanced) on the front-panel. A stereo minijack cable and a stereo minijack-to-RCA cable are included.

Speaker Cable: Because the amplifier is built into only one of the CR4 multimedia monitor speakers, you'll need to connected the included 6.5' speaker cable between the two loudspeakers rear-panel spring-clip terminals.

Headphone Jack: A dedicated front-panel headphone jack (3.5mm) provides the opportunity to quickly listen to a different source, which is great for any professional. Plugging in phones defeats the speakers for truly silent work and you can quickly adjust levels with the main volume knob.

Isolation Pads: The two included professional-grade isolation pads minimize unwanted bass buildup and allow you to tilt the monitors up or down a bit for more focused listening.

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Customer Q&A

7 questions already asked

Q
Can the "passive output to speaker" be used to connect a powered sub woofer?
mike  Jun 04, 2019
1 answer
A
Theoretically, you could put a powered subwoofer ( that has speaker level inputs and outputs) in-line between the two speakers. Yes.
thomas  Jun 12, 2019 (Staff)
Q
Are the Mackie cr3"s good for mixing?
bernard scott  Oct 04, 2018
4 answers
A
I'm not sure about that since I use mine for computer speakers but I don't see why they wouldn't be. But if you EQ them they sound very good. If you play them flat, they sound pretty dull. I was disappointed at first but now that I have them dialed in to my liking, they are very accurate, have tons of power and good, detailed bass response for speakers this small. For the price, you can't beat them.
randall  Oct 06, 2018
A
Yes they are but I moved up to 5 eventually.
ronney  Oct 04, 2018
A
Don't get them. Very cheaply made. Mine stopped working just shy of two years. After doing some further digging, I found my problem to be EXTREMELY common.
jeffrey  Oct 04, 2018
A
Not sure because I'm using the. For gaming om PC sorry
rafael  Oct 04, 2018
Q
will these speakers work with a bose lifestyle 5 music system ?
anthony  Apr 11, 2018
1 answer
A
I use those speakers for my computer. Before l have a bose companion and they broke.Really l don't know if it will work with your equipment. good luck. Ramon
ramon  Apr 11, 2018
Q
Can these be hooked to a turntable?
debbie  Mar 15, 2018
1 answer
A
I don't see why not as long as there is no amp from turn table. Low power preamp is ok. You will get distortion if you use amp between. I did not use these on turntable but I do have a turntable in my system. It is an older one from the late 60's Gerard. Just know that these speakers will not give you volume and quality you would get with a high quality amp. They will give you good for everyday listening Good luck and great for the money Lgf
lawrence  Mar 15, 2018
Q
Will this work with an Echo Dot as an external speaker system?
david  Oct 05, 2017
1 answer
A
Well,they aren't bluetooth speakers, and echo dot is a blue-tooth system. If you're using a device with bluetooth connected to the c3's, and said device is connected via BT to your echo dot, then I suppose that would work. But that's probably not what you want. If there's a way to connect via aux-cord port, that would work too I suppose.
justin  Oct 05, 2017
Q
Does it come with the powered speaker as well as the passive speaker or just the powered one?
tyler  Dec 13, 2016
6 answers
A
It's the set of both speakers. One of the speakers houses the amplifier for both speakers as well as the input jacks, headphone jack, power switch and volume control. It's a simple setup; just connect both speakers together with the included cable. You can actually choose whether the powered speaker outputs the left or the right audio channel, so you can adjust it to whatever is more convenient for your setup.
andres de  Dec 18, 2016
A
Comes with both monitors the passive connects to the powered monitor
austin  Dec 14, 2016
A
It comes with both. The one speaker with amp powers the other one. All the cables come in the box as well.
michael  Dec 14, 2016
A
Both are included.
gabriel  Dec 13, 2016
A
It comes with both and the wire plus foam paps to set the speakers on that angles them up.
michael  Dec 13, 2016
A
You get two speakers. One powered the other passive. I really like mine.
george  Dec 13, 2016
Q
Are there grills to cover the speakers, or are the cones exposed and the green outlines visible (as pictured)? Thanks.
rand  Feb 27, 2015
5 answers
A
The speaker cones are exposed and the green outlines are displayed just like the picture.
george  Dec 13, 2016
A
No, there are no grills. The cones are exposed, although they are recessed about 3/4 inch from the front surface. Green outlines look just like they do in the picture. So, I suppose you would have to be careful not to poke the cones with a sharp object. That hasn't bothered me yet! The sound coming from my computer now is really nice.
don  Mar 03, 2015
A
The cones are exposed, the outlines are definitely visible just as pictured. The outlines are a painted piece of decorative trim & aren't removable to my knowledge. If it means anything, their a great set of speakers that exceeded my expectations.
mike  Feb 28, 2015
A
No grills on these. Great sound quality for the size. The woofer is very durable although the cover for the tweeter is paper thin. Not recommended if you have kids near them. I have them paired with a Polk Audio 150 watt 12" Subwoofer and I am very impressed.
michael  Feb 27, 2015
A
As pictured, nothing covering the speaker cones.
christopher  Feb 27, 2015
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