the box MA8/2 CL

I saw this little monitor being used by Gordon Giltrap at a local venue. As he was playing mainly acoustic, and it was an intimate venue, I thought this would be an ideal product for me to use with my acoustic band. So I googled the product, and was very pleased to see that it wasn't some mega expensive piece of pro kit.

Had I not seen a professional use it, I would have been sceptical that such a small box at such a reasonable price would cut the mustard.

But when it arrived - WOW! I plugged my acoustic in directly and had to flail for the volume as the feedback was insane!! I managed to dial it back and was struck by the crisp clarity of the speakers.

I then used it as a monitor in a band, with the guitar and keyboard going through it. I was amazed that it cut through over the top of a noisy drummer behind us!

Saldy, I managed to be somehwat enthusiastic after a little use and pop the tweeter. However, replacement was reasonably straightforward, if a little Warranty-Busting... (see my other review for the Tweeter)

Overall, I cannot fault this device - a great little practice amp with my electric and effects pedals as well as a crisp, compact clear monitor for stage use in smaller venues.

Brilliant work, Thomann!!

I play big stages all over europe but when not on tour i like to play small bars. its then all about getting everything as small as possible but maintaining quality. I still use top end gear...allen and heath, shure, QSC but try to keep everything as small and light as possible. But i dont want to compromise on quality. im playing these small bars for fun after all. I use 10" monitors but couldn't help thinking about an even smaller wedge. when these cute little 8" monitors arrived my heart sank. I wasn't expecting them to be THAT small and felt sure i'd gone a step too far. Imagine my delight when i found them to be tight, clear and better sounding than my 10" ones. Ok im only putting acoustic instruments, vocals and a foot stomp through them but the clarity was alarming and the kick pedal kicked like a mule. They take up no room on stage and look smart. Even as i was setting them up other musicians were casting envious glances. No E.Q. but found i didn't need it. Sound way better than the Personal mic stand mounted monitor that does a similar job.

Very pleasantly surprised by the sound and build quality of these compact monitors. Wanted small foldback speakers for use by church worship band & singers - modest sound levels but need clear sound with flat frequency response to reduce risk of feedback.

These fit the bill perfectly. Max SPL is around 105 - 110 dB. Not much bass below 100Hz ( unsurprising given small enclosure) but after that the frequency response is roughly +/- 2dB from 150Hz - 10kHz+ . Remarkably good given low price.

Just two small issues.
Firstly: The input is really too sensitive and this is compounded by an unusual 'law' on the volume control - it has to be turned almost all the way down to get about -20dB attenuation (normal volume controls would give this at the mid-position).
Secondly: I wish Thomann would also do these as passive boxes - then could feed from central multi-channel amplifier without requiring separate audio and mains cables to each speaker.