Marantz PMD660

[StevePreddy]

Hi

I'm considering buying a Marantz PMD660. I wondered whether any other readers of this forum have one or have used one, and if so, how you feel it performs? Any info, on good or bad points, appreciated.

Thanks

Steve

[sclateria]

Steve,

It would help to know what the primary use of the recorder is going to be. Is it for fieldwork, recording and luring, recreational recording, recording for archival?

I have the Marantz but have not had the opportunity to test it extensively under what I'd consider my 'normal' circumstances, so I cannot really comment on its performance as of yet. However, I decided to buy the unit due to a number of useful features it has vs. the Hi-MD recorder I have used as my primary field device since 2005. Specifically, these are the XLR inputs, the pre-record buffer, recording presets avoiding the numerous button pushes needed to use manual record in Hi-MD, and a perceived greater durability than the Hi-MD. The compact flash recording media is in my view an advantage over Hi-MD, as you avoid the lumbering Sony software needed to move files about. Furthermore you can find great deals on CF cards of up to 4GB on eBay, whereas Hi-MD media is never easy to stock up on in my area.

If you want to use playback, I doubt the Marantz would be as useful as a mini-disc recorder rigged up with some small portable speakers. The speaker on the Marantz 670 is very quiet compared to, say, the Sony TCM5000 tape deck, and I would hesitate to use it as a standalone for playback.

Perhaps if I get the opportunity (now that the temperatures are above -15C), I may do some recording this week... I'll let you know if anything notable comes up.

cheers

Brad

[StevePreddy]

Brad, thanks for the reply. I guess I would characterise my likely use as recording for archival. I hadn't envisaged using the kit for playback.

Cheers

Steve

[sclateria]

Right then.

I forgot in my previous post to mention my biggest problem with the Hi-MD recorders. When saving recorded data to the MD and particularly while editing file tags and such using the recorder unit, the Hi-MD will periodically suffer recording errors and render the data irretrievable. I have lost a number of good recordings due to this quirk. The Marantz should suffer fewer errors of this type, if not be immune to them altogether.

[ermine]

When saving recorded data to the MD and particularly while editing file tags and such using the recorder unit, the Hi-MD will periodically suffer recording errors and render the data irretrievable. I have lost a number of good recordings due to this quirk.

This is a known fault with HiMD. Avoid editing your recordings on the HiMD. And when blanking a HiMD, choose "Erase All" in preference to "Format". After I stopped doing both of those things, I have not lost any recordings since.

Where a recording won't transfer because of this fault, you can usually still play it using SonicStage, and using something like TotalRecorder you can still get a bit-perfect copy, assuming the original is made in PCM.

[sclateria]

This is a known fault with HiMD. Avoid editing your recordings on the HiMD. And when blanking a HiMD, choose "Erase All" in preference to "Format". After I stopped doing both of those things, I have not lost any recordings since.

Where a recording won't transfer because of this fault, you can usually still play it using SonicStage, and using something like TotalRecorder you can still get a bit-perfect copy, assuming the original is made in PCM.


Usually, but unfortunately not always. SonicStage doesn't recognize my latest error-affected disc at all. I am reduced to playing into the computer on a line-in and recording that.

If not for that error problem I would big a much bigger fan of my Hi-MD (which, by the way, has served me very well and i continue to use it) as the option to group recordings by date while in the field is a very useful feature.

[doug_newman]

I use the PMD660 and although playback is not good at all due to the speaker being very soft a a compressor/limiter being added to theplayback section, the recording is good. It is a little noisy compared true professional studio equipment but then the cost of that sort of gear is in a completely different league.

Cheers.
Doug

[horukuru]

I use the PMD660 and although playback is not good at all due to the speaker being very soft a a compressor/limiter being added to theplayback section, the recording is good. It is a little noisy compared true professional studio equipment but then the cost of that sort of gear is in a completely different league.

Cheers.
Doug

so let say if we wanted to use the marantz for playback, we need to add another external speaker ?

[doug_newman]

Absolutely yes without a doubt. If you are not going to record inthe field at all but just wanted payback fascilities, a PDA like the HP iPaq 2490 is the way to go. I use that for all my bird call playback and it is awesome.
You can get recording hardware to add to the PDA which would be awesome for playback etc but then you are looing at a massive cost ($1200 and more).