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My trio (acoustic guitar, female vocal, electric bass) needs to stop carrying around heavy gear - we are getting too old LOL!!
We play loungy stuff and rock that we've made mellow - think crash test dummies. Our current PA is 175 watts , very clear, and is just fine for the places we play. Just looking to downsize .

I'm looking for advice on an inexpensive alternative - under 400.

we can get 1 Mackie thump (200w amp - for the 15 " / 75 watts for the 1.5 horn)
or a pair of harbinger - one 200 w amp for a 15" / 1. 5" horn
or a pair of behringer - one 200 w amp for 12" / 1.5" horn

My pref is for the single Mackie, but to be fair , I want to see if anyone who cares about sounding decent
and has used either of the other brands, of which I am not familiar.

Thanks in advance!

Haven't used the other two, but my opinion, Mackie tends to be more honest about their specs. (and they make the best "box" mixer/amp on the planet) I'm not really a fan of powered speakers for live use, (reason being, if an amp goes down, you're speaker's out of commission, too) prefer the non-powered JBL Eon 15s over most lightweight speakers, but I have and use Peavey PR15s, which ain't at all bad, jes' need a little more EQ than the way more expensive Eons, and the form factor's not as handy for monitor use.

I agree with Mojobone. I use a Mackie 808M powered head/mixer with a pair of lightweight Peavy PR 15s and a homebuilt floor monitor with a 15"JBL and horn. We pride ourselves on a 15 minute setup. I hate powered speakers. They are heavy, and it takes more power cords to run them.

The Mackie 808 has 1200 watts, which is more than enough to make the Peavys sit up and sing. I have spent years searching for the most sound per pound and the least number of trips to the truck. There was many a times that I felt I was getting paid just to move equipment. We are a duo, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, two vocals, sax and harmonica. The last bartender said that we were loud for a duo, but not bad!

I took that to mean that she could hear drink orders and nobody's ears hurt.

Hmm, I didn't think of the smaller but highly efficient peavy cabinets.. My Crate 3 ways are so darn heavy (although they sound soooo good) that I was pretty focused on the mackie thumps, or maybe just build a nice small set of lightweight cabinets.

Any other input from someone with powered speakers is welcome. I'd like to explore all the options before deciding.

Yeah, the latest-generation powered speakers with H-class power amps are a lot lighter, but many of the first generation ones have a latching problem; particularly bad news, if your drummer does blast beats, where the second kick hit isn't as loud as the first, cuz the amp's digital-switching power supply doesn't have time to recover from the first kick hit.

By the way, Hook, those Peaveys come with some cheap and cheesy compression drivers behind the horns; you can refit 'em to sound sweeter and handle more power for 'bout forty bucks in forty minutes.

No problem as far as the older powered speakers - we would be using new speakers. And we don't have a drummer

I'm a big fan of powered speakers. The amps are perfectly matched to the drivers and often they have built in limiting. I currently own 8 of them, plus a powered sub for my sound company and have never had an amp go bad. But assuming the OP were to buy a pair, If there were a problem, at least she'd have one to work with. If you have a powered mixer that goes down, you might be really stuck.
JP

I can borrow a power amp, in a pinch, but can't always borrow a speaker that matches the working one. If I were buying powered speakers, I'd want at least three, not including monitors. And if a power amp in a box mixer goes down, the mixer will usually still work. Moot point, if you carry something like a Crate Powerbloc for a spare. Non-powered speakers, usually the worst that happens is a blown tweeter; generally not a gig-killer. I don't mean to negate jimmymio's experience, but sooner or later, something will go down, if you do this long enough, and I gig in places that are a long way from an open music store.

I carry spares for every cable type in my rig, extra compression drivers, gaffer tape, power screwdriver, soldering kit, cable checker, outlet tester and a multimeter, along with the truss rod wrench, allen wrenches strings, picks, slides, capo, Minidisc players/recorders, flashlights, extra batteries, kazoo and tuner. (I play a lot better when I have peace of mind about the unforeseen, heh) There is also a Magnacart for hauling the amp rig. Surprisingly, I used to fit all that, plus the amp and guitars, mics and stands, plus the PA into an 87 Chevy Cavalier, with room left in the passenger seat for the bass player.

There's also a jack, a spare, a first aid kit, emergency lights, road flares, shovel, tarp, tire iron, socket set, rain gear and I'm thinking about adding emergency camping/cooking gear and some food/water for longer tours. There may also be a flask of snakebite remedy/antiseptic, and some Sharpies for signing autographs in the box with the merch.

My next rig is gonna have separate racks for mixer/signal processors/monitor amp and mains/sub power amps so I can scale the power rack and speakers to the gig; subs are a big help outdoors and in large rooms. I'll probably get a small trailer for the sub rig, so I can still haul three musicians in the mid-size crossover SUV I'm using now.

Hook's right about the 15 min setup; getting in and out smoothly and quickly makes for way less stress on the gig, particularly when you're a performer as well as a soundperson. I like arriving early and having time to make sure the sound is excellent, because consistently good sound is what separates the pros from the amateurs. Well, that and great vocal harmonies.

I hate it when the kazoo breaks!

We just put a pull out tray in the back of our gig pickup (four door). It means that the equipment goes in and out in the same order with ease.

Anne,
I would give a try to Behringer before spending more on Mackie.

I've just picked up Behringer B205D and I'm happy with it: very well made - metal & heavy-duty molded plastic, solid sound (for the size) and very loud.

I also own good ol' Mackie 1202 as well as Edirol M-16DX, but that was just an overkill for small gigs...

Because of your bass guitar, you may want to take a look at B212D.