"Terry King" wrote:
> The Marantz has a number of things I really like, such as direct PC
> USB Connection, many sample rates/formats, XLR/Phantom Power inputs,
> and remote control while it's in, say, a backpack. But then there's
> the $$...
I shipped a PMD670 to a colleague in Venezuela about a year ago. The
machine has been used and abused in a field setting 8 to 10 hours a
day, for weeks at a time. No repairs have been necessary to date
(touch wood). Using a Telinga mic with parabola, my colleague's
recordings have often been excellent.
The new PMD660 has all the features you listed (well, it does offer
fewer sample rate choices, and it does lack the useful 2 second
pre-record cache). The PMD660 is half the size and weight of the
PMD670, and runs almost as long on a smaller set of AA cells. Delivery
of the PMD660 is supposed to begin at the end of January.
Here's a close-up photo of the PMD660
www.soundprofessionals.com/mas_assets/full/MAR-PMD660.jpg
Even though it's small enough to be hand-held, it's designed to be
operated while hanging from a shoulder strap -- the level controls and
meters are on the end of the unit.
A Google search turns up several dealers offering the PMD660 for a bit
less than $500USD. Compactflash cards are much less expensive than
they were even six months ago, too. Expect to spend less than $60 for
a 1GB Compactflash. You don't need the expensive high speed cards for
16/48 recording.
Marantz teased us in Fall when its European web site posted a page
describing a new model, the PMD671. The major improvement over the
PMD670 is the ability to record at rates up to 24/96. The web page
has since been removed, and Marantz has made no formal announcement of
this new model.
--oryoki
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