Patchbays

[Phil G]

Does anyone know where I can buy patchbays in the UK, preferably mail order or over the internet?

[C. Lewis]

Phil: I would try eBay first. There are currently at least two decent patchbays upon which people are currently bidding. Last time I looked, bids were around $50 or so. Good luck.

[regebro]

$50 is also what a Behringer Ultraptach costs new. Anybody knows any reason NOT to use that one?
The Rean on sale on eBay right now seems to be balanced, which is nice, but this is what someone called "Plastic Alien" has to say about comparing them:

"When I got overly stuffed up with the reliability problem of my Re'An 48 patch-bay (damn those cracks and signal losses !!!!) I looked around if some new pro patch-bays have hit the market and I stumbled over the Behringer Ultra Patch modules: Incredible: the same product but two times cheaper ! Unbelievable, there must be something weird in the offer... I decided to go and check by myself and I must admit that Behringer has again hit very hard with a real quality product. The 1U 48 point bay is compact and sturdy (nothing to do with my half enclosed Re'an...) and all imaginable routing schemes could be used without un patching thanks to individual sliders !!! Ok it wasn't balanced but who cares for the price and for a home studio use ! We have so few balanced machines and cables anyway.... This is the years home-studio utility product and I bought two of them just to make sure I could patch anything without bothering. Since then, I haven't got any crackles or pops on my audio signals unlike my more professional, expensive and faulty Re'an patch-bay.... Behringer are the only on who have demonstrated than cheap doesn't always mean crap...."

[Gear_Junky]

I looked at a patchbay at the store yesterday, just to see what they are.. neat little thing, I could see it being SO useful. I'm gonna build me a rack and get one or two.

[dobro]

Regebro - my question's the same as yours: any reason *not* to get the Behringer patch bay?

I'll ignore the endorsement you posted, because I don't know the person who posted it, hence I don't know how much credence to give it.

Do you know of a balanced patch bay in a similar price range?

[regebro]

I don't know him either. But then again, I don't know any of you, do I?

No, sorry, I haven't had any use of a balanced patchbay and haven't been looking for one.

[Sagar]

Hey Guys--

I love my dbx PB-48. It's a 48-point balanced patchbay, and it cost me around $80 at my local Sam Ash. Every patch point, front and back, accepts balanced quarter inch.