Why do you buy, what you buy?

[Tom]

I think I can see where this is going go but I am willing to be proven wrong.

When you buy any piece of equipment, are you buying because of the brand name, the price, or what the piece of equipment has to offer?


All I ask is that people be 100% honest with this. Just interested that's all. :)

[Excalibur]

Mmmmm, big shiny. Want that one.

[spin mobile disco]

When I first started it was the price. I still shopped around but price was the deciding factor. Later I looked for things that I liked in tems of lighting etc price was becoming less important compared to how good I liked the effect.
These days I look for makes with effects I like, that I trust like Martin, acme etc.

Sound it came down to a system I could carry round that would be suitable for most events. I found a system I liked and sounded what I wanted and bought it. As with most things I narrowed it down by brands I wouldnt touch , models |I couldnt afford, and those that just sounded bad.

Hope this helps.

[rob1963]

Mainly the price.

Otherwise my retrirement won't come as soon as I hope.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Difficult to say really - it depends on what the equipment is.

[Corabar Steve]

Ease of use, to make things easier in general. Function & reliability.

[Babybob]

I think it depends on your business strategy, I bought Class D's because the reviews were good and they suited my budget as I only do a handful of gigs.
But if I were full time or wanted to do more work then I would look to pump some of the earnings back into the show.
I have an Impossibled which again is very reasonably priced and provides good coverage along with a cluster laser which is the same.
I would like some RCF's after hearing a Dj mate of mine in action with them but the outlay would be far too much for the amount of gigs I do.

[Daryll]

to quote Daftpunk (well almost)

Lighter ,stronger ,Louder,cheaper

Daryll

[thex-faders]

Originally it was price... and tbh it still is on Sound equipment especially. I wil always hsop around to find a price cheaper than the retail, but isnt that just a practical thing to do? Why pay full price when you can get it cheaper for same product
Lighting I look for effects i like and will add to the show. Price is again a factor .. jsut a case of saving up if we dont have enough.

Recenlty more focus has been put on size of equipment as transport gets smaller while i attempt to pass my driving test... transport goes from a galaxy people carrier... to two ford fiesta's ..
Tom

[Charlie Brown]

I would love people on this forum to take a blindfold test.

Could you WITHOUT seeing the label of the mixer tell the difference between a decent Numark mixer (£150/200) and a Pioneer or Dennon mixer (£550+)

Probably not.

I believe some things are physiological too. Some people may believe that just because it's a Shure SM58 it MUST be THE mic to buy currently on the market and they will tend to discard other microphones on the market. I understand this is the industries standard and is a superb mic, but it's something to think about.

The same applies to speakers...Just because it has a "Mackie" or "RCF" badge doesn't necessarily mean it's better then XXX brand....again, I understand most people try before they buy, but hopefully your understanding my method of thinking.

I'm not saying folk on here are saying this....but I think it applies to a lot of things in life. Cars, clothing, home appliances....Brand is very important.

I will be brutally honest here...I don't buy myself much, but when I do, I aim/tend to go for the best. I buy nice clothes...I often ask myself, "This clothes were made by George (ASDA) would you buy them?" Probably not... :o - Which is a very sad out-take on life and hopefully as I get older I will grow out of.

[Penfold42]

Reliabilty for me.......which almost goes hand in hand with brand name. IMO

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Could you WITHOUT seeing the label of the mixer tell the difference between a decent Numark mixer (£150/200) and a Pioneer or Dennon mixer (£550+)

Probably not.

I disagree. You are talking from your POV. How do you know what others can hear? Also, you are talking from very little experience Charlie. When you have used a number of mixers etc I think you will change your opinion. I used to use Mackie 450s with a Denon mixer and had a DJ who used his Mackies with a Gemini mixer and the sound was much better with the Denon.


I believe some things are physiological too. Some people may believe that just because it's a Shure SM58 it MUST be THE mic to buy currently on the market and they will tend to discard other microphones on the market

I use an SM58 because it suits my voice, sounds very good through my system and is a reasonable price. I have used and tried lots of different mics and cheaper mics are cheap for a reason.


The same applies to speakers...Just because it has a "Mackie" or "RCF" badge doesn't necessarily mean it's better then XXX brand....

Sound is subjective CB. I think you need to listen to a few more hundred pairs of speakers before coming to that conclusion.


I buy nice clothes...I often ask myself, "This clothes were made by George (ASDA) would you buy them?" Probably not... :o - Which is a very sad out-take on life and hopefully as I get older I will grow out of.

You will when your priorities change. Try buying Armani and having a big mortgage and a family. The difference is Charlie, the equipment is an investment and makes money and clothes don't.

[Excalibur]

I would love people on this forum to take a blindfold test.

Could you WITHOUT seeing the label of the mixer tell the difference between a decent Numark mixer (£150/200) and a Pioneer or Dennon mixer (£550+)

Probably not.

I believe some things are physiological too. Some people may believe that just because it's a Shure SM58 it MUST be THE mic to buy currently on the market and they will tend to discard other microphones on the market. I understand this is the industries standard and is a superb mic, but it's something to think about.

The same applies to speakers...Just because it has a "Mackie" or "RCF" badge doesn't necessarily mean it's better then XXX brand....again, I understand most people try before they buy, but hopefully your understanding my method of thinking.

I'm not saying folk on here are saying this....but I think it applies to a lot of things in life. Cars, clothing, home appliances....Brand is very important.

I will be brutally honest here...I don't buy myself much, but when I do, I aim/tend to go for the best. I buy nice clothes...I often ask myself, "This clothes were made by George (ASDA) would you buy them?" Probably not... :o - Which is a very sad out-take on life and hopefully as I get older I will grow out of.

Charlie, I'm going to agree with Darren here, you can tell the difference with mixers. Since moving to Denon, from KAM, I certainly can.

I have an SM58 wired and a wireless. Reliable, but no way the best. If it suits your voice, and it works every time, never mind the badge

Speakers, well :zip: :D :D


Reliabilty for me.......which almost goes hand in hand with brand name. IMO
Not if theres badge engineering going on. Trick is knowing which badge.

[rob1963]

you can tell the difference with mixers. Since moving to Denon, from KAM, I certainly can.

When you say YOU can tell the difference, who do you mean?

You as in a DJ who has tried lots of different mixers, you as in a DJ with a good ear or you as in the average punter?

[Excalibur]

When you say YOU can tell the difference, who do you mean?

You as in a DJ who has tried lots of different mixers, you as in a DJ with a good ear or you as in the average punter?

Me as a deaf old git.

[rob1963]

Me as a deaf old git.

If it makes you feel any better, I'm also the first of those three.

:D

[Excalibur]

If it makes you feel any better, I'm also the first of those three.

:D

Deaf, but not an old git? :confused: :p :D :D :D

No seriously Rob, when I ditched the ailing KAM mixer for a Denon, the difference in quality was amazing. Paul (Diamond Geezer) says pretty much the same thing. ( it's in another thread somewhere)

Now whether any punter would hear it, well that's a thread on its own. ;)

[Tony Scott]

I try to strike a balance between quality and price spending extra money where I think it's most important..... the sound mainly. I wouldn't buy a piece of kit just for the brand name but believe that brands get a good name for a reason.

With lighting I will go for stuff that is effective but not too expensive hence my use of the cheaper thomann moving heads, acme LED effects, budget LED pars, mirror balls etc. I put a lot of effort into presentation and try to use these cheaper fixture to the best effect. I think I achieve this?

When it comes to sound I will spend a bit more and go for better components particularly the speakers and mixers; Denon, Precision Devices, Beyma, Volt, Martin Audio etc.
I do save money on amps and go for cheaper but reliable brands, Behringer EP's & T-amps mainly although I've got a Martin an MC2 and an Amcron(Crown). :)

[A1DL]

When you buy any piece of equipment, are you buying because of the brand name, the price, or what the piece of equipment has to offer?


A simple question Tom, but not so simple an answer. Anyway, here goes, from my point of view...

I guess your third point; "what the piece of equipment has to offer" comes first all the time - after all, if the piece of equipment did not do the job it was being bought for, then the whole exercise is rendered pointless, so suitability must be at the top of the agenda.

For me, it's not just about brand names, but more importantly, industry standards. For several reasons; expectation and familiarity amongst clients and performers, ability to dry hire more for larger jobs from local rental houses, reliable and established support & service infrastructure, resale value typically way exceeding book value... that's for starters.

I suppose the industry standard thing does closely tie in with brand names though, as we all have our particular favourites, however it's not always set in stone. Let's say we needed some more 2x1/3 octave GEQs. Probably would end up buying more Klark, although BSS and XTA would be serious contenders too.

Price per se isn't important and certainly not a consideration to seek alternative product. Would I buy an (insert whatever brand) 18" reflex box that supposedly had an equal spec to Q-Sub but was £1,000 cheaper? No. In five years time the Q-Sub will still be worth £1,200+ on the secondhand market, the other box may be worth £300 if it still plays and the sun is shining. The extra £1,000 outlay isn't £1,000 but only £250 more in year one. Obviously it's important not to pay over the top, although we only purchase from distributors and sales partners, where the discount tiers are pretty much standard.

So in summary, I would say the order is:
(1) functionality
(2) industry standards
(3) brands
(4) price

A good example of functionality over brand would be the Numark ipod docking station. Only Numark manufacture a rack mountable docking station in the UK. Normally I wouldn't consider that brand however the functionality of the Numark "idec" is spot on and we've fitted them into playback racks. Being totally honest, if Tascam made the same thing and it cost double, we'd have paid the extra, as the playback racks are full of other Tascam gear and it's a trusted name.

Just my 2p.

[rob1963]

Deaf, but not an old git?

Correct. :D :D :D


No seriously Rob, when I ditched the ailing KAM mixer for a Denon, the difference in quality was amazing. Paul (Diamond Geezer) says pretty much the same thing. ( it's in another thread somewhere)

Now whether any punter would hear it, well that's a thread on its own. ;)

Interesting point.

I'm wondering how many punters commented on the quality not being very good when you used the KAM, and how many comment on the quality being excellent since you've switched to the Denon?

If the answer to both questions is none, it makes me wonder how much it matters.

It's a bit like the argument between different burn speeds & which is best to use.

[Steve James]

On the subject of mixers, & I’ve used many different types over the years and there is a big difference from the "bottom end" Kam, Numark, and the "pro end", Denon, Allen & Heath pioneer etc.
To start with, the build quality, you will find that the likes of Kam, Newmark, Citronic etc will, in most cases come from the same factory somewhere in Taiwan, components used are cheap, faders don't last long, particularly the cross fades, knobs full off, and...that annoying earth hum, cheap transformers maybe? The whole thing just "feels" cheap.
Then there is the sound quality. In most cases I have found that cheaper mixers sound harsh, no clear definition from hi's & mid's & the bass, well it just sounds hollow.
These mixers are built to a budget & aimed at the budget market. IF you pay £150 for a mixer you cannot expect it to sound as good a £600 mixer.
I still own an old Citronic sm650 mixer form the days when they were built in the UK & yes, it still works. Put that against the mass produced Citronic kit of today & there really is no comparison.