Mackie 1642 VLZ4

Dispatched 12th September 2016. Delivered 16th September 2016 to the UK. This is a difficult review to write as I have always understood Mackie to be a good quality product. In fact I have a Mackie desk in my studio and have been happy with it for some years (apart from a mute button which requires an extra hard push).I bought the 1642 VLZ4 mixer after reading the review here and based on my previous experience. Overall when I unboxed the unit all seemed well the faders, switches and buttons all felt well built and responsive. The black on black faders however are not the easiest to see in a dark environment and a desk light will be required. The major issue occurred the first time I had the chance to use the mixer with all channels plugged in 17th September 2016. Channel 5 simply did not work and two of the line in plugs at 13 and 14 crackled and popped as the gain was increased. The reason why I have given such a low score for quality is that quality control must come under this heading and how the unit left the factory unchecked must reflect on this.