Top 3 euro manufacturers in your experience?
For those who have been through the mill a bit, I was just wondering what you would consider the 3 best manufacturers in euro that you've used/collected over the years? For me, I consider a combination of the modules themselves and any relevant experiences with customer service and the general company reputation and vibe.
So for me:
1. Xaoc Devices: I've accumulated a lot of Xaoc modules and have a definite brand loyalty here at this point. I like their aesthetic, they're generally very well built, and generally unique and well-thought-out modules. Praga + Hrad is a terrific mixer, their utilities are awesome, Moskwa II is a great sequencer, Leibniz subsystem is fascinating, their filters/phasers are all great, Batumi II is a modulation powerhouse. I have had some issues with a couple of their modules over the years, but the customer service is excellent and always has come through for me. Their Instagram page is frequently updated with cool patch ideas and module uses. My favorite brand overall.
2. Joranalogue: I think build-wise they do just about everything right. They're extremely consistent with well-organized modules that all line up so nicely. They always have firm (soft touch) knobs with just the right amount of give/resistance, nice diffuse LEDs, consistent jacks, shrouded power connectors, cool packaging, and the prices are not too grandiose given the quality. I also like their WYSIWYG approach -- no fussy digital modules, nothing with button combos or menu driven, everything is right there above board. I only own one module by them currently but have used many over the years and have a lot of respect for this company! Over the years I had to have one of their modules diagnosed and repaired and the customer service was responsive & helpful.
3. Make Noise: The build quality is nothing super-special, but they're kind of the king of classic innovation in the industry, to me. Maths is a legend that's still relevant/useful, their effects are all really unique, patchable, and fun to use, and they continue to explore new territory with the NUSS modules. Customer service has generally been responsive & helpful in my limited experience with them. Very cool company.
Those would be my top 3 I think, but definitely also high up there would be: Instruo (great modules, if a bit button-combo-y, solid customer service, infamously deep-divey tutorials); 4MS (underrated brand, PEG is a classic in my book, very good customer service); Erica Synths (bevy of cool, well built offerings, particularly the "black" and "fusion" line, responsive customer service); and Doepfer (the original pioneers; very sturdy modules for the price, tons of offerings).
Sorry to leave any other worthy companies out -- Schlappi is very well made, ALM is fun and Pam's is a legend, New Systems is too often overlooked (Inertia and Discrete Map are fascinating modules!), Intellijel is very solid, Mannequins is innovative and cool, Sovage is doing interesting things, etc. -- I haven't tried every company out there, but tbh most of the boutique eurorack manufacturers I've used over the years have been pretty awesome with decent customer service more often than not.