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Mackie 1640 Onyx vs Allen & Heath MixWizard WZ3 14:4:2


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Does anyone have any experience with these two mixers. I am looking to make a purchase between these two mixers. I am really looking for durability and a nice clean sound. As they are both around $1400, the price difference is negligible, but the mackie seems to have a few more features. On the other hand, I have only heard good things about A&H. I was also looking at the Allen & Heath GL2400-16, but it is a bit more expensive at $1700. Does anyone think it is worth the extra money.

 

Thank you all so much,

Jeremy

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Hmmm...perhaps if anyone could comment on the mixwizard3 16:2 as well. What is the major difference between the two. Why is the 14:4:2 almost $400 more than the 16:2. I am not interested in any recording options. This is purely for live work.

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Besides the obvious difference in number of channels, mainly the 16:2 is used for FOH. The 14:4:2 is a dual purpose board and can be easily used for either monitors or FOH but it lacks the built in effects of the 16:2. The 14:4:2 also has faders for the AUX which is nice in a way.

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In that case, how would you compare the mixwizard 16:2 vs the mackie 1640 onyx. I am interested in quality sound, durability, warranty, etc. I want something that is going to last and sound good for my church. (I am obviously inexperienced in this area). Our setup is 4 vocals, 2 guitars, bass, keyboard. 2 main tops, 1 sub, and 2 monitors.

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Well the 1640 has 4 subs, while the Mixwizard 16:2 doesn't have submixes - it is stereo out, but to be honest - and I own a Mackie 16x4 - If I had to do it over again, I would have bought the A&H because I just feel it is a better product. I HATE the EQ on the Mackie. It's just enough to muck things up. I bought the mackie because it was convenient... I had a board ordered, and it was going to be months, so I ended up cancelling the order when they finally called to let me know. (Musican's Friend... ugh, that was an awful time for me.) I had already waited 2 months, so I cancelled the order went to my local store and paid cash for the mackie because I needed a small 16 channel board in 2 days.

 

So, it was a matter of desperation - looking back - I should have just rented a board and ordered a Mixwiz.

 

But I don't know, maybe you need the 4 submixes - they are nice to have live so that you can group like things together (i.e., an entire drumkit bussed to one or two faders so you can control the entire drumkit volume there, or a group of singers. And it's good for recording if you are doing recordings on a smaller recording unit (I sub out each mic to it's own track, but for years I used a 12x4 mixer with a 4 track and later an 8-track for making demo's.)

 

What is your actual budget for a mixer?

The reason I ask is because you mentioned the 2400 and that is a bit more than the others.

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My budget is flexible. As I said, I am looking at the MixWizard 14:4:2 and 16:2 which are around 1400 and 1000, respectively, as well as the Mackie 1640 Onyx which is 1400. The GL2400 is around $1700 I think, which I would be willing to spend, but I would like to know the $700 justification over the 16:2 and the $300 justification over the 14:4:2. It seems like A&H is the way to go. Thank you for all you information and help. The sub mixes do seem very nifty.

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Well the 1640 has 4 subs, while the Mixwizard 16:2 doesn't have submixes - it is stereo out, but to be honest - and I own a Mackie 16x4 - If I had to do it over again, I would have bought the A&H because I just feel it is a better product. I HATE the EQ on the Mackie. It's just enough to muck things up. I bought the mackie because it was convenient... I had a board ordered, and it was going to be months, so I ended up cancelling the order when they finally called to let me know. (Musican's Friend... ugh, that was an awful time for me.) I had already waited 2 months, so I cancelled the order went to my local store and paid cash for the mackie because I needed a small 16 channel board in 2 days.


So, it was a matter of desperation - looking back - I should have just rented a board and ordered a Mixwiz.


But I don't know, maybe you need the 4 submixes - they are nice to have live so that you can group like things together (i.e., an entire drumkit bussed to one or two faders so you can control the entire drumkit volume there, or a group of singers. And it's good for recording if you are doing recordings on a smaller recording unit (I sub out each mic to it's own track, but for years I used a 12x4 mixer with a 4 track and later an 8-track for making demo's.)


What is your actual budget for a mixer?

The reason I ask is because you mentioned the 2400 and that is a bit more than the others.

What model mackie do you own? The onyx EQ sounds better than the other mackie boards I have used. I have owned in the past a 1604vlz,1402vlz,SR24-4,and a cfx16.

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Thanks for the information guys. Right now I am trying to decide between the 14:4:2 and the 16:2. I have heard mediocre reviews about the effects on the 16:2 and I doubt I would be using these much. Do you think the 14:4:2 would be the more flexible option?

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Sub mixes tend to be just another spot for folks to mess things up, I don't feel the need to sub mix less than 32 channels, and even then I tend to run everything to L-R and just MIX the band.. I use the Mixwiz 16:2 and love it, gives me the routing I need for 4 monitor mixes plus FX, and sounds great, works every time!

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I have and really like the Onyx 1640. I tried a number of boards at the time, and the Onyx was the hands-down winner. The EQ sounds very nice to me (unlike some of the older Mackie boards like the VLZ Pro) and the firewire interface was the deal-clincher - I've used it a lot. It is, however, very deep.

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I am also considering the AH MixWiz3 and the Mackie Onyx 1640. I have heard that the AH MixWiz3 sounds great right out of the box. Does the Mackie with the new Onyx preamps sound better than the AH MixWiz3? Anyone?

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MixWiz: I'd rather have extra channels than subgroups. Subgroups are nice, but if you need to add something to the ensemble, a mic channel will do you a lot more good.

 

 

Yeah, that was my thinking too.

 

 

Also, I would take a look at the following:

 

Crest XR20 (Which is a 20x4 rackmounted mixer - I think the 4 stereo channels are all mic channels as well as line inputs.)

Soundcraft GB2R-16

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I am also considering the AH MixWiz3 and the Mackie Onyx 1640. I have heard that the AH MixWiz3 sounds great right out of the box. Does the Mackie with the new Onyx preamps sound better than the AH MixWiz3? Anyone?

 

 

The difference in the preamps is virtually ZERO. This is true across the entire catagory of products, it's the MARKETING difference that you are seeing.

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