yeah, but not everyone can afford a DEVA IV - the JB3 is what it is, a cheap consumer, 16/44.1 recorder with digital input. It encodes 1s and 0s just like all of the other recorders do - and for the price they have been available at for a while now, nothing beats it. Sure, it may be that there is not a JB3 around in a section in 5-10 years, but for now it is a relatively affordable means to an end. it is also just a matter of time before we don't see any DAT decks around as most of them have been discontinued, but people still buy them, and the operating cost involved with DAT is much higher than JB3.
When i can afford to buy a cantar X, i will upgrade.