Re: mackie? vs. soundcraft...

["Scott Bullerwell" <tanelorn@dimensional.com>]

Doug wrote:

> This sounds like a great deal, and I've never had a problem with
> Behringer's product.  I DO have a problem with their politics.  For
> Behringer, R&D seems to stand for Reverse-engineer and Deviate (just
enough
> so they can't get sued for stealing their desings)
> 
> The units are prototyped in Germany, and the production cycle is fine
> tuned.  Then, Behringer engineers detool in Germany and tool up at plants
> in Asia where they can pay SKILLED solders (as your experience would
> support) and assembly workers a few cents an hour.
> 
> Before I get on my Kathy Lee soap box, if this is the American way of
doing
> business, count me out.  Their products hit great price points. (Their
> version of the Ramsa 31 band EQ is great, (beautiful soft interface) and
is
> dirt cheap, but I'd rather save myself the bad karma).  Just thought that
> you ought to know.

Agreed.  I mentioned this before when someone asked for a reccomendation on
a compressor.  I don't pretend to be up on the human rights in China issue
(certainly the military--under the trade name Norinco--does run most
manufacturing) but the story on Behringer's engineering chickanery is long
and dirty.  They've been sued (successfully) by Aphex for copping the
exciter's circuitry, and by Mackie for stealing circuit board designs.  In
the Mackie case, I have heard that the clincher was that the Behringer had
a printed circuit board on it with an error that was identical to the error
on the Mackie board in question.  Oops.  Now Behringer's been accused of
copying the capsule from (if I remember correctly) the Neumann microphone.

However, if I place the art vs. ethics consideration aside for a moment I'm
sorely tempted to buy myself a Behringer 2642.  As for politics--Greg
Mackie is a Deadhead, something I find morally repugnant ;-) but I'd still
consider buying his products.

Scott