Topic: NOMAD JUKEBOX CONS?

[caymanreview]

ed, sounds like me and you are in about the same boat. i tape alot here locally and also big shows quite often. so buying dats and transfer time is an issue, thats why i sold my M1

ive never really had anyone not give my rig respect because i am running a jb3.... hell most tapers that arent online dont even know what the hell it is.... at primus in chicago, i talked to each taper, and only the ones who frequent here knew what a jb3 was, and the others were very interested

[Ed.]

yeah, same here.  I get asked everytime i pull it out if its a cd player and then i have to go thru the whole explanation.  I do admit tho, I've been hassled by some tapers saying that its not a dat and never will have the quality of the dat, etc.  but i honestly think, whatever, i'm taping for myself, so i can have copies of the shows i go to.  if other people want a copy, great, if you want to bitch about my equipment, don't ask for a copy.

seriously tho, now that i got my modded ua-5, i think the njb3 might be one of the best purchaces i've made.  I've got in april and have recorded well over 100 shows with it and its still works like the day i bought it.

ed

[Nick in Edinboro]

At nearly every show, people think my JB3 is a mini disc recorder...  

[Tim]

the big con of the JB3, IMO ..is that there is no great way to get a s/pdif signal into it if your output from your ADC is coax.
If this is the case, you will almost always have a click or small dropout in the recording somewhere.

if you can feed it a toslink signal, then it is hands down, w/o doubt 1,000 times better than a sony DAT deck.  Both in ease of use, internal battery life and ESPECIALLY transfering.
No need for sound cards w/bit accurate i/o.
I havent used a DAT deck of my own in two years.


Say what you want about the medium you store your files on.  if you are that hard core about preservation of the files, buy a used DDS drive on eBay and there is your DAT equiv for storage.

since switching to the mod-sbm-1 I'm thinking about going optical out->jb3

then I can just firewire to my HD

[Dankman]

everything I am about to type is hearsay

1) sub-par mic preamp
2) sub-par adc
3) crappy level meters
4) they are being discontinued, which may affect future tech support and repair services
5) it's a consumer level recorder, not professional grade
6) doesn't support 24-bit recordeing (yet)

some of these aren't CONS, just disadvantages to other recorders, fwiw

I have seen on this site on a couple of occasions that the Nomad Jukebox 3 is being discontinued by Creative.  Where did this information come from?  I've been considering the purchase of one, and then I saw a post on this site stating that the JB3 is a discontinued item.  I was pretty bummed when I read that post.  I called and emailed Creative Labs to find out for certain whether or not the JB3 had been discontinued.

According to Creative Labs, the Nomad Jukebox 3 had not been discontinued.  

[Sean Gallemore]

I'm all hearsay

[Dankman]

You weren't the only one that said it.  I'm just was wondering where that started that it was discontinued.  I don't have complete faith in those that I spoke with at Creative.  They did tell me after all that they made a 30GB model of the JB3.

[caymanreview]

the word that i hear is they are making 2 new models, not neccesarily jukeboxes or jukebox styles, but 2 new models. wether they be the  same or different, at least one is going to take an optical signal.

i got that info from the nomadness.net boards. the best place ever for jb3 info!

[Nick's Picks]

I think the "discontinued" rumors are concerning the 20gb JB3.  I dont think they are making those, but are still making the 40gb version.
...I think.

[utahtaper]

Excuse me for my ignorance because I don't claim to know a thing about JB3's. But doesn't the unit use some form of compression when storing music files? Just like MP3?

I have always liked dat. I wasn't going to consider moving away from it until a professional, stable solution popped up that would sway me. Very interested in the 722.

[Sean Gallemore]

ummm, the jb3 can store files in mp3, as well as wav, maybe a few other formats.

[Brian Skalinder]

Excuse me for my ignorance because I don't claim to know a thing about JB3's. But doesn't the unit use some form of compression when storing music files? Just like MP3?

I have always liked dat. I wasn't going to consider moving away from it until a professional, stable solution popped up that would sway me. Very interested in the 722.

Ahem...check the archives.    Definitely stores files in WAV, I've used it myself the last couple shows.  I just checked and mine only records in 44.1k WAV, though maybe newer firmware will do 48k?  Not sure.  At any rate, I'm hoping to use this with my V3 and will be testing the Hosa ODL-312 signal converter for bit accuracy the next couple months.

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

The JB3 will go 48k, just set your AD to output 48k...  I usually just do 44 though, much easier later...  But I've taken the audio track from several DVDs for my own personal use in my car stereo and they've recorded 48k - requiring SFing...

The NJ3 will store any kind of file as data using the file manager.  But as a playback device it is WAV, MP3 and I think WMA compatible...

I love the fact that it is a portable USB harddrive...

On another note, Brain, let us know how the Hosa ODL project goes, the Midiman failed miserably during my first rough test, converting the coav out from my CD player to optical for my Nomad.  DO/skips on the JB3 wav that are not on the disc...

Terry

[Brian Skalinder]

The JB3 will go 48k, just set your AD to output 48k...

Duh.  Must engage...brain...before posting...  

let us know how the Hosa ODL project goes, the Midiman failed miserably during my first rough test

Too bad about the CO2.  Have you tried the CO3?  I suspect it would have the same problems, but...I know a local guy here who says he's never had problems with his CO3.  He doesn't get out to tape much, though, and the CO3 is BIG.  Maybe in your initial test the problem is with the quality of the cable or the quality of the signal being provided by the CD.  Dunno...but I guess whatever the cause it's not surprising as others have reported problems running CO2 > JB3.

I'll definitely keep you guys informed.  If the Hosa ODL-312 doesn't cut it, I'll keep trying to find something else that does - even if it costs a pretty penny more.  I figure a new DAT costs $500 or so.  My JB3 was $200, so if I have to spend $300 to get a damn signal converter that is bit-perfect, I may just do it.  We'll see.  Hopefully, I can get by with something a little less expensive, though, like the Hosa.

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

Maybe in your initial test the problem is with the quality of the cable or the quality of the signal being provided by the CD.  Dunno...but I guess whatever the cause it's not surprising as others have reported problems running CO2 > JB3.

No, the cable is fine, though it could be the output.  I made the same recording immediately after using the same player, cable and everything, except used optical out (my player has both).  No problem there...

I've been thinking, why not get the Oade Bros. to make one, or mod the UA5 to include one...

Terry