M520, look at this, holy smoke

[pbergo]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1

[ADATlove]

WHOA! That looks like a sweet board. Did you bid?

[Beck]

Yeah I saw it, and it took all my self-control not to bid on it. I was watching it, thinking it would really shoot up in the last few minutes.

During the last minute I was pouring one drink after the next and slamming them down (Coca-Cola) and wiping tears from my eyes (partly from the carbonation), but I just didn’t have room for it.

Somebody got a great deal deal.

[A Reel Person]

.......................

[ADATlove]

How does that model differ from a M-320b? I've seen a few of those and I'm incredibly intrigued. They seem to be pretty inexpensive for their fantastic reputation. Any idea what the m-320b goes for on the used market? I think I am ready to trade in my Behringer for something that sounds good.

[A Reel Person]

The M520 is 8-buss architecture & the M320 is 4-buss. That's a huge difference.

The M520's EQ is 3-band sweepable, while the M320's EQ is 2-band sweep/1-fixed.

The M520's more feature-loaded than the M320,... (can't remember all the upgrades),... such as having a fancier preamp/input section,... (blah blah blah). Fancier Submix section. Fancier Aux's. 16 Tape Returns...

The M520 has a higher level of premium features and pro quality than the M320, (sorry for the cliches).

The M520's worth a bit more than a M320/B (& usually bids higher, but "pickup-only" deals always bid lower).

Anyway, at well over 100 lbs., the M520 would be a bi*** to ship! Expensive! Maybe $125, which would be about $1 a pound! Actually, that's not a bad deal, if u think about it! A local pickup deal would be the way to go when considering an item of this size.

When purchasing an M520, make sure it includes the rackmount power supply (PS-520) and one-of-a-kind power cable, that connects the board to the supply!!! If you don't get that supply and cable, you'll have a 114 lb. paperweight!

[ADATlove]

Thanks for the information. The 4 vs 8 bus and 8 vs 16 tape returns are indeed leaps worth a higher cost. I'm running a max of 2 ADATs so 16 returns would be fantastic. The EQ and AUX upgrades also sound enticing but I think my situation will come down to availability and timing. Are the preamps in the M520 and M320 any different? I'm having some trouble locating spec sheets and manuals to compare these Tascam boards online, any ideas as to where I can find such literature?