Marantz has officially announced the PMD660 Compactflash recorder. The
Sound Professionals web site is showing MSRP at $650 USD, and a
discounted price is $499. I expect the street price to fall a little
father after delivery starts in early 2005.
The 660 has two XLR mic inputs, and can supply 48 volt phantom power.
It records uncompressed at 16/44.1 or 16/48. Compared to similar
Compactflash recorders, the 660 is small (113 x 184 x 47 mm) and
light (700g). You can hold it in one hand, but it's designed to be
used with a shoulder strap.
Here's a close-up photo:
www.soundprofessionals.com/mas_assets/full/MAR-PMD660.jpg
Marantz has reduced power consumption of the 660 to the point that its
four AA batteries provide about 4 hours of operation. To improve
battery life and reduce costs, Marantz eliminated the desirable
pre-record cache feature found in the larger and more expensive
PMD670. Other features of the 670 that were eliminated include the
S/PDIF digital input and output, and the ability to record
high-bit-rate MP2 and MP3.
Marantz designed the 660 for regular use by speech therapists, news
reporters, and similar pro users. The heavy-duty design and lack of
moving parts in its record mechanism is likely to pay off in greater
durability and longer life than a minidisc or hard disc recorder built
for the consumer market.
However, a Sony Hi-MD minidisc recorder remains the smallest, the
lightest, and the least expensive PCM recorder. You could buy two
Hi-MD recorders for the price of a single 660. The Hi-MD (like all
consumer minidisc machines) lacks the 660's XLR mic inputs, phantom
power, and easy operation while hung from the shoulder.
A second interesting competitor for the Marantz PMD660 is the new
Edirol R-1. http://www.edirol.com/products/info/r1.html
Compared to the 660, the R-1 is smaller (99 x 134 x 30 mm) and much
lighter (~330g with Compactflash and two AA batteries). The R-1
records uncompressed WAV files at 16/44.1, and also at 24/44.1. In
addition, the R-1 can record high bit rate MP3 if you need to record
for an extended time. The R-1's published specs for its pre-amp
section appear to me to be similar to the PMD660 specs (that is,
pretty mediocre compared to $1000+ gear).
The R-1 mic input is a 3.5mm miniplug that provides plug-in power.
Preliminary reports indicate the recorder's built-in microphones work
surprisingly well, too.
Two features the R-1 has that are missing in the 660 are a USB 2.0
port, and S/PDIF optical out (but no input). The R-1 has a headphones
jack, but no built-in speaker, and no line out jack.
The R-1 will cost about $450 when delivery starts in February.
--oryoki
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"Microphones are not ears,
Loudspeakers are not birds,
A listening room is not nature."
Klas Strandberg
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