The Mackies are probably the best bang for the buck but you could also consider HK Audio.
It really was a toss up between these two but the Mackie won out because I got the bass cabs cheap.
Since April 14th we've done around 50 gigs and we haven't had to use more than 2 bass cabs up to yet.
We played a couple of big halls and the bass cabs were still on number 4 on the amp and putting out loads of bass.
The only downside to Active bins is that they are heavier because of the amp and of course the amp is built in.
This means if the amp goes you're buggered and you need to borrow both amp & speakers.
Yep i understand, erm well im sure it would take strain off our Poweramp/desk, we have an all-in-one which does the job, its a nice bit of kit and we also have an external 1000watt amp for use... ill definately look at these mackies mate!