Hi,

I'm wondering how the audio quality (preamps, eq, reverb, compressors etc?) of the Behringer X32 desks compare to the Presonus Studiolive desks?

I own a Studiolive desk which I really like and was quite surprised at the noticeable improvement in all round audio quality over my old Yamaha 01v.
My only complaint with my Studiolive is it needs a laptop connected to be able to use an iPad wirelessly

I'm hoping that Presonus will be able to make a firewire WiFi adapter for iPad control? They have a usb adapter for their latest Studiolive desk from NAMM and I'm so hoping they'll be able to come up with a solution for the older models!?

The Studiolive is beautifully laid out and extremely easy to use aswell!

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www.richardpenrose.com

Better is every respect from what I have been hearing. (well 30,000 users cant be wrong).
Preamps are of a midas design, effects are excellent, same with eq, has a ton more features but still real easy to use and Behringer are really on the game with both the build quality and aftercare.
When you consider a studiolive 24.4.2 is more expensive for a lot less features then any case for the buying the presonus has gone.
Also at the moment the x32 seems to have the best ipad and pc/Linux/mac apps and has people developing other software for it (i.e. a patch list creator).
Just head to soundforums.net to see the x32 Megathread (over 250 pages and 500,000 views) and you'll see what I mean.
(just waiting for the x32 producer to be released then I shall be on the x32 bandwagon!)

Thanks for the reply. Very interesting!!

I am currently using a Studiolive 16.0.2 so the closest will be the X32 Producer.
US prices for the X32 are $1999 so I'm guessing a UK price of £1300-£1400?

This will be 2x the price of my Studiolive but it has double the features.
I don't feel my Studiolive is lacking any features apart from iPad connectivity without a laptop.

My concern (same as many others) is how reliable these new Behringer desks will be!? I've owned several Behringer products and nearly all of them let me down within a short time!

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www.richardpenrose.com

Seem to be very reliable (there has been reports that the original studiolives had many fsults) and Christian Bouche on soundforums has had one before general release and loves it. The only real problems so far were some noise problems on some in's/out's but this was only due to incorrect cable placement within the mixer itself (too close to the DSP boards. of the few that have had problems (mainly DOA) have been fixed quickly and efficiently.
And don't forget they are made in the same factory and by the same people as the Midas pro series!

Quote dickiefunk:

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My concern (same as many others) is how reliable these new Behringer desks will be!? I've owned several Behringer products and nearly all of them let me down within a short time!

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Behringer have set up a new service and support operation at the Midas HQ and, from the one report that I've seen, are extremely quick to fix problems. It looks like they are serious about supporting these products.

James.

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JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

Yes, only the physical passage of time will tell of the real long term reliability, but there are a lot of X32s in use now and I've seen and heard of remarkably few complaints. Most complaints have actually been from people who can't get hold of them as soon as they want!

Behringer seem to have turned a new leaf in recent years and be determiend to throw off the old reputation and really stand up as a professional, quality manufacturer palying alongside the established big boys. This product range really shows that, and I couldn't fault it for the money -- and it would still have been excellent at twice the price.

hugh

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Technical Editor, Sound On Sound

Our X32 has been on many gigs now and is still going strong (you would hope so as well) but I owned a Studiolive 16.4.2 and had nothing but problems so sold it within 3 week of buying it.

The X32 is worlds apart in every respect possible and can be brought for £1720 (ex VAT) plus lets not forget the S16 stage boxes under £500!

If your looking for a desk under £5000 i cant see that anything is going to beat the X32, 3 hire companies near to us have sold their LS9's to buy one or two X32's lol

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PA Hire Surrey
Lighting Hire Surrey

In terms of audio quality, a Studiolive 16.0.2 for £899, is without a doubt the best digital mixer you can buy for under £1000.

But if you're budget is higher, Presonus, Behringer and Yamaha all produce fantastic digital mixers.

I own a 16.0.2 and its excellent, but I was on a budget. If I wasn't? The Behringer seems to punch above the rest. The best thing about the Presonus mixers though that let the others down is accessibility.

The pages and pages of menus to get what you want is fine if you have time in the studio, but if you're going to use it live, the Presonus mixers are so much quicker to dial in your EQ and dynamics processing.

My 2 Cents. Also my first post.

Welcome newlaprecords!

As a 16.0.2 owner m'self I agree with a lot of what you say. I'd also add portability, but the new X32 Producer addresses that one!

I don't have time right now to check Hugh's review of the X32, but if I recall correctly the X32 is not nearly so menu-driven as some of its digital competitors.

Quote dickiefunk:

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I'm wondering how the audio quality (preamps, eq, reverb, compressors etc?) of the Behringer X32 desks compare to the Presonus Studiolive desks?

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I went from a 16.4.2 to an X32, and I had both desks for the week that it took to sell the 16.4.2 so I had a good chance to compare side-by-side.

The Presonus is slightly easier to navigate, but then the X32 has so many more features and functions and they were in menus that I wasn't used to. I used YouTube to look at tuition clips/demos on the X32, it probably took an afternoon to get up to speed on what I needed to do.

The sound quality is a step up, or a step two in truth, and it's hard to quantity such a subjective topic. However, I found myself needing less of everything, less EQ, less effects, just generally less, and that can only be down to the superior pre-amps and channels. The mic-pre's are great, they're most definitely of boutique quality (whatever that is!!!), and I've since recorded with in the studio without using a dedicated pre.

Some of the great features are the channel LCD's, and the matrix mixer for the in-ear mixes makes my HP60 totally redundant. I did all 6 stereo IEM's in 15 minutes, on-stage, before a gig, and I'd never, ever have left it that late on any other desk, but the X32 was straight-forward.

The build quality is very good, very sturdy, and the finishing materials are very robust, more so that the Presonus in fact.

I'm not keeping my X32........ I'm waiting for the X32 Producer, as I far prefer to have a standard rack-sized mixer, but other than the X32's odd size I really can't find a reason to fault it. Unless, of course, you don't like the badge! :-)

Quote TSH-Tim:

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Our X32 has been on many gigs now and is still going strong (you would hope so as well) but I owned a Studiolive 16.4.2 and had nothing but problems so sold it within 3 week of buying it.

The X32 is worlds apart in every respect possible and can be brought for £1720 (ex VAT) plus lets not forget the S16 stage boxes under £500!

If your looking for a desk under £5000 i cant see that anything is going to beat the X32, 3 hire companies near to us have sold their LS9's to buy one or two X32's lol

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Interesting. I've had my Studiolive for around 8 months now and it has done stacks of gigs. The desk has not given me any trouble whatsoever!?

I've read some stuff online where people have had issues with the X32.

Quote newlaprecords:

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In terms of audio quality, a Studiolive 16.0.2 for £899, is without a doubt the best digital mixer you can buy for under £1000.

But if you're budget is higher, Presonus, Behringer and Yamaha all produce fantastic digital mixers.

I own a 16.0.2 and its excellent, but I was on a budget. If I wasn't? The Behringer seems to punch above the rest. The best thing about the Presonus mixers though that let the others down is accessibility.

The pages and pages of menus to get what you want is fine if you have time in the studio, but if you're going to use it live, the Presonus mixers are so much quicker to dial in your EQ and dynamics processing.

My 2 Cents. Also my first post.

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I have to agree that the Studiolive offers great bang for buck under £1000. I experienced quite a step up in audio quality from my old Yamaha 01V and various budget mixers!

The layout of the Studiolive is also very easy and logical to use and the only feature I feel I'm lacking is the ability to use an ipad without a laptop!

If the X32 ended up costing under £1000 I'd be very tempted to check it out but I think it will more likely cost around £1400!?

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www.richardpenrose.com

Quote dickiefunk:

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Interesting. I've had my Studiolive for around 8 months now and it has done stacks of gigs. The desk has not given me any trouble whatsoever!?

I've read some stuff online where people have had issues with the X32.

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Don't think for one minute Presonus is more reliable that anything else, it's not, and that's borne by the fact that there is a considerable amount of 'B' stock available from Presonus dealers. My 16.4.2 has been fine, but I bought from a dealer as a factory "refreshed" unit.

I'm not saying the Presonus is more reliable than anything else, I'm just sharing my experience with it so far!

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www.richardpenrose.com

Your only have to google Presonus Studiolive problems and there are many many users out there with many big problems.

I understand all things can go wrong but when Presonus cant even deal with it i do wonder....

Presonus missed a trick by not adding a CAT-5 stage box system onto it

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PA Hire Surrey
Lighting Hire Surrey

Quote TSH-Tim:

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Your only have to google Presonus Studiolive problems and there are many many users out there with many big problems.

I understand all things can go wrong but when Presonus cant even deal with it i do wonder....

Presonus missed a trick by not adding a CAT-5 stage box system onto it

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Surely they missed a few that come before that - lack of flying faders is just the jumping off point, I wouldn't be surprised if the delayed 32ch AI model ended up being scrapped.

Since the X32 started flying off the shelves, they must have had a dramatic drop-off in demand for their existing stock. Given the new Turbo-powered active speaker line is gonna be strong competition for David Gunness focus-sprinkled Presonus entry, and the better equipped X32 plus Smaart comes in around the same MAP, I'd put my money on the established players regardless of the B word connotations.

We might have some EAW rigs in the UK revitalised by Greybox processing, but Fulcrum is not established here and the target market for Presonus most likely won't appreciate their speaker's pedigree anyways.

Given the price point of the SL32 and the fact it's target market likely has no experience of Smaart, if it does finally appear I fear it will only appear to a narrow market segment looking for an easy transition from analogue to digital. Plus now we have the Soundcraft Expression, with the ability to expand to 50+ ch in a very analogue-friendly interface, and with the 3 model having so much on-board I/O and only 2 faders shy of the 32 ch Presonus, things are not looking good for the 'digi-log' entrant (thank you Mr. Dick Rees for coining that term!).