grace wrote the spec sheet and the Q&A answers..the vendors just posted it
I remember those postings, and at no time do I recall Grace committing to the V3 firewire interface. Thanks to Scott for the Grace quote from the Wayback Machine - "allows" != "it's coming on X date". At any rate, we can mince the words all we want - but I believe the fact remains Grace made the right decision.
its sad that grace has never "finished" the v3 and added a high speed computer interface that could effectively take advantage of its higher bit depth and sample rates....
It's easy enough to take advantage of the V3s higher bit depth and sample rates - run into a PC.
i would have loved to have used the v3 directly into a computer at 24/96 without having to buy ANOTHER input box...
Again, it's not difficult to run any number of interfaces into PC to support the V3s higher bit depth and sample rate. Adding a PCMCIA card to a laptop - easy. Adding an external interface box - not as easy, but still pretty darn simple. Not fundamentally different than running my Hosa ODL-312 digital format converter - it's just another box to power and on which I have to ensure solid cable connections. The ability to transfer via JB3 in all of about 3min / hr of music made it all worthwhile. Apparently, in your case, capturing higher bit depth and sample rates didn't warrant spending a few bucks on the additional box. I can understand that decision as I made the same one (though mine had more to do with the PITA of a PC, not the interface box), but to somehow "blame" Grace for not providing your ideal solution is a cop out - and doesn't acknowledge the simple fact that you could have done it easily and cheaply enough had you really wanted to do so.
as far as their reason of firewire being too expensive, i dont buy it... they might notice that there are firewire capable preamps made by other vendors starting in price at $200 (total price)...the point of the computer interface is obvious to other vendors...esp for portable preamps that also include A/D stage
I suspect the manufacturer's of those other devices also have a helluva lot broader market than Grace. Grace's products are a relatively niche market, not mass consumption devices like the $200 firewire capable preamps that every Joe Schmoe uses in their "home studio". Obviously, they had to decide: will they sell enough units, at a high enough margin, to recover their $N investment. When they likely saw the writing on the wall that the future of high res recorders wasn't computer-based at all, the decision probably very quickly became "no".
fortunately i never bought into their upgrade strategy that never materialized...i've been waiting..i'm still waiting
You won't have to wait much longer - the 7xx will support the V3s higher bit depth and sample rates. 'Course, for my money it's too expensive for all I want it to do: record. But other devices will soon follow. Perhaps the proposed M-Audio box will be the one, maybe the one after that will do the trick. Who knows. Their upgrade strategy hasn't materialized simply because it's taken time for the industry to produce higher bit depth and sample rate capable recording devices for the market - not through any fault of Grace's upgrade strategy.
At any rate, the solution you seek is coming, and Grace's decision will IMO prove wholly appropriate - the 7xx and future boxes won't take a firewire input from the V3, but rather S/PDIF and AES/EBU. A lot of good a firewire interface would do you, then!
