Customer Reviews

Marantz PMD661 Portable SD Recorder

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Update Notes: 10/2010: Another buyer asked me to look into the power draw for battery usage reasons. After using the TWO independent battery conservation modes on the 661 (turn off the leds and minimize the big display from 5 rows to just one row of data) the jumpy current waveform settled down to 315 mA DC +/- 15 mA. For battery usage, you can use a 315mA draw for conservative recording power usage estimates. So that perspective users of the 661 can get a feel for it I've uploaded 5 most often seen sample screenshots with notes in the pictures section above. The notes cover what each screen does and how the function keys work. The instruction manual shows you how to wire pushbuttons and resistors to the 4 terminal remote plug which is VERY hard to find (most are 3 terminal - left/right/ground) - you can use the 3 terminal because the only 2 points you need are ground and the tip, but here is the 4 pin version for $0.28 on amazon 6FT 3.5 mm to 3 RCA AV Camcorder Video Cable Sony JVC 6 with this cable and the instructions in the manual you can build your own remote with LEDs and extended switches beyond the marantz remote from the PMD660 Marantz RC600 Mic Mount Remote Control which could be operated by computer or other automated systems. Basically the 4 terminal plugs are becomming more common now. The resistor values chosen for pushbutton operation are common values and easy to find.

UPDATE 8-2010:

I've put alot of hours on my PMD661, made a custom case for it, and now I must report a MINOR negative about a whole class of products (the 661, the H4n, certain flashlights, etc)

While doing flashlight testing on the Fenix TK-40, 'Menace' pointed out that it seemed to drain AA batteries without being used AT ALL while a similar light, the TK30 did not. I confirmed his findings using an inline ampmeter - a small amount of power was flowing with the light turned off. As I measured other products that used the AA NiMH cell, the problem proved to be a bigger issue than just one flashlight.

This "trickle" power is just like your car - leave it in a garage at the airport for 30 days and don't expect the battery to be full when you return. The amount is small, but placing a plastic strip between a battery and the spring then routing it out of the battery compartment will stop the power from flowing. The "off" power is higher on the PMD661 because it has a timer and can turn itself on for play or record functions with preprogrammed times which other recorders can not do.

Update 9-12-2009 - I just returned from a cruise ship using the 661. I used a Canon hs-10 avchd camera for capturing the main stage video and the 661 to plug into the ship's mixing board for audio. The ship's audio engineer was excited to see the 661 and hapily pulled out an XLR patch cord set to give me the house mix line level out, which was recorded in the same lossless format (24bit/48 khz) used by the camcorder audio making synchronization in adobe premiere pro a breeze. The final benefit was hearing the show audio as it left the mixing board to the amps instead of being picked up by the camera set on a tripod in the audience full of echo and laughter, clapping etc. The final production to blu-ray disc sounded like I was right on stage with the camera. The marantz ALC circuit performed better than expected and prevented digital clipping while maximizing dynamic range. End of edit.
[ACTUAL PRODUCT REVIEW BEGINS HERE]

When Marantz added a line level XLR input that bypassed the microphone preamps as opposed to just a mic level input in the 660 (prior model) I finally jumped at it. Since I work alot of mixing boards I have access to the final stereo mixdown at line level voltages. Whats the big deal? Recording at line level gives you 20dB more signal to noise - thats 100 times better for those who don't speak dB - compared to mic level xlr inputs. Also recorders that put an attenuator in front of microphone amplifiers tend to be noisy - marantz is not built this way (the H4n I use for MIC level recordings is - it is not well suited to line level input because it must attenuate the signal to 0.8% before recording it) If you look at your dvd player at home all the outputs are line level simply to get rid of noise. With such a fabulous recorder, why in the world would you want 100 times more noise in your recordings?

There are many other factors Marantz did that made the 661 the optimum professional recorder to get - the display is bright and easy to read under all lighting conditions, they used a 1/4" headphone jack so the little 3.5mm headphones wouldn't pull out at the worst moment (another pro move) - and they improved the case quality. There is also a digital input for people who are 100% digital already, however it stops at 44.1/48 KHz sampling.

Given these features, the PMD-661 sits head and antlers above all the other compact recorders out there offering professional connectivity at an economical price. It's also fully customizable - the bright display is dimmable through 8 steps for indoor club use at night, and it features dual rca line level outputs for analog playback. About the only thing I would like to have seen would be a worldclock input for synchronizing analog recordings to digital cameras, but the size of the bnc connector would have nixed that option in this handheld product.

Prices are starting to drop - I bought in early but you can save 50 bucks off the original price. Good job Marantz (from a former dedicated tascam fan!)

PROS:

+2 levels of power saving (dual VU meter cutoff and 5 line down to 1 line OLED display) - both are independent of each other
+runs on AC power through a 5V converter and also runs off USB power when doing file transfers
+Easy to create multiple folders and levels within them using the 4-way rocker buttons for character selection - in fact naming your settings is also easy.
+remote control is customizable with just resistors and switches if you know how to solder and need to operate it by computer or other external devices
+XLR ins are well designed and quiet compared to other products on the market.
+1/8" line level TRS input as well lets you use a 3.5mm trs male to male jumper for recording computer outputs
+digital input as well [COAX] - I purchased a Cables to Go 40019 Optical to Coaxial Digital Audio Converter (Black) when needed for $13
+2 ea built in mics as the 4th source
+tripod mount
+pre-record buffer captures 3 seconds of audio prior to entering record
+standard SD card format can be ejected and read on a pc quickly instead of doing USB transfers
+easily updates firmware when improvements are made
+12 hour runtime on 2700 mah nimh cells with full power conservation recording mp3 from XLR in (tested)
+When batteries are exhausted it closes all files and shuts down politely.
+internal stereo speakers can be used to monitor recordings or 1/4" headphones
+rugged, well built design including the battery door which has a large latch to prevent accidental opening or loss
+ALC design is well engineered and not noticable in recordings - seems like it uses fuzzy logic to prevent clipping.
+coaxial manual level adjustment allows for separate l/r level difference and ganged level adjustment of both simultaneously

Cons
-timer based recording draws more "off" power - inserting an insulator made from a plastic battery case easily prevents draining batteries until you need to start if you do not use the timer functions.
-can not entirely shut off the display - most minimal power usage is to shut off LED vu meter and just have one line of text in the OLED window with essential data on it.
-lacks a 1/8" mic in but has a 1/8" stereo TRS line in instead so all mic level voltages must go in via XLRs
-4 input sources but only 3 personalities means one input won't be used without reconfiguring (usually digital in)
-lacks digital out (other than USB and removing SD card)

Yes, the price on this baby is steep. You can get a pretty good Marantz HT receiver for this money.

But what you get for the price of two Edirol HDs is a leap in sound quality, build quality, and ease of use. Build quality may or may not matter in your situation. The way my stuff gets hit in the field, it's important for me. Camera tripod mount is great for this unit--it sets it apart from the mics on mic stands and helps others to notice the piece of high-end gear on the stand and try to be careful around it.

Data dumps are a breeze in Mac and Windows. I've had no file misreads yet, anywhere.

Line-in XLR allows full low-noise field mastering in a multi-mic stereo setup.

hi-res lossless is the selling point for many at this price level. There is simply nothing else at this price point that can do this resolution.

And because of the XLR line ins, your hi-res lossless recordings will have an exceptionally low noise floor.

None of the mid-level digital recorders can do this, and this is why I ponied up.

It sounds so much better than its lower-priced competition that it belongs in this price category beyond them.

If you want Edirol quality sound, Marantz makes the 620 for you, a thoroughly competent unit in its price class.

But if you have significant audio to record and you are willing to spend an extra 300 bucks to get far better audio quality, this unit will make you happy.

I'll be brief; First off I will state that I am very particular, and hard to please. I have been in the audio/music/broadcast business about 40 years

I have not used any of the other flash recorders. Prior to purchasing I did heavy research and the PMD661 fit my needs. This has the features I want, and the sound quality is amazing. I have used it with a Rode NT4 stereo mic, a Sennheiser shotgun mic, a Sennheiser broadcast headset, and direct from the console via spdf digital. All produced great recordings.

The internal mics will do in a pinch, but are not the best, and the preamp for the internal mic is noisy. The external mic preamps are clean and quiet. At first I though there was a lot of noise, but it turns out to be from the headphone amp. The actual files sound great.

Transferring tracks is a breeze
The design and build quality are fantastic

cons;
Headphone amp is VERY weak - seriously. I would pay for a mod.
Software included is for Windows only
Internal mics pick up a lot of handling noise.
No timecode sync

Cost - a bit high but then - well you get what you pay for. This is suitable for professional work.

My purchase through Amazon was quick and easy as usual.

Buy one. You will not be disappointed

I've owned this unit for a few weeks and I must say that Marantz really hit one out of the park with this one. I had previously owned a PMD660 and it was a nice enough unit, but I could never understand its wild popularity. It had a cheap feel to it and the sound was mediocre. The 661, on the other hand, is a tank. Think of the 660 as the rough draft for this finished product. Just about everything is done right this time and the sound through the improved preamps is significantly cleaner. I've read some comments that it may be a little large, especially considering how compact much of the competition is nowadays, but I think the size is perfect. You can easily hold it in one hand and the display is big, bright and easy to read at a glance.

The only improvement I can think of offhand, possibly in a 2nd generation unit (are you listening Marantz?) would be a color display. As easy as this one is to read it would be even easier if record mode glowed with a red "rec" and pause with a green "pause."

Highly recommended.

I'm from Brazil and I bought this item because i'm coordinating a sound bank project
here, in the context of a sound design school. The school bought zoom H4n with directional Akg mics

My setup is a Rode Ntg-1 Rode NT4, Rode Blimp and Marantz PMD661.

Some considerations:

1 - The recorder is very good, very easy to use. Mutch better than Zoom in terms of sound quality
and built quality. Zoom though, comes with some very nice features, like a swiss knife.
Limiter is one of them that Marantz doesen't have and can be very usefull.
Other like a metronome is useless for me, but can be nice for bands or musical groups that want to record rehearsals.

2 - I did some recording of the cheering for the first Brazilian match in the world cup with North Korea in São Paulo, with the NT4 and the internal mics. The difference is huge.
The Nt4 gives us a very nice sound stage. Since i was in a neighbourhood with lots of residential buildings we can here a lot of sounds coming from everywhere and NT4 delivers it.
The internal mics not. So, not good for ambience and similar sounds.

3 - Well, I did a lot of research and MaRANTZ seem to be the best for me, considering i use it for also different purposes. I needed something with good quality for ambience and foley
and also internal mics that could be usefull(not like those of the Fostex Fr2-Le for instance). So i'll use the
internal mics just for rehearsals and interviews (i'm also a musical director for a theater company).
They are ok for that purpose.

4 - When you use just one entrance in stereo recording mode, like a directional mic on L, the other Chanel (R) sounds very noisy in the headphone.
So using just one entrance you are obligated to use the true mono recording feature.
But on the other hand it's very nice, because you don't need to ocupate useless space in the sd card.

Well i loved it, i bought also the Marantz Carry case, it fits the unit perfectly and it has a lot of openings for the cables
and the entrances. But it just fits the unit, anithing else, like extra batteries and cables must be carried
in a extra bag.

Best Choice
Oh and excuse me for my English.

I use digital audio recorders for ethnographic fieldwork, usually in cities and urban settings. I've used the PMD660 in the past and I can say that the PMD661 is, without a doubt, a major improvement. It's slightly smaller, weighs less, and the user interface is just better. Also, the upgrade to SD/SDHC is a major improvement over the old compact flash. The other reviews are much more thorough, so I won't go into it here. Suffice to say that the PMD661 is great for ethnographers b/c of its versatility and potential to make high quality recordings.

One thing: you should probably plan on about three hours of battery time. Over five hours is pretty idealistic, and definitely not possible if you need phantom power.

The other audiophiles have written better reviews from a technical perspective. From the perspective of someone who wants to use this device to record interviews, this is an excellent machine. It also serves me well for recording the voiceovers I do for online training courses. Paired with my Rode NTG-2 mic, I'm good to go.

I researched long and hard for my first flash recorder, and I am duly impressed. The machine fits well in my hand, the controls and menu structure are intuitive, and it functions flawlessly.

I'm very satisfied with the purchase.

The PMD661 is easy to use and has all the features I need.

I had a PMD620 before this. That's also a very nice field recorder. But I wanted to have phantom power available, so I bought the PMD661.

I had a little trouble finding the right 16GB SD card. I bought two SD cards that were apparently not fast enough. Hard to imagine why: If you multiply 2 channels x 96k samples per second x 24 bits per sample, that's only 576,000 bytes per second, far less than the supposed Class 2 SD speed of 2 megabytes per second. But neither a Class 2 nor a Class 4 card worked.

Neither the manual nor the product specs give ANY guidance on SD card requirements, so I emailed Marantz Pro support. Within 24 hours, they replied, recommending Class 6 minimum, preferably Lexar, but they said customers had found PNY and Sandisk cards worked.

Amazon Prime didn't offer a Class 6 Lexar card. I found this Sandisk SDHC card, which doesn't list a Class rating, but claims 56 megabits (7 megabytes) per second, somewhat faster than Class 6. So far, it's working fine:

SanDisk SDSDHV-016G-A15 16GB Video HD SDHC Card (Black)

Why on earth the Marantz PMD661 requires such a fast SD card, I can't imagine. It'd be no big deal, if only they'd mention it in the manual.

Despite that small annoyance, this is a very nice field recorder.

(Have I made mistakes in my calculations above, or do I misunderstand the SD speed ratings? Let me know!)

PMD661 is lightweight, rugged, sports many useful features. Excellent users manual -- don't leave home without it. I use one PMD661 as primary recorder, one PMD660 as backup when recording from mixer. PMD661's powerful mic preamps will power up older, relatively inefficient Shure 570 lavalier mics for recording without mixer or amplifier. Great recordings can be produced with these very directional dynamic mics. Headphone output is typical of compact recorders, somewhat underwelming. Phantom power switch activation could be simpler. Recording settings with MP3-320, 160 kbps, 16 bit, 48 Hz provide ridiculously long record times and extravagant quality for capturing speech. Display and function knob and button configuration is clean, intuitive, and much improved over PMD660. Build quality is excellent. A five-star performer at a two-star price.

I purchased this recorder a year ago, because it got nice user reviews. I recently started usung this recorder with Rode NT4 as an external stereo microphone to record live Jazz and edit with videos. I edit the recordings by using Pro Tools, which enable me to inspect the waveforms.

This recorder has a basic design flaw.

1. The recording level knob does not control the first stage amplifier gain. What this means is that the recorded wave forms may be saturated even though the level meter does not indicate saturation. Turning recording level knob does NOT avoid saturation.

2. The level meter indicates the sturation of digitizer only. There is no way to monitor the amplifier saturation during recording.

3. A separate attenuator, which may avoid amplifier saturation, can be set only in the setting menu. Thus, it is not cotrollable once recording starts.

Another problem is power switch suddenly stops working. It does not turn on. Marantz WEBsite handles consumer products only. WEB link to look is d-mpro.com. They know this no power on problem. Fix is; remove battery, turn-on power switch and hold 5 sec. Plug the power cord and turn on switch.