Topic: Edirol R-09HR vs. Marantz PMD-620

[nak700s]

Any comments from people who have experience with both of these would be appreciated.  Thanks, I like them both but would love some feedback from users, not reviewers...

[Dede2002]

Any comments from people who have experience with both of these would be appreciated.  Thanks, I like them both but would love some feedback from users, not reviewers...

Hello,

I'm kinda lost here. You already have another thread asking the very same questions.

http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,121646.0.html

Why start a new one? 

[nak700s]

I thought the other was a little confusing and promoting non-responses.

I know now I want to trade up from the H2, I am only looking for guidance about which one to get.  Based on what little I know about these things, I think the price point I am looking at is best served by one of these recorders.  I still welcome other suggestions though.

[Dede2002]

I thought the other was a little confusing and promoting non-responses.

I know now I want to trade up from the H2, I am only looking for guidance about which one to get.  Based on what little I know about these things, I think the price point I am looking at is best served by one of these recorders.  I still welcome other suggestions though.

R-09HR. You'll be fine.

[nak700s]

I am tending to agree, I was just wondering what users of the Marantz thought as well.

I need to sell the brand spanking new Zoom H2 that my friend bought me though.  I need that money to put towards the new one.  I don't suppose you know of a place that sells both and might be interested in exchanging my H2 + the monetary difference for the R-09HR...  It was never even removed from its box.

[Dede2002]

I am tending to agree, I was just wondering what users of the Marantz thought as well.

I need to sell the brand spanking new Zoom H2 that my friend bought me though.  I need that money to put towards the new one.  I don't suppose you know of a place that sells both and might be interested in exchanging my H2 + the monetary difference for the R-09HR...  It was never even removed from its box.

No, I don't know about such place.
BTW, like I told you before, I am also a PMD-620. Not bad, but IMHO the R-09HR wins.

[darktrain]

I have had both and prefer the 620 for mic in as it provides 5v and has a -12 and -24 setting and i have recorded some pretty dam loud metal shows that way with no problems whatsoever and the r-09hr for line in

[nak700s]

Thanks for that.  I will be using it for transferring cassettes > CD so the Line in is very important.  On the flip side, I will use it live instead of DAT since I have it and it is so much easier to burn to CD from.  I use Nakamichi CM-700's, which are self powered, so I wonder if the recorders provided power is as important?  At some point, I intend to have them modified and will end up needing a pre-amp, so again, I don't know how important the difference in voltage is.

As you can see, this deck will be heavily used for both.  I have an R-09 on loan to me for now and have been using it for both purposes. I can't stand the size of the display and a couple of other things, but the end result has been a good sounding recording.  On the R-09HR, they addressed virtually all of my complaints.  I have seen the 620 up close and personal and like what I've seen, I just don't know what the important differences are, which is why I'm asking the users of both.

[goodcooker]

I have only fooled around with the R09 so I can't really say for sure what its like but tons of people are using it and using it for the recorder in applications like Schoeps>Nbox>R09 so it cant be all bad. I do not however like the meters/display but thats just me.

I have a PMD620 and I use it as my main recorder (running line in) in my open rig

Pros
good level meters/display/ergonomics
good battery life (I use a Powerex adjustable voltage battery and it runs all day) or +/- 5 hrs on AAs
good A>D converter - sounds crisp and clean
reliable - it has never let me down (with minor exceptions noted below)

Cons

Unbalanced input - I've taken to taping down the cable while in use - I've had problems with static when moving the recorder while recording
SD card compatibility - a Kingston SD card works while a Kingston SDHC card does not, stick with Sandisk or Lexar no big deal just learned the hard way

I've used it to record mic in with DPA 4061s no BB and was blown away by the quality of the onboard mic pre. It came out great.

I used the internal mics for shits and giggles one time and was pleasantly surprised. Not something I usually do I was just curious.

I bought it mainly because I have had a Marantz recorder in the past ( a PMD 670) that was also rock solid. I've also had an Edirol R4 in the past and while it was a great recorder I had some issues with it
and I was paranoid about the line in jack problems with the R09. That being said when I go back to 4 channels I'll prob go with an Edirol R44.

Click on the bookmarks link in my sig line to hear some shows recorded with various mics and the 620

[Dede2002]

I have only fooled around with the R09 so I can't really say for sure what its like but tons of people are using it and using it for the recorder in applications like Schoeps>Nbox>R09 so it cant be all bad. I do not however like the meters/display but thats just me.

I have a PMD620 and I use it as my main recorder (running line in) in my open rig

Pros
good level meters/display/ergonomics
good battery life (I use a Powerex adjustable voltage battery and it runs all day) or +/- 5 hrs on AAs
good A>D converter - sounds crisp and clean
reliable - it has never let me down (with minor exceptions noted below)

Cons

Unbalanced input - I've taken to taping down the cable while in use - I've had problems with static when moving the recorder while recording
SD card compatibility - a Kingston SD card works while a Kingston SDHC card does not, stick with Sandisk or Lexar no big deal just learned the hard way

I've used it to record mic in with DPA 4061s no BB and was blown away by the quality of the onboard mic pre. It came out great.

I used the internal mics for shits and giggles one time and was pleasantly surprised. Not something I usually do I was just curious.

I bought it mainly because I have had a Marantz recorder in the past ( a PMD 670) that was also rock solid. I've also had an Edirol R4 in the past and while it was a great recorder I had some issues with it
and I was paranoid about the line in jack problems with the R09. That being said when I go back to 4 channels I'll prob go with an Edirol R44.

Click on the bookmarks link in my sig line to hear some shows recorded with various mics and the 620

The R-09HR is a completely different animal.
No comparison between the R-09HR and the old R-09. I own both.
Take care 

[Belexes]

The R-09HR is a completely different animal.
No comparison between the R-09HR and the old R-09. I own both.
Take care 

Dede, why do you still own both? Backup and/or running two rigs at a show? Just curious.

I use to own the R-09 and have now graduated to the HR model.

[Dede2002]

The R-09HR is a completely different animal.
No comparison between the R-09HR and the old R-09. I own both.
Take care 

Dede, why do you still own both? Backup and/or running two rigs at a show? Just curious.

I use to own the R-09 and have now graduated to the HR model.

Belexes,

Sorry but I had to delete my last message. I misanderstood your question. 
I was under the impression that you were talking about my PMD 620.
Yes, I keep my R-09 as a backup.
Take care

[nak700s]

Thank you one and all for your feedback
I am still at the money stage and will hopefully be taking the plunge soon.
Although I haven't made a final decission yet, I have looked at both machines extensively.  I must say, I really like them both.  I am still using the R-09 and as said before, my main complaint is the size of the display.  Both the R-09HR and the PMD-620 cure this problem for me.

Since I will be using it most of the time to transfer cassettes > CD, I need to know the line in is clean and quiet.  Can this be said for both?  I haven't had any problems with that on the R-09, but have heard concerns about these two recorders.  I will also use whatever I buy in the field with my 700's and therefore need a clean and quiet mic input.  All else seeming equal, the rest is fluff.  Any more comments are welcome.  Thank you for all your input.

[robotaper]

Another vote for R-09HR.

I've had great experience in the field with this unit running the CS DPA 4061's.  To the ear the input seems to be quiet.  I don't have any hard data to support this claim, other then my own observation.

Good luck with your "upgrade".

[nak700s]

I understand that the record light can be turned off now with the R-09HR.  Can it be turned off with the 620 too?