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$1,500? For a field recorder? That's not a crazy number for a digital synthesizer. It's eye-watering for a pocket-sized mixer. For a microphone though? This is

$1,500? For a field recorder? That's not a crazy number for a digital synthesizer. It's eye-watering for a pocket-sized mixer. For a microphone though? This is madness. You carry a cell phone with you every day - if you need more, you buy a Zoom handheld for maybe ~$150. There's no shortage of pissing-and-moaning about Teenage Engineering hardware, but goddamn. They are really betting on people not wanting to open the Voice Recordings app on their smartphone with this one.

shams93 4y ago
Yeah although it seems like besides their pocket operators everything they sell costs around 1500. I'm sure its amazing but the mic on my cell phone is good enough for me to capture tons of samples with my phone.
- tomtheelder 4y ago
  Their stuff is design art first and foremost. Usually they are also high quality, functional products as well, but someone would buy this if they think it’s beautiful, not for practical purposes.
  - wahnfrieden 4y ago
    I disagree, I find the TX-6 and OB-4 at least highly functional tools without peers. There are no mixers with the function of the TX-6 and the next closest comparables are still near the same price with several major gaps. OB-4: The only other one I found which isn't just a bt hifi and tries to be an actual studio monitor is the iLoud, there is a new product from Fender as well. I also have the iLoud and stopped using it (worse sound, fewer useful tools). I don't think these 1-2 alternatives are clearly superior value.
    - giobox 4y ago
      I think its a bit of a stretch to argue the OB-4 has no peers? There's no shortage of premium battery powered speakers out there. While the design may be much more to your liking, there are good options.
      - wahnfrieden 4y ago
        With hifi or monitor like response?
        giobox 3y ago
        > With hifi or monitor like response? Unless you are going to apply speaker or room correction, no speaker has a universally flat "hifi" or "monitor like" response in all environments. What you hear is a product of both the speaker and the room, not just the speaker. For this reason alone, a portable speaker makes little sense for use as a "monitor" and that's before we get to the pretty terrible stereo channel separation going on with the drivers mere inches apart on a flat surface on this particular model. This is a fairly big part of the reason people working on audio projects tend to rely on headphones to monitor in the field. There are plenty of battery powered speakers with as close to a "neutral" (monitor) style response curve as just making a plain ole speaker can, but again, not like almost anyone will hear that neutral curve on a portable speaker anyway! The Sonos units can at least perform sweep tests and some room correction via a phone mic ("Truplay" in their marketing), as one example - even the portable battery powered units like the Move. The Move is also a third cheaper. Room correction will generally provide significantly more accurate or "hifi" as you put it bass response. I completely agree the design of the OB-4 is more attractive though!
        wahnfrieden 3y ago
        Thx for the move reference, haven't researched in a few years. Tho I need two moves to match stereo need for production so it's quite a lot bigger, I'm sure that helps the sound. I have software for sweeps and eq.
    - bobsomers 4y ago
      Eh, I feel like most people would never use 80% of the "features" of the TX-6, which mostly feel like bolt-on justifications for its price tag. If you want a super portable mixer, something like the 1010 Bluebox is infinitely better at being a proper mixer than the TX-6 is, for half the price.
      - wahnfrieden 4y ago
        bluebox being the closest comparable shows that the price is not absurd given how much bluebox lacks (aspects that I at least do use)
andrewmcwatters 4y ago
I don't think they're betting on anything. They know they make somethings that no one else in the world does. Are there designer microphones like this made by other companies anywhere else in the world? No. They have no real competitors despite making technologies you can easily purchase elsewhere.
- smoldesu 4y ago
  > Are there designer microphones like this made by other companies anywhere else in the world? No. You have apparently missed out on over 100 years of designer microphones built by companies exactly like this. The design of their mic is an apparent homage to old Neumann and Rode designs. Besides them, AKG, Beyerdynamics, Oktava, Electro Voice, Behringer, Buchla and dozens of smaller design shops have been doing this for decades. It's like claiming that "nobody else was making colorful hipster synths" before the OP-1 came out.
llamaimperative 4y ago
They're betting on people who love jawdropping gorgeous pieces of technology and have lots of money to spend on art
- ugjka 4y ago
  Poor people don't understand rich people, seems
  - mrguyorama 4y ago
    Poor people literally cannot afford to understand rich people. That's what scarcity mindset is
    - MichaelZuo 3y ago
      Well quite a few try, like the folks on welfare buying luxury handbags and so on.
wahnfrieden 4y ago
it's not a mic. the included mic is a subpar convenience function "in a pinch" not the primary purpose. it's $3000 for mic+recorder.
- lwhsiao 4y ago
  For those wondering, the CM-15 is their field mic at $1199 [1]. [1]: https://teenage.engineering/store/cm-15 https://teenage.engineering/store/cm-15
AceJohnny2 4y ago
Par for the course for Teenage Engineering.
criddell 4y ago
I have absolutely no use for it but I kind of want one. I think it's beautiful.
- AdamJacobMuller 4y ago
  I also have no use for it and completely want one. If it was 1/3rd the price and it was a bit smaller I might even actually buy one.
  - criddell 4y ago
    I could set it on the shelf beside the Leica camera I want but have no use for.
dwringer 4y ago
I assumed at first reading the model number "TP" on this thread that this was a discussion about their $75 modular tape dispenser. [0] [0] https://www.jam.se/en/products/synthanalogvintage/teenage-engineering/teenage-engineering-field-rail-tape-dispenser.html https://www.jam.se/en/products/synthanalogvintage/teenage-en...
mandmandam 4y ago
This is Emperor's New Clothes level silliness. "But it's art" - Yeah, well, lots of overpriced art is ugly and stupid; serving only the noble purpose of separating wealthy fools from money. If people want to pay €1500 to show me they're a complete rube, they can go right ahead. I'll be here judging them, briefly and against my better judgment, before moving on to actually enjoyable and productive pastimes.
- fmajid 4y ago
  I'm pretty sure the Juicero was a deadpan form of performance art, like Piero Manzoni's, ahem, crappy work.
  - mandmandam 4y ago
    Haha, I came to the same conclusion. Let's be buds.
armadsen 4y ago
I will very likely buy one. I don't need it, or any field recorder really, although I do already own a "regular" Sony field recorder that I use occasionally, but not professionally. I'll buy it because I love well made, beautiful, functional things. It's the reason I own and regularly use a Leica camera, a (custom) mechanical keyboard, specific reel to reel tape decks and turntables, etc. I also have a particular interest in recording and playback devices of all kinds. Fundamentally I just enjoy and appreciate them. By contrast, I don't care about cars and drive a cheap 15-year old one. I do of course realize that for many people price must be a primary consideration. I'm grateful and lucky to be in a position where I can (carefully) spend more on certain things. For other people, price is just more important than the things I cited even if they could afford something like this. That's completely reasonable and understandable, too.

shams93 4y ago

Yeah although it seems like besides their pocket operators everything they sell costs around 1500. I'm sure its amazing but the mic on my cell phone is good enough for me to capture tons of samples with my phone.

tomtheelder 4y ago
Their stuff is design art first and foremost. Usually they are also high quality, functional products as well, but someone would buy this if they think it’s beautiful, not for practical purposes.
- wahnfrieden 4y ago
  I disagree, I find the TX-6 and OB-4 at least highly functional tools without peers. There are no mixers with the function of the TX-6 and the next closest comparables are still near the same price with several major gaps. OB-4: The only other one I found which isn't just a bt hifi and tries to be an actual studio monitor is the iLoud, there is a new product from Fender as well. I also have the iLoud and stopped using it (worse sound, fewer useful tools). I don't think these 1-2 alternatives are clearly superior value.
  - giobox 4y ago
    I think its a bit of a stretch to argue the OB-4 has no peers? There's no shortage of premium battery powered speakers out there. While the design may be much more to your liking, there are good options.
    - wahnfrieden 4y ago
      With hifi or monitor like response?
      - giobox 3y ago
        > With hifi or monitor like response? Unless you are going to apply speaker or room correction, no speaker has a universally flat "hifi" or "monitor like" response in all environments. What you hear is a product of both the speaker and the room, not just the speaker. For this reason alone, a portable speaker makes little sense for use as a "monitor" and that's before we get to the pretty terrible stereo channel separation going on with the drivers mere inches apart on a flat surface on this particular model. This is a fairly big part of the reason people working on audio projects tend to rely on headphones to monitor in the field. There are plenty of battery powered speakers with as close to a "neutral" (monitor) style response curve as just making a plain ole speaker can, but again, not like almost anyone will hear that neutral curve on a portable speaker anyway! The Sonos units can at least perform sweep tests and some room correction via a phone mic ("Truplay" in their marketing), as one example - even the portable battery powered units like the Move. The Move is also a third cheaper. Room correction will generally provide significantly more accurate or "hifi" as you put it bass response. I completely agree the design of the OB-4 is more attractive though!
        wahnfrieden 3y ago
        Thx for the move reference, haven't researched in a few years. Tho I need two moves to match stereo need for production so it's quite a lot bigger, I'm sure that helps the sound. I have software for sweeps and eq.
  - bobsomers 4y ago
    Eh, I feel like most people would never use 80% of the "features" of the TX-6, which mostly feel like bolt-on justifications for its price tag. If you want a super portable mixer, something like the 1010 Bluebox is infinitely better at being a proper mixer than the TX-6 is, for half the price.
    - wahnfrieden 4y ago
      bluebox being the closest comparable shows that the price is not absurd given how much bluebox lacks (aspects that I at least do use)

andrewmcwatters 4y ago

I don't think they're betting on anything. They know they make somethings that no one else in the world does. Are there designer microphones like this made by other companies anywhere else in the world? No. They have no real competitors despite making technologies you can easily purchase elsewhere.

smoldesu 4y ago
> Are there designer microphones like this made by other companies anywhere else in the world? No. You have apparently missed out on over 100 years of designer microphones built by companies exactly like this. The design of their mic is an apparent homage to old Neumann and Rode designs. Besides them, AKG, Beyerdynamics, Oktava, Electro Voice, Behringer, Buchla and dozens of smaller design shops have been doing this for decades. It's like claiming that "nobody else was making colorful hipster synths" before the OP-1 came out.

llamaimperative 4y ago

They're betting on people who love jawdropping gorgeous pieces of technology and have lots of money to spend on art

ugjka 4y ago
Poor people don't understand rich people, seems
- mrguyorama 4y ago
  Poor people literally cannot afford to understand rich people. That's what scarcity mindset is
  - MichaelZuo 3y ago
    Well quite a few try, like the folks on welfare buying luxury handbags and so on.

wahnfrieden 4y ago

it's not a mic. the included mic is a subpar convenience function "in a pinch" not the primary purpose. it's $3000 for mic+recorder.

lwhsiao 4y ago
For those wondering, the CM-15 is their field mic at $1199 [1]. [1]: https://teenage.engineering/store/cm-15 https://teenage.engineering/store/cm-15

AceJohnny2 4y ago

Par for the course for Teenage Engineering.

criddell 4y ago

I have absolutely no use for it but I kind of want one. I think it's beautiful.

AdamJacobMuller 4y ago
I also have no use for it and completely want one. If it was 1/3rd the price and it was a bit smaller I might even actually buy one.
- criddell 4y ago
  I could set it on the shelf beside the Leica camera I want but have no use for.

dwringer 4y ago

I assumed at first reading the model number "TP" on this thread that this was a discussion about their $75 modular tape dispenser. [0] [0] https://www.jam.se/en/products/synthanalogvintage/teenage-engineering/teenage-engineering-field-rail-tape-dispenser.html https://www.jam.se/en/products/synthanalogvintage/teenage-en...

mandmandam 4y ago

This is Emperor's New Clothes level silliness. "But it's art" - Yeah, well, lots of overpriced art is ugly and stupid; serving only the noble purpose of separating wealthy fools from money. If people want to pay €1500 to show me they're a complete rube, they can go right ahead. I'll be here judging them, briefly and against my better judgment, before moving on to actually enjoyable and productive pastimes.

fmajid 4y ago
I'm pretty sure the Juicero was a deadpan form of performance art, like Piero Manzoni's, ahem, crappy work.
- mandmandam 4y ago
  Haha, I came to the same conclusion. Let's be buds.

armadsen 4y ago

I will very likely buy one. I don't need it, or any field recorder really, although I do already own a "regular" Sony field recorder that I use occasionally, but not professionally. I'll buy it because I love well made, beautiful, functional things. It's the reason I own and regularly use a Leica camera, a (custom) mechanical keyboard, specific reel to reel tape decks and turntables, etc. I also have a particular interest in recording and playback devices of all kinds. Fundamentally I just enjoy and appreciate them. By contrast, I don't care about cars and drive a cheap 15-year old one. I do of course realize that for many people price must be a primary consideration. I'm grateful and lucky to be in a position where I can (carefully) spend more on certain things. For other people, price is just more important than the things I cited even if they could afford something like this. That's completely reasonable and understandable, too.