X18, has the true DL killer finally arrived?

[Jerrylee]

Wynnd, if (when) a consumer is standing in a music store looking at the mackie dl1608 and the x18, and is deciding which one to buy, do you really think they are going for the dl? Do you think anyone will send them in that direction? 90% plus of even the most basic consumer would go for the x18. It will KILL the dl1608 sales. Mackie would have to seriously reduce its price to compete and that would then KILL their profit margin. They would also have to replace the current dl with a new model and KILL off the current one. Get my point? It will, as the tittle implies, be a dl1608 killer.

Yeah, I know, you love your dl. But it's what you have now. If you didn't have the dl1608, and you were the consumer standing in front of both mixers, which one would you buy?

[RoadRanger]

^ We'll see where the DL1608 is feature-wise when the X18 ships. You may very well be right, although there are a LOT of people that like Mackie over Behringer. I suspect V2.1 within a month and that leaves time for V3 shipping when the X18 does .

[Jerrylee]

RR I still believe you will move on from the dl1608. How many mixers have you owned in your life? The dl will not be the last. And you know it.

[RoadRanger]

RR I still believe you will move on from the dl1608. How many mixers have you owned in your life? The dl will not be the last. And you know it.

Probably, although I'm getting up there in years . I still have my Phonic Summit (with the 16 channel USB I/F) and even my old Mackie 1604VLZ-PRO when I'm feeling nostalgic .

[robbocurry]

I know there are already better mixers out there, to some degree or other, than the DL.
I was chomping at the bit to get my hands on a QU-16 but now the urgency has eased for me. The DL is doing what I need right now just fine.
People (musicians & interested audience members) are usually amazed at what the DL can do, and I'm often complimented on my sound.
When I get to the stage that I have to offer something the DL can't do, I'll buy the tools I need.
I won't buy a Midas if an A&H will do the job or a QSC for that matter. I won't spend 5000 if I can do the job by spending 1500.
There will be lots of "DL killers" to come in the foreseeable future, that's for sure.
For me the DL has been a "Killer" too...
I sold off two (less than 3yr old) Presonus desks, a MixWiz, a PA20, an old Soundcraft desk, a few ropey B'ringer spares and a stack of outboard gear not long after buying the DL.
Reason why? They weren't getting used any more.
Initially I wasn't that enamoured with the DL and the iPad interface but it has improved, I've adapted and it has grown on me.
I've NEVER turned around mixers as fast as I've done over the last 3-4 years. My mixers were usually changed when they became unreliable or unrepairable.
Buying a new mixer because it's new usually won't yield a quantum leap in what I can offer sound-wise. I'll still do a good job with a MixWiz if that's what's in front of me.
All this tech is great - I love it - but the man at the console is much more important and harder to upgrade!!

[Wynnd]

About 2 years ago after using a Presonus Studio Live 24.4.2, my Wife asked me if I wanted one.  It's a nice mixer that I'm comfortable using, but it's not rack mountable, I don't need 24 channels and the price was more than I wanted to spend.  When I saw the DL1608 last August, I immediately saw the advantages in my life and it has been the first mixer to give me G.A.S. (And I didn't own an ipad so that became part of the price.)  I will admit that if I needed a 4 channel mixer for keyboards, I wouldn't hesitate to consider a Behringer.  But for a primary mixer?  I'm not there yet.  I hope their quality improves without raising their price much.  But that's my thought on any product that has gotten a bad reputation due to their own behavior.   It's my intention to bypass the Studiolive mixer at my senior's variety show this year and only use the DL1608. 

[Fluddman]

^ We'll see where the DL1608 is feature-wise when the X18 ships. You may very well be right, although there are a LOT of people that like Mackie over Behringer. I suspect V2.1 within a month and that leaves time for V3 shipping when the X18 does .

+1 I think Ron hits the nail on the head. All this discussion is interesting but fairly pointless as only one of the products exists at the moment.

If the X16 was available when I purchased my DL I certainly would have considered them both but it wasn't and my decision was an easy one.

Cheers

Art

[WK154]

^ We'll see where the DL1608 is feature-wise when the X18 ships. You may very well be right, although there are a LOT of people that like Mackie over Behringer. I suspect V2.1 within a month and that leaves time for V3 shipping when the X18 does .

+1 I think Ron hits the nail on the head. All this discussion is interesting but fairly pointless as only one of the products exists at the moment.

If the X16 was available when I purchased my DL I certainly would have considered them both but it wasn't and my decision was an easy one.

Cheers

Art

That may be true for impulse buyers but those of us doing a little planning and following the MI developments and the mfg. treatment of their customers certainly makes this quite relevant and certainly not pointless. You do need to weed out the fan-boy garbage from the real thing and that can be a challenge.

[Fluddman]

^ We'll see where the DL1608 is feature-wise when the X18 ships. You may very well be right, although there are a LOT of people that like Mackie over Behringer. I suspect V2.1 within a month and that leaves time for V3 shipping when the X18 does .

+1 I think Ron hits the nail on the head. All this discussion is interesting but fairly pointless as only one of the products exists at the moment.

If the X16 was available when I purchased my DL I certainly would have considered them both but it wasn't and my decision was an easy one.

Cheers

Art

That may be true for impulse buyers but those of us doing a little planning and following the MI developments and the mfg. treatment of their customers certainly makes this quite relevant and certainly not pointless. You do need to weed out the fan-boy garbage from the real thing and that can be a challenge.

Its proved a little difficult to impusle buy the X16 - there's certainly been lots of time for planning. I'd imagine by the time X18 is released there will be some better products in the pipeline. When do you buy?

[WK154]

That was the point you don't impulse buy you plan for when you need something new and make sure all you requirements are met and then you don't look back. That would be the ideal but Murphy sometimes gets in the way. Broken equipment, good deal etc.
I wish I had a concrete answer but I don't.