Topic: Sony TCD-D10 PROII VS Sony PCM M1

[thomasdrv]

Have anyone tested these 2 recorders ?
And compaired them with todays digitaltechnology ?

[runonce]

I doubt there are many that still work...

16 bit only...buying tapes...real time transfer.

Unless you are sitting on DATs that need transfered - I think most of us would consider them "junk."

Things are much better today...I cant think of too much good to say about 20 year old recorders.

[DSatz]

I have a TCD-D10 Pro. At something like $2750 it was a very poor investment; I used it only a dozen times or so. Despite having "professional" specifications, its microphone inputs (which didn't offer phantom powering!) were easily overloaded by signals from professional condenser microphones. Its line inputs were noisy and insensitive, and its meters were inaccurate. To use its digital input, you have to buy a proprietary input cable that used to cost ca. $125, but which became unavailable during the lifetime of the product.

The "II" version adds a very poorly-implemented DC offset filter at the output. There was one other difference which I no longer recall specifically, except that it was somewhat advantageous.

On the positive side, the unit used a full-size head drum which makes the unit less susceptible to dropouts in playback than the half-size drums used in the miniature decks.

I've never used a PCM-M1, so can't comment there. Supposed to be an OK little deck, but it's just their consumer unit with a different SCMS arrangement (adding the ability to record through its digital input at 44.1 kHz), no? That's useful, but doesn't make the deck professional.

--best regards

[H₂O]

I would avoid using DAT today for recording as the media is getting harder to find and it's cost can add up quickly.  I remember paying $30 shipped for 10 tapes in the day.   You would use about 2 tapes a show (not counting misload tapes, opening acts, etc).  Plus the up keep is more than it's worth.

I didn't own either deck but I did own a D8 and a DA-P1 and only the D8 I could recommend - The Tascam DA-P1 was nicknamed the Trashcan and it lived up to this name.  The only portable decks I could recommend are the HHB portadat, Fostex PD-4, Sonosax StellaDAT/StellaDAT II (if you can find one ) - with the HHB being the most affordable.

[sacchini]

I had (it was a LONG time ago...) a Sony TCD-D3 and later (but still a long time ago...) a Sony PCM-M1.

They were great at the time BUT...

What I remember about using tapes: misloading, head cleaning, dropout, media change during the show, etc.

24/96, XLR input and so on; I'm happy to use present products and not older ones!

[RichT]

I once got a DA-P1 serviced because it was overloading so easily, thought something must be wrong with it

[raymonda]

I owned and used a Sony D10PII for a number of years before moving to laptop and then to MTII. I also owned and Panasonic SV250 and SV255....both when they came out in 1989 and 1990. I've also taped with a friend who own the HHB unit. The Sony D10PII was a welcomed relief from the often problematic Panasonic units. As for its mic pre-amp, I never used them and always used my Aerco and then later my the digital in from my Grace V3, after which, I went to a D8 for the smaller footprint.

If you must use DAT, which I would not suggest you doing for all of the above stated reason.....the Sony D10PII is the most reliable deck available. However, you would also have to make a power supply that can operate the unit off of 12 volts. Mouser and some other electronic stores use to sell them but those days are long past. The other way to go was to use an old dead battery as a dummy battery and power it with an external battery.

Given all the above stated reasons I can see no reason to use this unit, or for that matter, any DAT in the field today. There are simply too many better alternatives.

[fmaderjr]

What I remember about using tapes: misloading, head cleaning, dropout, media change during the show, etc.

Yeah using a DAT today would suck. Dropouts were my big problem with my TCD-D100. Every 2 years or so I had to spend $200 on repairs to fix that issue.  Today you can buy a good flash recorder for $200 (or even much less) that, with a little luck, will work fine for years without needing repairs. Plus you no longer have to do real time transfers.