nevster1975 Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 I head up the sound for a small local church meeting. We have to set up/down totally every week. Despite my recommendation they went ahead and bought a Beringher :-( desk sl2442fx pro last year. *Looks* great, but we have terrible noise (hiss) issues with it and it's already starting to go wrong despite being 6 months old. yes, everything I'd read about Behringer desks has come true. Previous I had recommended either a Mackie CFX16 or a Soundcraft Spirit FX16. The Mackie could be got for a bit cheaper. I've looked again today and found the FX16 is discontinued (although still stocked by DV247). The makie is still around also but there's also the 1604 vlz pro which looks nicer, althought with mixed reviews. My only other experience of a desk was a 12 channel basic soundcraft that was chucked around in a van over 7 years loaded and unloaded and still works perfectly! hence I'm inclinded to get a spirit again (fx16). the fx16ii however is around 720 at thomann.... so any negative chat on spirit fx16 (I can't find any) and still ok to get a disconntinued model (at 450 ish..)any experience out there on *recent* mackie stuff (some posts suggesting recent quality has gone through the floor)any other desk recommendations? allen&heath seem to come up but I've got no experience with them.... don't want us to make another "short sighted" mistake. Also looking to upgrade the multicore to a drum wound -- can only find one @ thomman (16/4) @ 400 ukps neutrik connections -- any experiences / other recommendations? Finally would like to upgrade the speakers -- we've got some fairly basic jbl's at the moment. Any recommendations (running from a europower power amp). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basilbrush1982 Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Hi Nevster what's your budget? We could recommend anything but if you can't afford it then the recommendation is pointless.Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevster1975 Posted August 4, 2007 Author Share Posted August 4, 2007 Hi Nevster what's your budget? We could recommend anything but if you can't afford it then the recommendation is pointless.DanSorry -- yes good point -- ideally around 500 ukps for the desk -- I'd like to say around 400 ukps for the core -- speakers, not sure what's reasonable (and if I'd get any more!) ;-) say 300? Could be totally unrealistic...... also what about the yamaha mg24/14fx -- seems to be too good to be true, good reviews and cheaper than the fx16ii / a&h wz316:2 -- anyone know anything about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieR Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 The Yamaha MG series desks are incredibly good value for money and worth a look. Good built quality and nice and quiet. Personally, I don't like the EQ but maybe that's just me... Alternatively, Soundcraft have added some new EFX series to their range but only up to 12 channels. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Riley Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Quality wise (IMVHO) - Top = A&h mixwiz - really usable eq, rugged build quality and great preampsMiddle - FX16 - a good desk - just the mixwiz is better!Bottom - yammy MG series - which isn't bad! It's just I'd always be tempted to shell out for the A&h. I don't like mackie desks- I can't quite put my finger on why but it's to do with the feel and the EQ section mainly. But all are ok desks! WRT speakers, the yamaha S112 series are good and around your price point. If you can get the C112VA version, as these are painted instead of furry, have a full grille, and have flying points if you decide to install them later. If you want to get something a bit better then perhaps look at the Turbo TXD series (which you can get in black instead of blue if you ask nicely) Laters, M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Alcock Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 Nev, The FX 16 is an excellent desk (I have one) and would be preferred by some to the Mix Wiz. Soundcraft are bringing out a new version of the FX16 in the new colours, but it seems to offer similar facilities to the old one. Comparing FX16 to the Mix Wiz: FX16 has five stereo returns with huge flexibility, Mix Wiz is less well endowed in this area.Mix Wiz has four band eq (2 swept mids), whereas the FX16 is only 3 bandMix Wiz probably has the edge on build quality (nutted pots etc), though the FX16 is still very solidFX16 has a subgroup which can be useful.Mix Wiz is quite a bit more money. Both are miles better than a Mackie CFX (shudder). I use one at our church most weeks and you can't even solo the aux sends to hear what's going to the wedges!. The only down-side to both of these desks above is that they are designed to be able to fit into a rack, so are 19" wide. This means the channels are quite queezed together. Other things worth a look are the Allen and Heath PA range. Really solid and excellent ergonomics - designed specifically for live use. Exceptionally well laid out and a no-frills approach. Just all you basically need for simple PA. Not squeezed into rack-mount size either. If yours is a church setup where the operator isn't necessarily an experienced sound guy, (ie. not always you), then that would be my favourite if the budget allows. My 2p worth. Pete. Forgot to add - keep an eye on eBay. there are some real bargains on good small-to-medium sized desks fairly frequently. Recently a Soundcraft LX7 went for £360. LX7 on eBay Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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