Dallman, I'm very interested in your thoughts about the comparison between the Dr-680mk2 and the MixPre-6, even though the SD is not really an appropriate option for me as it's less suited to what I'm doing in a few ways.
Thanks Gutbucket and Fried Chicken Boy, I thought it was important to respond above to get the OP thinking. Regarding the question posed to me (And if I can hijack the thread for a post, especially since this fits the overall theme of the topic)...
For me it is too early to give much feedback about the SD MixPre6. I really like the functionality size and build. I'm one that likes to look at every menu item every knob and play around. That is probably why I have a lot of decks
. As you know, you cannot be afraid of your deck, you need to "drive" it, not the other way around. I'll know more going forward, it just seems like since I got the deck, I've had much more
type evenings and for me, the MixPre is not for a low pro situation, that's way too much work for virtually no payback. As you know location is primary, as so much gear today is so good that much of it becomes nuance and personal preference. That said, those MixPre6 preamps sound great, they are very quiet, and what I mean is even in a noisy chatty crowd, you can hear the quiet, or sense it. Or I've talked myself into believing that.
What I have not reconciled is exactly how I want to use the deck. Will it be primarily be used as a a 4 channel or 6 channel deck. I think 5/6 on it is fine, for me, I have has zero gain or overload issues thus far, not even close, so perhaps mic matching is important as others have had issues, I am not sure why. I will say with the MixPre6, on 5/6, I want to use a preamp with gain controls or good gain controls. I have a CA Ugly preamp, version1 with fixed gain and fine tuning only, and a Tinybox and a pipsqueak which of course have 3 fixed gain positions. I do not particularly like using the preamps with the MixPre 6, because adjusting gain on channels 5/6 is awkward.especually when also looking at channels 1,2 3, 4, which is a different screen, so even if it is just at the beginning of a show, I want the preamp to have the gain adjustments for easy fine tuning. That for me means probably the SD USB Pre 2 as my external preamp, and that also means analog out on the MixPre 6 which also means for me, I'll want to bring as a backup, a bitbucket deck for digi out of the USB Pre2, and now my gear has grown large enough that maybe the DR680MKII is the better easier choice. These are the kinds of things I am working out still. I do not use the mix track on either deck, because when I record an AUD show, ideally I like to make 3 recordings, Cardioid, Hypercardioid and Omni and then decide which I like best, so the mix track is just a hodgepodge of mics the way I am using the deck(s).
I will say that as far as the MixPre6 not having a digital AES or SP/DIF in, the preamps on channels 1-4 are of a quality, where that is why I am using the deck, for those preamps, so this deck was not designed to be a bitbucket and it is not. Why put a preamp on top of preamps that were designed to be quiet and top notch? I feel the design was to be a great small sturdy 4 channel deck that can do more if needed. Maybe it would have been nice on 5/6 to have that functionality, but the deck was designed I think to really be a 4 channel machine that can do more.
One last thing, powering the unit. Again, lots of people have what they like or prefer. For me, just like every deck I use, I just have an external battery. I invested in a few USB C ready batteries, and I just plug them in exactly the same way I plugged in the USB micro plugs or barrel plugs. No issues no problems no worries. I don't have, use or like the Sony style batteries, but had I owned a previous SD 7 series machine or a Sony camcorder, maybe I'd feel differently. The way I use the deck there is virtually zero chance I will have an issue with the USB C jack. I could make the small complaint that it does make finding the very tiny power on/off switch a bit difficult as it is right next to the USB C input, but again as I am using this deck in an open situation, it is not an issue to reach down and look at the deck as I turn it on or off.
So maybe in wrap-up I would say the Tascam DR680MKII, is a great sounding versatile deck that can record 8 channels, but for me comfortably records 6 channels, 2 of which are always digi in through an external preamp, which for me is the SD USB Pre 2. The SD MixPre6 is a great sounding deck that can record up to 6 channels with 2 being analog in through an external preamp, which again for me is the SD USB Pre 2. Undetermined yet for me, is whether using 5/6 regularly is worth it because of how good the deck sounds or not worth it because I want to take advantage of the small footprint. Both decks have a great deal of functionality and are best taken advantage of when one understands the menus and features which may be a process of experimentation and asking questions on sites like TS.com.