Purchase Used DM-3200

[Peter Batah]

Hello @Arjan P . First off, I always appreciate your input. You say:

I must say, if I was the seller I'd also be scared off with such rigorous testing plans for something I vouch for is simply in working condition.

Obviously, you do NOT have the entire picture. And , why would you?

I would not fault you for being so "rigorous" if you knew that

1) The seller is a 2.5 - 3 hour drive from where I live. I hope it's worth the drive
2) The one other available unit is located 5.5 - 6.0 hours from where I live.
3) The seller admittedly has not powered on the unit in 2-3 years.
4) And has been is sitting in a flight case for that same period of time.
5) Claims that it was used it in a live capacity and wasn't using the Fire wire expansion card.
6) I didn't ask why the card was installed in the first place.

And, with all due respect, it is my hard earned $$$ that I will be throwing away if the DM is not 100% functional as the seller so graciously "vouches" for.

As far as your suggestion on how to go about testing the Mic inputs:

1) Exactly what I was planning to do. Have borrowed a friends SM57

As far as your suggestion in regards to the CF card.

1) Terrific guide. I will follow your instructions.
2) Is it possible that there are no existing projects?
3) Is it possible that the card was removed.
4) I never bothered to mention the CF card to the seller. My bad!

Had to borrow a friends HP nx9420 laptop that has what looks like an IEEE-1394 (FireWire) 4 pin connector. Will purchase the appropriate cable tomorrow which I am assuming will be a 4 to 6 pin cable.

https://www.maddison.ca/mad-009960.html

My son-in-law and I will be heading to see the unit on Thursday if all goes well. I will report back on how my adventure / road trip turns out.

I really appreciate your guidance @Arjan P . I could use all of the help that I can get right now. Peter

 

[Arjan P]

I was just saying, I can understand the seller being 'scared off', especially when a buyer wants to set up a complete recording setup at his location and possibly in his time - with the possibility that problems occur that come from the testing setup and not the product for sale. But sure, it's your money and he can say no.

As for your CF card questions:
2/3) I don't think the mixer will work if it has no current project running from the CF card. I gladly have no experience with it, but that's what the CF topic here suggests. OTOH, I know the mixer usually starts with the state it was left in, so there must be some kind of EEPROM or such to keep that data (or maybe it is saved on the card without being a visible project). Either way, I think a functioning CF card slot plus card is essential in using the mixer.

 

[Peter Batah]

Thank you @Arjan P . I hope that all my questions will be answered this week. The seller has absolutely no problem with my testing the unit extensively if necessary. Truth be told, I have seen several units up for sale and they are not being sold very quickly. Maybe I should take a CF card along with me so that I can be sure that it recognizes and preps the virgin card if necessary. Have a good one my friend. I really appreciate your time, assistance, and guidance. Peter

 

[Peter Batah]

Several weeks in the making, and 400 kilometres travelled today, I am happy to report that I am now the proud owner of a wonderful used DM-3200. Thankfully, the unit functions as expected and it is clear that the DM was treated with much TLC. I realize that I have much to learn and am prepared to assume that challenge. My decision to purchase was made that much easier with the guidance and patience of several forum members. Thank you @cmaffia , @Rockum , @Arjan P , @Fiber . I apologize in advance for possibly having left someone out. Peter

 

[Rockum]

Happy it worked out well.

 

[Peter Batah]

One thing I should mention, and I hesitate to do so with this being the Tascam forum, but depending on the price you were preparing to pay for the DM3200, I would at least consider the Behringer X32. I use one at work. I don't want to switch my home setup over and I am happy with my Tascam board, but the Behringer board is smartly designed as well and not seemingly at the end of its life span. I say this with the thought that change is a pain, and I dread having to ever change to something else. Starting with a newer product might delay that for you. (I am presently changing lots of the setup in my studio and like I said... not fun.

Funny that you had mentioned the Behringer X32 back on March 12 because the fellow that sold me the DM-3200 had one sitting in his small home studio.

 

[Peter Batah]

@Rockum . I was especially pleased, surprised actually, that upon walking into the sellers living room I saw that he was kind enough to have prepared the DM for testing. He had a mic hooked up as well as a monitoring system. And original owners manual.

By the way, I am kind of curious. What would this setup have cost back in it's heyday. DM-3200, IF-FW/DMMKII and IF-AD/DM expansion cards. Ballpark ???

Thank you. Have a great day. Peter

 

[cmaffia]

When these first came out they went for about $3K USD without expansion cards.
But like everything, they get old and much cheaper as 2nd & 3rd hand. I picked up my 2nd DM3200 without expansion cards for $800. Due to it's limited availability these days, a used MKii costs almost as much as they did when new (approx. $450-$500) and sometimes cheaper if you're patient. The ADAT expansion goes for about $100. So if you paid no more than $1400 USD for it, you got your money's worth.

 

[Peter Batah]

Thank you @cmaffia . Would that price have included or excluded the expansion cards? Have a good one. Peter

 

[cmaffia]

As I said, "When these first came out they went for about $3K USD without expansion cards.

 

[Peter Batah]

That's so weird. All I saw was "When these first came out they went for about $3K USD"

Probably read that line in my email notification. Sorry about that.

Thanks again. I really appreciate it.

 

[Peter Batah]

When these first came out they went for about $3K USD without expansion cards.
But like everything, they get old and much cheaper as 2nd & 3rd hand. I picked up my 2nd DM3200 without expansion cards for $800. Due to it's limited availability these days, a used MKii costs almost as much as they did when new (approx. $450-$500) and sometimes cheaper if you're patient. The ADAT expansion goes for about $100. So if you paid no more than $1400 USD for it, you got your money's worth.

Actually, I paid $1100 (Canadian) expansion cards and road case included. Of course I won't be using the road case but it sure made transporting it in my vehicle much easier. Thanks again! Peter

 

[Arjan P]

Congrats on the new mixer and good luck with it!

 

[Peter Batah]

Thank you for the well wishes @Arjan P. Much appreciated. Peter