codyman Posted October 6, 2021 Report Share Posted October 6, 2021 I'm potentially in the market for new/more IFB's. Anyone use these new Lectro compatible IFB's? Interesting that it's marketed as a different company but then shares an address with Lectro? I like that they just use NiMH AA's as I already have a plethora. https://www.ifblue.com/index.php/specifications Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Karlsson Posted October 7, 2021 Report Share Posted October 7, 2021 Hey Cody, I recently picked one up to try it out. My impressions after using it on a few jobs - The good: - Sounds better than R1a, with a quieter noise floor. - 2x AA rechargeable (included) lasts a full day. - It's wide-band A1 or B1 and compatible with any matching Lectro Tx in IFB mode. The potentially not so great: - The build quality worries me a bit. This may or may not prove to be true with time, but it feels like the plastic is pretty "thin", and therefore might break if dropped (compared to an R1a, which Is built like a little tank). The IFBlue is perhaps more like a Comtek in that sense. The battery door and the belt-clip are offered as replacement parts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted October 7, 2021 Report Share Posted October 7, 2021 4 hours ago, codyman said: Interesting that [IFBlue is] marketed as a different company but then shares an address with Lectro? https://www.ifblue.com/index.php/specifications I found this on the press release: IFBlue Introduces Value-Priced IFB Receiver & Dock Charging System New brand of products is designed to reach a broader range of customers in production, film, broadcast, videography, live event, and houses of worship https://www.lectrosonics.com/press-releases/1302-ifblue-introduces-value-priced-ifb-receiver-dock-charging-system.html ===== About IFBlue IFBlue is a new professional audio technology brand designed, distributed, supported, and warranted by Lectrosonics, Inc. and manufactured by a Korean firm in ISO9001 certified factories in South Korea and China to the highest standards. The IFBlue value-priced line of products are designed to reach an even broader range of customers in the production, film, broadcast, videography, live event, and house of worship applications. www.ifblue.com ===== Seems like a smart move by Lectro... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen Rowand Posted October 7, 2021 Report Share Posted October 7, 2021 Quick intro: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codyman Posted October 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2021 12 hours ago, Johnny Karlsson said: Hey Cody, I recently picked one up to try it out. My impressions after using it on a few jobs - The good: - Sounds better than R1a, with a quieter noise floor. - 2x AA rechargeable (included) lasts a full day. - It's wide-band A1 or B1 and compatible with any matching Lectro Tx in IFB mode. The potentially not so great: - The build quality worries me a bit. This may or may not prove to be true with time, but it feels like the plastic is pretty "thin", and therefore might break if dropped (compared to an R1a, which Is built like a little tank). The IFBlue is perhaps more like a Comtek in that sense. The battery door and the belt-clip are offered as replacement parts... Yeah given it would be $350/each to reblock my client IFB R1a's, at $399 to gain access to all of the A1 blocks, switch to NiMH AA's, that right there would probably be worth it. It does seem that they are definitely that Comtek-tastic plastic which is "iffy" but at least there's replacement parts that are affordable and I don't mind billing production when the inevitable client/agency that's visiting drops and breaks one. I'd definitely keep a few R1a's though for my boom op / director / scripty as they are R1a worthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryF Posted October 7, 2021 Report Share Posted October 7, 2021 Two comments from a very biased fanatic: 1. There is plastic and there is plastic. Gordon told me, that he bent the clip and battery door until it scared him and he quit. However, the replacement parts are cheap enough and easy enough to install, to keep around as spares, even if it is for years. 2. Lectro is a small volume company building many items in quantities of ten to one hundred at a time. The Korean partner (IFBlue) makes items in the thousands at a time and they build for multiple companies. Their costs are proportionaly lower. If Lectro built $500 smart phones in Rio Rancho, they'd be $10,000 even on a fire sale. Best Regards, Larry Fisher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codyman Posted October 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2021 4 minutes ago, LarryF said: Two comments from a very biased fanatic: 1. There is plastic and there is plastic. Gordon told me, that he bent the clip and battery door until it scared him and he quit. However, the replacement parts are cheap enough and easy enough to install, to keep around as spares, even if it is for years. 2. Lectro is a small volume company building many items in quantities of ten to one hundred at a time. The Korean partner (IFBlue) makes items in the thousands at a time and they build for multiple companies. Their costs are proportionaly lower. If Lectro built $500 smart phones in Rio Rancho, they'd be $10,000 even on a fire sale. Best Regards, Larry Fisher Thanks, Larry! I have no qualms about the plastic as let's face it, IFB's often are more of a quantity rather than quality item. I've never had a client say "How come this IFB is plastic" but I sure as hell have had them ask if we have more of them available! But I'm sure Lectro did their homework per usual and still made this a quality item. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Karlsson Posted October 7, 2021 Report Share Posted October 7, 2021 All my above cautions regarding the plastic may be totally unwarranted. And with all that said, I will absolutely pick up a few more of these in the near future. They do sound very good. Thank you Gordon, Larry and everyone at Lectrosonics for making this possible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mono Posted October 7, 2021 Report Share Posted October 7, 2021 2 hours ago, Johnny Karlsson said: Thank you Gordon, Larry and everyone at Lectrosonics for making this possible! +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Karlsson Posted October 7, 2021 Report Share Posted October 7, 2021 1 hour ago, mono said: Fits in regular Comtek pouches! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Salles Posted October 8, 2021 Report Share Posted October 8, 2021 I found the only physical weakness of the R1a to be the minijack connectors (I had quite a few being seriously damaged when using strong neutrick male connectors and careless directors). How does it seem on the IFBlue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryF Posted October 8, 2021 Report Share Posted October 8, 2021 Since the minijack was also the antenna connector, it had to be isolated, not bolted to, the metal case on the R1a. There was a plastic grommet added but it was still a weak point. The IFBlue case is plastic and the mini can be bolted directly to the case. Better, but it is still a minijack. The minijack is just a weak connector but is the de facto plug type for headphones and ear pieces. Converting to a right angle mini on the headphone cable is a big improvement, since it has much less leverage on the jack and is harder to pull out: https://www.amazon.com/Seadream-3-Pole-Female-Headset-Extension/dp/B01DCBJ51I3 Best Regards, Larry Fisher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codyman Posted October 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2021 4 minutes ago, LarryF said: Converting to a right angle mini on the headphone cable is a big improvement, since it has much less leverage on the jack and is harder to pull out: https://www.amazon.com/Seadream-3-Pole-Female-Headset-Extension/dp/B01DCBJ51I3 I've been using Panasonic RP-HT21 $7 headsets (right angle connector) for years for my R1a's and have never had one break off. But then one time a director insisted on using his straight connector Beats By Dre (oof) and he managed to snap off his connector in less than two days. That R1a got a production paid vacation to Rio Rancho, NM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryF Posted October 8, 2021 Report Share Posted October 8, 2021 1 hour ago, codyman said: But then one time a director insisted on using his straight connector Beats By Dre (oof) and he managed to snap off his connector in less than two days. Sounds right. Those adapter cables I linked above would have taken care of the Beats By Dre (oof indeed). LEF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Reineke Posted October 8, 2021 Report Share Posted October 8, 2021 Quote I've been using Panasonic RP-HT21 $7 headsets (right angle connector) for years +11. Same here. The RP-HT21 also sound good and hold up fairly well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osa Posted October 8, 2021 Report Share Posted October 8, 2021 Curious to know do these have to operate in Ifb mode only from lectro transmitters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berniebeaudry Posted October 8, 2021 Report Share Posted October 8, 2021 On 10/6/2021 at 10:02 PM, Johnny Karlsson said: Hey Cody, I recently picked one up to try it out. My impressions after using it on a few jobs - The good: - Sounds better than R1a, with a quieter noise floor. - 2x AA rechargeable (included) lasts a full day. - It's wide-band A1 or B1 and compatible with any matching Lectro Tx in IFB mode. The potentially not so great: - The build quality worries me a bit. This may or may not prove to be true with time, but it feels like the plastic is pretty "thin", and therefore might break if dropped (compared to an R1a, which Is built like a little tank). The IFBlue is perhaps more like a Comtek in that sense. The battery door and the belt-clip are offered as replacement parts... I beta tested these and gave the unit a few good slams on the concrete floor of my basement. Didn't break anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek H Posted October 8, 2021 Report Share Posted October 8, 2021 Larry, any plans to offer these for the 941 band? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Karlsson Posted October 8, 2021 Report Share Posted October 8, 2021 1 hour ago, berniebeaudry said: I beta tested these and gave the unit a few good slams on the concrete floor of my basement. Didn't break anything. Good to know! Makes me feel even better about these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael McQueen Posted October 9, 2021 Report Share Posted October 9, 2021 I just got 3 ifblue in 900mhz to go with my 2 r1a's. my producer and host that wear them for my show really like the ifblue's. said they feel lighter, they like the clip and think they sound better. range has been hard to judge as I haven't felt like walking that far from set (so far). I've not dropped them but the plastic doesn't feel like the brittle plastic that explodes on an impact, more kind of the soft'sh. I also like not having to deal with the dials of the r1a's. that was always kind of a pain. but I'm on week 3 with them and very stoked on the purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryF Posted October 9, 2021 Report Share Posted October 9, 2021 20 hours ago, Derek H said: Larry, any plans to offer these for the 941 band? We've shipped about 40 in the 941 band. More units are waiting on parts. Lectro, like a lot of electronic manufacturers, is having to work around irregular parts shipments. Best Regards, Larry Fisher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted October 9, 2021 Report Share Posted October 9, 2021 1 hour ago, LarryF said: We've shipped... Larry, you're terrible at this retirement stuff. Which is pretty inspiring. 😀 ❤️ All my best, Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codyman Posted October 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2021 IFBlue was discussed at Gotham Sound Expo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Salles Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 Hey everyone, I am looking to get a set of IFBlue but it seems difficult to find in Europe? why is that so? any recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlw Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 We have B1 units in stock at the HQ, C1 units are slightly backordered and should be caught up within a short time. Any Lectrosonics authorized dealer in Europe has access to the IFBlue units and can order them for you. 2 hours ago, Fred Salles said: Hey everyone, I am looking to get a set of IFBlue but it seems difficult to find in Europe? why is that so? any recommendations? Also JBK in France has IFBlue units in stock, in the A1, B1, and C1 bands. https://jbkaudioshop.com/en/search?q=ifblue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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