Marantz PMD-660K - Portable Compact Flash Digital Recorder ENG Kit

Comments about Marantz PMD-660K - Portable Compact Flash Digital Recorder ENG Kit:

I use this recorder for interviews & event sound recording. I always use XLR mics or a line feed with it, so I can't comment on the onboard mic.
I have been very happy with the sound. I monitor the input and deal with extraneous noise from the mics.
I didn't give it five stars because I wish the buttons/dials were a little more tactile. The outer Rec Level dial I find a little hard to turn, and the Edit/USB buttons are slightly awkward. This complaint is similar to saying one's cell phone buttons are too small.
All works, but you have to pay attention to what you're doing. It's not an intuitive feel.

Comments about Marantz PMD-660K - Portable Compact Flash Digital Recorder ENG Kit:

I've used the PMD660 for my personal podcasting project for several years and think it's great. I'm especially impressed by the results I get from the built-in microphones. The mics are sunk beneath two tiny holes in the outer shell and aren't as affected by wind as those on some other digital recorders.

As another reviewer mentioned, I've also found the PMD660 does a good job in a car interior with the built-in mics.

Some of the early production runs of the PMD660 apparently had some major problems with built-in mic noise, but my unit works fine.

I use Shure SM58 mics when I need to.

My only major complaint is that the PMD660 comes off as cheap. The plastic body feels too thin and the entire unit lacks the high-class tactile experience you get from, say, a Sony product. By contrast, Marantz's smaller PMD620 has a much more solid feel.

A minor complaint is that the PMD660 has numerous editing functions that I never use. Many of these unnecessary function make the menu items a bit confusing to plow through.

Comments about Marantz PMD-660K - Portable Compact Flash Digital Recorder ENG Kit:

I have been recording mainly birds calls in the Andes and humid rainforests of South America for several years using the Sony TCM 5000 cassette recorder. Great machine, but needless to say heavy, bulky and a big hassle to download tapes to digital.
This Marantz is not only very user friendly but also very resistant to the harsh and tough conditions you face on those environments.
Allows you to use different recording formats and the downloading process is so easy.
I have been using it for almost a year and have not complaints at all!!!

Comments about Marantz PMD-660K - Portable Compact Flash Digital Recorder ENG Kit:

I use this in video work, interviewing, collecting SFXs, Voice Overs and journalism. I have some great mics that I plug into it, but there are times when I will simply conduct an interview inside of a closed car using the built in microphones. The sound quality is studio like.

I do wish the audio level meter was on the top of the unit. I think their new one is designed that way.

If I have not used it in a while, I will refer to the manual as a refresher. The door that covers the sound card is a little clumsy

Comments about Marantz PMD-660K - Portable Compact Flash Digital Recorder ENG Kit:

I've been using the PMD-660 for 3 years now and it's still serving me well. It's been used for narration, foley, field, doc, narrative, production and music recording situations and done famously on all of them. The B&H kit is what completely sold me on the 660. While the pouch that is included doesn't offer much padded protection, it prevents the unit from getting too dinged up, as it is plastic. The inclusion of a nice quality XLR is good as well.
The interface I happen to find super simple and easy to change in a matter of seconds, so troubleshooting isn't a pain. The only thing that could possibly be improved in a future version is a slightly smaller size and a less VHS tape design, but that's all cosmetic. Great sound quality, long batter life (with rechargeable batteries) and good durability for the cost.

Comments about Marantz PMD-660K - Portable Compact Flash Digital Recorder ENG Kit:

I use this recorder for interviews & event sound recording. I always use XLR mics or a line feed with it, so I can't comment on the onboard mic.
I have been very happy with the sound. I monitor the input and deal with extraneous noise from the mics.
I didn't give it five stars because I wish the buttons/dials were a little more tactile. The outer Rec Level dial I find a little hard to turn, and the Edit/USB buttons are slightly awkward. This complaint is similar to saying one's cell phone buttons are too small.
All works, but you have to pay attention to what you're doing. It's not an intuitive feel.

Comments about Marantz PMD-660K - Portable Compact Flash Digital Recorder ENG Kit:

I've used the PMD660 for my personal podcasting project for several years and think it's great. I'm especially impressed by the results I get from the built-in microphones. The mics are sunk beneath two tiny holes in the outer shell and aren't as affected by wind as those on some other digital recorders.

As another reviewer mentioned, I've also found the PMD660 does a good job in a car interior with the built-in mics.

Some of the early production runs of the PMD660 apparently had some major problems with built-in mic noise, but my unit works fine.

I use Shure SM58 mics when I need to.

My only major complaint is that the PMD660 comes off as cheap. The plastic body feels too thin and the entire unit lacks the high-class tactile experience you get from, say, a Sony product. By contrast, Marantz's smaller PMD620 has a much more solid feel.

A minor complaint is that the PMD660 has numerous editing functions that I never use. Many of these unnecessary function make the menu items a bit confusing to plow through.

Comments about Marantz PMD-660K - Portable Compact Flash Digital Recorder ENG Kit:

I have been recording mainly birds calls in the Andes and humid rainforests of South America for several years using the Sony TCM 5000 cassette recorder. Great machine, but needless to say heavy, bulky and a big hassle to download tapes to digital.
This Marantz is not only very user friendly but also very resistant to the harsh and tough conditions you face on those environments.
Allows you to use different recording formats and the downloading process is so easy.
I have been using it for almost a year and have not complaints at all!!!

Comments about Marantz PMD-660K - Portable Compact Flash Digital Recorder ENG Kit:

I use this in video work, interviewing, collecting SFXs, Voice Overs and journalism. I have some great mics that I plug into it, but there are times when I will simply conduct an interview inside of a closed car using the built in microphones. The sound quality is studio like.

I do wish the audio level meter was on the top of the unit. I think their new one is designed that way.

If I have not used it in a while, I will refer to the manual as a refresher. The door that covers the sound card is a little clumsy

Comments about Marantz PMD-660K - Portable Compact Flash Digital Recorder ENG Kit:

I've been using the PMD-660 for 3 years now and it's still serving me well. It's been used for narration, foley, field, doc, narrative, production and music recording situations and done famously on all of them. The B&H kit is what completely sold me on the 660. While the pouch that is included doesn't offer much padded protection, it prevents the unit from getting too dinged up, as it is plastic. The inclusion of a nice quality XLR is good as well.
The interface I happen to find super simple and easy to change in a matter of seconds, so troubleshooting isn't a pain. The only thing that could possibly be improved in a future version is a slightly smaller size and a less VHS tape design, but that's all cosmetic. Great sound quality, long batter life (with rechargeable batteries) and good durability for the cost.