Mackie Big Knob dying... replacement recommendations?

[Glenn Fricker]

Hey all,

Like the title states, my Mackie Big Knob is on it's last legs. It looks like the power supply is nearly dead.

I'm curious what my options are, if anyone has improved on the design. I need monitoring, multiple headphone feeds, and talkback. The Presonus monitor station looks promising. Does anyone have any experience with it?

--Glenn

 

[JeffTD]

Central station gets my vote if it can sort your issues out.

 

[greyskull]

The central station is really cool. Much cleaner sounding than the big knob and far less shift in the stereo image at low volumes. ( caveat as long as you don't use the remote)

Also Much much neater than the big knob.

 

[Forceps]

I use the monitor station and it really works great. No experience with other units, but the presonus is built really well, no problems with it for 3 years now.

 

[FIXXXER]

the CS is pretty shitty regarding it's price IMHO.
the plastic pots are wobbly and break very fast, it feels like a toy and not like studio gear.
the stereo image at low volumes problem is present, just as in any other similar units, not only cheaper ones

if it works for you get another big knob when it dies, there will be no improvement in buying a CS.

if you need more "features" i'd recommend "dangerous audio" or "coleman audio" they both have some seriously good stuff. it has it's price though.

 

[abt]

the CS is pretty shitty regarding it's price IMHO.
the plastic pots are wobbly and break very fast, it feels like a toy and not like studio gear.
the stereo image at low volumes problem is present, just as in any other similar units, not only cheaper ones

if it works for you get another big knob when it dies, there will be no improvement in buying a CS.

if you need more "features" i'd recommend "dangerous audio" or "coleman audio" they both have some seriously good stuff. it has it's price though.

I agree with all of this including the bit about the price. Those suckers are so expensive!

 

[mharwood]

I'm not sure about the price right off the top of my head, but these guys build some great stuff: http://new-old-sound.com/products

If I recall they are a small outfit out of Israel. I ordered the McONE for my setup, and it's been great. Excellent build quality & components, accurate stereo image at low volumes, and really efficient/straightforward switching and volume control. For talkback and multiple headphone outputs, however, you'd probably need the bigger model, and I'm not sure what the price is on that one. Still, something to look into.

 

[BLUElightCory]

the CS is pretty shitty regarding it's price IMHO.

I agree with all of this including the bit about the price. Those suckers are so expensive!

I'm sorry but I just don't agree. Feature-wise, nothing compares to the Central Station for the price, especially since they're so easy to find used. I just bought a used Central Station for $250, and it's a much better unit than the Big Knob.

The next step up from the Central Station, if the OP is interested, would be the Dangerous Source. If you've got the bucks it's probably the best feature-to-price unit for under $1000.

If you don't want/need built-in digital inputs, there are other options as well (but I think the digital input is important).

 

[abt]

I'm sorry but I just don't agree. Feature-wise, nothing compares to the Central Station for the price, especially since they're so easy to find used. I just bought a used Central Station for $250, and it's a much better unit than the Big Knob.

The next step up from the Central Station, if the OP is interested, would be the Dangerous Source. If you've got the bucks it's probably the best feature-to-price unit for under $1000.

If you don't want/need built-in digital inputs, there are other options as well (but I think the digital input is important).

You've taken me out of context here, my comment was on the price on the DD and the Coleman.

 

[abt]

I'm not sure about the price right off the top of my head, but these guys build some great stuff: http://new-old-sound.com/products

If I recall they are a small outfit out of Israel. I ordered the McONE for my setup, and it's been great. Excellent build quality & components, accurate stereo image at low volumes, and really efficient/straightforward switching and volume control. For talkback and multiple headphone outputs, however, you'd probably need the bigger model, and I'm not sure what the price is on that one. Still, something to look into.

Man, they've got an awesome look about them.

 

[mva801]

If you can afford it the dangerous stuff is nice. We have a central station at the small studio I rent out, it gets the job done well. I have an SM pro audio something or other which had problems pretty much straight away.

 

[korbiar]

I use a spl monitor & talkback controller, this one --> http://www.thomann.de/be/spl_mtc_2381.htm
No complaints about it

 

[mharwood]

Man, they've got an awesome look about them.

Definitely. I love mine; it's build like a tank which I like since I'm throwing these switches dozens of times every session. Only downside is the price; the McOne (which I have) was pretty reasonable (about $200+shipping, if I remember correctly), but I'd imagine the more full-featured one is more on par with the Coleman and Dangerous stuff in terms of price.

I thought I might miss the talkback and HP outs at first, but I've got a couple of extra HP amps which I hooked up to my Focusrite's two HP outputs and I just run the talkback through a cheapo little Behringer mixer that I bought for the price of a decent meal a few years back. Plenty of flexibility with the Focusrite HP outs, and to me the most important thing is to have the mute, mono, in/out, and volume controls at my fingertips at all times during mixing, which the McOne allows me to accomplish.

 

[MicSlut666]

I do not know how much you would like to spend. I can recommend the Crane Song Avocet - best monitor system i have ever used. Built in great sounding DA converter, awesome built quality, well thought out handling and handy features...