Members Peekaboo Fuzzy Posted September 14, 2009 Members Share Posted September 14, 2009 I have a chance to buy a barely used Ashly LX308B for $300 or a very good condition Roland M-100 mixer for $100. Which one has better, clarity, audio quality? Are they about on par with each other, other than that the Roland is an older unit? Does one have more headroom/clearer signal than the other? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Peekaboo Fuzzy Posted September 14, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 14, 2009 Is it worth the extra $200 for the Ashly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Peekaboo Fuzzy Posted September 14, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 14, 2009 bump. No one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundwave106 Posted September 14, 2009 Members Share Posted September 14, 2009 I have an Ashly mixer, and I can testify it's very sweet. On the other hand, I cannot Google *anything* for the Roland M100. There's a *Roland M1000*, but that's not an analog mixer, that's a digital mixer / interface sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Peekaboo Fuzzy Posted September 14, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 14, 2009 soundwave, thanks so much for your response. I meant the Roland M-120, my mistake. Sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poumtschak Posted September 14, 2009 Members Share Posted September 14, 2009 The Roland has 12 unbalanced mono inputs, with 2 mono sends/return, and XLR balanced outputs. http://media.rolandus.com/manuals/M-120_OM.pdf The Ashly has 8 balanced stereo inputs (or 16 mono), and no send/return. All on 1/4" TRS jacks, balanced. Built like a tank but a tad expensive for basic home-studio use. http://www.ashly.com/product/lx-308b-2.htm Not exactly the same features, so it's all about what *you* need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members plaid_emu Posted September 14, 2009 Members Share Posted September 14, 2009 I've had an LX-308B for about five years now and I remember the substantial difference there was when I first did an A/B test with the same song recorded on a Behringer RX1602. Wish I still had the audio files so you could hear. The bass was definitely deeper, punchier and less muddled than the RX1602 and the high-end sounds had better separation and less harshness. The Ashly sounds very clean and doesn't color the sound at all. If you're looking for a mixer with character, look elsewhere. Also, MADE IN THE USA! Gotta love that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Peekaboo Fuzzy Posted September 14, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 14, 2009 Thanks guys, your comments and observations were very helpful. Inputs and outputs should be fine with either (I only have 4 pieces of gear to plug into it) and I'm not sure I'll need a master processor in an effects loop, although that is a nice feature for the future! My main concern is sound: transparency and headroom. Judging from the above comment the Ashly sounds like it has the edge. So far I have not heard specific opinions about the M-120's headroom and transparency while, if its a Roland (built in the 80's with solid manufacturing) I'm sure it must certainly be on par with the Ashly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members idiotboy Posted September 15, 2009 Members Share Posted September 15, 2009 I've heard both good and bad things about Roland's M-series of mixers. I've heard nothing bad about the Ashley. I have the Rane SM82s, which is similar to the Ashley and it works very well for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mate_stubb Posted September 15, 2009 Members Share Posted September 15, 2009 I have both mixers. They both do a great job. The Roland has effect sends, the Ashly has channel mute buttons and mic/line level switches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Peekaboo Fuzzy Posted September 15, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 15, 2009 I appreciate the responses coming in idiotboy and mate. Much gratitude. Getting closer to a decision. mate, can you confirm that the M-120 has 1/4 unbalanced MASTER L and R outs in addition to the XLR Master outs? I know the manual was posted, but it is confusing if the master (not monitor out) also has unbalanced 1/4 inch outs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mate_stubb Posted September 15, 2009 Members Share Posted September 15, 2009 Yes, it has master 1/4" and XLR outs, PLUS monitor 1/4" outs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Peekaboo Fuzzy Posted September 15, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 15, 2009 Once again, thanks mate. I have always been a little confused about balanced vs unbalanced. I just checked the TRS 1/4 cables I have feeding my monitors and they say "balanced", however my keyboard cables (Monster keyboard KB-3's) don't say anything about balanced or not either on the cables or the package. Can you plug 1/4 balanced cables into unbalanced inputs or outputs and vica versa? What exactly does balanced and unbalanced mean anyways? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mate_stubb Posted September 15, 2009 Members Share Posted September 15, 2009 When talking about 1/4" cables, tip/ring/sleeve jacks indicates that the cable is balanced (provided the ring is hooked up of course). Tip/sleeve indicates unbalanced. A balanced signal path has a separate ground, positive signal and negative signal. An unbalanced signal path combines the negative signal and ground into one path. Most modern balanced inputs or outputs become automatically unbalanced with no harm when using unbalanced cables. A balanced cable plugged in to unbalanced inputs/outputs also does no harm. If your system does support balanced inputs and outputs, you should take advantage of those by using balanced cables. They provide lower noise on long cable runs, or with weak signals. The practical advantage for under 10' runs with hot synth outputs is fairly minimal though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Peekaboo Fuzzy Posted September 15, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 15, 2009 You are like the Socrates of professional audio. I appreciate your knowledge and help. Thanks again for clearing that up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mate_stubb Posted September 16, 2009 Members Share Posted September 16, 2009 You are like the Socrates of professional audio. I appreciate your knowledge and help. Thanks again for clearing that up. Oh I wouldn't say that! Don't ask me about dB, I screw that explanation up every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted September 16, 2009 Members Share Posted September 16, 2009 dBm? dBmV? dBV? dBA? So many tasty dB's to choose from! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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