Macky O.N.Y.X. micpre

Just curious, any idea about this micpre circuit? IC? Dicrete as the previous stuff?

http://www.mackie.com/products/800r/index.html

:sam:
Fabio

Mackie discrete? since when?

[quote author="buttachunk"]It's Wackie doing what they do best.... marketing.[/quote]

Yup - $2 in parts (if that) and $20 in marketing.

Not saying that the O N Y X is a bad pre though...

Mackie discrete?

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What Fabio probably meant is that the frontend of the micpre is discrete.

Samuel

hell, using a couple of transistors is not discrete. if we count the diodes in the PSU any kinda gear is 'discrete'

The beast is surely a lot of chips. So? How does it sound? The reviews are interesting. The price was a bit of a shock, though I admit that Mackie could build something worth $125/ch.

> using a couple of transistors is not discrete

Traditionally, it made more sense to get your huge-area input devices from the transistor catalog than to spend a lot of IC area on just two of the dozen transistors. Or rather: it costs like $100,000 to move a chip from idea to warehouse, and nobody in the audio racket ever has $100,000 to spare, expecially when a $2/each solution exists, annual demand is under 10,000 units, and audio makers hate to be locked into sole-source parts (because they don't have the buying clout to make a source jump).

So even two $0.29 "discrete" transistors promised better results than using NE5532 (or TL072! I've seen it done).

TI and THAT have chips that can do very well, though long-term production of ANY audio-only chip is always dubious (audio tends to be a small, fragmented, and faddish world). The TI part needs computer control; with eight preamps in a $999 box that's trivial.

yes, i know that texbook setup, and yes it's 'better' than a single opamp, and yes it may sound stellar BUT don't call it discrete!

when was the last time you saw a negative review? the mags are owned by the corps

Mackie is cheap consumer crap from a 1202 to d8b

[quote author="sismofyt"]yes, i know that texbook setup, and yes it's 'better' than a single opamp, and yes it may sound stellar BUT don't call it discrete!

when was the last time you saw a negative review? the mags are owned by the corps

Mackie is cheap consumer crap from a 1202 to d8b[/quote]

although i do agree that mackie is less than stellar, i used a digital 8 bus of theirs on a few sessions in a different studio...and i would have to say that the d8b wasnt bad at all...although i have heard it can be quirky....
i never had a problem throughout the session...and it sounded pretty decent for what it was. this was a few years ago though when it first came out. i liked the eq section of it....

i am under the opinion that if you have a great engineer working something, the outcome will be great.....mackie pre's or not.

i can cut a stellar record on Behringer gear, that is not the issue. bullshit advertising is

it may sound great, but the last twenty peices of Mackie gear i listened to did not, i'd have to be one very optimistic idiot to think this new box does

BUT don't call it discrete!

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Ok ,let me refrase then, if this details is important:

Just curious, any idea about this micpre circuit? Dedicated micpre IC (2017 or something)? IC + transistors as the previous stuff?

That is what I was wondering...

:guinness:
Fabio

I really wouldn't be suprised if thats what it was - The single chip "knob on the front" Ic's (from ADI, THAT and TI) make design and production a whole lot simpler for prosumer equipment.

O*nyx Pre = Super low Rbb transistors + NJM2114 opamps. Very low noise and transparent.

so it's like any other cheap mic pre, two impedance converting transistors, a gain stage and possibly a servo stage? nothing different from their other preamps..

oh shit my bad! :green:

ONYX does make it sound impressive though..

next thing you know you'll have the Wackie Stout, Wackie Pale, Wackie Honey Brown..


:roll:

I'm not known to be a M@ckie enthusiast, and I don't own any M@ckie products myself, but the o*nyx pres aren't bad at all and superior to many similar designs. They're not "magic", though. Just good, transparent preamps.

oh this is scary...

I just got done posting the previous post about Wackie products... and i get an email from them about 30 seconds after i hit submit..



:shock:

It's all clear now.. they didn't discontinue the HDR/MDR series.. they just turned them all into network packet sniffers..

See, that's why I disguise my spellings. :grin:

I still got their spam mail, though... :?

They're not "magic", though. Just good, transparent preamps.

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They very well might be but i would think that this would be the basic form of preamp that you would even want to put out for sale right? So for Wackie to say that these pres are MUCH better than their regular preamps isn't really saying all that much since now their top of the line stuff might be on par with some other company's bottom of the line stuff now.

If you want decent transparent preamps a couple of 2n4401s and a 5532 would do you wonders. if you want something even better, a handful of 5534s and some tlo52s do you wonders.. If you get what I mean.

has anyone ever really looked to see what's under the hood of an onyx?

this all sounds so much like guess work to me.

has anyone ever really looked to see what's under the hood of an onyx?

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If I had to take a guess, I'd say the design is probably something based on the Graham Cohen thing. That seems like an economically viable route to go--parts would inexpensive and easy to source in large quantities, which would be an important factor for Moockie.