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Practicality of Old Recorders


grombo

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Hello everyone!

I've been thinking of getting a Zaxcom Deva V, i know they still provide support depending on specific parts but I've been wondering if it's actually worth it. Even with a hdd caddy how does the actual exporting the audio process works? Is it fast enough? 
Following another old recorder, the Aaton Cantar X, I was wondering if there is support for it ?(I know Aaton doesn't support it anymore) Is it still possible to get a CF caddy for it or can you use firewire to usb with it?

Sorry for my ignorance, I really need an insight if it worth getting an old machine second hand or a new modern recorder under 1.5k euros.
Appreciate all comments!

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Those are both great recorders, but if you are looking for a good deal on an older file-based audio recorder I'd suggest finding an SD 788T.  I would guess that there are WAY more of them around, there are way more techs who know how to work on them and they are still supported by SD.  There may be a few tricks that the Deva V and the Cantar X can do that the 788T can't but not many...

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1 minute ago, Philip Perkins said:

I'd suggested finding an SD 788T

Yeah lots of 788t SSD with CL8 out there for around $2k USD.  Philip and a few others this past summer convinced me it was a good buy when I was looking for something to interface with my PSC Solice Mini and they were right!  Sounds great / works great still.  Hell, seems like the prices keep dropping so I'm even contemplating getting a 2nd one for backup and/or to link with a C-LINK cable so I can have 16 tracks.

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13 hours ago, Philip Perkins said:

Those are both great recorders, but if you are looking for a good deal on an older file-based audio recorder I'd suggest finding an SD 788T.  I would guess that there are WAY more of them around, there are way more techs who know how to work on them and they are still supported by SD.  There may be a few tricks that the Deva V and the Cantar X can do that the 788T can't but not many...

I can't speak for the Deva V or Cantar other they were top of the line machines. I do have to agree with Philip that maybe a slightly newer old machine would be a better bet. The 788 is a great recorder and there are still plenty out in the field. I'd also look at the Zaxcom Nomad.

 

I just rebuilt my Nomad and Maxx kits whilst my Nova is away for service. They may not be the latest but they are fine machines and got the job done for many a year. They still have more in them.

 

Cheers Nate.

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To echo what has been said, I am a real fan of the 788T. It was my first professional machine, and it is still in use. I also own a number of other devices, including the 833, which does have exceptional features. But on a cart with a CL-9, the 788T really doesn’t have many rivals other than with track count. The quality and functions of it were really dismissed with future generations of devices, and they are barely catching up as people note what newer machines lack, that were available so many generations ago. If you can’t afford a used 788T today, you may as well wait a week and save up, as they are going for unbelievably low prices. I’d take a 788T over a MixPre or rival budget recorder any day of the week. 

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On 1/14/2023 at 6:02 PM, grombo said:

Hello everyone!

I've been thinking of getting a Zaxcom Deva V, i know they still provide support depending on specific parts but I've been wondering if it's actually worth it. Even with a hdd caddy how does the actual exporting the audio process works? Is it fast enough? 
Following another old recorder, the Aaton Cantar X, I was wondering if there is support for it ?(I know Aaton doesn't support it anymore) Is it still possible to get a CF caddy for it or can you use firewire to usb with it?

Sorry for my ignorance, I really need an insight if it worth getting an old machine second hand or a new modern recorder under 1.5k euros.
Appreciate all comments!

First, no replacement parts for the Cantar X1 or X2 (Specially the LCD)

 

The Deva V is a superb machine (Every Deva since the IV have the same OS), but IMMO only for cart (too big), is great for narrative work (Easy to mount and unmount tracks and metadata entry), touch screen, 10 tracks, great preamplifiers, Zaxnet orders. The only one drawback is the file names, is just the folder and number (001, 002), but by using the Wave agent is very easy to fix (rename the file with the metadata name)

 

IMMO the Deva V with a Mix8 or Mix12 is a win win, perfect for today cart work

 

 

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