Topic: new marantz PMD 661

[JasonSobel]

alright, I'm doing some more battery tests.  I've got one battery test going right now, and I'll be doing several more over the next few days.

I now have the Tekkeon MP3450 (which has 10,000 mAH @ 5V), and I also picked up a set of four Duracell AA NiMH rechargeables (2,650mAH).

My whole rig is so small, that I just set it up on the corner of my desk here at work.  everything is self contained in a small bag, so it's not intrusive at all.  I'm testing the Tekkeon right now, started at 7AM, so I'm now ~3 hours into the battery test, and the battery meter on the Tekkeon has only lost one light (i.e. 7 out of 8 LED's on the battery meter are still lit).  At this rate, the 16gb SDCH card (PNY, class 4) will fill up before the battery dies.  I decided to do this test at 24/48, so that I have 16 hours on the card.  When I leave work at 4PM, that'll be 9 hours.  I can keep it running in the car and at home, but if the card fills up, I likely won't continue the battery test.  I'll keep everyone updated with the results.  Though my initial impression is this: as I was expecting and hoping, the Tekkeon is a huge overkill for the task of powering this deck.  Which is great, because it's one less item that I need to worry about at a show.  For reference, though, the Tekkeon mp3450 battery is approximately the same size as the PMD-661 itself. (not a problem for most shows I go to, as the overal gear bag is still very small, but it's not going to cut it for those absolute minimum footprint kind of shows).

Probably the test of the 2650 mAH rechargeable AA's will be more interesting, to see how much additional run time those give me over the 2:40 that I got from alkalines.  for that test, I'll run 24/96 onto the same 16gb sdhc PNY (class 4) card.  I expect that the 8 hours of 24/96 on the card will be more than the battery life of the rechargeable AA's, and it'll be a good (ie longer) test of 24/96 onto this sdhc card (which, my preliminary findings seem to suggest that 24/96 is not a problem on this card).

[audBall]

Did the Tekkeon come with a tip that the 661 liked?  The one included with the PP-99 I have was real lose and the 661 would lose power if shifted.  I ended up hacking an old Creative JB3 wally cable that fits like a glove.

[JasonSobel]

Did the Tekkeon come with a tip that the 661 liked?  The one included with the PP-99 I have was real lose and the 661 would lose power if shifted.  I ended up hacking an old Creative JB3 wally cable that fits like a glove.

yes, the Tekkeon came with a right-angle tip that fits just as snugly as the one on the AC adapter that came with the deck.  It's not a super tight fit, but I think it's snug enough that it won't be an issue at a show (even with some movement of the gear bag and some shifting of the gear itself).

[audBall]

yes, the Tekkeon came with a right-angle tip that fits just as snugly as the one on the AC adapter that came with the deck.  It's not a super tight fit, but I think it's snug enough that it won't be an issue at a show (even with some movement of the gear bag and some shifting of the gear itself).

That's good to hear.  At some point (if you haven't already), can you give it the "360 rotation test"?  The one I had with the PP-99 worked, but if rotated 90deg in any direction, the unit would cut off.

[leehookem]

time for some rig pics

[GDfan]

time for some rig pics

I'll have some pics after tomorrow (mine is arriving tomorrow and I plan on taking it to Charlie Hunter Trio)
and its almost time for Part 2 of this thread =D

[ingsy]

I can record a typical show right through setbreak and still have enough juice to listen to the entire show on the way home...  (w/ my 660)]
W/ alkalines I'll be lucky to make it through a set...

I am a 660 user - but I figured I would chime in here.  I generally use Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries.  They last a LOT longer than regular alkalines and they are very dependable (unlike old recharge-ables).  The obvious drawback is the price which is a bit less than $10 for a 4 pack of AA's.  That being said, I tape the opener and 2 sets w/out worrying about the battery draw.  Also - given the cost of most of our rigs, spending an additional $10 is better than having a lost recording due to trying to save money on batteries.  But...I also don't tape very much these days.  For any 'must have' recording, I would suggest going this route.  Unfortunately, I have never done a test of these to see exactly how long I could push them.

[flintstone]

ingsy, Thanks for sharing that information.  Would you say with confidence that 4 lithium AAs will power your 660 for four hours? Five hours?  Do you run mics that require phantom power?

Flintstone

[dennisrtyler]

i used to get about 7 hours on a set of e2 lithiums in my old acm 660

[JasonSobel]

yes, the Tekkeon came with a right-angle tip that fits just as snugly as the one on the AC adapter that came with the deck.  It's not a super tight fit, but I think it's snug enough that it won't be an issue at a show (even with some movement of the gear bag and some shifting of the gear itself).

That's good to hear.  At some point (if you haven't already), can you give it the "360 rotation test"?  The one I had with the PP-99 worked, but if rotated 90deg in any direction, the unit would cut off.

I just did the "360 rotation test" with the plug that came with the tekkeon - no issues at all.  and the mp3450 battery test - just a quick update.  We're now at 05 hour 45 minutes, and 6 of the 8 lights on the tekkeon battery meter are still lit.  This battery is going to power the deck for a long time...

[ingsy]

ingsy, Thanks for sharing that information.  Would you say with confidence that 4 lithium AAs will power your 660 for four hours? Five hours?  Do you run mics that require phantom power?

Flintstone

I would say I could get at least 6 hours, maybe even 7 - but haven't run any real tests.  Yes, I am always using phantom - the vast majority of the time powering schoeps ccm41 mics.  I generally use the one set of batteries for the opener & 2 sets of main band - then save the batteries for use in remote controls, flash lights etc because they are still good, but (IMO) not reliable enough at that point to use for another show.  I bet you could get these in bulk at Costco or Sam's Club but I haven't tried that yet. 
Like I said - with a fresh set, there are no worries for running 3 sets of music & encore = ~ 4.5 hours.

[datbrad]

Wife just called and reported that I got a FedEx package delivery today from Georgia. Guess it's time to come clean. 

[audBall]

Wife just called and reported that I got a FedEx package delivery today from Georgia. Guess it's time to come clean. 

Thankfully, it comes in a relatively small box.  Assure her, "it's nothing important".   

[GDfan]

Wife just called and reported that I got a FedEx package delivery today from Georgia. Guess it's time to come clean. 

hehe, my FedEx tracking # shows that mine is in Memphis atm

[audBall]

ALL Fedex packages are routed through Memphis first, regardless of where they are shipped from or where they are going.