Topic: Former taper seeks advice on hi-rez recorders

[sunjan]

... the number of people that have had issues with getting the 680's S/PDIF input to work correctly.

The issue that affects both 680 and D50 is that legacy gear like the UA-5 doesn't output a compatible signal. This means you need to do your homework first, to see whether your A/D is compatible or not. Let us know what gear you intend to feed the recorder with, and we can tell you what's a good match.

The 702 sells for $1,875 new, I don't think I've ever seen if for $1k used.
If you want to save some cash, you can get one of the older models used cheaper (671, HD-P2, FR-2), but if you have $1k to spend, the 661 is smaller and lighter while still being solid and reliable. I'd say get a 661 and be done with it.

[jbell]

The D50 has an optical in/out also!!  I don't think alot of folks realize that.  I used to feed a buddy the out for his H120.  The D50 would pair nicely with a opti V3 or SD USBpre2 and you can find them used for around $350.   You could do a Sound devices USBpre2>D50 for around $1k

IMO you should buy a used D50 or P2. 

D50's go from anywhere between $300 and 400 used
P2's go from anywhere between about $350 and $450 used

D50 has optical in, unbalanced input on 1/8" jack, very small, 44.1,48,96 Sample Rates
P2 has COAX in/out, wordclock, balanced input on XLR for analog, supports 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 Khz Sample Rates, same size as a DA-P1

[adrianf74]

FTFY    The 680 is a nice tool, but if my first criterion was "reliable", I would describe a deck that has as many published reports on here of problems as this thing has as pretty much being the opposite of that.    Not to mention that I don't find it terribly "user friendly" to use compared to the simpler Edirol and Marantz designs.  It's the best choice if you need up to 8 channels (assuming the S/PDIF works, which on ours, it finally does).  If you only want stereo, as the OP suggests, it makes no sense.

It's funny but a good friend of mine uses the 680 and has had ZERO problems with it so I don't get the bashing.  It's quite useful if you need to pull an audience and board capture at the same time.  Makes for easy matrix work as well since the samples used in both files will be identical (just a matter of finding the first "beat" and then you're done).

If the OP doesn't care about multi-channel/track, then the D50 would be a good starting point. 

[One Cylinder]

Looks like the Marantz PMD661 is just what the doctor ordered.  Thanks to all for their suggestions!!!   

[Gutbucket]

Wise choice.

[F.O.Bean]

Wise choice.