Topic: Best Pres on Portable Recorders?

[John Willett]

Where does it say 24bit on the website???  I did not find it on the page you refer to.

GOOD NEWS Nagra says 24bit for the EMP on their website.

http://www.nagraaudio.com/pro/pages/products_nagra_EMP.php

You won't find the page, it's been deleted.

It was a mistake that Nagra corrected when they realised the mistake.

The EMP page is HERE - this is the corrected version.

[John Willett]

I am betting that a 16-bit recording on the EMP will sound better than a 24-bit recording on an inexpensive pocket recorder.

But will it sound better than a Grace Lunatec V3?

Given typical pricing on Nagras, I'm betting a Lunatec V3 (digital) > Sony D50 setup will cost less than an EMP and will record in 24 bits.

It depends where you are - Grace also make superb gear (I have some myself).  But what makes Nagra expensive in the USA makes Grace expensive in the UK and Europe.

I think the Grace is more expensive than the Nagra EMP in the UK - so it will probably work out about equal on balance.

[John Willett]

I am betting that a 16-bit recording on the EMP will sound better than a 24-bit recording on an inexpensive pocket recorder.

But will it sound better than a Grace Lunatec V3?

Given typical pricing on Nagras, I'm betting a Lunatec V3 (digital) > Sony D50 setup will cost less than an EMP and will record in 24 bits.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

I completely disagree that a 24/96 recorder would "cost a lost more." Sure... they'll charge more, but the materials and design costs to a company like Nagra are negligible.

The EMP was designed as a top quality mic. pre. to match the Nagra VI.  It has no recording controls other than an on/off record switch.

To make it a 24/96 recorder (which I personally would have liked) would have meant transport controls and a lot more work.

My understanding is that some of the internals are software controlled and they took an existing board to do this.  As that board already had 16-bit recording on it, they allowed it's use rather than leaving it on the board unused - that is my understanding of the situation.

Yes, I would have loved it to have been 24/96 and I conveyed this to Nagra at the time - but the EMP is a great mic. pre. equal to and cheaper than the Grace Lunatec (in Europe at least).

Funny - it would have cause less angst if Nagra had left the EMP as a mic. pre. only and not activated the recording feature - the price would have been the same.