Burns B3 Deluxe. Bad decision?

The Etherwave Plus is most time not the best choice for the aspiring thereminist:

An Etherwave Plus is nothing other than an Etherwave Standard with some additional circuitry which gives:
- A "Power On" LED
- A headphone output
- Pitch CV, Volume CV and Gate outputs at the bottom side.

The main circuit board which deals with the real theremin aspects is strictly the same in both models, the Standard and the Plus.

The Pitch CV, Volume CV and Gate outputs are only needed by people who want to control analogue Moog Synthesizers (Little Phatty, Minimoog, etc.) with gestures around their theremin. Most thereminists will neither need nor use those.

The "Power On" LED is a nice feature, but it isn't important. The headphone output is electronically realized in a very cheap manner, the sound quality is atrocious and since the Etherwave theremins are not longer grounded when they aren't connected to an amplifier, the pitch and volume fields become highly unstable when playing on headphones. So, that isn't a useful feature, too.

The additional circuit draws naturally more current from the power supply which makes that the internal voltage regulators work at higher temperature which increases the fail risk, the warm-up time, and the thermal instability.

Thus, in my eyes (playing, fixing and upgrading Etherwaves for many years) there is absolutely NO reason to prefer the Plus over the Standard. 

The Standard is (at least in Europe) 100€ cheaper than the Plus. Thus, even when adding 59€ for the ESPE01 module, you have a ways better quality/price relationship. And compared to the price of a professional concert violin or a grand piano, the Etherwave is never too expensive! 

Thierry said: "The headphone output is electronically realized in a very cheap manner, the sound quality is atrocious and since the Etherwave theremins are not longer grounded when they aren't connected to an amplifier, the pitch and volume fields become highly unstable when playing on headphones. So, that isn't a useful feature, too."

The thread title does not do Dan justice, it Burns the B3.  0-:

Excellent writing Thierry and I will save it for reference. Here in the States I find the ground issue to be questionable. I am curious to when the three prong 115v wall-wart was eliminated by Moog and why?

When did Moog start using a socket with the LM13700, that is a good idea. Their circuit boards are very fragile. I avoid the early Big Briar version for the no socket reason.

If I had to choose between a RCA original and the EtherWave Standard and cost was not an issue I would take the Moog EWS for many reasons.

Christopher 

Christopher, I suppose that switching to a not grounded power supply was a financial decision by Moog which allowed these Ferengis to increase their benefit by 1.50$

On the most recent Etherwave circuit boards, the LM13700 is soldered again, they decided to save the 15cts for the socket, too.

It's big time that someone brings a new (semi-)professional theremin to market. Moog has proven that they aren't longer interested in Bob's heritage, they put no real effort in serious theremin development, and they are only looking for quick and easy profit.

I'm not comparing it to the Etherwave plus, I'm comparing it to the B3 deluxe. It's just too damn expensive if I'm going to need to get the ESPE01 as well. My best bet is to get the B3, and if I don't like its tone/playability, I will return it. 

What does mean "too damn expensive"??? The price of an Etherwave Standard including the ESPE01 module is far lower than the price of other semi-professional music instruments (look at the prices of good violins or pianos). If you don't want to spend good money in order to get good gear, buy a kazoo!

You can't compare the Etherwave Standard to a B3 Deluxe, these are different levels. A true an fair comparison can only be done between the Etherwave Standard and the B3 Pro which play in the same league, and - oh miracle! - they have a similar price...

Who buys cheap buys twice - which increases the overall investment at the end. How can one be so avaricious when it comes to music instruments ?

There said: "I'm not comparing it to the Etherwave plus, I'm comparing it to the B3 deluxe. It's just too damn expensive if I'm going to need to get the ESPE01 as well."

You do not need the ESPE01 immediately unless playing music to elephants is your thing, it will enhance your low end sound a bit but cost and effective value is most important now.

Look on Craig's List weekly, save their link. I check it regularly. I won't buy a EWS unless I can get it for $200 or less. They do show up. Any other brand you will not be able to resale to get your money back.

One guy sold me his Moog 15 watt amp, mic stand and late Moog model EWS for $200. There are over a 1000 of these in peoples closets all across the country.

Have patience,

Christopher

If ever you watch Pawn Stars? Ask to see the EWS work, if the seller wants $300 tell him you will give him $175 and work your way up. The seller is desperate not you, its a buyers market thanks to the Theremini.

The B3 pro sounds exactly the same as the deluxe. Same circuitry, different case. Yes, the antennas are slightly different, but the sound is still almost exactly the same. Higher price does not mean better sound, and I actually enjoy the sound of the deluxe more than the Etherewave. You sound kinda condescending when you say "what does too damn expensive mean?" It means it costs too much money. Again, I do still have to eat, however much I would like to just sit around playing theremin 24 hours a day. I am not going to spend 490 dollars for the Etherwave and the ESPE01, when I can get a B3 deluxe for more than half off, that (in my opinion) sounds better. The only reason I was going to get the Etherwave in the first place was because Luna brought up the stuff about linearity, but i'm really not worried about that anymore, from all the other stuff I've read, the linearity is fine. Please don't comment about my financial situation. 

oldtemecula said:"You do not need the ESPE01 immediately unless playing music to elephants is your thing, it will enhance your low end sound a bit but cost and effective value is most important now."

Again comes up the issue of tone. I LIKE THE SOUND OF THE B3 BETTER! The good things I read about the linearity of the Etherwave were mostly using the ESPE01, and the whole reason for wanting the Etherwave over the B3 was linearitly, so now there is no reason to get it over the B3, especially seeing as it would cots 290 bucks more. 

Did you ever try to play the B3 DeLuxe and the B3 Pro? The B3 Pro behaves differently and it is in fact ways easier to play because it has a more coherent tone spacing and a wider range. From a musician's point of view I don't care about things like "Same circuitry, different case. Yes, the antennas are slightly different, but the sound is still almost exactly the same."

I just care about playability (linearity and absolute tone spacing) and musical expression (dynamic range and volume field geometry). And both are ways better on the B3 Pro than on the B3 DeLuxe. I own a B3 Standard and a B3 DeLuxe. And I was one of two people (together with Thomas Grillo) who were first allowed by Dan Burns to play and to demonstrate his prototype of the newer release of the B3 Pro with the improved antennas in summer 2011. Thus I know what I'm talking about. I own many different theremin models, I have played, serviced, and fixed many more and I know most of them from inside by heart. When I say it is avaricious if someone is not willing to spend at least 500$ for a good instrument, I'm right because I played all the cheaper ones and they aren't worth the money.

It's not about commenting your financial situation, it's about preventing you from being disappointed because you got only what you paid for. It's about encouraging you to take some time to save more money and to acquire an instrument which will not make you feel limited.

For one, I'm not going to buy used. I'm not taking that risk of not being able to return it if it sucks. The B3 pro is out of stock and I have no idea when it will get back in stock. The B3 deluxe sounds better (again, this is my opinion, you can agree or disagree with me, but I'm playing for my own enjoyment) than the Etherwave standard, and as you said the plus isn't really worth the extra money just for an L.E.D. and a headphone jack. I'm not going to build a kit, because the PAiA seems to kinda suck, and the Etherwave standard is, well, an Etherwave standard. So that leaves the Deluxe. (or a B3 standard, but it's way too small, and looks like a toy) And, by the way, if I dont like the B3, I can return it and get an Etherwave. It's that simple.