Members skier4467 Posted July 23, 2003 Members Share Posted July 23, 2003 Which one should I get? Is it worth the $50 extra for the extra 100watts? I'll be using this for my band's practices, small gigs, my acoustic duo's gigs, and down the line as a monitor amp when I buy a better PA system. Please don't tell me not to buy a powered mixer. It is the best bang for my buck and kills the most birds with one stone right now so I am determined. Thanks! I've narrowed it down to these 2 powered mixers... Peavey XR600f:6 XLR inputs2x200w @ 4 Ohms$450 Yamaha EMX66M:6 XLR inputs2x300w @4 Ohms$500 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J. Posted July 24, 2003 Members Share Posted July 24, 2003 XR600F. Great little mixer. Better build, better features. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted July 24, 2003 CMS Author Share Posted July 24, 2003 Originally posted by Audiopile Personally, I don't think either one of these are the best bang for the buck. There are other choices. What're your suggested alternatives? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J the D Posted July 24, 2003 Members Share Posted July 24, 2003 We use the Yorkville AP812 mixer. It has sliders instead of knobs for each channel and offers 400 wpc at 4 ohms. The mike pres sound much, much better than the Yamaha's and as good or better than the Peavey mixers I've used in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SoundMan Posted July 24, 2003 Members Share Posted July 24, 2003 Audiopile, where can we read the real (like THD, noise and such) specs to that mixer? I tried that link, but it appeared to be dead. Oh yeah, I'd put our 200 watts up against 300 Yamaha watts any day. Thanks,SoundMan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted July 24, 2003 CMS Author Share Posted July 24, 2003 Originally posted by SoundMan Audiopile, where can we read the real (like THD, noise and such) specs to that mixer? I tried that link, but it appeared to be dead.Oh yeah, I'd put our 200 watts up against 300 Yamaha watts any day.Thanks,SoundMan Have you ever tested the Yammy EMX-5000 series mixers? The only "review" was one Yamaha provided a link to, so I know I can't trust that it's impartial, and it also was a tad weak in technical info...more like a "hey, it's nice" kind of review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members swingbass Posted July 25, 2003 Members Share Posted July 25, 2003 My Mackie 406M has held up fairly well. The only problem I've had is on channel 1 the yellow peak light comes on intermittantly for some reason even though I don't have anything plugged into it and the gains are turned down on it. Even when I have a mic plugged into it , it works fine, I figured to live with it,lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SoundMan Posted July 25, 2003 Members Share Posted July 25, 2003 Mark gave me permission offline to talk about his mixer's specs. I'll be gentle. I know you flagged the THD spec, but I have to wonder how it can be 0.3% at 200 Watts and 0.1% at 250 Watts. They are specing full bandwidth power at 200 and 1kHz power at 250. I suspect it craps out on the low end above 200 watts, insufficient bulk caps are the main cause. All Peavey mixers are speced at full range power. That signal to noise ratio sounds pretty low, maybe they had the mic gain at max. I would expect closer to 90dB. I'm a little worried about those EQ points, those are some pretty bizarre frequencies they selected. No control in the bass region and only 7 bands. I suspect they are using a single EQ chip, as opposed to the discrete filters (with 1% resistors and 2% caps) that we use. Oh yeah, the link worked at home, probably our flaky firewall at work. All that said, it's probaby ok for the money, it is cheap. I just wonder how the Behringer compares? No, I haven't checked the EMX5000. The only one I've really checked was the EMX640 and we burned it up trying to measure rated power. It did it just long enough to take the measurement, and then the transformer opened. SoundMan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SoundMan Posted July 25, 2003 Members Share Posted July 25, 2003 Of course, no hard feelings Mark. Sometimes I get carried away pointing out the finer points of why Peavey mixers cost more than some Chinese mixers. You just have to know, they cost more for a reason. Just like your mixers are probably just fine for some, there are others willing to pay more for a Peavey, or whatever brand. It's really got a switching supply? That's interesting. Whole power amp, or just for the mixer? No big torroid transformer? "no doubt in my mind. The Peavey's are A-ok fine for the money... I just wish they had kept them as robust as they were in the past... from a physical punishment standpoint.... you know... that "Peavey Tough!!!" standard of years gone by." That's funny, everyone wants them built like tanks, but then they complain when a mixer weighs 50lbs. Oh well, can't please everyone. I think some of it has to do with the electronics industry, and the type of parts we all use. Look at any of these mixers, they all use the same types of parts. Everything is getting smaller, don't sneeze , or you can lose 1,000 resistors. SoundMan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SoundMan Posted July 25, 2003 Members Share Posted July 25, 2003 Sorry Mark, didn't mean to lump the E&W in with the Chinese junk. I didn't mean it that way. I also think it is a common misconception that everything made in China is cheap junk. We have alot of products made there, but they are our designs, our circuit board layouts and we specify the parts they use. We don't just let them sub any part at any time. We have to see samples of the parts and any related documention, and there has to be a reason for deviating from the original design. SoundMan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted July 25, 2003 Members Share Posted July 25, 2003 This discussion shows how difficult our jobs can become in a highly competative market. I weigh these decisions every time I design a new product also. Good enough for the price is an essential business model... not everyone can afford or needs a top notch product. Value has many definitions, but customer satisfaction is a biggie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thunderpaw Posted July 26, 2003 Members Share Posted July 26, 2003 As an end-user, I certainly don't envy those in the business that try to keep us satisfied. I have long believed in the concept of a global economy. I didn't care where it was from, if it was done right, and was reasonably priced. I love Peavey. As Mark has said, Peavey gear has made me more money than any other brands combined. With the proliferation of good gear at price points undreamt of 5 years ago, what beancounter wouldn't be contemplating hari-kari? I am both amazed and thankful that reliable, usable gear has trickled down to us 'bottom feeders'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sound Guy Johnny Posted May 24, 2020 Members Share Posted May 24, 2020 I have one of each, the Peavy XR600F and Yamaha EMX-66M. For what they are at the price point you can't really go wrong with either. Both are well made and sound good. When tested on the bench with a proper 4 ohm load attached and a Sound Technology 1701 THD meter both perform better than the published specifications by a small margin if used within their maximum power limits. The Yamaha, in my case, tested better than Peavy by a small margin from a S/N standpoint. In real life and use the difference is not detectable in the sound. I have not had any technical trouble with either. Pick either one, they will serve you well, in my case they have me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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