Taperssection.com
Gear / Technical Help => Battery Boxes, Preamps, Mixers, ADCs, and Processors => Topic started by: burris on November 24, 2011, 01:05:51 AM
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From the Grace Design site:
After almost 10 years in production, the Lunatec V3 has been discontinued. As of this time there are no plans to announce its successor. If you need one, they turn up from time to time on ebay. If you have one and still use it, do not worry because we will continue to support it for many years to come.
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First the little box...now the V3....ah man the world is going to end...next thing you know sound device halt production :'(
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:jawdrop: No plans for a V4 ???
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First the little box...now the V3....ah man the world is going to end...next thing you know sound device halt production :'(
my 2 fav pres, glad i have a lb though
the wording of it makes me think they are working on something new but only time will tell
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I wonder how many total were produced? V2's as well?
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Yep...I'm wagering there is just too much in it for them for their other equipment.
I'm sure the V3 is a drop in the bucket for them as far as sales are concerned.
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I agree with Mike and Jon.
We shouldn't be worried, it's the support issue that is really the critical aspect for us and they have affirmed that much. Acquiring a unit isn't a problem.
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I would also think that the glut of cheap new V3's being sold probably helped make up their mind for them. If you're buying new at about a 50% discount over new then it HAS to drive the market down. Including the used market. And I' think Jon nailed it. The two channel recorder market is now flooded with choices. Even I have moved away for two track completely in a matter of a few years.
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I would also think that the glut of cheap new V3's being sold probably helped make up their mind for them. If you're buying new at about a 50% discount over new then it HAS to drive the market down. Including the used market. And I' think Jon nailed it. The two channel recorder market is now flooded with choices. Even I have moved away for two track completely in a matter of a few years.
i dont think the new v3's on ebay had anything to do with axing the v3. Grace already made there money off the original sale of those units. they could of made an offer to buy them back to keep there own market strong if need be. i think it comes down to that a out board 24 bit converter is no longer that much in demand. remember when u needed a AD2K and a laptop to go 24 bit? that didnt last too long. now u can go buy a 100$ hand held and go 24 bit out of the box. IMO anyway. ed
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Four channel flash recorder with V3 pres and A/D stage? >:D
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Most recorders come and go. Great mics are timeless, and probably pre-amps too.
The v3 is such a solid, refined, and reliable product, with so many features - and great support. It is a consolation that there seem to be a lot around. I still think it's the best transparent pre with portability. I bought mine new and paid a Lot. The $800-$900 used prices represent a really great value. Though when I bought mine, there weren't many used v3's in the Yard, and prices were higher. Maybe we'll see the market tighten up again in a few years.
Other thoughts on the market:
Lack of recorders with digi-in, and those that do have it are more $$ and have great a/d's
So many recorders with unbal in only
v3 a/d section showing some age in regard to performance
I imagine sales were down and inventory may have been low. I assume they need to order a volume of units to get favorable pricing and the numbers just didn't jive. And prices are probably up due to inflation and exchange rates.
For some products, I'd say "RIP" but I don't see that at all with the v3.
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While I like the convenience (sp?) of having a great preamp and a/d in a single package, I prefer the sound of an Apogee a/d to the Lunatec. For field work I don't think you can do much better than the V2 (or the V3 w/o running the a/d) --> Apogee A/D. Unfortunately using an outboard a/d means you've got to schlep another battery to the show. While DVD batteries are much less of a hassle to carry than those big-ass car batteries ;D required to power an AD1000 or AD500, it still doesn't take too many shows b4 it gets to be a PITA.
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I think the explanation is much simpler:
1. Gakidis discontinues the V3 stilts
2. Then shortly after, Grace discontinues the V3
Coincidence?
I think not....
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I think the explanation is much simpler:
1. Gakidis discontinues the V3 stilts
2. Then shortly after, Grace discontinues the V3
Coincidence?
I think not....
:yack:
The V3 was, and is, a great pre and A/D. Even though no longer in production, we'll be hearing great recordings done with it for years to come.
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I think the explanation is much simpler:
1. Gakidis discontinues the V3 stilts
2. Then shortly after, Grace discontinues the V3
Coincidence?
I think not....
Not to fear, I also will continue to support the V3 GAKstilts. Loose a bolt, I am the man to call!
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Four channel flash recorder with V3 pres and A/D stage? >:D
gotfob and i had a long discussion with mike grace about this very subject this summer, FOB at phish in colorado. i don't know how many tapers he had spoken with about this subject. anyways....
he said that they had been toying with building a multi-channel recorder but that the idea had been scrapped. i believe they actually had a prototype or two. he said after seeing how many inexpensive recorders were on the market, they scuttled the idea.
i took him around the FOB section as well as the OTS and pointed out the number of 7xx units that were in the field. i also pointed out the number of grace units that were in front of these units as well as other recorders.
as if he hadn't heard it enough, i told him point blank that his gear is some of the most trusted, highly regarded gear in the section and that his customer service is legendary.
that being said, i feel i spoke for everybody in making some suggestions....
i told him that while the 7xx units are amazing they are an overkill for many of us who are strictly concert tapers. i told him that what we are looking for is a 4 or 6 channel unit, that has grace quality pres and v3 quality A/D, with good metering that turns on every time i hit power and records until i hit stop.
i also told him that a 4 channel preamp in a box the size of a v2 would be nice as well as many of us have 4-6 channel recorders.
i suggested that the grace reputation itself would sell either of these units.
again, we spoke for some time. he listened and it seemed to me that this was the first time he had heard some of these ideas. we left it at that.... only time will tell.
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Well done Byan!
I recently sent in my past warranty v3 for service. Spoke with mike before shipping and explained my problem. The sample rate would step up everytime I powered up the unit. Normally it should start with the last sample rate used. Not an end of the world issue but you can see how this would be a pain in the ass if you had to power up quick. He told me he had never seen this issue before and the cost would be a small bench fee and return shipping. About a week and a half later my v3 was returned to me as good as new and free of charge.
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Four channel flash recorder with V3 pres and A/D stage? >:D
gotfob and i had a long discussion with mike grace about this very subject this summer, FOB at phish in colorado. i don't know how many tapers he had spoken with about this subject. anyways....
he said that they had been toying with building a multi-channel recorder but that the idea had been scrapped. i believe they actually had a prototype or two. he said after seeing how many inexpensive recorders were on the market, they scuttled the idea.
i took him around the FOB section as well as the OTS and pointed out the number of 7xx units that were in the field. i also pointed out the number of grace units that were in front of these units as well as other recorders.
as if he hadn't heard it enough, i told him point blank that his gear is some of the most trusted, highly regarded gear in the section and that his customer service is legendary.
that being said, i feel i spoke for everybody in making some suggestions....
i told him that while the 7xx units are amazing they are an overkill for many of us who are strictly concert tapers. i told him that what we are looking for is a 4 or 6 channel unit, that has grace quality pres and v3 quality A/D, with good metering that turns on every time i hit power and records until i hit stop.
i also told him that a 4 channel preamp in a box the size of a v2 would be nice as well as many of us have 4-6 channel recorders.
i suggested that the grace reputation itself would sell either of these units.
again, we spoke for some time. he listened and it seemed to me that this was the first time he had heard some of these ideas. we left it at that.... only time will tell.
i agree with all of that. a four channel V3 would be perfect as well.
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A four channel unit that records and handles line in would be awesome, but just a 4ch preamp is sort of meh to me as it presumes I'm running 2sets of mics in the same location or a really long cable run on one of them and neither of those happen...
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I could understand the desire to run a 4 Channel Grace Pre...I've ran two patterns on the same stand
Hypers and Cards/DIN and DINa/ORTF indoors...
Omni (1m spaced) and DIN Cards outdoors...
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A four channel unit that records and handles line in would be awesome, but just a 4ch preamp is sort of meh to me as it presumes I'm running 2sets of mics in the same location or a really long cable run on one of them and neither of those happen...
wouldn't it be the same presumption with a recorder? i'd take either. i already have a R-44 that records great though.
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A four channel unit that records and handles line in would be awesome, but just a 4ch preamp is sort of meh to me as it presumes I'm running 2sets of mics in the same location or a really long cable run on one of them and neither of those happen...
wouldn't it be the same presumption with a recorder? i'd take either. i already have a R-44 that records great though.
with a 4ch recorder, you can dedicate 2 channels to a sbd feed (the line-in remark). I don't need a preamp for most soundboard feeds, just 2 extra channels. To me, the real advantage of having a V4 with 4 channels is only if I was going to do a lot of on-stage/individual micing work and wanted the lightest/smallest bag possible. The number of times that I've been able to run cables for a long distance (let alone wanted to) can be counted on one hand with fingers left over. Its the same reason I slightly value 2 722s over a single 744; I can run them separately (so one FOB and one at the sbd) or at different festival stages or whatever. In the event where they are in the same bag, I'm not taking that big of a space hit to justify the 744 and lose that mobility option. The other option I see is if I'm comping gear so I can get a better idea of how mic A compares to mic B so I can make a better educated decision about what each do and decide which pair to run at a future gig (but I don't do that often enough to warrant getting a 4ch preamp).
I'd be much more interested in native support for digital mics like the new schoeps/neumann options and especially more outputs (WordClock and Optical and RCA SPDIF without having to pick just 2 of the 3) before I voted for more channels. To have a preamp that could handle both analog mics, and digital mics (and take the digital mics and multiplex them of sorts into a single AES/SPDIF feed for today's recorders) is something that I might find useful.
Different requirements and values is all.
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A four channel unit that records and handles line in would be awesome, but just a 4ch preamp is sort of meh to me as it presumes I'm running 2sets of mics in the same location or a really long cable run on one of them and neither of those happen...
wouldn't it be the same presumption with a recorder? i'd take either. i already have a R-44 that records great though.
with a 4ch recorder, you can dedicate 2 channels to a sbd feed (the line-in remark). I don't need a preamp for most soundboard feeds, just 2 extra channels. To me, the real advantage of having a V4 with 4 channels is only if I was going to do a lot of on-stage/individual micing work and wanted the lightest/smallest bag possible. The number of times that I've been able to run cables for a long distance (let alone wanted to) can be counted on one hand with fingers left over. Its the same reason I slightly value 2 722s over a single 744; I can run them separately (so one FOB and one at the sbd) or at different festival stages or whatever. In the event where they are in the same bag, I'm not taking that big of a space hit to justify the 744 and lose that mobility option. The other option I see is if I'm comping gear so I can get a better idea of how mic A compares to mic B so I can make a better educated decision about what each do and decide which pair to run at a future gig (but I don't do that often enough to warrant getting a 4ch preamp).
I'd be much more interested in native support for digital mics like the new schoeps/neumann options and especially more outputs (WordClock and Optical and RCA SPDIF without having to pick just 2 of the 3) before I voted for more channels. To have a preamp that could handle both analog mics, and digital mics (and take the digital mics and multiplex them of sorts into a single AES/SPDIF feed for today's recorders) is something that I might find useful.
Different requirements and values is all.
i gotcha.
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I think the explanation is much simpler:
1. Gakidis discontinues the V3 stilts
2. Then shortly after, Grace discontinues the V3
Coincidence?
I think not....
Not to fear, I also will continue to support the V3 GAKstilts. Loose a bolt, I am the man to call!
I think we can all tighten a bolt Ted, but if I lose one, i'll definitely call you. ;) ;D