X32 news.

[pdc]

Ok, here is the latest on the Behringer X32.

The pres have been re-designed, by Midas designers, to have been CCMR, less noise, etc. It is not an off the shelf Midas pre that we would recognize. The pre is not being marketed as such.

The consoles will ship with the optional recording interface card as standard.

The consoles will ship with a cover.

There is a new MAP, $2899.

[Brad Weber]

CMN Player - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp6gqPJ6pms&feature...

There is supposed to be an announcement in the next 2-3 weeks regarding actual availability.

Behringer is claiming that the long delay to production since the initial introduction of the X32 is due to their internally figuring out how to integrate Midas's and Behringer's resources effectively for such products. For example, the X32 supposedly has Midas designed preamp, however they are designed specifically for the X32 and they are apparently going to be careful in saying they are Midas designed preamps rather than being Midas preamps, although in the video linked they seem to claim them to be Midas preamps.

And that may be indicative of the aspects Behringer still seems to need to address. They are saying there have been major internal changes and they are trying to develop a true 'pro' group but so far they seem to be focusing on the products and not yet addressing the marketing, distribution, support, etc. to effectively serve that market. And of course being new in the market, durability and reliability of the 'pro' products are yet unproven.

[cmchamp]

"We have been informed by the Music-Group that they have been compelled by customers and market observation at Musik Messe 2012, to take the following actions imediately.

The XUF 32-Channel USB/FireWire recording card will now be included in the base configuration and no longer offered as an option. This makes the X32 compatible with ProTools, Logic, Cubase, Studio One and nearly any other ASIO or Core-Audio compatible DAW, right out of the box!
A more sophisticated mic preamp designed by MIDAS, offering enhanced dynamic range and CMRR will be used. This new design brings the X32 into the realm of the finest studio consoles with ultra-low noise and sparkling response.
Each console will ship with a deluxe dust cover as standard equipment in recognition of the many units that will be used in studios and other fixed installations."

Above is the last information I received from Behringer regarding the X32 changes.

May 15 is the ship date last made available to me for the X32

The S16 pricing was made available as well, 699.99 MAP

C.

[Frank DeWitt]

It is possible that the long delay is partially because Midas and Behringer spent a lot of time making sure they get it right. I hope so.

Here is what I know. I visited a new church last week that build a SAC mixer using 3 Behringer ADA 8000 and two BCF2000

One BCF 2000 was DOA The second one failed before Sunday. They mixed Easter Sunday with a mouse

One ADA 8000 had a noisy channel during testing on the install date. It was OK after a power cycle. A second ADA 8000 was noisy on one channel at practice and was turned off for Sunday.

Frank

[cmchamp]

I have a feeling there will be quite a bit of "old stock" rolling through retailers at discounts before the "better" gear arrives.

C.

[cw4u]

I ended up emailing one of the people at Music Group and got a response back from that individual and Uli Behringer himself. Both told me that Music Group has spent an large sum of money (around 20 million I believe) to maintain higher quality control.

I'm personally pretty impressed that they now offer a 3 year warranty. I think that speaks volumes. I believe it also validates that the products are a bit more reliable than previous ones.

That being said, I've bought a good bit of Behringer gear and the stuff I've bought is pretty solid. We're using 6 ADA8000s, 1 BCF2000, and 1 headphone amp and they all work incredibly well. My 8 year old ADA8000 is giving me some issues but the rest aren't.

I hope they are changing because I'd love to buy more of their gear...but until it's industry accepted, I have to opt for other manufacturers.

[Josh Scott]

Anyone know if it has motorized faders for recall?

[pdc]

It does.

Ok, we sell their stuff. Behringer is trying to be a better company, with better gear, but.....we have over a decades worth of experience selling, returning it, servicing it, compacting it, throwing it in the dumpster, not getting technical information, not getting parts, etc. They still do not have the infrastructure to support it. They can make it, and make it cheap. They can have a sister company bail them out of trouble on the design and application side. That's all well and good. They should consider some other companies like A&H and Presonus, and soon QSC, to see how companies should support digital consoles. I will give Behringer a chance to get it all sorted out. But, we are not going for the X32 until it has been out, the bugs are addressed and we see some kind of successful support structure.

[cmchamp]

I've had many email correspondences with Uli Behringer myself, specifically regarding some of the conversations here. The Music Group as a whole is trying to be a better company. Honestly, in this economy (US Specific) who wouldn't be?
If I'm able to afford an X32 with S16 and some P16-M's to run through it's paces, I would.
Back when I was a Mackie TT24 dealer, I sold a total of 4 TT24's I believe, one to a CMN member, the other three are local and still work. While I sold 4, 9-12 actually went across my desk, several went back to Mackie because they didn't work correctly.

My hope is that The Music Groups quality control practices has gotten much better so that those looking for and needing what we keep referring to "budget" gear aren't purchasing "disposable" gear.

[Brad Weber]

I get the impression that the Product Manger of the new Live Sound division within Music Group is hearing from quite a few people regarding that making it in the 'pro' world is going to require more than just some new products. I am trying to be optimistic as they certainly have the resources to be able to be successful but their marketing products before they seem to have the other pieces in place is not reassuring. Hopefully the big announcements they mentioned elsewhere will include related support and distribution aspects.

[pdc]

Originally Posted by cmchamp

I've had many email correspondences with Uli Behringer myself, specifically regarding some of the conversations here. The Music Group as a whole is trying to be a better company. Honestly, in this economy (US Specific) who wouldn't be?
If I'm able to afford an X32 with S16 and some P16-M's to run through it's paces, I would.
Back when I was a Mackie TT24 dealer, I sold a total of 4 TT24's I believe, one to a CMN member, the other three are local and still work. While I sold 4, 9-12 actually went across my desk, several went back to Mackie because they didn't work correctly.

My hope is that The Music Groups quality control practices has gotten much better so that those looking for and needing what we keep referring to "budget" gear aren't purchasing "disposable" gear.

Ha. We sold 7 TT24s. All of them have had issues. Every single one has had the power supplies replaced at least once. Luckily, we have a tech that has been able to rebuild these consoles, almost completely in a couple of cases, and is networked with other customers with parts and consoles being parted out, since Mackie no longer supports the turds.

Uli is going to learn what Hartley Peavey has learned. You can buy the best and try to associate your MI company with it, but once 99.9% of every pro tech rider says "No Peavey", you are hosed. It will be impossible for Behringer to dig out of the hole they have created for themselves. You can always be a Mercedes, Porsche, etc and make a cheaper product and it will sell because of the name and service, but you can't be a Hyundai or Suzuki and build a performance car comparable to a Porsche and expect it to be respected and successful. Behringer should be the entry level POC gear line, and the X32 should have been a true entry level Midas at a slightly higher price point to offset the service and support.

[cmchamp]

pdc
Did you ever need to put a ground bus bar in one?
The only local TT24 we're having issues with is at my church with a grounding issue. Last I read on the user forums was the ground bus bar solution.
Any ideas? The channels that are "bzzzz-ing" are those with our SM102 choir mics. If we turn off phantom and turn it back on, the noise disappears for the part of the service we use the mics, but appears after service is over.
C.