Story about buying a 192

[Barry Johns]

So today I walk into a guys house after making a deal on a 192I/O. Very nice guy who does voice overs and jingles for radio. He has a "Mint" 192 I/O that was racked once the day he bought it. It looked like it had just come out if the box new. He even threw in the DB-25 cables as well, all for $800!

So he tells me the story about how he bought an HD2 PCI, G5 Mac Pro, Command 8, and the 192 I/O for over 20k on a lease and he "just" paid it off, quite a few years later I might add since he bought it all new.

Now he tells me that no one will even make an offer on the G5 and the HD2! Been on Craigslist for several months, not a single bite!

This really made me wonder? Will we see those kind of days again? Aren't we close with HDX.? I don't know. Are some of us falling for the dangling of the Avid HDX/I/O carrot? Maybe, maybe not. It does make me wonder though.

I like many am looking forward to what is next, but I have to ask myself, does it make sense?

Just a few years ago it was a big deal if you had a TDM Rig. Now, they can be had for next to nothing. Really, nothing. Are they somehow not as effective as before? Should we "really" be seriously looking at upgrading? I get it, really I do. This kind of thing is the expected evolution of what we do. Nowadays in many circumstances the improvement is literally night and day. Is that "Really" the case today with HD / HDX. New converters vs. the 192, Apogee AD/DA, or the Lynx Aurora? Night and Day? Maybe the 192, but even thats a stretch, "Night and Day"? Scraping the old with the new? Will it really make that much of a difference? It is after all going to end up on iTunes.

I don't have the answer, but doesn't it make you want to take a very serious look at what "IS" the most "Practical" way forward? I mean the investment is now back to what it was in TDM's heyday, maybe a little less, albeit much more powerful. But like my mamma always said, "just because you can, does not mean you should". Meaning, just because you can do a megaton of things, doesn't mean you will really need to.

Just a thought of mine. I do wonder though, am I alone in this thinking?

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by Barry Johns

I do wonder though, am I alone in this thinking?

No, you're not alone.

I myself have not yet been able to justify a HD3-->HDX1 crossgrade. Buying new converters is even harder to justify. Crossgrade prices are not cheap enough to just go for it without thinking about it very carefully.

Once all my plugins are AAX the decision might be easier. Right now jumping to HDX and PT11 would mean losing Lexicon and Waves DSP. I don't know, maybe what I have now is enough as long as they work reliably.

Sure the new is always tempting. Just not tempting enough just yet, at least for me. Maybe later

[Ragged Edge]

HD1/192 here, will only consider upgrade when current system fries and dies.

Cheers,

Ragged.

[Fidelis]

Same boat here! Happy with my HD3. Waiting...

[YYR123]

Originally Posted by Ragged Edge

HD1/192 here, will only consider upgrade when current system fries and dies.

Cheers,

Ragged.

Heck if ur not upgrading you can have an HD3 in 6 months - for less money than you paid for ur last waves bundle !

[Barry Johns]

Originally Posted by YYR123

Heck if ur not upgrading you can have an HD3 in 6 months - for less money than you paid for ur last waves bundle !

Less, I saw an HD3 go for 2300 on eBay last week!

Pcie!

[YYR123]

Wow that's crazy - at one point in time I thought I would go that route also

When PT11 dropped I would pick up a HD3 but now I don't think I will - PT11 is too tempting

[Firechild]

If you are serious you should at least update your 192 to AVID HD 8x8x8. It IS night and day. Needless to say the 192 is not sounding good and yes it has been gold records made on 192´s but they have sounded better with better converters and still been gold records.

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by Firechild

If you are serious you should at least update your 192 to AVID HD 8x8x8.

Wow. I thought just the opposite. When I eventually upgrade to HDX I'm going to keep my old interfaces as long as they work, including the Apogee. Upgrading interfaces is very costly and the 192 really sounds more than decent.

[Barry Johns]

Originally Posted by JFreak

Wow. I thought just the opposite. When I eventually upgrade to HDX I'm going to keep my old interfaces as long as they work, including the Apogee. Upgrading interfaces is very costly and the 192 really sounds more than decent.

If there is anything I have learned, sometimes at a financial cost is that hype can have a huge psychological impact when making gear buying decisions. I just cancelled my order for the Apollo 16, when I took into consideration how much I would likely spend on UAD plugs, that I frankly don't need, considering my already huge plugin investment, to be able to take full advantage of the Appllo features.

What I have tried to learn is patience leads to smart decisions.

Now do I always follow those learned instincts? No, not always, but more than not, I have regretted my knee jerk decisions.