Marantz has acknowledged that some PMD660s have
preamp problems. Before giving up on your recorder,
call Marantz support at 866-405-2154 to confirm
that your machine is not in need of the repair.
The PMD660 does have a relatively noisy preamp,
so it produces its best results when the preamp
volume is kept as low as possible. That means
you'll need a strong input signal.
Three ways you can increase the strength of the input
signal are by using:
-- a mic that has a relatively high output
-- a parabolic reflector
-- a impedance-matching device like the Shure A95F
This latter idea is somewhat controversial. Shure
says that modern recorders don't benefit from impedance
matching. But I've had good results in several
situations using the Shure A95F to increase the volume
of the recorded signal without cranking up the recorder
preamp.
If you do decide to give up on the PMD660, the Edirol R-1
($425) is generally considered to have a good preamp.
Some issues with the R-1 to be aware of are
-- lacks the XLR inputs of the PMD660 (3.5mm miniplug)
-- records 16/44.1 or 24/44.1 only
-- no digital input (optical SPDIF output only)
-- not as durable
(e.g., the control knob on the top of the R-1
is a press fit, and it routinely falls out)
But R-1 recordings generally do sound better than the
PMD660.
--oryoki
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