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Sound:
I haven't ever noticed a difference in sound between my mixer's headphone output and any of the four HR-6s in use at the moment. There's a tiny bit of bleed between channels, but that's not surprising with several tens of feet of parallel unshielded cabling, and isn't in the least bit troublesome per our needs.
Feature:
There are six inputs: Two are for a stereo pair, and four are individual mono feeds. You can adjust the levels independently for all five (1*S and 4*M) sources. You can also disable the four mono feeds entirely, thereby "soloing" the stereo feed. This is useful, for example, if you use the stereo feed as a main mix, and the four mono feeds as "more me" channels.
Now, the nice thing is that this box is dead simple to use. Musicians aren't always a technical bunch. Even with one button and five knobs, I sometimes have to remind everyone which knob does what (there is a spot for labels, if you're so inclined), but I rarely have to walk anyone through how to use it.
That said, I would really REALLY like to see a master volume knob. Preferably, one for each or the two headphone outputs.
Even better still, I'd love to be able to pan the mono feeds. The usefulness of the individual inputs is somewhat lost when everything is dead center in your phones. If stereo sound is important to you (or your users), you have to put all those sources in your main mix feed. But then you lose the ability to control their relative levels at the box. It's a trade-off, and I still struggle with which is the better option... stereo sound, or level control... hmm... If there were pan pots, you'd be able to chose between 1*S and 4*M, 3*S, or 2*S and 2*M. That would add a ton of versatility.
Ease of Use:
From the users' perspective, this is a 10.
From the engineer's perspective, it's a 9, since it lacks a few "essential" features.
Overall, it's simple, to-the-point, and intuitive. Absolutely the best option in this price range.
Quality:
I bought my system in stages. Some of them were used, most new. All of them are subject to regular abuse, and work pretty well despite that.
They ship with high-strength velcro to mount the box to the mic stand adaptor. This has worn out on a few of them. The adhesive has worn out on one. Some of them stick together TOO well, and I've bent a stand adaptor trying to take the box off.
On a couple, the pots aren't perfectly smooth, but the sonic performance doesn't seem to be any worse for the wear. I broke a knob off (along with most of the pot shaft) on one of the boxes after it fell four feet to the floor (due to the worn-out velcro...) The pot still works fine, you just have to be a little creative to use it. I think every one of the boxes has taken at least a couple dives though, so one casualty is easily excused.
I don't worry about road worthiness. They may not be pretty after a couple years of use, but they'll still get you through the gig.
Value:
Yeah, absolutely a value for the money. The Aviom, Hear, etc., stuff is all way too expensive for working musicians, or a project studio or whatever. This system has a bit of an entry fee, since you need the HDS-6 and at least two HR-6s to be of much use, but I haven't found a cheaper way to get this level of flexibility. I've looked.
Naturally, I'd like to see the boxes a little cheaper, but the price is reasonable for the build quality and durability. If there had to be sacrifices to shave $20 or $50 off, I'd rather pay their present going rate instead.
Manufacturer Support:
Haven't needed support on these, but I spoke with a support rep regarding a Furman pedal board, and they were very helpful. Someday I'll get that knob fixed...
The Wow Factor:
Not sexy, really. It's a beige box. Digital interconnects (for single-cable hookup, for example), more channel options (pan pots, limiting, etc.) would all increase the salivation rating, but probably also the cost and complexity. This gets.. the job.. DONE. Good enough.
Overall:
Random Thoughts:
I love that is uses standard CAT-5 UTP cabling. Our practice space is wired up with a centralized telecom-style 66-block distribution panel, and CAT-5e runs to wall plates. Each wall plate has gray and blue jacks to match the cable color coding system Furman uses. I probably wouldn't have bought this system if I had to use XLR, TRS, or proprietary cables. Ethernet cable is easy to make yourself in custom lengths, cheap, ubiquitous...
The boxes are the right size. Not too big and bulky, not so small they'll get lost.
Alright, this is supposed to be just a review of the HR-6, but since you can't use this box without the HDS-6 rack unit, I have two complaints there: First, I'd like to see a headphone output on the HDS-6. It would make troubleshooting much easier, since the only feedback you get is a single power LED, and clip LEDs on the five inputs.
Also, I really hate the hard-wired power cord. I took mine apart, relocated the power transformer to the side, and put in an IEC inlet jack on the rear panel. Absolutely, totally, worth the trouble and voided warranty. It should have been made that way. Seriously.
I see myself using these until it becomes more practical to have someone mixing monitor feeds FOR us. Even then, I'm sure I'll find uses for them.
You won't get excited putting cash into this product, but you'll be really glad to have it.
Someone recently visited our practice space and was just awestruck at how much easier it is to play when everyone can hear themselves, and everyone else. Not to mention, my ears don't bleed when we're out playing live.
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