1. The new Sony Hi-MD recorders are starting to trickle out into the
distribution channel. The MZ-NH600D is now available from Sony USA
for $200 (and reportedly from some Target stores for $190).
Please note that the USA version of the NH600D lacks mic and line
level inputs, so it's really a Hi-MD player, not recorder. The Hi-MD
recorders with mic and line inputs are expected in July. :(
2. The Sony Hi-MD minidisc, expected to sell for $7 each, will be
available from Wal-Mart in a pack of three for $10, according to
Minidisc.org.
3. The Sound Devices 722 and 744T hard disc recorders are now expected
to ship to retailers in July. Retail price for the 722 has soared to
$2,650, more than 30% higher than originally suggested. I suppose
Sound Devices wants to be considered a cost-effective alternative to
Nagra and Zaxcom rather than a better version of the Marantz 670 and
Fostex FR-2. The diminutive size and weight of the 722 is very
appealing, despite the high price!
4. The high price of the 722 has prompted Doug Oade, concert taper
guru and electrical engineer, to modify the Fostex FR-2 compactflash
recorder to improve the quality of its recording electronics. The
goal is to produce near-722 quality for about 60% of the cost. If the
experiment is a success, Doug will sell modified FR-2s on his web
site, www.oade.com
5. Most dealers sell the Marantz PMD670 recorder for $700. Saul
Mineroff is lower. Send email to for a quote.
Also related to the PMD670, prices for compactflash cards continue to
come down. For example, I bought a 512MB card from Amazon.com for $60
recently. That's enough storage for 45 minutes of 16/48 (DAT quality)
stereo recording, and the card is re-usable thousands of times.
6. The folks at digitalcamerabattery.com have increased the capacity
of their NiMH products without increasing the price, size or weight.
For example, their 30W battery pack is upgraded to 40W, 60W to 80W,
and so on. Their web site is still being updated, so many of the
pages there still refer to the old 30, 60, 90 and 120 watt products.
I know that there are members of this group who will scoff at buying a
commercial battery system. I'm sure some of you can make a battery
that will start a car from a cucumber, some salt and a piece of baling
wire.
In my case, I'm willing to pay the price for a high quality,
lightweight power solution that will provide uninterrupted recording
all day long. Not that I generate 10 hours of recorded material in a
day. Instead I keep the recorder on record/pause in promising
habitat. The 8 AA battery sleds used by recorders like the HHB
Portadisc and Marantz PMD 670 last for 2 to 3 hours when used like
this, and always seem to need changing right when you want to make a
recording. Also, it's important to change out the AA rechargeable
batteries before drawing them down to zero power to avoid damaging
them. So you have to keep a careful watch on the battery power meter.
I find it very convenient to have a single reliable power source for
the day. The 80 watt battery supports more than 3 days' worth of
recording, so it's a good choice for those wilderness recording trips
where you won't be able to recharge from mains power overnight.
--oryoki
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