[If You’re Unsure, Choose This!] Mackie ShowBox Thorough Review!

♪ “How many nights of sleep until New Year’s Day?” — and just like that, the year is almost over in the blink of an eye. I may have mentioned this last year as well, but when this season arrives, I can’t help but wonder who will win this year’s M-1 Grand Prix. I’m looking forward to it again this year.

Now then, changing the subject, since joining Sound House I’ve spent about a year and a half learning about PA equipment. Have you ever had moments where, even after reading the manual, it’s difficult to grasp the specs or visualize how something works just from the text? In those situations, I usually just try it out myself. When I am wondering, “It can do a lot, but how does it actually behave?”, I test it and mumble to myself in agreement.

Today, I tried out the feature-packed (maybe?) MACKIE/ShowBox to see what exactly it can do and how it actually behaves, so I would like to share my review with all of you!

First, the exterior.

Perhaps the most eye-catching feature is the remote controller built into the side.
When you press the “PUSH TO RELEASE” button, the remote controller unlocks with a “click” and can be removed. Any guy would immediately want to play “emergency escape — bailout” with this.

This time, I tested sound output by connecting a dynamic microphone to ch1 and a stereo source to ch5–6.

With the dynamic mic, I tried all 12 types of effects, toggled the three EQ bands—LOW, MID, HIGH—as well as the COMP, and played around with the LOOPER function. I didn’t try it this time, but ShowBox supports Hi-Z inputs on ch2 and ch4, allowing you to connect a guitar directly and output sound, and it also comes with guitar effects like OverDrive and Fuzz, which made it fun to experiment with. I don’t recall seeing another powered speaker that has a built-in LOOPER function.

For stereo playback on ch5–6, the EQ can be adjusted, but COMP and FX cannot be modified. It’s fun to experiment with sound by boosting the LOW for a thick, growling tone or cutting the sharp, piercing HIGH frequencies to make things smoother!

This feature is also found in other MACKIE powered PA speakers, but the OUTDOOR MODE is excellent. Based on how it sounds, the coverage area narrows, allowing the sound to reach farther distances.

Another design point that felt considerate is that the LEDs on the connected controller light up more brightly. Have you ever struggled to see your smartphone screen during daytime events because of strong sunlight? I felt the thoughtfulness that went into making the LEDs shine more brightly so that it’s easier to see whether you’re in bright or dark environments.

There are also many features—though I didn’t try them this time—that are unique within the series and not found on other products.

• With the switchable “PA Mode” and “Amp Mode”, you can produce rich low frequencies for audio playback and sparkling high frequencies for guitar performances!
• The USB-C interface function allows for live streaming or recording outdoors!
• You can save recorded audio to a microSD card!
• With the external effect SEND & RETURN, you can use external guitar effects!
• Supports latch-type footswitches!
• Headphone output lets you check the sound of each channel!
• Built-in TUNER function!
• With the SNAPSHOT function, you can recall detailed presets you’ve created!

(´･ω｀･)ｴｯ?

What can’t this thing do?
I imagined a scenario where all of these features are used to their fullest potential.

With my limited imagination, this was about as far as I could take the scenario, but with just one ShowBox, you can truly do all kinds of things.
Nowadays, you can even livestream a street performance directly from your smartphone.
The powered PA speaker ShowBox is equipped with a battery that lasts up to 12 hours—
I hope you’ll consider giving it a try.

That’s all for today. See you next time!