John,
Here's a update of a description of the Marantz PMD660 I wrote for
another forum.
--oryoki
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The Marantz PMD660 was introduced in 2005. It is the smaller sibling
of Marantz's two full-size field recorders, the PMD670 and PMD671.
(The newly announced PMD620 is even smaller.)
The PMD660 is less than half the size and weight of the other two
recorders, making it possible to hold the PMD660 in one hand. It's a
lot more comfortable to carry 600 g (21 oz) from your shoulder all day
than the other recorders' 1500 g (53 oz).
To achieve the smaller size, Marantz eliminated the input and output
for digital audio. But the PMD660 keeps the XLR mic input jacks and
48V phantom power found in its larger brothers.
The PMD660 is not a pocket-size recorder. It's best used while
hanging from the shoulder or suspended in a gear bag. The PMD660 has
large, easy to use controls, and a durable construction that is often
lacking in consumer-grade recording gear.
Marantz focused on reducing power consumption in the PMD660, with good
results. The PMD660 runs at least four hours on its 4 AA batteries.
Using 2500 mAh NiMH rechargeable AAs, the PMD660 will run for about 6
hours.
The PMD660 takes about 5 seconds to power up and be ready to record.
It takes about 1 second to start recording from record/pause mode.
Marantz includes a 2 second pre-roll buffer, very useful when you're
waiting for a bird to resume singing and don't want to miss the first
few notes.
The standard Marantz PMD660 preamp has two issues. First, the preamp
has a high level of self-noise, audible as a broad frequency hissy
sound, like tape hiss. Second, the preamp is more sensitive than most
to overloading when recording loud sounds (e.g., a thunderstorm, ocean
waves close up). These issues make for a narrow range of
circumstances when the PMD660 works best.
To overcome the first problem, you need a mic that produce a
relatively high voltage output from a given sound pressure. The
preamp will record this as a louder sound, so you can keep the preamp
volume low. This will reduce the hiss from the preamp.
For example, the Sennheiser ME series mics provide a higher voltage
output than most mics do. So it's a good choice to work with the PMD660.
Another way to increase the mic input without cranking up the preamp
volume is to raise the impedance of the mic signal. The Shure A95UF
Line Matching Transformer is one gadget that does this. It attaches
to the mic.
http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/Accessories/us_pro_A95UF_content
The second problem is less common for nature recordists, and can be
addressed with an attenuator (a -20dB pad is usually enough).
Concert taper guru Doug Oade sells a version of the PMD660 with a
modified preamp designed for nature sound recording. I've been using
one for a couple of weeks and I'm impressed with the improvement the
modification makes over the original machine. See Oade's web site for
details of the "Ambient" model.
http://www.oade.com/digital_recorders/hard_disc_recorders/PMD-660MODS.html
The Marantz PMD660 costs about $500 USD. Oade's modified machine
costs $650. I think it's money well spent.
The PMD660 may not be a good choice for recordists who wish to record
bird sounds, then quickly play them back to attract the bird closer.
It turns out that the PMD660's internal speaker stays on when you plug
in an external mic like the Sennheiser ME. If you don't turn down the
playback volume, the speaker and mic will create a feedback loop.
During playback, the speaker volume needs to be turned back up.
The speaker volume control is annoyingly small.
One workaround is to keep a plug inserted in the headphone jack. This
will turn the speaker off. The plug has to be removed to use the
speaker. Not a problem if you don't play back in the field, but a big
headache if you do.
In this price range, you should also consider the Fostex FR-2LE, and
the newly announced Sony PCM-D50. Both are 24 bit recorders that cost
$600. The Oade PMD660 is 16 bits only. Recently Oade began offering
a modified version of the FR-2LE.
For an excellent comparison of the preamps in many of today's field
recorders, see Raimund Specht's web page
http://www.avisoft.com/recordertests.htm
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