Unpowered Mixer Opinions

[jcpahman77]

I run the sound for my church here in El Paso and we're considering purchasing a different sound board. We currently have a Mackie 1640 Onyx with firewire (which we don't use). We've started to outgrow it simply in terms of number of input channels. We didn't buy the Mackie, it was left by the previous church group, and I'm not sure I would have. I love their boards, for recording, but haven't ever been a big fan of them for live or FOH use. I'm strongly considering this unit:
Behringer Eurodesk SX3282
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/multiple_images/item_images/IMG_88751.jpg (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/616354-REG/Behringer_SX3282_Eurodesk_SX3282_32.html)

It has all the features we need and seems to be a very good quality board, but a second or third opinion never hurts anything. So, anyone have experience with this board or input to give?

[Paul O]

Don't do it, Behringer is "inexpensive" because they don't use the high quality mechanical parts(pots, faders, switches) and their boards have a reputation of droppng channels after as little as a year of use.

[Phil_RC_1]

Like you, I run sound at my Church. We have a Behringer that we replaced with an Allen & Heath. I appreciate and prefer the overall flow of the Berhingers controls but it is noisy and as Paul mention, I have lost a channel and one of the Main sliders is glitchy (cuts in and out). The A&H sounds obviously better and they are priced reasonably.

Typically, I recommend Behringer for home use as a great price/performance ratio. But in this application, you don't need or want to be futsing with noisy, crackling audio gear. Not to mention the potential for distractions at inopportune times.

[Johnnycat]

I would highly recommend the Allen and Heath (http://www.parts-express.com/wizards/searchResults.cfm?srchExt=Mfg&srchMfg=457&Manufacturer=Allen%20&%20Heath) line for boards, esp the mix wizard line, ML, and GL line. They have some of the best mic pre's around for the price.

Also stop over at churchmedia.net (http://www.churchmedia.net/forums/) it is a great forum for church AV.

[jcpahman77]

Thanks for all the opinions. I talked it over with my partner in crime and we agree, if the board isn't going to be reliable there isn't any point in buying it. We've both heard the reputation and quality of Allen & Heath and begun to look at their boards today.

Looking at this one now:
http://www.allen-heath.com/zed/zed-428.asp

[dheafey]

I will throw my hat in the ring for Allen & Heath. As a previous poster mentioned, the preamps sound excellent. Dual swept mids, 100mm sliders, and direct outs for every channel are some of the things that sold us. We use a MixWizard WZ3 16:2 (http://www.allen-heath.com/US/DisplayProduct.asp?pview=49) for live sound mixed on stage.

[Johnnycat]

The ZED line is a great line, but they use different mic pre's than the MixWizard line, they are not as "good" as the MixWizard line. But for your application the ZED might work.

[Randy L]

What about other mixer brands like Peavey, Mackie, Yamaha, and Carvin?

[jcpahman77]

I don't like Peavey, they're great for bands but leave a bad taste in my mouth, I prefer Mackie for studio boards, not live, Yamaha is out of our price range (unless I missed something), and I'm not sure I know Carver.

I did swing over to churchmedia.net. Most there are recommending the GL series of AH boards, but they're just a little more than I'd like to spend and as long as there isn't anything WRONG with the ZED board I'd like to try out the ZED428, it looks like a solid board based on AH's site.

[dheafey]

I did swing over to churchmedia.net. Most there are recommending the GL series of AH boards, but they're just a little more than I'd like to spend and as long as there isn't anything WRONG with the ZED board I'd like to try out the ZED428, it looks like a solid board based on AH's site.
Looks like a solid choice. I think it'll give you better performance and reliability than the Behringer without breaking the bank AND it's digital. Tons of great features, too.

[Johnnycat]

FYI, the ZED-428 is an analog board, not a digital one. It has USB in/out.

You can also look at the Prsounus Boards, they are a true digital board for a very good price, but might be a little out of your price point.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=246-2520

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=246-2522

The ZED board you are looking at should be a great board for you.

[dheafey]

FYI, the ZED-428 is an analog board, not a digital one. It has USB in/out.

You can also look at the Prsounus Boards, they are a true digital board for a very good price, but might be a little out of your price point.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=246-2520

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=246-2522

The ZED board you are looking at should be a great board for you.
Oops, thanks for correcting my mis-information regarding digital vs. analog board. I should proofread before hitting post.