Marantz PMD620

The Marantz PMD620 is a portable digital recorder that records directly to SD memory (or SDHC "High Capacity"). It is about the size of a deck of cards.

It has a sturdy feeling plastic case wrapped in what feels like an aluminum body. Both the SD card and USB connection are on the bottom. Overall, it feels quite road worthy.

Input metering can only be seen when in record mode and input and clip LED's are present as well.

The unit uses an OLED display. It is VERY readable in any light. The unit has an Automatic Level Control option which works well, but I prefer to set the level manually.

The front transport controls are super easy to use. Pressing the record button lights up a ring around the record button to indicate you are in record mode.

Two integrated condenser microphones are located at the top of the unit. An 1/8" plugs on the side allows for both a line input and line output.

1/8" jacks on the top of the unit allow for external mic input and headphone output.

File handling can be easily accomplished from a menu system; however, I find that the USB connection and a PC are much easier. When attached to a computer, the device shows up as a drive in windows.

A small speaker is included on the back for playback; however, I much prefer the headphone quality (much much much prefer). It is an interesting gimic, but a waste of space in my opinion.

The MOST important feature is the batteries. It is powered by 2 AA batteries. The stated battery life is 4 hours; however, this is calculated using standard Alkaline batteries (1400mA hrs). I use 2600mA hr rechargeable NiMH batteries and get around 8 hours of continuous usage in my testing. I had considered the new M-Audio unit; however, the internal proprietary batteries in that unit and the fragile looking external microphone put me off despite it being nearly $100.00 cheaper. The ability to replace my own batteries (vs sending the unit in to the factory every year) was worth the extra money for me.

The unit also ships with a case that allows access to all controls while acting as a tripod connection (very handy for recording).

The PC connection is through USB 2.0. It shows up like an external hard drive and is easy to manage.

You can also remove the SD card and use an external reader on a PC.

Here is where things really shine.

The preamp on this thing is fantastic ..... not just for a portable device, but for ANY device. The noise floor is really great. This isn't your Grandmothers tape recorder.

I was able to create pro class recordings in my bedroom with my Taylor and a camera tripod (and my voice).

The unit has a low cut filter option for outdoor recording (to reduce wind noise). I leave it off since I record music and don't have wind in my recording areas :)

XLR's would be nice, but there isn't room for them on this very small device. The included mics do such a nice job, I personally don't feel the need to lug around an external mic.

It would have been nice if the microphone input would have provided 48V phantom power, but there are a number of stereo condensers out there that are battery powered if you want to use an external mic.

As mentioned above, with NiMH rechargeables, 8 hours of operation. Hard to argue with that.

It ships with an external DC power supply if you don't want to worry about batteries while at home.

There are many options for recording quality. Stereo/mono. PCM 24 down to MP3 low quality at 32Kb/sec (and every step in between).

I find that open air recordings using MP3 HQ (192K samples/sec, 44.1Khz) is quite sufficient. You can always set it up for the PCM24 setting which gives you uncompressed 96Khz 24bit pristine recording. My ears aren't good enough to pickup the difference, but your results may vary. The use of a high quality condenser may also make a difference.

This is the only device in this price range (300-400 USD) that supports SDHD cards. Most devices limit you to 2Gb.... and if they don't, they limit you to 2Gb files. Marantz stands out in this catagory.

This is a great stand alone unit. I use a pair of Shure E3C's (in ear monitors) with it. The quality is breath taking. Straight from record to playback it is pristine.

I would buy it again. It is a great unit with great features at a great price.

If you are out for studio quality portable recording at a reasonable price, this is it.

I wish it had a PC interface program for setting options. The menu system is easy enough to use, but I would have preferred an option for a PC interface for setups.