audiofp Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 I did some location audio many years ago but have spent most of my career in post. Some of my clients, unhappy with their location audio talked me into getting back in. I'm having fun. I have a bag with an SD302, Lectro UM400 & LMA feeding a Lectro SRa, Comtek 216s. I'm building a bag cart and anticipate 95% of my time will be sitting at the cart. Most of my output goes to a DSLR. I thought I'd upgrade a little and am looking at a 664 vs Nomad 10. If I purchase the Nomad it will be because of size (for the bag) and the network. It looks like a compact, efficient system. Zaxnet is attractive but I don't to want buy new reliability problems. So, I would appreciate any comments on general reliability of the Sound Devices vs. Zaxcom mixer/recorders and Zaxcom vs. Lectrosonics wireless systems. Interested in quick comments as to failure rates and performance on the job. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Woodcock Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 Both systems are not flawless and both have their gremlins. The current software version for the Nomad is very stable and have had no issue with it. Recorded a 2 hour interview last week. I started with 6 track nomad and just recently upgraded to the 12 love the workflow and zaxnet makes life very easy with my trx900LA's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atheisticmystic Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 Damn, and I'm out of popcorn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 Hi, and welcome " I'm having fun. " you'll have to do abit of reading here on jwsoundgroup, as the discussions have been several, and long, and on-going, and sometimes noisy... ultimately you'll have to make your own decision, for yourself. perhaps you'll work something out with one of our 'usual suspects' for rental-trials ...now, grab some popcorn, and duck, cause here it comes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 Shall I start? Perhaps if your DSLR-wielding clients had hired real sound people to begin with, they wouldn't have found it necessary to get you "back in". But since you're here, all the equipment you own and the equipment you mentioned are top notch, and will serve you well. Look for the features you need, and the form-factors you enjoy, and hand your card to the nice folks at Trew/LSC/PSS/Gotham/Wilcox. The best advice here is that there is no point in buying twice, so buy right, and buy from somewhere that'll help you as you grow. B & H and the like might save you a buck or two in the short run, but this is a business of relationships. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 " comments on general reliability of... " generally, all of those are generally reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Visser Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 They are both great. I personally didn't buy the Nomad because it lack per channel trim pots and doesn't have pan switches. I didnt buy the 664 becaue of my dislike of the transport joystick (petty I know, but hey it's my money). Choose one for what you need and how it fits into your workflow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 They're both great--quantum leaps beyond gear of even a few years ago. But you gotta test-drive them--they embody very different approaches and assumptions about how you'll work. philp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justanross Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 Rent or demo both, pick what you like. I love my Nomad. And I'm now a huge fan of ERX2TCD's. They are so flexible. IFB's or sync and guide track to a camera. Cuts down on you needing lots of extra gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiofp Posted January 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Good comments. I'm trying to buy right- that's why I'm here. I've perused this forum and others and downloaded manuals and watched videos. Lots of happy people but I guess I'm trying to find a little dirt. Any DOA stories? I was told by one user (I won't prompt with the manufacturer) he ordered a number of xmtr/rcvrs and much of it came DOA. He sent em back and more came not working. Third time was the charm. Happens with all manufacturers I'm sure but some more than others. I've had good experiences with Sound Devices and Lectro but know nothing about Zaxcom. If no make stands out for reliability (or lack thereof) I'll go ahead and make my purchases based on my workflow. Thanks again. (popcorn free around here?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiofp Posted January 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Shall I start? Perhaps if your DSLR-wielding clients had hired real sound people to begin with, they wouldn't have found it necessary to get you "back in". You're right. But it is what it is. Tucson is a very small market. Not really a full job here unless that person wants to work mostly away and not many of those guys live here. One advantage is most of my audio ends up in my control room so I decide if there's a problem or fix it in post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryF Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 [snip] Any DOA stories? I was told by one user (I won't prompt with the manufacturer) he ordered a number of xmtr/rcvrs and much of it came DOA. He sent em back and more came not working. Third time was the charm. Happens with all manufacturers [snip] (popcorn free around here?) We call it the new dealer curse. Any brand new dealer that you've spent months hyping your product line to, will get a DOA unit as their first order. It happened so often that we thought about using it as a deliberate marketing tool: Send them a DOA unit as a first unit and then quickly take care of it with a backup unit to show them our "great service". And no, we never did it deliberately. The units just managed to be dead on their own. But we sure talked about it. Best Regards, Larry F Lectro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiofp Posted January 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Thanks, Larry. BTW, all my Lectros were AOA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemmerlinj Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 I've had hiccups from just about every manufacturer. I currently own a Nomad, almost bought a 788t, happy I didn't. If the 664 was available when I was buying the Nomad I may very well have gone with the 664. Still happy I chose the Nomad. If I had a 664 instead of a Nomad I'd probably say I was happy I bought the 664. They're both great pieces of gear. Like everyone said try them out see what works best for your work flow. They're different but very much the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiofp Posted January 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 I've had hiccups from just about every manufacturer. I currently own a Nomad, almost bought a 788t, happy I didn't. If the 664 was available when I was buying the Nomad I may very well have gone with the 664. Still happy I chose the Nomad. If I had a 664 instead of a Nomad I'd probably say I was happy I bought the 664. They're both great pieces of gear. Like everyone said try them out see what works best for your work flow. They're different but very much the same. Thanks. Good to hear thumbs up to pieces I'm considering. Weird there are no haters of a particular device. These manufacturers must be working their asses off to please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zack Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 I own and use both, you'll be happy with either. Make a list of items you're wanting out of a system (like size you mentioned), then put a check on the items that qualify for each of your wants/needs. The one with the most checks should be your decision. In the case of a tie..... catch a tiger by the toe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Spaeth Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 You can check out the for sale section and ask the people who sold their Nomad or 552 or other gear you are interested in why they sold it, and you'll probably get some more opinions there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Mega Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 They're different but very much the same. Same same but different Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiofp Posted January 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 You can check out the for sale section and ask the people who sold their Nomad or 552 or other gear you are interested in why they sold it, and you'll probably get some more opinions there. Good thought but will someone trying to sell their equipment be pointing out it's weaknesses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sound Art Film Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Here's some dirt on the Nomad 6 On only the second day of using it, out in the middle of nowhere, ALL the phantom power on the unit died. With a multimeter, I was only getting 2.4V, not 48V . This meant I couldn't power any of my condenser mics. Good thing I brought a backup (SD 442, Edirol R44 ). I returned that sucker and got a 788T. In my opinion, Zaxcom has great features, but its business model of releasing products before working out major bugs doesn't sit right with me. And I was not alone with Nomad issues after the product was out for around 8 months. The Zaxcom Nomad forum was bursting with issues. I have been with the 788T ever since and I generally trust Sound Devices equipment more in the reliability department, even if it means loosing out on some cool features. What's the point of having nifty features if you cant even get 48V power? Reliability will always trump added features to me. I have heard several people that are very pleased with their Zaxcom products, but all I know is, Zaxcom is not for me. (popcorn cracking in the background).... Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justanross Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Here's some dirt on the Nomad 6 On only the second day of using it, out in the middle of nowhere, ALL the phantom power on the unit died. With a multimeter, I was only getting 2.4V, not 48V . This meant I couldn't power any of my condenser mics. Good thing I brought a backup (SD 442, Edirol R44 ). I returned that sucker and got a 788T. In my opinion, Zaxcom has great features, but its business model of releasing products before working out major bugs doesn't sit right with me. And I was not alone with Nomad issues after the product was out for around 8 months. The Zaxcom Nomad forum was bursting with issues. I have been with the 788T ever since and I generally trust Sound Devices equipment more in the reliability department, even if it means loosing out on some cool features. What's the point of having nifty features if you cant even get 48V power? Reliability will always trump added features to me. I have heard several people that are very pleased with their Zaxcom products, but all I know is, Zaxcom is not for me. (popcorn cracking in the background).... Paul Shhhhhhhhh....you are not suppose to mention the Zaxcom forums on here. Now people will find out about all the Nomad issues Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fieldmixer Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Well the bright side is, most every kink is out of the nomad. 500+? beta tester/owners for 14 months and stellar manufacturer and Jack support and updates, software revisions, tweaks, mods and some board replacements. It's never been more solid. Through the phantom power issue, screen mod and some practically Impossible to foresee software crash scenarios due to the massive variables of this incredible machine, I think it's over the hump. Great time to buy. It really is a shame that many former Zaxcom product owners that have had issues now and forever turn a cold shoulder. I've had my couple issues with the nomad this last year, as many others have, it was a calculated risk but was I willing to take the leap, read the forum threads, do the work and stay on top it. Running smoothly now and I don't worry anymore. I can't imagine working without my hops, my nomad and my erxtc's now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Woodcock Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 the forums weren't bursting with issue very much creative writing there on someone's part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Spaeth Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Good thought but will someone trying to sell their equipment be pointing out it's weaknesses? After they sold maybe. But seriously, it is more a matter if preference. As has been said, the business models and structure are different and some prefer the one over the other. As can be seen in the for sale section, Nomads as well as 664s are selling. I guess you cant make everybody happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Here's some dirt on the Nomad 6 On only the second day of using it, out in the middle of nowhere, ALL the phantom power on the unit died. With a multimeter, I was only getting 2.4V, not 48V . This meant I couldn't power any of my condenser mics. Good thing I brought a backup (SD 442, Edirol R44 ). I returned that sucker and got a 788T. In my opinion, Zaxcom has great features, but its business model of releasing products before working out major bugs doesn't sit right with me. And I was not alone with Nomad issues after the product was out for around 8 months. The Zaxcom Nomad forum was bursting with issues. I have been with the 788T ever since and I generally trust Sound Devices equipment more in the reliability department, even if it means loosing out on some cool features. What's the point of having nifty features if you cant even get 48V power? Reliability will always trump added features to me. I have heard several people that are very pleased with their Zaxcom products, but all I know is, Zaxcom is not for me. (popcorn cracking in the background).... Paul And the 664 has had such a stellar issue free roll out? No new product will be released without any isses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.