Manley SLAM! with HD thoughts?

[Lee Blaske]

It's been several months since Lynn Fuston's review, and I was wondering if anyone else has been using this unit extensively. Are there many out in the field yet?

The original review looked at things from more of a front-end perspective. I'd be interested to know if anyone has used it extensively in other parts of the processing chain (i.e. on a drum bus or perhaps strapped across the mix bus). With its wide range of capabilities, I'm thinking there might be lots of uses for it, which would certainly help justify the cost.
In particular, I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who has used this device as an insert (or front end) for PT HD. With the converter option, it would certainly be easy to get in and out of PT HD with it. How does it compare to the high-end plug-ins that are out there? Clearly better or worse, or just different?

Has anyone compared using the SLAM! as a front end device to HD, using the on-board conversion vs. an analog output of the SLAM! into the 192's converters? Is there a noticeable difference? Is it dramatic or subtle?

It looks like an interesting piece of equipment. The only thing about it that really concerns me is the large number of controls on the back panel. It sure would have been nice if they added another rack space to the cabinet, and brought that stuff out front.

Also, I'd like to buy into the "timeless" nature of acquiring a piece like this, but I know converter technology and digital standards are still evolving. Is the converter hardware in this unit modular to the point where we might expect an upgraded (or different) converter option in the future?

Lee Blaske