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Marantz PMD660 Professional Portable Digital Recorder |  | Brand: Marantz
Category: Musical Instruments
List Price: $699.99
Buy New: $520.00
as of 9/3/2010 15:26 EDT details
You Save: $179.99 (26%)
New (11) Used (2) from $471.00
Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 10470
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 6
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
Professional field recording means more than just "battery-operated." It takes ruggedness, flexibility, specialized features, and the highest audio quality. It also takes experience to really understand what happens in the field, and to design the right tools for the job. Marantz Professional has that experience. For more than 20 years, Marantz Professional has designed and built field recorders that are up to the challenge, and the PMD660 is no exception. Critical field applications like electr
MPN: MAZ PMD660
Model: PMD660
UPC: 699927440961
EAN: 0699927440961
ASIN: B000Z89VNE
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Smallest PMD yet-fits in your hand | | • | Records uncompressed 16-bit PCM .wav files at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz | | • | Records mono .mp3 files at 64 kbps | | • | Records stereo .mp3 files at 128 kbps | | • | Operates for four hours on four AA batteries |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The Marantz PDM660 is their newest hand-held, digital field recorder. The launch of the PMD660 is a direct result of feedback from users in the field, working in an array of recording environments in various vertical markets such as broadcast, government, faith and education. Marantz Professional has developed the PMD660 to provide advanced functionality and convenience, further emphasizing its ongoing commitment to supplying customers with market driven product solutions.The rugged PMD660 is a solid-state recorder with easy one-touch digital recording to cost-effective Compact Flash media cards. Uncompressed WAV files can be recorded at 44.1 or 48 kHz, and high quality MP3 files can be recorded in mono (at 64 kbps) or in stereo (at 128 kbps). Using a standard 1 GB Compact Flash card, the PMD660 can record over 1 hour stereo and 3 hours mono of uncompressed audio, over 17 hours of stereo MP3 and almost 36 hours of monaural MP3 audio.Designed for the most demanding field applications, the PMD660 features 2 built-in stereo condenser mics with Automatic Level Control (ALC), 2 XLR microphone connections with 48 volt phantom power, stereo line I/O and can operate for up to 4 hours on 4 standard AA batteries. Due to its solid-state design, the PMD660 has virtually no moving parts, and is therefore dramatically more reliable than cassette, DAT, or other tape/disc formats. This carries the added advantage of eliminating periodic maintenance and all its related costs - particularly important for meeting recording, archiving sound effects, gathering audio for video, surveillance and broadcasters/journalists who are doing in-the-field recording and playback.Marantz PMD660 FeaturesSmallest PMD yet-fits in your handRecords uncompressed 16-bit PCM .wav files at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHzRecords mono .mp3 files at 64 kbpsRecords stereo .mp3 files at 128 kbpsOperates for four hours on four AA batteriesTwo XLR mic conne
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
 Indispensible June 14, 2010
D. S. Birns (Bay area)
I've had one for about 5 years. Fantastic. I'm sure the newer ones are better, but I'm just so grateful to have something so simple that records fantastically.
I also have Logic Pro/Mac. They're for completely different uses. As a musician, if I want to do a multi-part, overdubbed recording I use Logic. But if I just want to catch something that needs no overdubbing and so on, this is the tool. I use it both with and without my AKG mikes. The built-in mics are great, but if it's convenient and I need the quality, with the AKGs, I get a quality that is absolutely top-quality.
I have plenty of minor complaints. I'm a software developer, and the software interface sucks. But it's good enough, and does what I need in this regard.
Totally reliable, will never go back February 9, 2010
John T. Gilliland (Phoenix, AZ USA)
I'm a radio reporter who has done field work with everything from cassette decks to this machine and this is far and away the best, even if it isn't perfect.
Some sore points:
Battery life is WAY too short...3-hours on 4 batteries just is not long enough.
Difficult to connect in some situations...the only line input is an 1/8 inch mini-plug and that can be inconvenient at times and impossible to connect to an XLR line output on a mult-box without an XLR-to-mini-plug converter.
Inconvenient to switch between line and mic inputs...you must go through the menu to do it and that can be troublesome in the field...too bad they didn't just put in a toggle switch.
The VU meter is impossible to read in direct sunlight...the LED's wash out and you just can't see them...too bad they didn't put it in the LCD display.
The unit's volume control is tiny and difficult to adjust.
Takes too long to start up.
Flashcard storage...SD cards are better.
Comes with a puny flash card...comm on, 64 meg? Is it too much to ask for at least 1 gig?
Some high points:
Super rugged...nearly unbreakable...have taken it to stories from coast-to-coast and have dropped it more times than I can remember and it still works like brand new.
Direct connect to your computer's USB port...easy and so much better than real time transfer using a cassette or minidisc.
Phantom power for condenser mics...so nice not to have to worry about the battery in my mic.
Stereo XLR mic inputs...great when I want to split channels and run two mics...one for voice and the other for natsound.
Separate VU controls for each audio channel.
Now, Some things I disagee with in other reviews here:
I've had no trouble with different brands of flashcards...using a Toshiba 1gb now and no troubles.
Can transfer files on battery power via USB no problem until batteries get too low...never a problem until batt indicator shows empty.
Never a hiss problem with external mics, dynamic or condenser. I have not used the internal mic so I can't speak to that.
Overall: an outstanding machine that gets 5 stars. It's not perfect, but is nearly so. I look forward to the next generation of these machines.
Gripers should look to their microphones January 27, 2009
Iver E. Peterson (Lawrenceville, NJ USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have been using the PMD660 for two years or to record church choirs, a demanding aural environment involving large dynamic ranges, very live physical spaces and an absolute necessity of unattended recording, since I am also often singing. Yes, the sound degrades on MP3, but big cf cards are cheap and you can easily record for hours at uncompressed WAV with very good results using a 2 or 4 gig card. What less experienced users often neglect is that in the recording racket, the microphones are key: if they are any good, they will always cost more than the recording device. If you don't like the sound, borrow or rent a high-end microphone (retailers will do this) and see if it solves the problem. Others have covered the range of options - XLR inputs, phantom power, they array of record formats and so on.
The big negative on flash memory recorders generally is that they are battery hogs, and the promised four hours of recording on one set of AAs is probably unrealistic, especially if you're editing. Recording off the mains or with an external battery pack is a good option.
Outstanding portable solid-state digital field recorder! August 24, 2008
Will (Portland, OR USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have to say that I agree with the criticism that the cheap plastic exterior shell is a disappointment, but the performance of this lightweight, professional digital recorder more than compensates. I've used this sweet machine for four field recordings and it is such a tremendous pleasure to get outstanding recordings without requiring consumables (minidisks, tapes, whatever). I pop out the flash memory, plug it into my PC, and drag and drop the recordings, all set for editing. XLR mic inputs are quiet, lots of cool features, big highly legible display, but the bottom line is GREAT AUDIO QUALITY.
I tried the Olympus LS-10, which was so highly praised in reviews on Amazon.com, but it was horrid; the mic inputs were noisey, and the built-in mics bounced the sound back and forth from left to right channel rather than yielding a nice stereophonic sound image.
If you're doing professional work of any kind, and you need something portable, don't waste you're time and money on the toys. Get yourself one of these awesome PMD-660s.
I think some reviewers need to take a breath. This unit is just fine. December 16, 2006
T. Macfarlane (Irvine, CA USA)
37 out of 38 found this review helpful
OK, I'm a professional musician with 30+ years of experience, four years at Juilliard, albums on CBS/Sony; there are my bona fides.
Pro: Reasonable price, good quality, typical Marantz UI (you'll get the most out of it if you use common sense and read the manual), no moving parts, common media
Con: It's not perfect. So there.
Look, people: I read these reviews and I get the impression that the people giving bad reviews are the type that walk into a Chinese restaurant and get their panties in a bunch because there is no Italian food. This is a tool, meant to do certain jobs well, at a certain price point, nothing more. If you want flawless fidelity, spend a few grand on a fast laptop and great external pres and other hardware. If you have $500, a fast CF card (I have a SanDisk Ultra II 2Gb and just got a SanDisk 4Gb w/firewire reader, hallelujah!), and some commonly available rechargeable AA batteries, you're good to go unless you're planning a commercial release-quality recording. I've recorded live music, voice lessons, speech, and opera singers' demos on this (using external mics of course), and am very pleased with the quality and particularly the value. I agree with the one review that a good solution is condenser mics with batteries and turn off the 48v, but I made a damn good recording of a pro singer (who was likewise impressed) using a Neumann KMS105 straight into the Marantz with 48v on, mono, at 44.1.
There is no such thing as the perfect machine. Marantz is not trying to sell it as one. It's great for reporters (I liked the review from the NPR guy in Tucson, he gets it), and great for music pros like myself, if you appreciate the value AND the limitations. Look, if I want a perfect digital recording, I'll hire a recording studio. If I want a perfect digital recording of a live situation, I'll hire a sound engineer who has the high-end road rig. But for my needs, and at its price point, this one hits the spot. I'm only sorry that a few people rate this as if it were a nearly useless POS. Well, it isn't. Just goes to show you what unreasonable expectations will do!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
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