Midas M32

[robbocurry]

I've been promised a qu16 for £1500 by my local dealer when I want to buy. Would be nice if it was a bit less though. Saw the qu24 preorder price of £2199.

By today's exchange rate that's ~$2489 a bit high since Zzounds and Sweetwater sell it for $1999 that's £1205.

Dammit, I'm going to have to bring an extra large suitcase on my next trip stateside

[WK154]

I'm guessing but it's more than likely like Mackie were they won't honor the warranty in another country.

[robbocurry]

I'm guessing but it's more than likely like Mackie were they won't honor the warranty in another country.

Hmm, good point.
With the 24 being released and the surge for the qu16 being satisfied, the 16 may drop in price a bit. I haven't received a price for the 24 from my local dealer, I only stumbled across this new mixer last night whilst browsing the A&H user forum.
Maybe with them being a UK company the warranty issue might be a little more user friendly?
Truth be told, it would be hard to go past the local guys if they were in the ballpark with their price. They offer great service and if anything goes wrong they're only a 10 min drive away. I would be very embarrassed leaving a broken brand new desk in with them i
bought elsewhere!

[WK154]

I hear you and would do the same but you might explore how much of a margin they can give up. It's a two way street even if you drive on the wrong side of the road. 

[robbocurry]

I hear you and would do the same but you might explore how much of a margin they can give up. It's a two way street even if you drive on the wrong side of the road. 

Not that old nugget again lolz!

[WK154]

Here's an interesting combo coming up that may be of interest to Midas oriented folk. A X32 core at $799 and a DL153 16 in 8 out Midas box at $1429 and possibly cheaper once Starin get off their duff and adjusts pricing. The DL150 series will be made compatible with the X32, it's not there yet and I'd certainly wait for that event. You would have the legendary XL4 preamps with very similar software to the M32. It's a smaller mixer but ideal for a lot of applications in a 3U form for both (1U=core, 2U= DL153). At a $1000 premium over the X32 rack it's probably not going to bars.

[robbocurry]

Further to our chat a month ago:
It's hard to take that a product (A&H QU-24) designed and made in the UK can be £500 ($830) cheaper in the US.
Unbelievable, and frankly, quite sickening:/
Nonsensically the AR2412 stage box is £110 more expensive stateside so that only leaves me £390 ($645) worse off comparatively.
You guys in the US are in electronic consumer heaven IMHO.

Back to the M32. On it's webpage it looks like they've removed the word "Behringer" from their FX descriptions/sources.....

[Jerrylee]

When did Midas have behringer I any of their descriptions? Why would they?

I never understood why a company charges more in the very country of development and production of a product. Cost is cost. And there is more cost involved to ship it across see. And they should have allegiance to their own country. It could be some kind of tax law?

[robbocurry]

As far as I can recall......
When the M32 was launched, they were crediting the sources/algorithms for the FX on the M32 page. There were references to the Behringer name (amongst others) from the source units. I think at least the "Combinator" and "Edison" were/are Behringer units. That's if my memory serves me well, I might be mistaken but I don't think so. Why they did it is just marketing IMHO. Midas filters down nicely to promote Behringer products but not so much the other way, no matter how good the product is.
 
I'm baffled by the pricing, I'm sure tax plays a big part as you say. Regardless, it's pretty unfair to local customers. Maybe I should have sent a signal by not opening my wallet, but when you want/need something for a job, rational thinking takes a back seat. Marketing again undoubtedly dictates the European regional price, probably to keep it in line with other product lines and manufacturers here. There is a mentality that "more expensive equals better". I've been both victim and perpetrator of that myth.

Anyway, I take it you have your X-Rack all sorted and running the way you want it by now? Haven't been hands on with one yet but would consider one when the DL needs replaced

[WK154]

It's quite straight forward whether engineered in the UK, Germany or the south pole the units are manufactured in China. So manufacturing costs and parts costs along with shipping and import duty determine the sales price. Here in the US a lot of companies use the China manufacture of sub-assemblies and ship to Mexico for assembly and test then into a truck for a nice 10% or so extra margin (like Mackie).  The Behringer logo was on a few of the add-in cards on the Midas web site. Are you certain that A&H manufacture in the UK?

[Wynnd]

My MixWiz was built in China.  (One of the good things coming out of there.)   So was my trailer.  (One of the not-so-good things coming out of there.)  It's obvious that shipping costs aren't what they ought to be.  It really should cost more to make things in China and ship them to the USA. 

[robbocurry]

Nope WK,
Says "designed and built in England" on the box I have.... for the QU24. The AR says "made in China"
So the item made locally is more expensive than the Chinese made one. 

[WK154]

They have manufacturing in Cornwall UK and in China. I suspect that labor intensive low priced kit is made in China and high end in the UK. They may also work out kinks in the manufacturing first in the UK by engineering and then move it to China. Lots of manufacturing options.

[robbocurry]

Yeah, sounds about right. I wonder where the US imported desks are coming from. Btw, what are you using for digi snakes - utp, sf utp, stp??

[WK154]

Yeah, sounds about right. I wonder where the US imported desks are coming from. Btw, what are you using for digi snakes - utp, sf utp, stp??

For test just utp (cat6) for now. For a gig it would be STP. I don't need the S16 right now. Using the X32 as a control surface for Mixbus DAW. Mostly recording and mastering. I may do some select gigs down the road at which time I'll pick up a rack. This will give me 32 channels if needed. I just got a hell of a deal on the package I couldn't leave it on the table.