Topic: A few D8 questions

[phishmarisol]

I'm already considering swapping in my JB3 for a D8 but I have a few questions.  

1) How much do these run used and what is an acceptable number of hours?

2) If only using it to patch out of a SBD, can I just run an analog line in or will have I have to get an a/d?

3) Are these things complicated?  

I like the JB3 in that I have no tapes to deal with and its ease of use.  What I don't like is all the crazy ass noises that show up on my recordings.  I would happily pay a little more money to have tapes that I didn't have to spend several hours trying to make sound good.

Also: I am NOT just set on looking into a D8.  I am open to any other options there are.  Looking to spend about $300 max though.  So basically if I will need anything other than the actual unit, tapes, and cables...I can't afford it.

[jlykos]

1) How much do these run used and what is an acceptable number of hours?

A used D8 will run you about $250 - $300 used.  There is no way to reliably track the number of hours on one so people will usually not say.  If somebody says that they used it for like 200 hours, I would pick it up.  I believe that the heads wear out after 1500 hours, but I am not totally positive on that.

2) If only using it to patch out of a SBD, can I just run an analog line in or will have I have to get an a/d?

You can use an analog line-in without a problem.  If you are concerned about the poor A/D quality on the D8, look into the M1 or D100, each of which has a better A/D than the D8.  Either of those will run you about $450 used and is an overall better buy because their heads do not wear out as fast either.  The D8 uses 1/2 size heads; the M1 / D100 use 3/4 size heads.

3) Are these things complicated?  

Absolutely not.  Put the tape in, press any button to load it up, press "record" and then "pause" and you are all ready to go!

If you want to patch into other decks with any of the Sony portable DAT decks, you will need a 7-pin coaxial cable, available for about $125 - $150 new from Oade or ProDigital or cheaper used.

As for other options, there really aren't any beside the DAT decks, JB3, or MiniDisc decks.  There are laptop options, but I am not sure how much you would run in total with the accessories necessary for SBD recording.

[phishmarisol]

jlykos: Thank you.


So I read that the D8 records in 44.1 but the D7 does not...is this true?  If so, what does the D7 record in?

[Brian Skalinder]

So I read that the D8 records in 44.1 but the D7 does not...is this true?  If so, what does the D7 record in?

The D7 will record at 48k in SP or 32k in LP through it's analog inputs.  It'll do both of these plus 44.1k if you're feeding it a digital input from an outboard ADC.

Doug Oade just posted a pic of a "low-hours" DAT transport, may be useful for those buying used decks if the seller is willing to take a close-up pic for you.