Lexicon MPX-xxx A/D D/A converters.

T

TaxMan88

New member
Okay folks, here it is.

With my planned setup, I'm going to be using a recorder with 24 bit A/D D/A converters. I'm looking at two different effects units, the Lexicon MPX-100 and the MPX-500. The 500 (ringing in at about 400 bucks) has 24 bit A/D D/A converters as well. The 100 (coming in about 200 bucks less) only has 20 bit converters.

Tell me the truth here. Will there be a noticeable loss of quality in the recording if the effects box's converters aren't as good as the recorder's? Is it worth the 200 extra bucks for the 500?? Also, if anyone has experience with either (but preferably both) of these units, lemme know what you think.

Hoping to get some help here.
--Tax :D
 
A reviewer in Sospubs.com(sound on sound magazine) said:

on a scale of one to ten, with the pcm 80 scoring ten, and the mpx-100 scoring one, the mpx-500 scores a 5 or better.

the mpx 500 is that much better than the mpx-100.
And the mpx-1 is roughly the same as a pcm 80.

peace.
 
Hey CJ...

Sorry... I have to disagree... I've heard both and the 500 is very similar in sound to the MPX-1... much closer it seems than that reviewer would have you believe....

Bruce
 
So basically . . .

The general concensus is that I should just shell out the extra 200 bucks. And for those 200 clams, I'll get a superior product sound and flexibility wise.

I mean, I knew I'd be getting a better product. I just wanted to know if it was 200 dollars better.

--Tax :D
 
MPX100/500

TaxMan88,

Bruce is correct, the 500 and MPX1 are in the same ballpark, an obvious step up from the 100....I know, I own all three, plus an LXP15v2...I do prefer the MPX1 over all for most apps...don't get me wrong, the MPX100 is a great bang for the buck, but the 500 gets you a lot closer to the mid-grade lex's sound...in my mind, for the $, the 500 is probably a "best buy", not as expensive as a MPX1, but similar in many respects. Best of luck!

BW
 
hi

bruce, there were actually two different reviews . One was reviewing the mpx 500 and the other was reviewing the mpx-1.
I would not hesitate to say that two different people also reviewed the units.


bwindsor, How would you say that the lxp-15 compares to the mpx-500. Not in terms of programmability, but in terms of reverb sound.

Reason is : I use an lxp-1, which is basically the same reverb section as the lxp-15 and I was wondering how big of a step up an mpx-500 would be.

You just gotta love the sound of those lexicons though.

peace
 
Although you didn't ask me... I'll throw in my 2 cents about the LPX series!

I used an LXP-1 a few years back and remember liking the sound quality.... although it doesn't constitue as an A/B comparison (since audio memory doesn't last more than a few seconds, let alone years!), I immediately liked the sound of the MPX-500 when I was testing them (actually, A/B'ing them with the TC Elec. M*One - the M*One was crap compared to the Lexi... anyways...).

The 500 is a nice unit, if you have the money, the MPX-1 is even nicer! And I definitely agree that the Lexi 'verb sound is very tough to beat. TC Elect. certainly didn't succeed at it!!!

Bruce
 
LXP15/MPX500 Rev's

CyanJaguar,

Purely from a reverb standpoint, I find these two units to be very similar, the 500 being slightly "cleaner" than the LXP15 (newer technology, parts)...that being said, I often choose the 15 over the 500 if I need a little "edge" added to certain things, just to "blur the lines", if you know what I mean(some refer to this as grainyness). For a more pristine rev I would choose the 500, and in the ease of use department, as you probably know, there is no comparison, the 500 beats all of the above-mentionned, including the MPX1 (but the revs are the best of all in the MPX1, of what I own!)

I do own some other units (Yamaha Rev500, some other unmentionables) and they all have their place, but there's something about Lexicon Reverb, and the higher up that chain you go, the nicer it gets...that's why I think, for the money, the MPX500 is a great buy, obviously not the best thing they make though!

Can't go wrong with a Lexi, just choose your price point!

Best of luck,

BW
 
Thanks Bruce and Bwindsor,

that makes me extremely happy, considering what I paid for it .

I have to agree with you, bwindsor about the pristinness of the mpx. I have a reference sample of a vocal run through an mpx-1 , and the reverb is amazingly clean. Sometimes I listen to it and I think it's too clean. Sometimes.

I hope that I can get an mpx500 or mpx-1 oneday though.

thanks
 
I was this close from buying the mpx-1 today the I was wondering what that unit is used for besides reverb. It is an multi-effects processor. What do people generally use the other effects for. I'd hate to spend that amount if money for something that I will only use part of. Will that unit be good as an occasional guitar processor? I will be using the unit both live and recording.
Also, I am helping with the sound at a very old church that has very live natural acoustics, all wood through-out. I was going to try to add some reverb to the sound to see if I can mask the natural acoustics. Any ideas on that?
davem
 
dave m said:
I was this close from buying the mpx-1 today the I was wondering what that unit is used for besides reverb. It is an multi-effects processor. What do people generally use the other effects for. I'd hate to spend that amount if money for something that I will only use part of. Will that unit be good as an occasional guitar processor? I will be using the unit both live and recording.
Click to expand...
I can't imagine someone not finding a use for the other effects... it does reverb very well, but all delays, choruses, rotaries, etc... are also very good and can be useful in many applications.

dave m said:
Also, I am helping with the sound at a very old church that has very live natural acoustics, all wood through-out. I was going to try to add some reverb to the sound to see if I can mask the natural acoustics. Any ideas on that?
davem
Click to expand...

Adding reverb ON TOP of a church's natural acoustics is very likely to muddy everything up, no matter how good a reverb unit you have. If you want a dry sound controlled via effects, a church IS NOT the place to do that. (Most people will record in a church specifically to get the natural reverb!)

Bruce
 
I've decided.

I've made my decision. I'm going to go with the MPX-500. If BRUCE uses it, it's got to be good. ;)

Naw, really . . . the MPX-1 is out of my price range and I really trust Bruce's opinion. Also, with a name like Lexicon, it's got to be good. (Oops, wrong slogan wrong company.) :)

Effects are so important to the overall quality of a recording. I have figured out that if you're going to skimp on anything in your setup, it SHOULD NOT be the effects box. (OR the monitors) ;)

--Tax :D
 
As far as I know another big difference in the MPX1 and the MPX500 is that the MPX1 has two chips. One is dedicated to the the reverb and the other for the other effects.
That is the main reason I would go for the MPX1 over the MPX500. You won't lose any sound quality while using more than one effect at a time.
davem
 
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