Topic: Need a New Desktop Recorder with Digital Input

[Scooter123]

I transfer DATs--lots of them, and all my trusty Tascam DR680s have bitten the dust.  At one point I had five of them.  One won't power on, one has a dead USB port, the others have some dead channels, and others have wildly unbalanced channels.  Yeah, I could lump them all together in a box and take them to Audio Designs to cannilbalize them into one or two decks as I have in the past, but getting working DR680 decks for $100 is no longer possible. 

So I think it is time to pitch them and pick up a couple new decks.  These would be two channel decks, like 2-3 of them, with a digital (SPDIF) input and either a USB or SD card output.  Nothing fancy, just vanilla tape decks. 

Sweetwater has a Dennon in the $250 range new, but I am not opposed to looking at used decks if I get them off eBay cheap. 

Anyone have any ideas? 

[TheJez]

I transfer DATs--lots of them, and all my trusty Tascam DR680s have bitten the dust.  At one point I had five of them.  One won't power on, one has a dead USB port, the others have some dead channels, and others have wildly unbalanced channels.  Yeah, I could lump them all together in a box and take them to Audio Designs to cannilbalize them into one or two decks as I have in the past, but getting working DR680 decks for $100 is no longer possible. 

So I think it is time to pitch them and pick up a couple new decks.  These would be two channel decks, like 2-3 of them, with a digital (SPDIF) input and either a USB or SD card output.  Nothing fancy, just vanilla tape decks. 

Sweetwater has a Dennon in the $250 range new, but I am not opposed to looking at used decks if I get them off eBay cheap. 

Anyone have any ideas?

Regarding the one with the dead USB-port: Maybe you can still use it to record and then put the SD-card into a card reader to transfer your recordings to the PC...? Then you don't need the USB port. Just a thought...

[Gutbucket]

Still loving the R44 here. Just one option among many, but works well for me.  Old but simple, good and reliable, and they pop op in the YS pretty regularly.  Might be one there now but I think I recall it selling a couple weeks back or so. Same coax SPDIF digital in/out as DR680 and able to use the same SD cards.   Remember that its power input is reversed polarity- sleeve positive, center pin ground.

[goodcooker]

The Tascam SS R series of recorders is available used in the $250 range occasionally and there's the Marantz PMD580 decks that are all over ebay and other resale sites for real cheap.

If you don't mind older and used there's the Sound Devices 702, 722, 744, the Tascam DR100 mkii and mkiii and the Edirol R44 (and R4)

There's the Denon DR500 with AES and SPDIF. A few of the Denon recorders don't have digital inputs but others do.

[rocksuitcase]

Maratz PMD661. digi in, SD card

[Scooter123]

Those Maratz PMD661s are readily available and cheap on eBay.  Might fill the bill.

Thank you!

[jb63]

Those Maratz PMD661s are readily available and cheap on eBay.  Might fill the bill.

I picked up one for $100 last time there were a bunch of 'em on sale.
Its sitting in a drawer.

Let me know if you need it.

jb

[Ozpeter]

I'm surprised that your recorders have died while your DAT players live on!

[Scooter123]

The DR680s were a gold standard for me when starting on IEM pulls from the car. I could even link them to start together synched up, but sadly they did not share a time clock. I had five of them at one point. When the Zoom F8 came out, it made those 680s obsolete for IEMS, but they had a second life as an DAT transfer rig, due to their SPDF input. I could run three DATs at a time. 

Last year, sadly they all started dying. The individual tracks started either dying or having wildly different gain/volume issues.  Others lost power and would not power up.  Another worked only on batteries, and another had a shorted out USB port.  I bought more and started to cannibalize the circuit boards and other parts. I’m down to three and all are dead.  I can’t seem to find cheap ones on eBay now.  So sad. 

So far, the Tascam  DA-30s have been a great DAT.  I get about 100-300 DATs before they need service and own four of them.  That model is readily available on eBay for parts.

[morst]

Anyone have any ideas?

Tascam factory service dept was still in biz last I checked circa 2020, and they sell service manuals and parts if you are so inclined.
Mail it to LA? Drive it there if you live in LA?

https://tascam.com/us/support/contact
TEAC AMERICA INC.
10410 Pioneer Blvd., Unit #3, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670, U.S.A
TEL: +1-323-726-0303 option #1