Finally Lavry Blue...

[Marrone]

For such a long time (and also because i had to wait anyway for a PCI-express solution) i was thinking about which 2 ch converter to buy. I could not decide between the UA2192 and the Lavry Blue (hearing so many good things about these converters) because i did not have the possibility to try them out. Suddenly i managed to get a good deal on a used 2 ch Lavry Blue with Mic Pres and so i decided to take the plunge. Now i am sitting at home waiting for them and really hoping i made the right choice and hoping that i will not be dissappointed after i will have the chance to listen to them. Exciting............ Oh by the way is there anyone who can comment on the Lavry Blue Mic pres? Are the really comparable with stand-alone preamps? Thanks!! Cheers

Marrone

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by Marrone

Oh by the way is there anyone who can comment on the Lavry Blue Mic pres? Are the really comparable with stand-alone preamps? Thanks!! Cheers

Marrone

Wait till Sunday, then I can tell you. A friend will have them so I will definitely try and test them..Also very curious ...
Anyway - did anyone here try them ?

[yareck]

I didn't hear the mic pres... but...I don't believe you will be dissapointed with converters.

[Ashermusic]

Originally Posted by Marrone

For such a long time (and also because i had to wait anyway for a PCI-express solution) i was thinking about which 2 ch converter to buy. I could not decide between the UA2192 and the Lavry Blue (hearing so many good things about these converters) because i did not have the possibility to try them out. Suddenly i managed to get a good deal on a used 2 ch Lavry Blue with Mic Pres and so i decided to take the plunge. Now i am sitting at home waiting for them and really hoping i made the right choice and hoping that i will not be dissappointed after i will have the chance to listen to them. Exciting............ Oh by the way is there anyone who can comment on the Lavry Blue Mic pres? Are the really comparable with stand-alone preamps? Thanks!! Cheers

Marrone

If you want a pleaseantly colored sound you will be disappointed. If you want transparency and accuracy you will not.

On the mic-pre side it is arguable which way to go , IMHO on the convertor side it is not. You want transparency and accuracy and the Lavry Blue will give you that.

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by Marrone

Oh by the way is there anyone who can comment on the Lavry Blue Mic pres? Are the really comparable with stand-alone preamps? Thanks!! Cheers

Marrone

Look HERE

[HIGHENDONLY]

You made a really great choice and you will be smiling when you hear them Leave it up to the mic pres for color...

[Andrew Kinsey]

We got a Lavry Blue Demo Unit with Mic Pre's here and IMO they sound very good indeed. Transparent with loads of headroom and a big sound!

[hurricaneE]

Originally Posted by Ashermusic

If you want a pleaseantly colored sound you will be disappointed. If you want transparency and accuracy you will not.

I'd say the opposte re: the converters. I found they had a noticable midrange bump that could be really nice for tracking. -E

[Chris Wilson]

Dan Lavry’s philosophy about micpre’s and ADA converters is to make them as transparent as possible. I was reluctant to drop $1,000+ on a preamp that didn’t seem to have a special character, but was so moved by Lavry’s publications, I went for it. Though a lot of people use LavryBlue converters, I don’t know too many people using the micpre.

For transparent gain, which is what I’m after, they are fantastic. Even when using ribbon mics, and the gain is way up there, I can hear no noise in the signal path.

I have only one minor issue with the design: Because they come in two channel increments, the two channels must be set similarly, except for the gain level.

I wish there was the option to turn on the phantom power or gain pad to the individual channels, instead of only both at once.

I guess that can be solved by purchasing a second unit

[squeegybug]

Originally Posted by Chris Wilson

I wish there was the option to turn on the phantom power or gain pad to the individual channels, instead of only both at once.

I use these when I don't want to use a preamp's phantom: A-T CP8506. $130 or so for 4 channels.

And, there is no midrange bump, or any other bump/dip/whatever on the Blue converters. Pure and true.

Steve

[hurricaneE]

[QUOTE=squeegybug;1266120And, there is no midrange bump, or any other bump/dip/whatever on the Blue converters. Pure and true.[/QUOTE]

Not when I tried 'em. -E

[aryschien]

Originally Posted by hurricaneE

Not when I tried 'em. -E

No midrange bump or whatsoever here. We have used them for more than one year on a daily basis. Maybe you should try them again when you have a chance.

[hurricaneE]

Originally Posted by aryschien

No midrange bump or whatsoever here. We have used them for more than one year on a daily basis. Maybe you should try them again when you have a chance.

I'd like to. I've only found one other person who had the same experience with Lavry Blues, and I don't know how to explain the discrepancy. I do like to mention it, because the Lavry's have such a stellar reputation that I think it's worth noting for those foolish enough to buy without listening that they run the risk of winding up with extra mids, even if the odds are slim.

I should add, the midrange bump I heard was really flattering on some sources, and there was a nice depth to the sound. Because it was somewhat euphonic, I assumed the converter was working properly; would/could a "faulty" unit do the same? (It's an honest question, not rhetorical.) -E

[ISedlacek]

I am quite picky as far as the equipment and subtle sound nuances are concerned: Lavry Blue sounds nothing but true and transparent to me.

[hurricaneE]

Originally Posted by ISedlacek

I am quite picky as far as the equipment and subtle sound nuances are concerned: Lavry Blue sounds nothing but true and transparent to me.

What can I tell you? I spent a long time listening to mixes made with the Lavry before I made my final decision; the first week had me thinking I was going to keep it. I thought it sounded GOOD (hence my initial enthusiasm) but, ulitmately, the unit I had sounded neither true (due to the flatterting midrange bump) nor transparent (due to the flattering midrange bump). -E

[Ashermusic]

Originally Posted by hurricaneE

Not when I tried 'em. -E

Then I have suspicions about your room/monitors accuracy.

[mahasandi]

I've been using the blues for 2 years every day.

They are transparent and flat to my ears

No bump at all here.

[hurricaneE]

Originally Posted by Ashermusic

Then I have suspicions about your room/monitors accuracy.

Suspicion away, my friend. I heard the same effect in several environments. Meanwhile, I was A/B/Cing the Lavry with other converters (or A/B/C/Ding with converters and original mix on tape) and getting consistent results.

As I keep saying, I'm only posting my experience so people will be sure to audition the converters rather than just say "Everyone loves Lavry, I'll just pick some up." Or, worse, "These sound a little off, but everyone loves them so I guess it's just me."

I'm not saying you're all wrong and I'm right. I'm just sharing my experience--which is clearly in the minority--because I think it's worth factoring in. Somebody somewhere on the board had a similar experience, so that makes, uh, two of us out of hundreds but, y'know what? It would suck if someone on here bought a Lavry and then became number 3 for whatever reason.

Please enjoy your Lavrys in good health, and don't let my experience hinder your enjoyment. -E

[ISedlacek]

The easiest and most revealing thing is just to pass whatever through Lavry DA-AD chain and compare the result before and after. For me before and after sounds practically the same (appart from some 0,1%). Could you try that and then make a blind comparison ? Or to post it here to show us what you mean ?

[hurricaneE]

Originally Posted by ISedlacek

The easiest and most revealing thing is just to pass whatever through Lavry DA-AD chain and compare the result before and after. For me before and after sounds practically the same (appart from some 0,1%). Could you try that and then make a blind comparison ? Or to post it here to show us what you mean ?

I burned mixes to the Masterlink HD and listened back in the studio, and then burned discs so I could listen on various systems. Unfortunately, I didn't have a very good way of doing a blind test, but it got to the point where I could shuffle the playlist and know which converter I was listening to. As I said, for the first week, I preferred the Lavry, so I don't think I was biased against it.

I've been thinking I should see if I can find any of the discs with mixes on 'em, so I could post for everyone to hear. However, the only REAL way to determine what the discrepancies are is to listen to the tape, so if everyone wants to come over ... I mean, for all you know, my mixes were really muddy (these were VERY rough mixes) and midrangey, and the Lavry captured that.

I will take a look to see if I've got any of the sample mixes around, but, several months later (six?), I'd be surprised if I do. -E

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by hurricaneE

I burned mixes to the Masterlink HD and listened back in the studio, and then burned discs so I could listen on various systems. Unfortunately, I didn't have a very good way of doing a blind test, but it got to the point where I could shuffle the playlist and know which converter I was listening to. As I said, for the first week, I preferred the Lavry, so I don't think I was biased against it.

I've been thinking I should see if I can find any of the discs with mixes on 'em, so I could post for everyone to hear. However, the only REAL way to determine what the discrepancies are is to listen to the tape, so if everyone wants to come over ... I mean, for all you know, my mixes were really muddy (these were VERY rough mixes) and midrangey, and the Lavry captured that.

I will take a look to see if I've got any of the sample mixes around, but, several months later (six?), I'd be surprised if I do. -E

No essays needed ...

Just take any piece of music/sound/solo etc, - process it through pure Lavry DA - AD path, i.e. record it back and now compare these two (before and after - B/A). Do they sound identical to you or not ? If not what is the difference between B/A ? Listening blind would help. If you are not able to say a difference, it also says something ...

[hurricaneE]

Originally Posted by ISedlacek

No essays needed ...

Just take any piece of music/sound/solo etc, - process it through pure Lavry DA - AD path, i.e. record it back and now compare these two (before and after - B/A). Do they sound identical to you or not ? If not what is the difference between B/A ? Listening blind would help. If you are not able to say a difference, it also says something ...

I no longer have the Lavry. I auditioned it (using aforementioned methods) and didn't keep it. -E

[ISedlacek]

Originally Posted by hurricaneE

I no longer have the Lavry. I auditioned it (using aforementioned methods) and didn't keep it. -E

So you heard a clear difference between the original and processed files ?

BTW - what do you use now ?

[hurricaneE]

Originally Posted by ISedlacek

So you heard a clear difference between the original and processed files ?

BTW - what do you use now ?

I didn't process any files. Have we had this conversation before? I just mixed from tape through the converters. Of course, the whole point of my "contribution" to this thread is that I heard a notable difference between the tape and the Lavry files. To be clear, I heard differences between all the files and the tape, but the API A2D files sounded the most like the tape, so I kept it. -E