Excellent review!
I just looked at the spec for the PMD660 if accurate seems to be very good,
thanks for the 'heads up'.
Phil;
----- Original Message ----
From: oryoki2000 <>
To:
Sent: Wednesday, 21 November, 2007 1:34:40 AM
Subject: [Nature Recordists] [gear] Marantz PMD620 first impressions (long msg)
The postman brought a surprise today: The new Marantz PMD620
recorder. Here is my review.
--oryoki
Marantz PMD620 first impressions
The PMD620 is a departure from the traditional Marantz designs. The
PMD620 has an attractive, almost stylish appearance. The PMD620 is
built of black plastic, with grey metal covering the front. The
effect is rather elegant and professional. No one will mistake this
new machine for a cassette tape recorder!
The PMD620 is a small hand-held recorder. Two useful mics are built
into the top of the PMD620, and a 1/8-inch jack is available for an
external pair of mics. "Plug-in" power is available for external mics
that use it. This $400 model records 24/48 WAV or MP3 files to SDHC
flash cards.
Hearing that the PMD620 is small doesn't prepare you for its size. It
is literally 1/6 the volume and weight of the next largest Marantz,
the PMD660. The PMD620 is almost identical in size to the current
Apple iPod "Classic", except that the PMD620 is one inch (25mm) thick
to make room for two AA batteries. The PMD620 weighs about 6 oz (170
g) ready to record. The recorder slides easily into a trouser or
jacket pocket, or attaches to your belt like a cell phone using the
supplied clip.
Like the iPod, the PMD620 is designed for one-hand operation.
Recording is started with one push of an oversize button. A large
OLED display keeps you informed about the recording. The display is
easy to read indoors, difficult outside in shade, and completely
illegible in direct sun. Selecting the larger font size makes the
display easier to read.
Slide the power switch, and the machine is ready to record in less
than 3 seconds. Press the large Record button and recording starts.
Press the Record/Pause button instead, and the LED screen shows the
metering system in action. The headphone jack lets you monitor the
recording in progress. Record Stop and Shut down are almost
instantaneous.
Marantz claims the 2 AA cells can power the PMD620 for about 5 hours
of recording. The plastic door covering the battery compartment seems
flimsy for a part that will see regular manipulation. The PMD620 can
also run on 6V DC power from an external source.
The preamp specifications Marantz publishes for the PMD620 are similar
to the specs of the PMD660 recorder. This is not a good sign, because
the PMD660 is (correctly) criticized as having relatively high
self-noise and poor performance when recording loud material.
However, in my brief tests the PMD620 sounded better than the specs
might suggest.
The built-in mics are adequate. They have a somewhat better sound
when you point the top of the mic at the subject, holding the recorder
as if it were a TV remote control. The sound is thinner and brighter
when you point the front or back of the recorder at the subject (this
points the top of the recorder and the mics at the ceiling). The belt
clip includes a tripod socket, which enables you to properly orient
the recorder on a stand of some sort.
Handling noise is evident in the recording when the internal mics are
used, as one might expect when the mics are less than 2 inches (50 mm)
away from the controls. Less expected is a pronounced "click" added
to the recording when the control button for mic gain is pressed.
This is true with internal or external mics. Disappointing!
When recording with the built-in mics and volume set to maximum, a
broad-spectrum hissy background sound is noticeable. After plugging
in external mics, the preamp becomes much quieter. At a gain setting
just lower than maximum, the recordings I made with a Sennheiser
ME20/K6 mic were very clear and sounded natural.
Compared to my Oade-modified PMD660, the PMD620 was a bit noisier, but
sounded very good as long as the preamp gain was held a little below
maximum. Overall, I'd say the PMD620's preamp is better than the
stock PMD660, and similar to the well-regarded Sony Hi-MD minidisc
recorder.
The PMD620 menu system allows you to configure many parameters for
your recording session:
Input select (auto or manual select of internal or external mic)
Record format (low, medium or high bit rate MP3, plus 16 or 24 bit WAV)
Stereo or Mono
WAV sample rate (44.1 or 48 thousand samples per second)
Ability to manually split tracks
Silent Skip
Auto level control
Mic attenuation (0, -12, -24)
Low cut filter
dB level of warning LED (-6dB, -12dB, -20dB, -38dB and -54dB)
Skip Back duration (1 to 60 seconds)
File sort (by date/time file was created, or by name)
Date format (M/D/Y or D/M/Y)
LED font size (large or small)
Auto Power Down (on or off)
Battery type (Alkaline or NiMH rechargeable)
Key Lock (all keys or partial
main LED display on or off
LED brightness
Machine ID (a 7 character name for the machine)
Fortunately, the PMD620 remembers up to three sets of parameters,
making it easy to switch between setups without checking all the above
choices. You can save a preset to the flash memory card and copy it
to a second PMD620, ensuring the two recorders are set up the same.
The PMD620 package includes a 512MB SD card, which is enough space for
half an hour or more of recording. The PMD620 can record in monaural
mode as well as stereo. This is useful if you're using a single mic
and need to save space on the flash memory card.
Marantz claims that the PMD620 will continue to record as long as
there is file space. There is no 2GB limit to file size. I'll try
to verify this is correct.
Now that the stylish PMD620 has arrived, is there a reason to consider
the larger PMD660? I think so. The $475 PMD660 has XLR inputs and
phantom power for pro mics, and its design makes it easy to operate
while it hangs from your shoulder. The PMD660 has large, easy to use
controls, individual gain controls for each input channel, and better
metering than the PMD620 has.
The PMD620's main competition are the Edirol R-09 ($375), the M-Audio
Microtrack II ($300), and the Zoom H2 ($200). All three are about the
same size as the PMD620.
The R-09 is very similar, with two built-in mics and AA power. I
don't have an R-09 for side-by-side comparison, but I'd say the R-09's
mic preamps sound very similar to the PMD620's preamps.. And adjusting
the preamp gain does not add "click" sounds to the recording.
However, the R-09 is notorious for failures of its 1/8-inch input
jacks. They are poorly soldered and develop problems even with the
most careful handling. It's too early to say if the PMD620 will be
more reliable, but Marantz has a good reputation for building solid
equipment.
The Microtrack lacks the built-in mics and field-replaceable
batteries, but offers 24/96 digitization, and SPDIF digital input.
There have been far fewer input jack failures reported by Microtrack
owners. The Microtrack uses Compactflash cards.
The Zoom H2 offers two and four channel recording options using its
built-in mic array. Recordings via the external mic jack can have
high noise levels. The circuits supporting the built-in mics and line
input are quieter. The H2 is a little larger and heavier than the
others mentioned here, and the preamp is a little noisier. At half
the price of the others mentioned above, many buyers are willing to
overlook the H2's shortcomings.
The PMD620 joins the R-09 and Zoom H2 as good choices for a "point and
shoot" recorder that is small enough to be carried discretely
anywhere, and able to capture those serendipitous recording moments.
With external mics, the PMD620 is capable of excellent performance.
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