Topic: Who's in the market for Marantz PDM660

[Popmarter]

http://www.d-mpro.eu.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=4497&CatID=18&SubCatID=169

This unit has been mentioned before but now it is sold in two weeks, í can't wait so go out and see it. Are there more people in the market for this unit?

[krebsy]

The PMD 671 is the box I'm curious about. 24 bit capability, but I'm guessing it will have a price tag that I am too cheap to pay...   

[balou2]

I've considered the 660 several times...especially considering the price (around $650).  I've even considered dumping my D-100 for this...no moving parts, and transfers would basically ceasy.  Just pull the card and insert in the PC at home.  I'm interested in the 67x series as well, but the price is quite a bit more.

Obviously, the 722 is where it's at, but I don't have $2500+ to drop on a recorder.

[Popmarter]

true, you can not compare this unit with the 722. i mean $2500!!, no way i am gonna spend that on a recorder alone. the 660 still seems the thing between the high end (722) and low end (minidisc/iriver). JB3?...not in production anymore, so what are we talking about?

Right?

[Todd R]

True the JB3 is not in production any more, but they still are fairly easily found if you want one.  The D7, D8, D100, and M1 are not in production anymore.  Even the DA-P1 might now be out of production.  But people still talk about using DAT decks as their recorder of choice.

That said, some folks think that the JB3 is too unreliable to be trusted as a field recorder (rightly or wrongly).  So there might be some benefit in a PMD660 even if it only does 16/44 or 48.  Maybe PMD660 vs JB3 is more like DA-P1 vs D8 -- for our purposes they might only be doing the same thing, but one might be more reliable.  Of course, I have no idea if the 660 is more reliable, but at least it was built to be a portable field recorder.

[Todd R]

BTW, does this 660 take a digital input?  The spec sheet at the link above doesn't mention digital in/out.

[bdasilva]

No Digital... Mic or Line only. I got one on Friday but the Magicstor 2.2 gb cf drive I bought will not work with it... I recorded (The Radiators ) to a 256MB card (128 MP3) and It did fine but I really have to hear it at 44.1/16 before I decide to keep it. I did use a MP2 so I don't know about the frontend either. I'm happy with the size and the battey life though. Both the MP2 and the 660 run off 5v and a x8 aa battery sled should  run it all day. A 4gb Drive or card is 6.5 hours at 44/16.. Two 2 gig cards would be sweet, no "tape flips" and I could dump one while I recorded the other. Both pieces fit in a 6pack sized cooler bag. I tired of lugging the laptop and Usbpre and the BIG battery around. I'll answer any questions I can about the unit. The Magicstor goes to Ebay today and I'll buy another 2gig drive or flash this week.

[F.O.Bean]

hmm, weak theres no digi in, jb3 still is the champ

[balou2]

hmm, weak theres no digi in, jb3 still is the champ

Yeh...kinda weak to pay that type of cash and have no digi-in, but from what I've been told, they can mod REALLY easy for digital.  I like the idea of the flash memory...makes it really easy.

FWIW, there's a PMD670 on ebay right now....

[F.O.Bean]

did some research, the pmd-670 DOES have a digi in/out, only the 660 doesnt, the 670 looks more taper approved

[dnsacks]

per doug oade, the 670 has a WEAK analog stage taper-wise (almost unusable mic-in for what "we" do).  Doug will mod it however. 

[F.O.Bean]

per doug oade, the 670 has a WEAK analog stage taper-wise (almost unusable mic-in for what "we" do). Doug will mod it however.

i read that somewhere on here!

i would be using it for digi in tho, as i think most would!

l;ooks like a neat lil dap1 tho, i like its ruggedness

[johnw]

what's the price? fwiw, the dimensions are about 4.5" x 7.2" x 1.8"

List is $650 but the BSW catalog I got today has them for $460

[balou2]

what's the price? fwiw, the dimensions are about 4.5" x 7.2" x 1.8"

List is $650 but the BSW catalog I got today has them for $460

That's because the 670 is the model they're pushing.  Still, $460 is SUPER good for a solid state recorder, and if you run a nice pre-amp, the weak analog inputs don't matter.

Do you have a price for the 670 in the BSW?  PM me if you do...thanks for the info.

[johnw]

Hmm the online site has the 660 listed at $499 so I guess that price is either catalog only or a mistake (probably the 2nd)
The 670 is listed at $699 but can be found for at least $20 less. If I were buying a <$500 solid state recorder, I'd probably check out the Edirol R1 - seems pretty similar to the 660 for $60 less.

But then, I'm waiting on the 671 to be released - if I can do 44.1/16 with my JB3, I am not going to pay to get the exact same capability out of something more expensive. At least the 671 is rumored to be 48/24.

http://www.bswusa.com/proditem.asp?item=PMD660