Chris R Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 Hey guys, I have a quick question for you. I recently sold a 552 mixer on ebay, and the winner of the auction is now complaining that the fader response is too "rubbery". I used to own another 552 with the same exact response/feel. Compared to other Sound Devices mixers/recorders this is normal correct? I swear I remember threads online about the response/feel when it first came out but I can't find anything in searches. I just would like some piece of mind, as the guy says he called Coffee sound and they told him its abnormal and want $250 to repair it which of course the winner is insisting I pay for. Could anyone with a 552 chime in? Thanks guys -Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpiegari Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 I sent mine in for service shortly before I sold it (Well over a year ago) and SD did replace the "spongy" faders (and a few other things). It did cost about $250... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jozzafunk Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 The first time I used a 552 ( a colleagues' well used one ), after having used a 442 extensively I was a bit surprised by the fader feel, and initially thought it was faulty - during subsequent times I used that same mixer I thought it was fine. When I got my own ( now upgraded ) I didn't notice any oddness , perhaps it did seem more linear, I'm not sure if i was the same. So inconclusive, but definitely an acclimatization period when compared to a 442 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDirckze Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 Rubbery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Gandy Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 Rubbery as in firm? My 302 has 'rubbery' knobs compared to cheaper mixers, which I'd call firm and smooth. Although the knobs are rubber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian albritton Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 i've owned several 552s and some of them (earlier ones?) had a rubbery feel to the faders. more resistance for sure to move them. i personally like it, as they weren't bumped accidentally when run-n-gun shooting. nothing wrong with the mixer probably, some of them are just like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek H Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 Mine had the same trouble. Extra resistance than normal and an irritating mm or two bounce back effect. I also had trouble with faders not turning completely off which I think was related. I sent it in, they replaced all of the faders and some other stuff and it cost a little over 300. The faders work normally now with the correct resistance. I would agree with Coffey, it's not normal. Unfortunately it's a common problem with the 552. My 552 is for sale also on this board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundtrane Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 ah well. hopefully you sold it 'as is where is' or you are bound to get this fixed at your cost. ethics... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 or just refund the purchase upon return of the unit in proper condition..?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris R Posted December 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 Thanks for the responses. I know the faders are exactly how they were supposed to be on the first production run. I believe SD later changed them to a much looser feel. Was wondering if a few other guys here would remember that as well to show him what he was complaining about was absolutely normal. I'm not going to pay $250 to change them over to the looser version for no reason so I'm asking him to return the mixer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrengun Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 Mine are that way, I like it though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrengun Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 Just explain that it's the 552 "Classic" or "Vintage" and that it's so much cooler than the new knobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpiegari Posted December 15, 2013 Report Share Posted December 15, 2013 While I did like the greater resistance, the bounce back did make it difficult or impossible to completely close a channel at times (as Derek has mentioned). You will probably need to find a buyer that knows they want the stiffer faders, or replace them. Actually, the $250-$300 you spend (assuming everything else passes the bench) to get a clean bill of health from Wisconsin becomes a huge selling point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnpaul215 Posted December 15, 2013 Report Share Posted December 15, 2013 Rubbery as in maybe a rubber seal on the pot? I kinda remember thinking that the first time I used a 552, and was used to my 442. I wondered if it was an improvement and I vaguely remember user feedback on the first batch of 552s maybe inspiring a change down the line? Like I said, I never owned one, so my scale is how they feel compared to countless days on a 442. I would try calling Sound Devices and see what they say. If it's not a problem, tell the buyer they can call SD too. Otherwise it has to be fixed or resold "as is". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted December 15, 2013 Report Share Posted December 15, 2013 Gee, I've owned a 442 and a 552 at different times, and while I thought their feel was a little different, at no time would I call the faders "rubbery." I thought they had a great feel, and you could so some pretty subtle level changes quickly and easily. The buyer may actually have a point. I'd take it in and compare it to a new model and see how the two compare to each other, then come up with a solution. You can either refund the guy's money and sell the mixer to somebody else, pay for all of the repair and let the guy keep it, or come up with a compromise to pay some of the repair fee. Replacing five faders sounds pretty labor-intensive to me -- I'd say $250 is cheap for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyatt Tuzo Posted December 15, 2013 Report Share Posted December 15, 2013 I had an early serial 552, and the faders were definitely rubbery. I got used to it pretty quickly. I remember that along the way they changed the style of faders they used, which had a smoother feel. Totally normal. Totally not defective. And yes, SD is happy to mod to the newer style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmahaAudio Posted December 16, 2013 Report Share Posted December 16, 2013 I recently sold a 552 mixer on ebay, and the winner of the auction is now complaining that the fader response is too "rubbery". If it works well then you ought to be able to tell him to eff off but when you deal through Ebay you, as a seller, have very little say as to what they (Ebay) consider when it comes to "refunding your money to a buyer. I sold a camera to someone on Ebay once and the bastard sent it back damaged. Ebay "refunded" his money even though I had photos of the camera to document its condition went I sent it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris R Posted December 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2013 If it works well then you ought to be able to tell him to eff off but when you deal through Ebay you, as a seller, have very little say as to what they (Ebay) consider when it comes to "refunding your money to a buyer. I sold a camera to someone on Ebay once and the bastard sent it back damaged. Ebay "refunded" his money even though I had photos of the camera to document its condition went I sent it. This guy was a nightmare from the start. Won the auction and paid. 4-5 hours later he wants to cancel stating "I didn't know this was only a 2 track recorder". Who spends that kind of money without even knowing what they bought? Numerous complaints/concerns from him after that, that I knew I was in a losing situation so I had it returned. What stinks is, all the other bids that were only slightly less $ that most likely would have gone smoother. Instead I end up with a ruined auction/time wasted/ etc . As more and more 552s are coming into the used market I just hope I can have any sale at all at this point. Ah well. Now I remember why I stopped selling on ebay years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Maeda Posted December 16, 2013 Report Share Posted December 16, 2013 What stinks is, all the other bids that were only slightly less $ that most likely would have gone smoother. Instead I end up with a ruined auction/time wasted/ etc . As more and more 552s are coming into the used market I just hope I can have any sale at all at this point. If I remember correctly, eBay offers a "Second Chance" option to sellers. Don't know if it will apply to your situation since the product was sent and then returned, but worth a shot to possibly sell to some of those other bidders if they're still in the market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asterix2k10 Posted December 18, 2013 Report Share Posted December 18, 2013 Hi, I am the person who bought this mixer. I did make a mistake originally as I am fairly new to the Sound Devices line only having owned a 702T and a 442. I was looking at the new 633 and 664 and got them confused with the 552. (I have since done my homework and know a lot more now!) I did ask the seller if I could cancel the transaction. He did not want to do so, which is fine, but when I got the mixer I noticed that not only were the faders rubbery and bouncy as described in this thread, the second fader was not rubbery (seemed normal like my 442,) which bothered me since the feel was inconsistent from fader to fader. None of this was described in the ad. When I brought the mixer to Trew Audio (Coffey Sound) and asked the technician, he said the rubberiness was not normal and would require $250 to fix. That's when I opened a case against the seller, asking him to pay for the repairs. I honestly did not know at this point that the 552 originally shipped this way, but even so, the inconsistency between the feel of the faders was not mentioned in the ad and I felt this was a significant issue. Anyway, I shipped it back and Chris refunded my money so all is well. I hope that he has success in finding another buyer, but I recommend he clearly describes the situation with the faders. I agree that having SD check it out and fix this and any other possible issues before selling will give it a higher value and make for a happy future buyer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted December 18, 2013 Report Share Posted December 18, 2013 Hi, Welcome, and thanks for your post... there are usually more than one side to these situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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