Just right for my needs 
by Brent from Raleigh NC, May 2008
Music Background:  Classical (and sometimes jazz) clarinetist

I use it for simple portable recording of live symphonic and chamber music, for which the PMD660 is ideal. AA battery power gives several hours of recording without any need for external power. Quick setup and very simple. Phantom power works great with high quality condenser mic set-up (Rode) to give superb recorded quality. User interface is simple and intuitive with a very short "learning curve".

  Absolutely Top-Rate! 
by Allan Ontko from Charleston, SC, USA, October 2007
Music Background:  organist, composer, pipe organ architect

I had a chance to use a friend's PMD660 on a recent Study Tour covering 60 historic pipe organs in 14 days. I needed a unit that would stand being knocked around and set up 3 or 4 times a day, and which would deliver an impeccable recording.

The PMD660 delivered on all accounts. Using fantastic mics from Core-Sound I was able to come home with more than 20gb of audio with no glitches. The quality of the recordings was such that they could be transferred to a master CD with no manipulation needed.

The unit may be big and a bit bulky at times, but it survived being dropped on the hard stone floor of more than one church with no ill effects.

I have just ordered one of my own, and I naturally got it from Sweetwater. The combination of great equipment and great service can't be beat!

  Perfect for recording rehearsals......easy to use! 
by Roy Bertucci from Lafayette, Louisiana, September 2007
Music Background:  Pro Musician / Home Studio Engineer

Sound Quality is excellent for recording band rehearsals in the .wav recording mode. 4GB Compact Flash cards hold about 6 hours of uncompressed .wav files. Internal microphones are adequate for voice but you'll want to use external microphones for studio quality input. Phantom power is available on the XLR inputs which power my 2 CAD mikes beautifully. It has a warm, rich, full bodied sound quality which translates to DAW without the need for re-leveling in most cases. Phantom power will drain the batteries quickly so plug it in for extended sessions. I recommend getting 2 large CF cards. Once you read the manual the buttons are pretty intuitive. It has programmable setups that you can store. I use one program for internal mikes with auto level control and another for my external CAD mikes and manual level control. All-in All....it's awesome and thank you Mike Rancourt. Buy it....you'll like it.

  A bit bulky, pricey and kludgey, but a bit more "pro" than "sumer" 
by Doctor B from Binghamton, NY, March 2007
Music Background:  DJ, engineer, hobbyist

I am a DJ and engineer at a community radio station. We got one of these to replace an aging minidisc unit.

I have used this unit to record lectures, and also concerts, either from the board or with Church Audio external electret condenser mics & preamp.

Pros - Reliable performance (greater than I have any reason to expect from Marantz - their CD recorders/players are a nightmare!), great sound quality (from line-in or outboard mics/mic pres anyhow). Input and output volume is adjustable by knobs, as on an older analogue tape deck, not via scrolling through menus or punching buttons for stepped level adjustment, which can be jarring (I'm old-school. Can you tell?). Lightweight, no bigger than the old-style low-fi mono cassette decks. Pro features like selectable recording modes, like mono mode which preserves full fidelity while doubling memory capacity (great for lectures and conferences where stereo isn't a must).

Cons - A bit overpriced for what it is and definitely oversized. It could be half as big and work just as well. The VU meters (which aren't located in the illuminated LCD screen for some reason) are hard to read especially in sunlight. When recording in mono, it reads from one stereo channel but not from the other, so you must make certain that the inputs to both chanels are live. Switching recording modes (MP3 or WAV, mono or stereo, sampling rate, etc.) requires complex "finger dances" upon the unit's push-buttons which are tough to memorize. Having frequently-used controls scattered on the top and sides of the unit rather than all in one location makes working with it crazy at times.

  Solid Audio, Solid Recorder 
by Bo Bratcher from Louisville KY, November 2006
Music Background:  Video Engineer, Live Sound Engineer, Editor

Just like the field cassette recorder before it, this thing sets the standard. I've been using it for three years now to record the program mix out of my board, and for single mic recording, and it just plan works!!! And it's the only portable digital recorder I've found that has both real XLR connectors and real 48v Phantom power.

  Problems with noise 
by Jason moore from Toronto, Canada, October 2006
Music Background:  Hobbyist

I've found that the pre-amp can be noisy for recording ambient or spoken word. I've been told that the my mic (sennheiser me60 shotgun) can run a bit "hot" and i should get an external attentuator to cut the signal by about 10-15dB. (there is an internal attentuator, but that didn't make much difference.)

As it is now, i get very noisy recordings. The unit has been a bit of a disappointment to be honest. I thought Marantz had a good name, so it seems strange that they let this product out without fully testing it.

Other drawbacks with the unit are that you need to use the AC adaptor in order to connect via USB. A bit annoying, but the good news is that it is just a USB drive so you shouldn't need any extra software and it works on linux, XP, osx, etc.

  Great Recorder 
by Blues Lover from Georgia, July 2006
Music Background:  Musician

This thing works great. I've read some extremely critical reviews of the PMD660, and can't quite understand what the problem is. It works just as advertised. Has the right features and the recordings sound great. The only weaknesses I think it has are: Its small, but would be great if it were a little smaller.

I use it for recording band practice, gigs, and other live performances. I've got not problems with it at all and its really easy to learn to use. If it were pocket sized, it would be the ultimate.

  waaaaaay good 
by maddog from monterey county CA, June 2006
Music Background:  open mike and parking lot jammer fun, kinda player

talk about lazy man's home studio! i plug in Shure 57 and 58 mikes, record, pull the 2gig card out, plug it into the computer, copy and edit, delete the files on the flash card, take it back to the spare bedroom studio, and record some more. there is zero bleed-over between channels. and sound level adjustment keeps from clipping the freqs. totally perfect for my stuff. and a big thanks to Mike, ext 1334....a true class act.

Worth every penny 
by Anonymous from Springfield, MA USA, March 2006

We've had our PMD660 for three months, using it for gathering field field audio. The fidelity is great - even at 64 kbps and can record about 17 hours on a 512Mb CF card. New users are comfortable after 10 minutes of training and have brought back very high quality audio that is easily imported into our editing software.

I'm getting ready to order several more soon.

Great little recorder 
by Dave from Birmingham, AL, March 2006

This thing is VERY flexible and easy to use. The internal STEREO mics sound really good, surprisingly so. The linkup process to a PC is extrememly simple as well. Haven't found a thing about this unit that I don't just LOVE.

Great for location work 
by David from Washington, DC, January 2006

Overall the product is a great replacement for portable DAT. Since it records on flash it's easy to play back anything you've just recorded and continue recording where you left off. It's easy to setup and use. I only have the following criticisms.

1. The sound quality of anything other than WAV files is not usable for professional recordings. Even the highest mp3 setting has audible "artifacts" which make it fine if you're recording a meeting but not if you want good quality audio.

2. Although it can record to either compact flash or microdrives I noticed an audible high pitched noise when using microdrives. This sound is not there when using the compact flash. I can only guess that it's picking up the mechanics of the microdrive which are not present with the compact flash.

Other than those two things I don't regret buying this product at all.

This is the one. 
by Nathanael Davenport from Rexburg, ID USA, January 2006

I wouldn't even mess with the M-Audio recorder. It is worth the extra $100 to have a recorder with XLR inputs that provide the full 48 volts you need to get the best out of your microphones. Improper voltage (30V with the M-Audio) can damage some microphones. With the built-in stereo condenser microphone, that seals the deal for me. Get this one.

Great field recorder, amazing fidelity 
by Gordon Brion from Norwalk, CT, May 2005

This portable recorder is very simple to use, and the sound quality is awesome. I use mine to record guitar lessons. The editing process is very easy to understand, and just a solid hour or two with an open manual should get you up and running. After the editing is done I just dump the files onto my computer, burn a disc and voila...insant gratification. The only perceivable glitch I can think of is that I did not get the full 4 1/2 hours running time off of batteries, but that could be attributed to the type of batteries I used (Duracell) so who knows. All in all, I can't imagine going back to using a cassete recorder ever again.

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