Mackie Big Knob

[m127b]

Originally Posted by Liam Judah

I use it... no complaints here.

+1

It does a bit a colouring, but NOT harm, that's silly.
I run 3 sets of monitors through it, and no problems really.

Only actual drawback are the phono inputs. Darn things are unusable here. Super hot in a bad way. Nothing sounds good through them.

Still worth every cent imo.

[deft_bonz]

Worked for 6 years with mine. Can't handle hot signals very well. I think I'm ready for an upgrade. Dreaming about the Avocet or Occulus

I never did a comparison, so I couldn't say BK colors the sound.

[venendar/komenk]

Originally Posted by m127b

+1

It does a bit a colouring, but NOT harm, that's silly.
I run 3 sets of monitors through it, and no problems really.

Only actual drawback are the phono inputs. Darn things are unusable here. Super hot in a bad way. Nothing sounds good through them.

Still worth every cent imo.

the only thing thats good for the phono input is when you put turntable or record player and such because it is what the phono input is for, nothing else

[orangemaryaudio]

The big knob is fine on a budget and sounds ok, but once you upgrade you really do notice the difference. The rack mounted Central Station is affordable and doesn't colour (Passive) but after that it's into the Cranesong range. Depends on your budget and what else you need it do.

[DeathDub]

I had a big knob for a couple of months. Colored the sound but not in a bad way. Seemed to warm it up a bit. Using Monitor Station now. To my ears more transparent. I mix on Event 20/20s. Someone with better monitors might have a more informed opinion.

[flplsx]

No complaints here. Been using a big knob for nearly two years, on a daily basis. I'm sure there are better monitor controllers out there, but it came with the room! Certainly not the weakest link for this setup.

The other two rooms here have dangerous controllers and they're pretty darn sweet, although what, like 4 times the price?

[sftd]

I think I'm gona buy one!

Sent from my PC36100 using Gearslutz.com App

[nbenford]

I'll throw in my 2 cents on this.

I just purchased a Big Knob to replace my other monitor arrangement, which was a Hosa PHB-265 1/4" patch bay and a Coleman Audio LS3 speaker selector. I used to have a Lavry DA10 and an NAD pre (used exclusively for phono pre) connected to the patch bay, where I would patch one or the other to the speaker selector. I used the speaker selector to select a monitor and a subwoofer. The volume was then controlled either at the Lavry or on the NAD preamp.

People have detracted the Big Knob for its audio integrity, but I'll tell you, the Big Knob sounds much better than the previous setup. I'm sure this is due to eliminating the Hosa patch bay, which is definitely the biggest piece of crapola I've ever bought, audio-wise. It's full of cheap circuitry, and it started shorting out from the day I bought it, constantly having to jiggle the patch bay, provoking moments of, "gee, I remember the drums being louder on this 60s rock record?" Only to realize that the left channel had been shorting out. The Coleman was always fine. No problem there, besides having to use another run of cabling instead of doing it all internally as with the Big Knob.

I also did a comparison between the phono pre on the Big Knob and my NAD pre. I have not seen anyone really putting the phono pre on the Mackie through its paces anywhere on the internet, so I hope this can answer people's questions in that regard. Compared to the NAD pre, which was always rated as being quite good, the Mackie stands up fine. The only benefit to the NAD is that it has an EQ and my cartridge is notoriously dark and benefits for a touch of top end. They sound very similar, though. No appreciable difference, tone-wise. However, the Big Knob is a bit noisier than the NAD, which is very surprising. My NAD is from the early 90s and it probably on its way out, but is still quieter than the Mackie. It's not going to ruin my day, though. Still sounds good. And to switch to the turntable without having to repatch that bloody patchbay is worth sacrificing a bit of noisefloor.

All in all, I'm enjoying my purchase. Also, the Big Knob is seemingly discontinued, according to the Guitar Center in Queens and B&H in Manhattan, where I ultimately grabbed the device. Wonder what they're planning next?

-Noel

[cane creek]

When I was on the lookout for a monitor controller I read alot of bad things about BK's on this forum, then after watching a huge amount of "in the studio with" videos I noticed a hell of a lot of respected artists use them so I bought one and after 3 years of use I'm perfectly happy with it.

[Jorg]

I've owned one for many years and never had any problems with it.
I'm only replacing in it due to space as it's too big for my table now and have to get something Rack mount instead. Otherwise I would have kept it.
Can't say if it colours the sound, but I can say that it does sound better than the monitoring in the digidesign command 8.

[b-pole]

perhaps try it out at your local dealer...
I think it is great, but my ears are only subjective

[Delta T]

I've also had mine for quite a few years. I like it. It's been reliable and offers some nice monitoring capabilities. Perfect for my needs...

[m127b]

I was looking at JBL's solution.
Anyone has tried it/owns it? It includes room compensation natively.