Mackie's are indeed active monitors which will not use the power of the one Rag. However, to me it seems like an excelent recommendation, coming from someone with ample experiense. Dunno what makes it's internal amplification low grade, or in what ways Neumann > Mackie.

It's not the kind of junk you'll find on the back of a consumer grade active monitor, but these amps are just not a match for an amp like the Ragnarok. Given the space and budget constraints Mackie has to work within in order for these things to retail at $700/ea, it means they are putting together an amp, cabinet, and drivers for what, $200? That's probably being generous.

IME the Mackies have some grain in the upper/mid treble region that makes them less than fantastic, though they aren't as grating as some of the Yamahas. The Neumanns are no match for the elite class of monitors that you can't order online (and that all cost several thousand dollars), but at their price level they are among the very best that I've heard.

KH120. It's a 5" not an 8" so it obviously doesn't have the extension that the 824 does. Sounds much better though to my ears, and that's what I would tell anyone to buy who's looking for a pair of $1500 actives.

The KH 310 midfield is right up there with its old K+H forebear, and it DOES play with the big boys. It's also $5K/pr.

interested in, if any, more opinions on ls50.

The NHT Class Three is still a great choice in for about $900...if you're looking to stay below $1000. 

They say that smaller Genelecs sound as good as the bigger ones, bass is rolled of earlier.

Genelec say so. They say that the entire range has the same sound signature, making it possible, for instance, to replace one of a pair, and still have a matched pair. The difference between models is in how low they go and how loud they go.

I suspect that they are not the only studio monitor manufacturer to make this claim. It may be a necessary, especially as studio monitors tend to be sold in singles, not pairs.