Yamaha MG166C

MG166C

Whilst it’s easy to offer criticism, there’s no getting away from the fact the Yamaha MG166 represents excellent value for money.

Dealing with the niggles first, the 19U rack ears are fixed, there’s no aux output monitoring, the faders are small, the switch buttons are noisy (that’s audible-noisy, not electronic noisy) the variable compressors (channels 1-6) only really have one setting (on or off) and finally the power supply weighs almost as much as the mixer!

Is that the worst? Well, pretty much yes. On the plus side, it’s great value, the routing is flexible, there’s three axillaries, a mid-sweep eq on most channels and each channel has an illuminated on/off button (meaning you can pre-set fader levels)

Is there anything else? Well, yes; it looks good, all the inputs are on view which means it’s excellent as an educational mixer, it’s made by Yamaha and I really can’t see it letting you down if you look after it. Oh, did I mention it’s incredible value for money?

I’m now using my MG166 in video edit suite where I need to monitor multiple sources. Taking this piece of kit on the road or using it 24/7 might actually be asking a little too much so I would recommend it for a fixed installations with light to medium use.

Verdict: If it ever died, would I buy a replacement?. Answer; Yes. Recommended as a “decent piece of reliable studio kit”

Mark