Trident S100, most hated piece of gear here?

CorkyTart · 8th July 2005

I'm skipping the Behringer stuff cause that stuff is only a few hundred bucks. Trident runs 1k plus....

**Tim Farrant** · 8th July 2005

From what I gather, the S100 is a re-badged Soundtech console. Apparently is was originally designed by John Oram for Soundtech. Is it a Trident? - not really. Wether or not it's actually any good is hard to ascertain - seems that not many people here own one. You should try and hear it before taking the plunge.

Tim.

pigpen · 22nd September 2005

I bought one, hated it. 2 of the pres didn't even work right out of the box

, the ones that did sucked. Build felt like shit, felt cheap.
It was so bad to me that I will not touch another piece of Trident gear. Sounds harsh, but oh well.
Replaced it with an API 3124 and have not looked back.

allbaldo · 22nd September 2005

Bought one and didn't like it. Poor build quality, and lousy sound.

TeReKeTe · 22nd September 2005

I like mine and have gotten some really good sounds w/ it. i do wish it was a little more consistent, as far as tension on the knobs go, and i do wish it came with something approaching documentation.

contrary to popular belief, the pre's DON'T suck. at least not on mine.

problems:

#1, there's a good amount of crosstalk between the busses, more than i find acceptable. it's not really a problem when mixing, but when tracking, the click track comes thru if i'm cranking it in the phones-- it's not headphone bleed.

#2, i had a weird problem about a year ago in which the whole thing stopped working for a day. power supply, maybe? however it did come back online and work out....

It's a good box but it could be better.

Jay Kahrs · 22nd September 2005

The Trident stuff from the Oram company just isn't in the same ballpark, let alone even the same game as the original Trident designs. I haven't had a chance to use the higher end outboard or the new 5.1 Series 80 but I'm hoping their a lot better then the S100. I used one as a submixer last year and I actaully found myself wishing I had a Smackie instead. The whole thing just felt really plastic to me and the tone? I wouldn't shell out my tacos for one...those Allen & Heath MixWizards are way hipper if you need something small.

mike scott · 25th September 2005

I don't know where some of you guys get your gear from, but I bought a bunch of Trident new stuff and got a 2 year warranty with all of it. Yes, my S100 arrived with a channel out, turned out to be transit damage removing a plug from a socket
on that channel. I reported it to England and they shipped me a replacement overnight in a double skinned carton with extra foam and it arrived in perfect shape. I am sure the first unit left them working and mine was an early unit.
I've been to London engineering and visited their place and they take total care to build reliable products. So, did you guys follow up when you had your problems? I was amazed to see John Oram at his desk at 2 in the morning doing business. Apparently he's done this for years coinciding with 6 pm west coast.
I also have the Trident S20 for overheads which I leave in the studio and run the high level outs to my control room. One unit over drums, another over the grand.

TheSweetener · 25th September 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by allbaldo

Bought one and didn't like it. Poor build quality, and lousy sound.

Yes, like I said before. I tested the pres and did not like them at all. I also have an Oram Octasonic which sounds quite cool!

I think the S100 transformerless micpre has nothing to do with the old Series 80 stuff, by the way. If it deserves to be called Trident? I don't think so, but who cares!

insomnio · 25th September 2005

The knobs in mine were alive! They kept jumping out all the time. That was the first big dissapointment.
I liked the hi band of the eq, IMO sweet...sold it a month later.
What about Quality Control Dept.? Do they have it?

________________________
Insomnio

mike scott · 26th September 2005

Hi Insomnia, I can't sleep either!
Did you effect the warranty, call Trident, mail them?
What did they say to you? Did you buy it new?

Tell the whole story.
MS

26th September 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike scott

I don't know where some of you guys get your gear from, but I bought a bunch of Trident new stuff and got a 2 year warranty with all of it. Yes, my S100 arrived with a channel out, turned out to be transit damage removing a plug from a socket
on that channel. I reported it to England and they shipped me a replacement overnight in a double skinned carton with extra foam and it arrived in perfect shape. I am sure the first unit left them working and mine was an early unit.
I've been to London engineering and visited their place and they take total care to build reliable products. So, did you guys follow up when you had your problems? I was amazed to see John Oram at his desk at 2 in the morning doing business. Apparently he's done this for years coinciding with 6 pm west coast.
I also have the Trident S20 for overheads which I leave in the studio and run the high level outs to my control room. One unit over drums, another over the grand.

Visit Purple Audio's site to see the pics. See how much quality does not go into his gear.

I cam close (twice) to buying Oram stuff.

TheSweetener · 26th September 2005

I don't wanna start another Oram discussion and you may be right in some points. There are some bad sounding devices like the S100.

But I have to say, I have always been treated very well! He even helped me much more than he needed to!

CKK · 30th November 2005

I really do not understand where all this anger towards John comes from. Its like, you have to bitch-slap the man to be a part of the "coolguys club".

I got the S100 - and I love it.

I do not care whats inside the box
I do not care what it looks like
I do not care to be a part of the "club"

What I do care about, is how it makes my input sound - absolutely lovely, warm, close, transparent with a huge headroom.

I do know that John Oram is a little of (looks like a crossover between a mad scientist and a used car sales person). But he has always been there when I needed info/techsupport on the S100.

Now a days, its like you would be better of having a behringer "console", than a product from John. He's the new target.

I dont care - I love his products. (And I know many high-end studios who does).

TheSweetener · 30th November 2005

No anger here. He's a nice guy! I just did not like the S100.

CorkyTart · 30th November 2005

All the techincal stuff can get silly and its just a preference anyhow. If it makes anyone feel better, Alanis did her first recording on mackie and adat.

tubehead · 30th November 2005

In any event, for those who are not Trident familiar, let's not confuse the new Trident incarnation with the original company and it's products; apples and oranges for the most part.

If you have heard / read a lot about Trident and never used there stuff, you most likely are hearing about the original gear i.e. A Range, B Range, TSM, Series 80/80b, Trimix/Series 70 all fantastic stuff.

Isle of Weight · 30th November 2005

I own one I think it sounds great! Not so great knobs but so what. Depending on the session I think it sounds great on drums as well as keys.

this site is very interesting to me, I see how people on this site HATE the s100, and I also own a tg2 and people on this site LOVE that piece. I find that in some situations the tg2 works and in others the s100 works or the OSA c's work for example...

but anyway I havent had any quality issues with mine, I bought it used and I've had for about a year.
regards
Aaron

CKK · 1st December 2005

I have found the S100 to be very "forgiving".
It really do not care what you put into it - it sounds sweet no matter what.

I cant say that about my SSL console.
Great for mixing - but not allways for tracking.

threm · 1st December 2005

I use one purely as a line mixer for keys etc. Works fine this way.
Knobs and hardware are tight and solid on mine
For dedicated tracking I have better micpres.

**Tim Farrant** · 5th December 2005

At the AES show in October, I had the chance to talk to John Oram about the S100 and related Oram products, and this is the story John asked me pass on in this thread (please correct me if I have forgotten anything John).

Oram Ltd manufactured a desk for Soundtech, similar to the S100. Production for the Soundtech desk ceased (not sure exactly why) and Oram was left with around 4000 printed circuit cards and other components in stock. Rather than throw these away, John turned these cards into the S100. These cards are also used for Trident Dream and some of the other Oram console models, albeit with different components fitted apparently.

If you look at the Trident Dream and the S100 and the Oram 4T (I think), you will notice that the control layout is identical due to the use of these circuit boards for the input and EQ sections. The differences "under the hood" I am not exactly sure about.

Regards
Tim Farrant.

Jamz · 5th December 2005

Has anyone tried or heard an Oram 4T?

22nd September 2005	#3
pigpen Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Athens, GA- US Posts: 2,322	I bought one, hated it. 2 of the pres didn't even work right out of the box , the ones that did sucked. Build felt like shit, felt cheap. It was so bad to me that I will not touch another piece of Trident gear. Sounds harsh, but oh well. Replaced it with an API 3124 and have not looked back. __________________ Me- "You know he's not playing in key right?" Unnamed Producer A- "Really?....Uh, Does that matter?" Me- sigh...."In all other cases, Yes, in this one...I guess not so much." http://pigpenstudios.net http://www.myspace.com/pigpenstudios

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8th July 2005	#1
CorkyTart Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: In a house Posts: 1,378 Thread Starter	Trident S100, most hated piece of gear here? I'm skipping the Behringer stuff cause that stuff is only a few hundred bucks. Trident runs 1k plus....

8th July 2005	#2
Tim Farrant Moderator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: New Zealand Posts: 2,309	From what I gather, the S100 is a re-badged Soundtech console. Apparently is was originally designed by John Oram for Soundtech. Is it a Trident? - not really. Wether or not it's actually any good is hard to ascertain - seems that not many people here own one. You should try and hear it before taking the plunge. Tim. __________________ "Come on, make my day" Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood) Visit Buzz Audio

22nd September 2005	#4
allbaldo Gear maniac Join Date: May 2004 Location: Tulsa Posts: 234	Bought one and didn't like it. Poor build quality, and lousy sound.

22nd September 2005	#5
TeReKeTe Gear nut Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: brooklyn, ny Posts: 123	I like mine and have gotten some really good sounds w/ it. i do wish it was a little more consistent, as far as tension on the knobs go, and i do wish it came with something approaching documentation. contrary to popular belief, the pre's DON'T suck. at least not on mine. problems: #1, there's a good amount of crosstalk between the busses, more than i find acceptable. it's not really a problem when mixing, but when tracking, the click track comes thru if i'm cranking it in the phones-- it's not headphone bleed. #2, i had a weird problem about a year ago in which the whole thing stopped working for a day. power supply, maybe? however it did come back online and work out.... It's a good box but it could be better.

25th September 2005	#7
mike scott Gear Head Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: new york Posts: 69	I don't know where some of you guys get your gear from, but I bought a bunch of Trident new stuff and got a 2 year warranty with all of it. Yes, my S100 arrived with a channel out, turned out to be transit damage removing a plug from a socket on that channel. I reported it to England and they shipped me a replacement overnight in a double skinned carton with extra foam and it arrived in perfect shape. I am sure the first unit left them working and mine was an early unit. I've been to London engineering and visited their place and they take total care to build reliable products. So, did you guys follow up when you had your problems? I was amazed to see John Oram at his desk at 2 in the morning doing business. Apparently he's done this for years coinciding with 6 pm west coast. I also have the Trident S20 for overheads which I leave in the studio and run the high level outs to my control room. One unit over drums, another over the grand.

25th September 2005	#9
insomnio Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 1,209	The knobs in mine were alive! They kept jumping out all the time. That was the first big dissapointment. I liked the hi band of the eq, IMO sweet...sold it a month later. What about Quality Control Dept.? Do they have it? ________________________ Insomnio

26th September 2005	#10
mike scott Gear Head Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: new york Posts: 69	Hi Insomnia, I can't sleep either! Did you effect the warranty, call Trident, mail them? What did they say to you? Did you buy it new? Tell the whole story. MS

26th September 2005	#12
TheSweetener Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Germany / Frankfurt Posts: 1,209	I don't wanna start another Oram discussion and you may be right in some points. There are some bad sounding devices like the S100. But I have to say, I have always been treated very well! He even helped me much more than he needed to!

30th November 2005	#13
CKK Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Denmark - Europe Posts: 894	I really do not understand where all this anger towards John comes from. Its like, you have to bitch-slap the man to be a part of the "coolguys club". I got the S100 - and I love it. I do not care whats inside the box I do not care what it looks like I do not care to be a part of the "club" What I do care about, is how it makes my input sound - absolutely lovely, warm, close, transparent with a huge headroom. I do know that John Oram is a little of (looks like a crossover between a mad scientist and a used car sales person). But he has always been there when I needed info/techsupport on the S100. Now a days, its like you would be better of having a behringer "console", than a product from John. He's the new target. I dont care - I love his products. (And I know many high-end studios who does).

30th November 2005	#16
tubehead Lives for gear Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: On the road Posts: 630	In any event, for those who are not Trident familiar, let's not confuse the new Trident incarnation with the original company and it's products; apples and oranges for the most part. If you have heard / read a lot about Trident and never used there stuff, you most likely are hearing about the original gear i.e. A Range, B Range, TSM, Series 80/80b, Trimix/Series 70 all fantastic stuff.

30th November 2005	#17
Isle of Weight Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: chicagoland Posts: 724	I own one I think it sounds great! Not so great knobs but so what. Depending on the session I think it sounds great on drums as well as keys. this site is very interesting to me, I see how people on this site HATE the s100, and I also own a tg2 and people on this site LOVE that piece. I find that in some situations the tg2 works and in others the s100 works or the OSA c's work for example... but anyway I havent had any quality issues with mine, I bought it used and I've had for about a year. regards Aaron

1st December 2005	#18
CKK Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Denmark - Europe Posts: 894	I have found the S100 to be very "forgiving". It really do not care what you put into it - it sounds sweet no matter what. I cant say that about my SSL console. Great for mixing - but not allways for tracking.

1st December 2005	#19
threm Gear maniac Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Norway Posts: 286	I use one purely as a line mixer for keys etc. Works fine this way. Knobs and hardware are tight and solid on mine For dedicated tracking I have better micpres.

5th December 2005	#20
Tim Farrant Moderator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: New Zealand Posts: 2,309	At the AES show in October, I had the chance to talk to John Oram about the S100 and related Oram products, and this is the story John asked me pass on in this thread (please correct me if I have forgotten anything John). Oram Ltd manufactured a desk for Soundtech, similar to the S100. Production for the Soundtech desk ceased (not sure exactly why) and Oram was left with around 4000 printed circuit cards and other components in stock. Rather than throw these away, John turned these cards into the S100. These cards are also used for Trident Dream and some of the other Oram console models, albeit with different components fitted apparently. If you look at the Trident Dream and the S100 and the Oram 4T (I think), you will notice that the control layout is identical due to the use of these circuit boards for the input and EQ sections. The differences "under the hood" I am not exactly sure about. Regards Tim Farrant.

5th December 2005	#21
Jamz Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Bucks County/Philly, PA Posts: 2,339	Has anyone tried or heard an Oram 4T?