Feature:
Again, apples to apples ...
Mic pre's are really decent. Plenty of gain. Balanced I/O's. Phantom power (switchable per channel). FX loop. Aux-In. Headphone out. Stereo Outs. Mono monitor send. Pan per channnel. ALL in a single rack-space!
WISH LIST: More functional meter(s)
WHINE LIST: Mid EQ. Truly not MISSING it per se (maybe it's the Mackie's), but would like it.
SPOIL-ME LIST: separate Tape (RCA) I/O's (stereo, of course ...)and/or 2 more channels.
Quality:
- Not quite as tight as, say, a Yamaha product.
Mechanicals all seem solid. Contols are really small & fragile-looking. However, I've had it on the road for almost a year in New England shizo-weather; So far so good.
Value:
I'm a fairly meticulous guy re; gear/performance. I'll pay more $$ for gear if it delivers. So far, - and at the risk of sounding hyperbolous - RM65 is worth double what it costs. (in fact, the relatively small price tag was a big part of my initial apprehension a.k.a. "it can't be that good for that price")
It's small, it does alot per sq. inch, it sounds good, and it's reliable. BIG bang for the buck here.
Desirability:
In fairness, it should be stated that this reviewer is absolutely a function-OVER-fashion guy. Hence, the raves above.
Sex Appeal? What sex appeal? This piece has none. (For the record, in this reviewer's opinion, the whole "silver"-ness thing in comtempo gear design is haneous ...) Ergonomically, it is a nightmare. (BUT, that's ALOT of stuff on the face of ONE rack-space).
Seriously, though, to me RM65's features-per-inch and bang-for-buck far outweigh any aesthetic short-coming.
Sound:
Apples to Apples, this thing sounds great!
It is what it is; over-all sound is good, but, considering the price/convenience - phenomenal!
I use the RM65B w/ TCElectronics M300 (ALSO recommended!) Multi FX to mix my solo Vox/Keez/MIDI-back-trax LIVE (haven't tried w/ recording) w/ pair of Mackie SRM450's (ALSO recommended!!)having scaled down from a Promix 01V mixer.
Sound-wise, it's not really possible to compare the Rolls w/ 01V.
That said, I bought the Rolls in hopes of downsizing w/ little or no compromise in live sound. If you know the 01V, you know what kind of a leap we're talking about, here, and can probably imagine my guarded "sounds good on paper" optimism.
BOTTOM LINE: I couldn't be more pleased.
Support:
Called Rolls w/ many-a-question before I took the dive.
Easy enough to reach. Tech guy was a little terse. However, problems solved, Q's answered. Haven't needed repair or service.
Overall:
Again, I'm very pleased.
There's always a thing or two you'd like to have additionally, but you just can't beat this piece. I literally scoured the internet looking for something like this (small, feature-ful, not a million dollars, SOUNDS GOOD) and I kept coming back to and eventually bought this one. It's been almost a year and I keep finding myself really glad I have it.
Many of my peers inquire about gear after hearing "the show" that has resulted in at least two of them purchasing one for themselves.
I'm set up and ready to rock in 20 minutes AND I can fit the whole rig in the back of a Subaru Legacy (stands, keyboard & all).
- All due - in large part - to the RM65.
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