Derek H

Will a smaller single battery model be added at some point? Any inside info?

I saw it in an IMAX and they volume was way too loud. Everything just compressed to the ceiling. Really frustrating.

Wonder what he ended up doing with all the tubes… if you’re still reading this and have any 12ax7s let me know!

Try 25-30 on a 6061. 15-20 for a 6060.

I like SMVs the best. Or SMa either one is fine. SMQV is too big for me but if you’re going for long battery life it can’t be beat.

They’re not my favorites. They work fine and have some advantages like the menu navigation and wideband tuning. I think they’re overly large and chunky and I dislike the battery door which sounds trivial but when you use it every day… Personally, I think you should buy a couple of used SMs (SM, SMa, or SMv) and either 411as or an SRb or SRc. Then you’ll really know what Lectro is all about.

Larry, any plans to offer these for the 941 band?

Yup, just the automatic report that a 633 generates is all they get from me. If I remember to do that much. I’ve written emails explaining complicated setups involving music recording but there’s no time to do it during the work day. I label the tracks and name each scene something sensible if there’s time for that.

Would love to be able to vote yes but in Chicago our local has some side agreement so we won’t be part of the vote.

How do you like the new Deva? Any crashes or other weirdness?

The 633 is still great for simple bag rig stuff. You’d need to be ok with just 3 XLR inputs with phantom power and use one of the line inputs for inputs 4-6. Which is just fine for wireless receivers. More simple than an 8 series and more battery efficient.

Good question. I’ve ruined a few by using the wrong size hex. Never figured it out.

Yeah the battery door sucks on these. The way they put the label sticker on NiMH AAs means that with this unit you don’t get a reliable electrical connection. They really need spring contacts. stick to alkaline or lithium for Betso boxes.

The indie pro is 6A max if that’s enough to handle the total of what you’re posting then go for it.

Do a search on mouser and digikey. I like Meanwell brand power supplies but there are many quality brands. If you can chop the factory ends off and solder on a 4-pin xlr you’ll save a lot of money here. The remote audio one in your link is 13.8V so that it would top off a lead acid battery when wired in parallel. You could use any 12V supply if that feature isn’t important to you. How much gear you’re powering will determine what Amp rating you need. 14A is a lot. For reference an NP1 can provide a bit over 4A.

I would think a lot would depend on how the diversity arrangement of your particular wireless works.

Still waiting for someone to beat the original Lectro SM… they nailed it with that one. All core functionality completely solid… range, size, durability, ease of use, battery life. Total professional piece of gear. Even Lectro can’t beat it. Seems like everyone is designing new products to impress with bonus features but fail when it comes to meeting the core functionality of the previous generation. you’re describing Zaxcom’s power roll feature to a T.

That’s true. I don’t think that would add back a lot of runtime but we’ll see what they say.

I read it in the user manual for the unit. None of the press releases mentioned runtime so I figured it must be abysmal.

2:50 continuous transmit runtime at 40mW… 3hrs if you use lithium AAAs

I think using some sort of spacer that allows an air gap around the recorder but still lets you to snug it in tight in a bag would be best. I think trying to couple an actual heat sink to the surface of the recorder could work if you somehow manage to do a professional job attaching it but more likely the result would be to make the heat dissipation worse. Since it’s an irregular surface and not designed at all for having a heat sink applied I would not even try. Too much margin for error. Unless you take the panel to a machinist and get it ground down to a mirror like finish and then use thermal adhesive… or really if you were going down this path it would be better to have a new panel machined that has the heat sink integrated in the design. If it were really necessary Sound Devices would have done it already. I’m guessing they decided that keeping the same form factor as the previous recorder was more important for sales and user happiness than designing a box that runs a few degrees cooler. It seems like they’re designed to run hot. Even when installed in a rack with plenty of airflow all around the case is still hot to the touch. This is one area where Zaxcom deserves a nod. Somehow all of their machines seem to sip power and run cool. Wonder what the difference is.

I think you’ll just have to buy a few feet of a few different kinds and try it out yourself. I like the matte durable jacket of 1804a but the shielding is not the best. But it is quad so kind of a trade off. Reel system? Now that’s interesting. Will it be spring loaded/self winding or more like a fishing rod?

That cable you linked to is worth a try. It’sa more elaborate solution than what I proposed. If you have a buddy with a soldering iron just try modifying one of your existing XLR cables.

Try getting a cable that has pin 1 and the shell tab grounded together at the mic end or both ends. I found that with my brand new (2019) MKH50s they needed to use cables wired this way to avoid some fluorescent light related interference on set. It didn't sound like your sample but certainly worth a try. Another idea.. make sure the 10 dB pad isn’t on. If it is maybe that’s just what the Sony adapter noise floor sounds like.

Yup...