Post by remixrick on Dec 29, 2006 6:18:44 GMT
Hello,
I have a 6HD on order from Nova and I'm quaking in my boots rather than giddy with anticipation. I'm thinking about returning it unopened because of all the negative comments I'm reading about it. I hope you all can provide a reality check for me. Please pardon the long post.
I'm not so worried about OS related issues as those can get solved sooner or later (assuming the company can survive financially). I'm terrified about out of warranty repairs because benchtime and board/module-level parts replacement can be price prohibitive. Would it make sense to spend $300 repairing a keyboard that cost $700 after considering the value of the free speakers? And what kind of used price will my board fetch if the Fusion develops a reputation for post-warranty failure (whether deserved or not)?
DOA hardware is bad enough. And Fusion seems to have its fair share of that. But hardware that fails early in its post-warranty life is 100 times worse because we customers have to foot that bill. Higher DOA frequency is a definite indicator of future repair problems. Does anyone know if the Fusion has a higher DOA rate than other boards from major manufacturers? Any info on the failure rate after 6 months?
The quality of the OS is somewhat of an indicator of the quality of the HW as well because it is quite likely that if they rushed the OS out the door then they rushed the electrical and mechanical engineering effort as well. Plus, it is an indictment of their quality assurance (or lack thereof).
I'm also concerned about the onboard sound set. Perhaps I'm just not understanding all the good work that Hollow Sun is performing but it appears to me that they are mostly providing complete samplesets rather than simply patches which tweak the underlying ROM and synth engines. Personally, I don't want samples of great analog synths, I want to see them created using a great VA synth engine. I was really impressed with the Ion when it debuted. Is the Fusion's VA engine as least as musical?
I just assumed that the VA in Fusion had to be superior to the Ion because DSP technology and price performance have improved in the past 5 years. Are the onboard patches which use the VA engine stellar in quality? Are they at least as good as the Ion/Micron? If not, why not? As Aleisis is quick to claim in their ads, they have tons of experience with VA!
Many synths of yesteryear had lackluster presets but the underlying sounds were quite good so people were able to tweak the presets with good results. I'm not getting the same impression regarding the Fusion. Instead, it appears that the good sounds are coming by way of sample libraries. Is my understanding correct? In particular, are the analog synths provided by Hollow Sun mostly samples or mostly patches which drive the DSP based VA?
Setting aside the utterly terrifying Sweetwater forum thread, here are a couple of other sources claiming hardware problems that worry me:
If the Fusion is fine but becomes a victim of all the negative publicity, would it make sense to wait and grab a bargain during the final blowout sales which are bound to occur? At least that way I'd have less to lose.
Then again, the Fusion might take-of and shoot-up to the $2000 price range. I'd be kicking myself for returning the board.
HELP!!! My head hurts from thinking about all of this.
The Fusion 6HD is either the bargain of the century or a cruel joke being perpetrated on budget-minded musicians. What do you all honestly think?
Thank you so very much ... Rick
P.S. Has anyone heard whether Alesis is going to up the warranty in order to inspire confidence in the build quality? Any thoughts on whether Alesis will be able to withstand the financial drain and damage to their reputation long enough to fulfill their obligations if they extend the warranty?
I have a 6HD on order from Nova and I'm quaking in my boots rather than giddy with anticipation. I'm thinking about returning it unopened because of all the negative comments I'm reading about it. I hope you all can provide a reality check for me. Please pardon the long post.
I'm not so worried about OS related issues as those can get solved sooner or later (assuming the company can survive financially). I'm terrified about out of warranty repairs because benchtime and board/module-level parts replacement can be price prohibitive. Would it make sense to spend $300 repairing a keyboard that cost $700 after considering the value of the free speakers? And what kind of used price will my board fetch if the Fusion develops a reputation for post-warranty failure (whether deserved or not)?
DOA hardware is bad enough. And Fusion seems to have its fair share of that. But hardware that fails early in its post-warranty life is 100 times worse because we customers have to foot that bill. Higher DOA frequency is a definite indicator of future repair problems. Does anyone know if the Fusion has a higher DOA rate than other boards from major manufacturers? Any info on the failure rate after 6 months?
The quality of the OS is somewhat of an indicator of the quality of the HW as well because it is quite likely that if they rushed the OS out the door then they rushed the electrical and mechanical engineering effort as well. Plus, it is an indictment of their quality assurance (or lack thereof).
I'm also concerned about the onboard sound set. Perhaps I'm just not understanding all the good work that Hollow Sun is performing but it appears to me that they are mostly providing complete samplesets rather than simply patches which tweak the underlying ROM and synth engines. Personally, I don't want samples of great analog synths, I want to see them created using a great VA synth engine. I was really impressed with the Ion when it debuted. Is the Fusion's VA engine as least as musical?
I just assumed that the VA in Fusion had to be superior to the Ion because DSP technology and price performance have improved in the past 5 years. Are the onboard patches which use the VA engine stellar in quality? Are they at least as good as the Ion/Micron? If not, why not? As Aleisis is quick to claim in their ads, they have tons of experience with VA!
Many synths of yesteryear had lackluster presets but the underlying sounds were quite good so people were able to tweak the presets with good results. I'm not getting the same impression regarding the Fusion. Instead, it appears that the good sounds are coming by way of sample libraries. Is my understanding correct? In particular, are the analog synths provided by Hollow Sun mostly samples or mostly patches which drive the DSP based VA?
Setting aside the utterly terrifying Sweetwater forum thread, here are a couple of other sources claiming hardware problems that worry me:
- a Fusion was just sold on eBay (listing # 280064696843) because one of the DSP chips was not functioned and the board was out of warranty. My worst nightmare!
- My local GC has no functional demo machines. They're all waiting to be sent out for hardware repairs. The keyboard person I spoke with said he would never recommend this board and that it was a piece of junk. And that was with the understanding that I was not able to afford an X6 or other pricier board at this time. So he was willing to let a sale walk out his door rather than offer to order me a Fusion.
If the Fusion is fine but becomes a victim of all the negative publicity, would it make sense to wait and grab a bargain during the final blowout sales which are bound to occur? At least that way I'd have less to lose.
Then again, the Fusion might take-of and shoot-up to the $2000 price range. I'd be kicking myself for returning the board.
HELP!!! My head hurts from thinking about all of this.
The Fusion 6HD is either the bargain of the century or a cruel joke being perpetrated on budget-minded musicians. What do you all honestly think?
Thank you so very much ... Rick
P.S. Has anyone heard whether Alesis is going to up the warranty in order to inspire confidence in the build quality? Any thoughts on whether Alesis will be able to withstand the financial drain and damage to their reputation long enough to fulfill their obligations if they extend the warranty?