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Author Topic: SOundcraft GB4 vs. Allen & Heath GL2400  (Read 28786 times)

Jacob Robinson

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SOundcraft GB4 vs. Allen & Heath GL2400
« on: February 27, 2011, 01:37:53 PM »

I have been looking at mixers for our church for about a year now, and I thought I was set on the Allen & Heath GL2400-32.  But then I was glancing on All Pro Sound's website and noticed that they have the Soundcraft GB4-32 for $2,499 which is the same price that I was looking at the GL2400 for.

http://www.allprosound.com/catalog/productdetails~fprodid~8259~item~Soundcraft-RW5692SM.htm

 At that price I am now considering the GB4, it seems to have more features on paper (8 aux's being the biggest one) but sometimes actual use makes the facts on paper irrelevant. 

I guess what I am trying to ask is if there would be any reason that the GL2400 is superior to the GB4 when prices are equal?

I know that there have been several posts in the old forum on this same topic, but it seems that the price difference is always the deciding factor.



Thanks for the input,

--Jake
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g'bye, Dick Rees

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Re: SOundcraft GB4 vs. Allen & Heath GL2400
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2011, 02:23:44 PM »

I have been looking at mixers for our church for about a year now, and I thought I was set on the Allen & Heath GL2400-32.  But then I was glancing on All Pro Sound's website and noticed that they have the Soundcraft GB4-32 for $2,499 which is the same price that I was looking at the GL2400 for.

http://www.allprosound.com/catalog/productdetails~fprodid~8259~item~Soundcraft-RW5692SM.htm

 At that price I am now considering the GB4, it seems to have more features on paper (8 aux's being the biggest one) but sometimes actual use makes the facts on paper irrelevant. 

I guess what I am trying to ask is if there would be any reason that the GL2400 is superior to the GB4 when prices are equal?

I know that there have been several posts in the old forum on this same topic, but it seems that the price difference is always the deciding factor.



Thanks for the input,

--Jake

8 auxes trump 6, of course, but the make/break point for me is the crispness and definition of the channel strip EQ's.  I would say it would be worth the time to preview both consoles.....even if all you can do is go to the store, plug in a playback device with your favorite cuts, then listen with good headphones.  Listen to both the soloed channel and the mains.  Mess with the EQ and hear for yourself which gives the most favorable response.  If they're both the same, flip a coin...... 
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Mike Spitzer

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Re: SOundcraft GB4 vs. Allen & Heath GL2400
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2011, 10:08:04 PM »

I've been going through the exact same debate on the 24 channel. There are two main differences I see that give one a plus over the other.

The GB4 has 8 auxes and 6 are configurable as pre or post. If you need a lot of fold-back mixes and fx, that's probably the best way to go.

The GL2400 pre-fade auxes are also pre-eq. That tends to be better for monitors and, really, that's how the GB4 should be set up, in my opinion. That could be make or break for you. As far as I know, that's not configurable on the GB. The GL is very easily configurable via jumpers.

Other than that, the mic-pres do color the sound differently. It's too subjective, though, for me to voice my opinion here. Like Dick said, see if you can find a couple to run something through and see for yourself.

-mS
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Imo Nkweini

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Re: SOundcraft GB4 vs. Allen & Heath GL2400
« Reply #3 on: February 28, 2011, 02:01:39 AM »

I'm actually budgeting for the GL2400-32 for my church 'cos I've already gotten used to the GL2800-42 which I'm using for live sound rentals. The GL series have great preamps and that's my strong point. I've never used GB4. I only read about it
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Matthias Heitzer

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Re: SOundcraft GB4 vs. Allen & Heath GL2400
« Reply #4 on: February 28, 2011, 01:17:49 PM »

The GB4 has more inputs, 24mono + 2 stereo + 2 stereo returns, the Gl2400 has 22 mono + 2 "dual" stereo.
The GB4 has 4 mutegroups, an additional mono-bus, full scale meters for the groups, LR and the mono bus. If you pfl a channel, you still see the LR meters, because soloing uses the monobus' meters.
The GB4 provides more monitoring options, the gl2400 has advantages concerning the talkback and oscillators.

I like the GL EQ, the LM band reaches down to 35 Hz (Gb4: 80Hz) and that's an advantage that imho compensates for all of the additional features of the GB4. If i don't need the additional auxes, inputs and options of the GB4, i'd choose the Gl2400.
But that's a personal preference.


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chuck clark

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Re: SOundcraft GB4 vs. Allen & Heath GL2400
« Reply #5 on: March 01, 2011, 01:45:30 AM »

I've mixed on a friends GB 4 and I own a 32ch GL2400. Any talk about sound quality difference between these 2 nice mixers is nit pickin.
If you need 8 auxes get the GB4.
If you need to send monitor mixes from FOH and want to be able to crank your FOH channel strip EQ's around without causing the monitors to feedback, You'll want the pre EQ feature on the 1st 4 auxes of the GL2400. (there is a trick way around this that involves channel splitting but of course it requires you to have the extra channels to split to )
I think the GL2400 has matrix mixes available which is wonderful for in ear mixes or recording. I don't know if the GB4 has that.
Both of these mixers give you "Best Buy" type high quality sound at a very reasonable entry point price.
Enjoy!
Chuck
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Jeff Foster

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Re: SOundcraft GB4 vs. Allen & Heath GL2400
« Reply #6 on: March 08, 2011, 03:13:28 PM »

I have been looking at mixers for our church for about a year now, and I thought I was set on the Allen & Heath GL2400-32.  But then I was glancing on All Pro Sound's website and noticed that they have the Soundcraft GB4-32 for $2,499 which is the same price that I was looking at the GL2400 for.

<snip>

Thanks for the input,

--Jake

I would echo what everyone else has said, but to throw a wrench into the works, you're paying too much if you're getting a GL2400-32 for that price.  That may be a good price for the 8 aux Soundcraft, but I know of two places just off-hand where I could get a 6 aux GL2400-32 for noticably less than that.  You might want to look around a bit more to find the best pricing.
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Tim Padrick

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Re: SOundcraft GB4 vs. Allen & Heath GL2400
« Reply #7 on: March 20, 2011, 01:41:09 AM »

I prefer the mid sweep ranges of the A&H, especially the low mid.  I also prefer the layout of the master section.  8 auxes is very nice though.  But I also like the StudioLive24 or a pair of linked O1V96s.
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chuck clark

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Re: SOundcraft GB4 vs. Allen & Heath GL2400
« Reply #8 on: March 20, 2011, 05:36:45 PM »

Yeah, I think if I was recording 8 tracks I'd want the soundcraft but that ability to drop the low mid eq down into the low bass region lets you really get some filter interplay on kick drum and bass guitar live with the A&H. Technically, I think the swept mids are slightly narrower bandwidth on the A&H which again would cause me to slightly prefer it for live work. I want to emphasize that both these mixers have a sound quality that compares well with much more expensive mixers and you can be equally proud either way. 
Happy sailing!
Chuck
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Jon Palmer

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Re: SOundcraft GB4 vs. Allen & Heath GL2400
« Reply #9 on: March 23, 2011, 12:52:45 AM »

I have been looking at mixers for our church for about a year now, and I thought I was set on the Allen & Heath GL2400-32.  But then I was glancing on All Pro Sound's website and noticed that they have the Soundcraft GB4-32 for $2,499 which is the same price that I was looking at the GL2400 for.

http://www.allprosound.com/catalog/productdetails~fprodid~8259~item~Soundcraft-RW5692SM.htm

 At that price I am now considering the GB4, it seems to have more features on paper (8 aux's being the biggest one) but sometimes actual use makes the facts on paper irrelevant. 

I guess what I am trying to ask is if there would be any reason that the GL2400 is superior to the GB4 when prices are equal?

I know that there have been several posts in the old forum on this same topic, but it seems that the price difference is always the deciding factor.



Thanks for the input,

--Jake

I like the pre amps on the A&H better (just a preference). I've not used the specific Soundcraft you mentioned but have used a couple of others and the overall sound doesn't seem as crisp as the A&H to me. I like the extra auxes on the Soundcraft, but on my my Gl 2400 you could change I believe two of the auxes to pre as I remember? The pre amps on the Soundcraft mixers sounded more like a Midas to me and I like it less muddy (ouch) for live music. In a church some might prefer that. I think it all comes down to the auxes. Do you need the extras.
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Re: SOundcraft GB4 vs. Allen & Heath GL2400
« Reply #9 on: March 23, 2011, 12:52:45 AM »


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