Showing posts with label cheap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheap. Show all posts

2/21/2012

Behringer Ultrapatch Pro PX3000 Patchbay Review

Behringer Ultrapatch Pro PX3000 Patchbay
Average Reviews:

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I have purchased several of these over the past few years, both new and used and placed them in a series of racks. Last night I was doing an event and discovered that a couple of my patches came loose in the rear of the patchbay. This particular rack is complicated and has quite a few devices in it both front and back. I took a screwdriver to part of the rack trying to remove some devices to get to the cables and ensure everything was connected correctly. (I could see one cable had come out of the patchbay and was hanging loose.) Alas, it was just too hard without putting it on a bench and getting through the devices to ensure I reconnected the correct cables. Instead of trying to fix it just prior to the event I brought in some backup equipment and ran it through the rack.
The problem with this patchbay is the 1/4 connectors just don't connect tightly and if you have a rack which is transported a good bit (as I do)...even if you are careful the cables can vibrate out. (Yesterday I was installing a Monster Cable 1/4 to RCA for one device and couldn't get the 1/4 to continually seat. Every time I checked it the 1/4 had backed out. Generally I've had better luck, but this is something you have to watch for. The only solution is to double check each connector prior to a gig.
My cables typically are commercially made and are usually Mogami, Canaire, Whirlwind, Monster and have Monster or Neutrik connectors, and the cables built by hand. The cables are very secure in the devices themselves, but there's not a great deal of confidence in the 1/4 cables staying connected (or fully pushed in) with the rear of this patchbay. I have given away a couple of these and I think I have four of them left. I'm going to try and replace them in the months ahead as there's really no excuse producing something this critical with such poor performance.
I regret to say these patchbays are the weak point of my systems and I'm frustrated that a company supposedly producing commercial-grade equipment would produce something that one can only be confident of the performance if the rack is stationary or you double-check the patches prior to a gig. (In five years of regularly doing commercial audio I've never had a connector come out of a piece of equipment...I check each time...but this patchbay is very unreliable. Another thing is the switches for the configuration of the patch are above each connector, and they can be switched by accident when installing another rack device above it. I read where it says designed in Germany, but made in China...it's either poorly designed or poorly made. Nothing I've purchased from Behringer has been a keeper and learned the obvious to purchase the best you can initially rather than have to purchase the device twice...once with the cheaper model and later with the better device.
On the positive side, the patchbay works fine if you can ensure all the cables are tightly connected as they should be and the switches are thrown where they should be.

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The Behringer PX3000 Ultrapatch Pro is a 3-mode, multi-functional 48-point balanced patchbay with fully balanced, high-quality 1/4' TRS connectors. It certainlywill be a welcome addition to every studio. Its three modes function as follows: NORMAL interconnects the two rear jacks of one channel; Inserting a plug into one of the front jacks interrupts the connection of the rear jacks. THRU interconnects each rear jack with its corresponding front jack. HALF NORMAL interconnects the two rear jacks of one channel; Inserting a plug into the lower front jack interrupts the connection of the rear jacks. Do you dread dismantling your stage after a gig because of all that cable mess? Have you ever tripped over an unsightly cable cluttering up the already tight space? Behringer's Ultrapatch Pro PX3000 is just what you need. The PX3000 returns your attention where it should, to making music, by providing a solution to cable mess and clutter. Behringer PX200 Ultrapatch Pro Features Professional and fully balanced patchbay eliminates cable clutter in your studio, adding order and clarity Fully balanced high-quality 1/4' TRS connectors Three modes, easily selectable per channel via top-side switches NORMAL interconnects the two rear jacks of one channel; Inserting a plug into one of the front jacks interrupts the connection of the rear jacks THRU interconnects each rear jack with its corresponding front jack HALF NORMAL interconnects the two rear jacks of one channel; Inserting a plug into the lower front jack interrupts the connection of the rear jacks Super-rugged metal construction for long life and durability Conceived and designed by BEHRINGER Germany AmericanMusical.com is an authorized dealer of Behringer products.

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10/12/2011

38" Inch White Acoustic Student Guitar Beginner with Bag and Accessories and Harmonica Review

38 Inch White Acoustic Student Guitar Beginner with Bag and Accessories and Harmonica
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this product is not worth the money and I would like a refund, The guiter that was shipped to my house was broken, the front of the frame was completly detached and the inside of the guiter was broken, I am dis-satisfid

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9/20/2011

38" Wood Grain Acoustic Guitar Review

38 Wood Grain Acoustic Guitar
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The guitar is about to break the neck. Its way too small for my teenage son. I'm not a guitar person, so I don't know how to explain this but it won't keep a tune becaue the the neck doesn't have the metal bar to tighten. And when I asked about returns it would be ridiculous to pay to ship it back and then not receive my full money back. I don't trust the company enough to order another item but I would still have shipping and handling that I was out.
We have kept the guitar due to the financial burden. Thus far the crack in the neck hasn't broke.

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Features: - Length 38"- String Guitar- Wood Frame- Color Natural wood

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8/09/2011

ART Tube MP Studio Mic Preamp Review

ART Tube MP Studio Mic Preamp
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+ REVIEW +
This is really an excellent little preamp for the money. It's quiet as a mouse, built like a sherman tank, and has some nice little features like an output limiter, phase reverse, a -20db pad, and of course, 48V phantom power for your condenser mic. Great for boosting a quiet source like an electric guitar or a condenser mic, but don't expect it to give you crazy tube warmth like you'd find on higher end units. It's more like a DI box with just the slightest bit of tube character. I've used this thing for vocals and guitar mostly, and in both cases it provides super silent amplification of my signal. My only complaint is that it doesn't push the signal quite as hard as I'd like to get a good level going into my DAW (Garageband or Logic 8).
+ COMPARE TO: Presonus TubePre +
PreSonus Tubepre Single-Channel Vacuum Tube Mic Pre
The only thing keeping me from recommending it over something like the PreSonus TubePre (despite the fact that I gave the TubePre 3 stars instead of the 4 I've given to the ART) is that it's hard to get a high enough level out of the ART -- I've maxed out the volume controls for both input and output with my AT4040 ($300) mic. In contrast, the Presonus TubePre provides a little more gain and allows you to control the amount of signal being sent to the tube via a separate "drive" knob. This is nice because you can boost the signal using the solid state portion, and then add the tube in as desired to color the sound a bit.
+ HOW TO: Replace the tube +
This can be a bit intimidating to some people but it's super easy and you'd have to be pretty clumsy to do any damage. Tubes are meant to be swapped -- they're engineered in such a way that they're very easy to replace. If you don't like the way the MP sounds out of the box, replace the cheap piece of junk tube it comes with. Try a Sovtek 12ax7 or any of the JJ tubes, either of which will cost about $12 at your local music store or Guitar Center. To install it, just remove all of the screws and unscrew the hex nuts around the line level input jacks. Gently rock the top part of the unit it opens like a book. Be careful because there is some wiring near the "spine" of the "book" and you don't want to rip it apart. Rock the tube back and forth until it comes out. Don't be afraid to apply counter pressure and tug on the tube fairly hard to get it moving -- you won't hurt it. Pop the new tube in, put the screws back in, and you're ready to rock. If you're freaked out by the process, as someone at a local guitar shop to give you a hand but don't let them charge you more than $5 because replacing a tube is really not a difficult task.

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The original Tube MP made pro-caliber tube preamping available to ordinary musicians and home studios. The MP Studio goes a step further by adding a VU meter for better level control and ART's OPL (Output Protection Limiter), which controls and maintains the output peak signal to protect hard-disk recording systems and soundcards. The VU meter reflects the impact of the OPL circuitry when it is activated, which allows more effective fine tuning of the audio signal. It is a valuable tool for recording in project and home studios and can also function as a DI box with impedance matching and preamplification for line-level sources. Includes a 3-year warranty.

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7/29/2011

Samson Servo 200 Stereo Power Amplifier, 200 Watts Review

Samson Servo 200 Stereo Power Amplifier, 200 Watts
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This amp has a cooling fan, unlike the Alesis amp I was replacing. Fans make noise, and noise is bad.

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The Samson Servo 200 Stero Power Amplifier is perfect for installation sound and ideal for powering small to medium sized speaker chains, as well as playback and studio monitors.The Servo 200 amplifier features large 10-segment 3-color level LED meters and independent channel volume controls. The rear panel includes 1/4-inch balanced and RCA input connectors, as well as 5-way binding post and 1/4-inch speaker outputs.The Servo amp line also feature a 4-stage power protection circuitry that ensures optimal performance and protection of connected components.

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