The build quality is excellent on my Big Six. I previously had a Six and I haven’t found a difference in the builds. It’s puzzling hearing about wobbly knobs because they seem fine and I’ve got a lot of hardware in my studio for comparison.
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hey, that is great to read!
i am very satisfied with the overall concept, sound etc. with my big six.
but since i plan to use it for some years to come, i am really put off by the build quality. sure, for the next couple months or longer those wobbly knobs & buttons (that come off) are no problem to work with, but after a longer period of serious use, these issues will be problematic (and might not be easy to solve).
so yeah, probably i´ll just return it and hope for the better …
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Well I’ll have my fingers crossed for you, let us know how the new one turns out.
Amazed by the negative comments as well as mine feels solid as well. Build quality is up to standard, works like a charm and better sound than what i used to have (motu 828 mk3, focusrite clarett or just straight through my soundcraft delta)
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LiL SiX owner here, have to agree on build quality. Mine is amazingly solid. Faders, knobs, sound, all fantastic!
Jealous of those extra inputs with EQ!
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Indeed, we have to put this in the perspective of Chinese products which are, today, all of the same poor quality, whether it is a 300 or a 3000 euro equipment. I have next to me an old Soundcraft console and I can assure that it inspires way more confidence.
Ever since I installed the new part everything has been going great for me.
I’m really satisfied. The mixer is a real asset in a synth-heavy setup. It leaves many possibilities. I can only recommend the Big Six. 
Great work from SSL
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I have the little SiX and am contemplating upgrading but hesitant to do so, based on some of QA and power adapter issues people seem to be having.
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I don’t think thats fair. (that was maybe true 30 years ago.)
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The Big Six is a substantial upgrade from the Six, so overall, I recommend it, but check with SSL to make sure the units at stores have the new board installed. That should be SSL’s responsibility to work with vendors, not the customers at this point.
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Did anyones retrofit kits come with the sticker the instructions said to attach to the back of the mixer? I installed my kit but did not have a sticker.
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Nope. There was one on the board itself, but it didn’t seem like I should peel that off. Slightly annoyed by this after everything else, honestly.
That being said, everything seems to be running great now. Still haven’t rechecked the MPC Live as usb host yet though.
I got my live II last week. I’m going to wait until the 2.11 firmware, then update it and my big six, and then check it myself. So you better hurry if you are going to beat me to it… less than 1 month left :-).
Mine is all fine. Very satisfied. And disappointed others have issues. SSL should really care more, such a unique product and seems to sell well
You’ll regret. SQ is a whole other level.
Ain’t really true. We also live in the age of
a) superbly made luxurious products, which grow in variety and in demand. In any industry you see this, some rose just before our eyes recently (think high-end IEMs for instance)
b) products of acceptable quality and functions, never affordable to masses before
and sometimes, sadly rare though, there’re products which fit both categories in a way. Think Apple for instance. Made in China, mass product, top notch design, machinery and assembly, serves you ten years easily.
all this talk of trashing down contemporaneity feels old… and baseless
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I was watching an interview about manufacturing in China and how certain and American and European companies were upset because they couldn’t leave China , not because the labor was cheap, but because over the last 30 years, the Chinese manufacturing companies have developed fabrication processes that only exist in China.
But like anything, there’s high quality and low quality stuff that’s produced there.
People confused “cheap goods” with planned obsolescence, which is entirely different problem that is often The industrial designers fault, not the national country of where the factory is located.
As per SSL, I imagine with covid travel restrictions and parts shortages, QA probably took a hit, ( QA everywhere took a hit)
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agree on all points
with SSL though, they could’ve communicated better after issues emerged. They did in a way accept some faults, and provided the retrofit solution, but as a high-end producer it was (and still is) in their interest to provide MUCH better public relations.
all this talk about ‘made somewhere’, but the PR is made in England, isn’t it? and just looking at my BS unit, I’d say the assembly labour did their job even better than the Oxfordshire office.
ps: it’s funny how some point to the (questionable) fact that the BS isn’t their high-end product, just like a cheaper Bentley owner receives a worse service, or Apple looking down on SE owners. Quite the contrary, it’s about brand, not particular products. And though I’m no fan of SSL going affordable (not with the BS, but say SSL 2+ which I own and like, but wish it was like two times more quality and price), it’s their choice. Quality should be there still, learn to cut corners different way — otherwise the bran image degrades pretty soon too.
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Just to close the (interesting) debate from my side: I wasn’t talking about the Chinese as such, I was talking about all the manufacturing that has gone from Europe/US to China. ALL of them have a significant drop in quality. I have dozen examples of facts. And don’t tell me that Apple makes premium quality products. lol…
(Edit: message I answered was deleted. I let my answer where I just precise that I don’t mean that chinese manufactories are less capable)
I mean it is not about the Chinese to produce quality electronics, it’s about the economic context. You are attributing (biased) arguments to me that I am not using. I don’t care about the chinese abilities of today vs thirty years ago. Do you think that chinese Vox, Hiwatt, Marshall amps are of the same quality as those made in the UK? That is what I am talking about. Facts.
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