Ember-1 vs Qwen3.8 Max (0902)
Ember-1 took 25 min 56 s and $1.78 at list price, Qwen3.8 Max (0902) took 77 min 11 s and $1.20 at list price. Qwen3.8 Max (0902) took 3.0× as long, and Ember-1 cost 1.5× as much.
Ember-1
Fireworks · $15.00/M out · 589 HN pts
Qwen3.8 Max (0902)
Alibaba · $6.00/M out · 3 HN pts
Pelican
Generate an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle
Watch
Draw a mechanical wristwatch that shows the current local time, with a sweeping seconds hand and a date window. Make it look expensive.
Landing
Build the landing page for Lumen Cycles, a Copenhagen workshop that builds custom cargo bikes to order. Make it look like a real brand you would trust with 4,000 euros.
Breakout
Make a Breakout game I can play right now with the keyboard or the mouse. Give it several levels, a score and some juice.
Logo
Design a logo for Night Heron, an independent bookshop that only opens after dark.
About
Write the opening of the About us page for Patchbay, a three-person studio in Rotterdam that repairs vintage synthesizers. About 150 words.
Patchbay is a three-person workshop in Rotterdam dedicated to keeping vintage synthesizers alive. We work on the machines that shaped electronic music — analog polysynths, temperamental drum machines, early digital oddities — replacing tired capacitors, rebuilding keybeds, and coaxing silent oscillators back into tune.
Between us we bring decades of experience in electronics, instrument design, and music-making, but what unites us is simpler: we believe these machines were built to be played, not displayed. Every repair happens by hand at our benches, with period-correct components wherever possible and thoughtful modern solutions where reliability demands it. We test everything the only way that matters — by listening.
Whether your Juno has lost a voice, your 808 has lost its kick, or a flea-market find needs a full restoration, we treat each instrument as if it were heading back to a studio, a stage, and a long life of making noise. Because it is.
Patchbay is a small repair studio in Rotterdam dedicated to vintage synthesizers. We are three people who care about old instruments, their history, and the players who keep them alive. From classic analog polys to rare drum machines, we take the time to understand each machine before we touch it. Our work is practical and respectful: careful diagnosis, honest advice, and repairs that preserve the character of the instrument. We know these synths are more than circuits and knobs. They carry stories from studios, stages, and secondhand shops, and they deserve to be treated with patience. Whether a machine needs a simple clean, a full restoration, or help finding a hard-to-source part, we aim to make the process clear and personal from start to finish. Based in Rotterdam, we help musicians, collectors, and studios keep old synthesizers making sound for years to come. We do it with patience and respect.
Specs and numbers
| Ember-1 | Qwen3.8 Max (0902) | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Fireworks | Alibaba |
| Made in | US | China |
| Released | 24 Sep 2026 | 3 Sep 2026 |
| Price in, per M tokens | $3.00 | $2.00 |
| Price out, per M tokens | $15.00 | $6.00 |
| Context | 1,048,576 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens |
| Weights | closed | closed |
| Hacker News points | 589 | 3 |
| Time for the six prompts | 25 min 56 s | 77 min 11 s |
| List price of the six prompts | $1.78 | $1.20 |
Qwen3.8 Max (0902) was cheaper: $0.58 less at list price, and less on 4 of the 6 prompts. Ember-1 was faster: 51 min 15 s less in total, and faster on each of the 6 prompts.
In the recording, both Breakout games play.
Rebuild this screen experiment: Ember-1's rebuild matched the screenshot at 67%, Qwen3.8 Max (0902)'s 81%. Tea Garden experiment: Ember-1's game passed 5 of 5 checks, Qwen3.8 Max (0902)'s 5 of 5.