Sound Devices 702 Reviews

4.8/5.0 based on 2 customer reviews

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Customer Reviews

Scott Hawkinson
from New Jersey
July 10, 2012Music Background:
Recording, classical performer, composer, educator, gear geek

This is the answer

I literally LOVE the Sound Devices 702. I’ve been using mic pres like the Apogee Ensemble (an excellent device, don’t get me wrong) and lugging it around in a "portable" rack containing a MacBook Pro, a power conditioner, and a mile-long power chord. Taping down the cables and chords and tearing them back up again was very frustrating, especially while wearing orchestral concert dress. Getting sick of that, I realized battery power was the way to go and researched the 702. Set up takes ¼ the time it used to and the quality of the recording is stunning. The thing is so little you can hang it right on the mic stand -- such a small footprint! – so there are no mic cables to tape down, none on the floor at all. The device and the CF card are actually easier to use and far more reliable than computer hardware and recording software. Also, you simplify your recording pathway, and thus its quality, by removing the mic pre driver software, the recording software, the computer, and the polluted wall power from the path. It’s just the mics and your 702 leaving the software and the computer for what they’re really good for back in the studio. Plus it’s made in the USA; similar recorders on the market either have QA issues or are Swiss made with mountain-high Swiss prices.

Tim
from Cleveland, Ohio
March 10, 2012

Love this unit!

At risk of sounding like a grumpy old guy, I'll start by saying that so much of what is made today is garbage. Not this unit. Well made, compact (roughly the footprint of a medium-sized novel), and fairly straight-forward learning curve. And -- most importantly -- it sounds great.

I use it for recording interviews I video tape, but have also recorded music with it. Paired with a great mic, this thing rocks!

It is expensive. But you get what you pay for.