How fragile are Tascam mic inputs?

[TFunkadelic]

Ok, go back about 2 months. I had just got an FW-1884 and I was recording a few things for my uncle. While he was recording stuff, he unplugged a mic cable from the mixer, and afterwords channel 2 (the one that was hot swapped) got very f'd up, and shorty thereafter detected no input at all. I sent it back to get a replacement thinking it may have been a defective. Fastforward to now. I recently got myy replacement, and yesterday one of my friends did the same thing and now I have no mic 1 input. Aare they supposed to just be done after doing this once or have I been unfortunate enough to get two iffy boards in a row?

 

[crosstudio]

nope they are crappy pieces of plastic.

the plastic housing of my #2 cracked.

 

[MrBlackthorne]

My FW-1884 did the same thing. I'm yet to send it back for repairs, but it's no longer under warranty (I think - it's like a year, right?), so I bet it'll be big bucks. I was recording an ensemble, and it was the first time I had ever used the phantom power on the board. Turned the phantom power off, unhooked the mics. Next time I went to use it, I couldn't get a signal on input 1 or 2. The rest work.

It's somewhat comforting (or not) to know I'm not alone with this...

Rick

 

[sloom]

Why don't you guys get together and write Tascam a letter? Seriously! Why should they make you pony up the cash for 'crappy pieces of plastic'? Not working from where I sit.

I have a US-428, and the whole thing is a crappy piece of plastic- but I've had no trouble with input jacks. I'm also not working at a pro level, though. Maybe I'm just not using it enough!

 

[thane1200]

I have a US-428, and the whole thing is a crappy piece of plastic- but I've had no trouble with input jacks. I'm also not working at a pro level, though. Maybe I'm just not using it enough!

I have the same unit, but I have it hooked up via a patchbay.....that way all my pluggin and unpluggin is done via that. Less impact on the 428.

 

[MrBlackthorne]

Yeah, sloom. I had a US-428. It's why I decided to get the FW-1884. I loved the US-428 and didn't have a single problem with it ever. Sold it to my sister's boyfriend and it's still going strong.

I'm in the middle of setting up a patchbay for the FW-1884. But you're right, there's no reason why in a little over a year, the mic inputs should bust on a piece of equipment so pricey.

Rick

 

[sloom]

I tell ye, you guys should gang up and write a letter. And post it here! The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Input jacks, faders, pots/knobs and the like should be made of durable material. There's no excuse for the cheap-out on something you pay over a grand for. Tascam will get a deserved bad rap for this, it's kind of a fundamental no-brainer that the business end of an item needs to stand up to abuse.

Manufacturers are seeing a lot of hobbyists getting into all this recording thing. A hobbyist/weekender won't put the same demands on their gear that a working artist or pro engineer will, and they're playing to that lowest common denominator- and 'getting away with it'. This has to annoy you a bit...(No offence to us hobbyists out here!) But: Don't let them do it.

So. Who wants to talk about the government?...