Mackie Big Knob Passive

I purchased this because I wanted to purchase a pair of secondary reference monitors and needed a fast and easy way to switch between the pair. This seemed like a fantastic way to do it but I do have one complaint with it. Running pink noise trough my new speakers, I noticed that ever since wiring the speakers trough the Big Knob, the left speaker seemed to be noticeably quieter than the right speaker. I checked this without the Big Knob, and the issue went away instantly. It could be a bad cable, but I do think it had more to do with the unit itself. I might return it, but the convenience of changing is holding me back. Purchase with caution!

I have this for about 6 months. The big idea to buy this was to have easy way to switch between different configuration. I have windows PC which I use for music and mixing, and also for gaming and watching movies. So when I am working on music, I am using my Audio Interface Focusrite Clarett 8pre USB, but when I am gaming or watching movies - I see no reason to keep my sound card ON. Also one of my big problems was Volume Control.

And here comes the Mackie big knob. This thing solved all my issues at ones. First this device is all metal , great build. It has big and easy to roll knob for Volume, and great buttons for Mute, DIM , MONO, switch A/B speakers and very important for me - switch A/B input. A input is from my Audio Interface, and B input is directly from my PC with 3.5mm connector. Another big plus was that this thing is little and easy to put in front of my monitor. This way audio interface can be placed a little away from me.

After 6 months , I still think this was a great addition to my studio.

I bought this to replace the Palmer Monicon L that I have been using for about 5 years. I liked the smaller footprint so I could use it directly in front of me instead of reaching for it. I did several A/B tests to make sure there was no quality loss. The Mackie held up great but I wouldn't expect any coloration since both units are passive. The stereo image holds up well even at low volume. The Mackie is slightly quieter but since the Palmer uses XLRs the entire cabling is different and I would more likely see that as the reason. Unit seems robust and the knob and buttons feel good. Definitely recommend for the money!