Grace Designs Lunatec V3
- 24bit / 192kHz stereo preamp and A/D converter
The Long awaited successor to the every popular V2 has been out for a while now with plenty of time for tapers to get to know the new Grace product. So…is it still one of the best units out there? You bet it is. Its better than ever!
Size and construction is about the same as the V2. If anything its a little beefier. I bet you could drive a truck over one of these with out any damage to the unit (though I wouldn’t recommend trying). All aspects of the preamp are the same with one minor part (a transistor or something) being different than the V2, but gone are the RCA outputs (missed by me). Also gone are the red and green level indication lights, but in their place is a stepped level meter that is so nice , so accurate, man, its just a pleasure to watch. Seriously, its one of the units strong points.
The biggest news with this is the addition of a 24bit / 192kHz analog to digital converter offering s/pdif, two AES/EBU jacks and a word clock output. This is, IMO the *ultimate* one stop box.
It is powered by 6v or 12v and runs for around 5+ hours on a 6v 7amp SLA. That is plenty of juice for a single recording event (usually). There are so many technical details to go into w/this device …i’m just going to skip them and refer to you Grace Designs web site so you can read the official specifications there.
One feature that I love is M-S matrix decoding (set by two internal jumpers), which allows you to record in M-S mode yet output a pre-mixed stereo signal instead of the raw mid / side channels. most people will want to do the mixing in post so that you can dial in the stereo width just right, but I find that with a little practice (and some very good headphones) you can set the forward gain and stereo width on the fly easily and produce great results. More jumpers under the hood are responsible for 12v or 48v phantom operation. There is also a -20dB pad (jumpers, again) that you can engage in order to run a professional line level signal into the V3.
What I don’t like about the V3 is the “missing link” to interface with a laptop computer. Most all of the other digital field recording devices of late have a USB port to communicate with a computer. Grace opted not to add this as it has proven unreliable for high-resolution recording. They did leave it open for future upgrade to firewire or Mlan…but I’m not holding my breath on that. I think it would have been wise for them to include USB as then it would at least be able to record 24/48 with pretty good reliability. Its a drag to have to worry about another piece of gear if you want to record 24bit with this.
The V3 is one smooth sounding box. The preamp is ultra-clean and quite. Probably the most transparent portable preamp on the market. Zero coloration is added and it really brings out the characteristics of your microphones. This can be both good and bad, and I suspect that this may not be the best choice for every pair of mics out there. However, if you like your mics, you’ll love them through the V3. The A/D converter is full time 24bit processing, but w/the push of a button you can engage Grace’s patented A.N.S.R. (analog noise shaped reduction) dithering scheme to output 16bit signals. The detail that the V3 reproduces is amazing at any resolution. Cymbals crash and splash like you are standing next to the actual drum kit. Its not creamy, or glossed over. Its straight and accurate. This level of detail combined with the super transparent preamp produces an overwhelmingly accurate sound stage that is just wonderful to listen to. Am I gushing? I promise you would be too. This is a world class location recording tool that will be hard to surpass, even by Grace Design themselves. However…Looks like the Oade Brothers are now offering an A/D upgrade for this box, building upon its excellence with the experience they bring in far field recording and how things “should” sound.
