Topic: I need help V3 or SD722 ?

[Wiggler]

i agree the a/d of the 722 is better than the v3, but im not convinced its any better than a 671 or p2.

just b/c it costs alot doesnt make it good and i think a lot of 722 owners try to justify their purchase somehow, clouding their judgement.

Ever considered that maybe the people running the 671 or p2 are trying to justify their purchase by saying the a/d in the 722 isn't any better?

Everyone I know that has a 7xx has been happy with the a/d and if they weren't, I don't think they'd sit around and "justify their purchase" since they hold their value and could easily be sold for close to what the new price is anyway. In fact, the only people I've seen that have sold a 722 was either to get a 702t for timecode or 744 for running matrixes.

Check out this thread he sold his 722 because he wanted to get a ACM HD-P2.
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=73526.0

[gewwang]

I checked it out :

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=73526.msg984854#msg984854

So what direction are your ears going in?

I thought y'all would never ask    My ears have pointed me back to Doug and an ACM HD-P2 

have you heard a recording done with an acm p2?  i havent seen one in circulation yet is why i ask.

Excellent question.  No, I have not heard one yet.  After talking to Doug, though, I felt good about what he said so I will basically be going on faith with this.

So he dumped the 722 because the a/d didn't sound as good as a hunch that something oade-modded would sound better. I better sell my 722 now and get one myself

[terrapinj]

722 is also smaller than the P2 or 671 which is nice for stealthing

re HD replacement - still cheaper than buying/replacing a compact flash card - the new changes to the firmware allowing direct writing/backup to external HDs is also a very nice feature for our uses

we're trying to work on a P2/722 comp in So Cal - i just need to borrow some extra ck61 or ck63 caps - if someone wants to send us an ACM 671 and another set of mod460s with caps we could comp all 3 

[thepassionofyonder]

we're trying to work on a P2/722 comp in So Cal - i just need to borrow some extra ck61 or ck63 caps - if someone wants to send us an ACM 671 and another set of mod460s with caps we could comp all 3 

ive got the caps when you need them mikey

[terrapinj]

we're trying to work on a P2/722 comp in So Cal - i just need to borrow some extra ck61 or ck63 caps - if someone wants to send us an ACM 671 and another set of mod460s with caps we could comp all 3 

ive got the caps when you need them mikey

i know. now buy a ACM 671 and we'll be set 

[bl6216@yahoo.com]

I went with the SD722. I should have it in like 2 weeks or so Can't wate. Thanks for all the help.


-Brian

[Brian Skalinder]

my v3 is being left unplugged more and more since I got the 722. And, actually, I've been considering selling it.

Moke - have you noticed a higher noise floor on the 722 than the V3 for unamplified recording?  MattD and I both recorded an unamplified a cappella performance last year, and I found his recording - while very nice - had an audibly higher noise floor.  This was not a true comp, so I can't say for sure it was the 722, or the DPAs (can't imagine), or a function of the room or different locations, configs, etc.  Curious about your experiences...

[scb]

why spend 2400 on a 722 that at some point will need a new hd, when you can spend 1300 + media and get an acm671 or 1200 + media for an acm hdp2?  you can take that grand you saved and spend it somewhere else.

1. considering that you can get a 40 gig hard drive for next to nothing these days, when my drive dies in 3 years, i'll be fine spending even less money on a replacement drive
2. an acm671 needs media, which isn't cheap (especially in high capacities, and you might need more than 1 card), and also might have to be replaced, so that argument is pointless in my opinion
3. the 722 is significantly smaller.

(H x W x D)
722: 1.8” x 8.2” x 4.9” weight: 2.6 lbs
671: 2.0" x 10.4" x 7.3"  weight: 2.87 lbs.

4. the 722 has hard drive AND compact flash.  so it's got the same flash storage the 671 has with the added bonus of being able to store a ton of audio on a hard drive.  and again, all in a smaller package
5.  you can stealth the 722
6. the 722 sounds pretty damn good on its own.  i've been fine not running my mytek on many occasions and simply running the 1 box
7. the 722 is a freaking tank.  you can step on it and jump up and down and the case will not break. 

the 722 has been very successful.  people buy it because they like it, not so they can feel good about spending more money than the other guy. 

[ts]

why spend 2400 on a 722 that at some point will need a new hd, when you can spend 1300 + media and get an acm671 or 1200 + media for an acm hdp2?  you can take that grand you saved and spend it somewhere else.

1. considering that you can get a 40 gig hard drive for next to nothing these days, when my drive dies in 3 years, i'll be fine spending even less money on a replacement drive
2. an acm671 needs media, which isn't cheap (especially in high capacities, and you might need more than 1 card), and also might have to be replaced, so that argument is pointless in my opinion
3. the 722 is significantly smaller.

(H x W x D)
722: 1.8” x 8.2” x 4.9” weight: 2.6 lbs
671: 2.0" x 10.4" x 7.3"  weight: 2.87 lbs.

4. the 722 has hard drive AND compact flash.  so it's got the same flash storage the 671 has with the added bonus of being able to store a ton of audio on a hard drive.  and again, all in a smaller package
5.  you can stealth the 722
6. the 722 sounds pretty damn good on its own.  i've been fine not running my mytek on many occasions and simply running the 1 box
7. the 722 is a freaking tank.  you can step on it and jump up and down and the case will not break. 

the 722 has been very successful.  people buy it because they like it, not so they can feel good about spending more money than the other guy. 

very well said, Scott....

Not to bust your eggs Tim, but between you and Dan, you guys have gone thru every piece of recording equipment on the market. It won't be long before you settle on the best

[spreadheadtom]

<~~ also ditched a v3 for an acm671. just sayin.

same here

[ghellquist]

Let me simply second (or third or whatever) that the 722 in itself in my ears is a really good unit. I use mine for recording classical acoustical music (chamber orchestra, symphony orchestra, choir). Using good mics any problems are not with the equipment. I might add that my other rig has Millenium HV3D preamps and Lavry Blue converters so I think I have a baseline to compare with.

Built on my experience I recommend the following settings:
- high-pass off for music recording -- I want the recording "raw" and do any high-pass in post-processing on my PC where I have much more control
- limiter on -- it has saved my ass several times
- peak levels in the yellow band, -20 to -12. Avoid red LEDS. Sounds best in this range if you ask me, with 24 bit recordings noise floor is no problem.

Not everything is perfect of course. There is no function to see "max peak on recording" as the peak hold is only a few seconds. On high gains the headphone amp does hiss a little, this is not recorded though. The high-pass used to have a software bug that made it sound real bad when hit with overloaded signals (long since fixed) but I still want it raw. The limiter of course does modify the sound as just about any limiter does, but only when it is engaged by signals above about -6.

As most other specialized profesionnal equipment it does come at an unproportionally high price, agreed on that. Once you have 100 musicians on stage and your cheaper recorder stops, the price difference is quickly forgotten though. (been there).

Gunnar

re: that hard disk comment was rather stupid. Sound Devices recommends changin the disc every three years, an operation that is both simple and inexpensive.

[kgreener]

I checked it out :
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=73526.msg984854#msg984854

So what direction are your ears going in?

I thought y'all would never ask    My ears have pointed me back to Doug and an ACM HD-P2 

have you heard a recording done with an acm p2?  i havent seen one in circulation yet is why i ask.

Excellent question.  No, I have not heard one yet.  After talking to Doug, though, I felt good about what he said so I will basically be going on faith with this.

So he dumped the 722 because the a/d didn't sound as good as a hunch that something oade-modded would sound better. I better sell my 722 now and get one myself

Yep, that would be me.  I had the good fortune of having both the 722 and the ACM-P2 for a couple of weeks before selling the 722.  I was able to compare the two by way of recording a few of my gigs (one set CMXY4V > 722, other set CMXY4V > P2) and some test recordings in front of my pal's high-end reference system (plenty loud enough).  I have not yet recorded an open show with the P2, though Monday will be my first run with it at Little Feat (JW Mod 4053a > ACM-P2).

What I found, not surprisingly, is that I like both recorders.  The pre's on the 722 as we all know are top-notch, that goes without saying.  On the other hand, the rebuild done on the P2's preamps by Doug are also outstanding...very clean, even at low levels.  The build quality and size of the 722 can't be beat, no doubt.  Naturally I treat the P2 with kid gloves, have a nice padded sleeve for transit, and don't plan to stealth it anyway.  I have a 4gb CF and picked up a new 8gb PQI CF card off eBay for $86.00 shipped so I feel pretty good about having 12gb to work with. 

In comparing the recordings I did, I found both to be very similar in quality, though the ACM-P2 in my opinion had a slightly more open sound, more depth, and a tighter bottom end.  What I hear is a more 3D soundstage vs. a more 2D soundstage in the 722, which I attribute to Doug's modifications.  Again, this is all my opinion.  I now have an all-in-one box that may not have the same build quality and features as the 722, but in my opinion does not sound as nice as the ACM-P2 (or ACM671, for that matter). 

I realize a lot of people think Doug's mods are overrated or whatnot, but I, for one, do not.  He had some interesting comments on the 722, by the way, that might shock a lot of folks, as not all of them were kind. Of course I'm sure this would be construed as him trying to sell his product.  Well, so be it I reckon.

As I've heard a thousand times in these forums, one's own ears have to be happy and make the final decision.  I was fortunate I could afford both units to do a comparison and make my own decision.  I left the dollar factor out of the equation and based my final decison on how the two sounded to me.  It just ends up a bonus that the ACM-P2 is half the cost of a 722.  If I thought the 722 sounded better, I would have kept it and sold the P2.

My two cents.

[terrapinj]

I realize a lot of people think Doug's mods are overrated or whatnot, but I, for one, do not.  He had some interesting comments on the 722, by the way, that might shock a lot of folks, as not all of them were kind. Of course I'm sure this would be construed as him trying to sell his product.  Well, so be it I reckon.

curious what you have heard about the 722 from Doug. i was told that he was really impressed with the box and didn't bother modding it because he felt there was no way he could improve the sound. not that it matters at this point, but im just curious.

[ts]

jeesh, you 7xx owners got a little ruffled from my hard drive comment!!   

at the level most of us are at, we cant really go wrong with whatever we purchase.  every "all in one" option is the tits. 

im just jealous of you 7xx owners, since i cant afford one and keep my other toys.  id have to sell off too much to buy one.

Not to bust your eggs Tim, but between you and Dan, you guys have gone thru every piece of recording equipment on the market. It won't be long before you settle on the best

ive settled down tony, i dig my 671.  dan on the other hand.............

Just razzin' ya Tim. You kinda left the door open.

On the other hand that Dog recording of yours sounds mighty fine. I wasn't to happy with mine. Sometimes the JW 460's can bite ya right in the ass.

[kgreener]

I realize a lot of people think Doug's mods are overrated or whatnot, but I, for one, do not.  He had some interesting comments on the 722, by the way, that might shock a lot of folks, as not all of them were kind. Of course I'm sure this would be construed as him trying to sell his product.  Well, so be it I reckon.

curious what you have heard about the 722 from Doug. i was told that he was really impressed with the box and didn't bother modding it because he felt there was no way he could improve the sound. not that it matters at this point, but im just curious.

Hmm, I don't know man, I'd hate to start a war here or anything, that's not my intent, and I don't know if Doug would appreciate me posting his comments here.  Bottom line, all of these boxes sound great and maybe we should just leave it at that.