Where do you see dLive in the next 3-5 years?

[Brian]

Just working through some ROI decisions and wondering if people see dLive as something that will be around for years to come with great updates like v1.9 or we may see something new in a few years?

Also has the introduction of Avantis which you can effectively ‘upgrade’ into a dLive diminished its value as a rental product? I know alot of this is market dependent but after general views from any other owner/operators?

[msteel]

Unless I missed some great advance in the Advantis platform, dLive is still capable of more mix channels and mix buses than Advantis (double of each if I remember correctly).

[Brian]

I am aware Avantis is approximately half the capacity of dLive with regards to channel count and processing, was referring more to things like dPack and other features trickling down in its firmware. Essentially you no longer have to purchase a c2500 or c3500 unless you need more channels and busses.

[Mfk0815]

Hmm, An Avantis with the dPack and a proper Stagebox, e.g the GX4816, costs not the half of an C2500 with a CDM48. Also that you will loose flexibility because you can use the dLive Mixrack also standalone without the surface.
So, why should I buy an avantis?

[Brian]

I don’t see the DLive going anywhere in the next 3-5 years. That being said, other than perhaps some new Deep plugins minor feature requests, and bug fixes, I really don’t see any major improvements either. A&H doesn’t need to replace it however until it reaches the end of it’s processing limit. Only A&H knows when this might occur, but it seems that there is still plenty of power left to spare.

I can say similar things about the Avantis. I don’t think we will see major revisions going forward – just “minor” feature requests, bug fixes and hopefully more deep processing plugins.

I will also say that A&H has done a great job with their overall console lineup. They each fill a sector of the market very well and there isn’t really a lot of overlap. While the Avantis did a great job at filling the huge gap between the SQ series and DLive series (both in performance and price), I don’t think it really competes with the DLive. With any of these systems, it comes down to your needed buss and I/O needs more than anything. That is always going to be the deciding factor when choosing a system. You can’t use an Avantis when you have DLive buss and I/O needs…..

As far as rental use, I suspect the Avantis is more popular than the DLive. I say that because I think if you have a big enough show to actually need the full capabilities of the DLive, it’s probably not the most rider friendly console to have. Digico and Yamaha are probably more rider friendly and therefore what most rental houses are likely to carry. However with the introduction of the Avantis, I think A&H is probably capturing a majority of the mid sized events as there aren’t great options from Digico or Yamaha at this middle market level. Personally I see a lot of Avantis console being provided when we have our local outdoor festivals/street events. But if I go to a concert in our coliseum, I’m going to see a Digico, not a DLive.

[Author]

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