Originally Posted by EvilRoy ➡️

There's an M512 on Craigslist right now for $50. I still have my M50. I've tried for many years to give it away, no takers. I'm in LA if anyone wants to pick it up, free. I also have the service manual. Not sure what the dif is between these boards and an M5 electronically.

Originally Posted by Jim Williams ➡️

Clean up those circuits and replace the 4558 opamps with LME's and they sound great. Same with the Model 15.

Originally Posted by Lownotes ➡️

My guess is it most likely does not have phantom power. Something to think about.

Originally Posted by loujudson ➡️

A gentleman I worked with modded his Model 5 with a pair of 9V batteries providing 18V phantom for the mics of the time, usually AKG 451s. Made some nice records with it - notably Kate Wolf's Back Roads.

Originally Posted by Etnier ➡️

My first studio, 1978, Model 5 with expander... and a Marshall Time Modulator.

I think the OP may be confusing RCA jacks for 1/8"

Originally Posted by KingDaddyO ➡️

I'm surprised to hear that they are 1/8" inputs. The Model 5 was the precursor to the Model 35 (which I started out on) and it had XLR, 1/4" and RCA jacks - not one 1/8" to be seen anywhere.

The 5 is an ok mixer, as long as you don't fall into the trap of comparing it to real vintage high end gear. If it's in good shape (pots cleaned, connections burnished) it's can be a nice sounding mix board. Ok, so you're not gonna get a Neve, AMI, or Quad 8 flavor from it, but the channel strips are solidly built, individually framed, and have a decent xfmr mic preamp. When most people complain, it's about the EQ, which is a 2 band switch selectable range design. Heck, even that wasn't as bad as some would have you believe. At the time these were marketed, they were fairly state of the art & competitively priced for the budding home studio musician crowd. In fact, they were top of the line given the other options in that price range.

I have some very nice mixes from my Tascam Model 35 days. Tracks that still sound good run through much higher end, modern gear.

You aren't going to get squat on eBay for this gear. I'd say you are better off using it in a workhorse capacity, where some abuse is likely. It is built tough enough to handle that type of environment. Otherwise, I'd try to sell it local first, and not have to deal with shipping (it's real heavy).