055 Podcast Answer Man - Marantz PMD620 Review
April 1, 2008 by Cliff Ravenscraft
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In this episode, I review the Marantz PMD620 Professional Portable Digital Recorder. I also give a bit of an update regarding my feelings on the Zoom H2 Recorder. I also compare both the Marantz and the Zoom recorders to the Edirol R-09. Folks may be shocked to learn that if I had to replace my Edirol, there is a good chance that I might do so with the PMD620.
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This recorder has a problem with the firmware update. Certain types of SD memory it simply does not like, these including Transcend and Kingston. Any file over several minutes in length (aren’t they all) will not play on your PC until you go back and try to play the file on the recorder itself first. When you do this, a small window comes saying ‘restore’ only then the file will play on your PC (Most of the time). Tech support was of no help. Only recommended we don’t use these brands.
They also say they have not heard of the problem before. However, if the problem is not known, then how does the recorder know to ‘restore’ the file when you try to play it? This ‘restore’ function MUST be written into the latest firmware update to happen. Naughty, naughty, being deceptive to the customer…
I am not discouraging anyone from getting this, it’s just that if a problem exists, (and it’s known by the manufacturer) they have to correct it, or advise to not purchase some types of memory before you make your purchase. Get Sandisk only for this…
Some technical information:
http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Rec/rec.arts.movies.production.sound/2008-03/msg00862.html
RR
Robert, thanks for the feedback. I’ve sold quite a few of these recorders and so far, I’ve not had any of my podcast consultant clients or my average equipment order customers complain of any such issue.
I’m not saying that no such problem exists. Is it possible that this is occurring with high capacity sd cards? I’ve noticed a few slight issues with those types of cards in many different devices.
Overall, the Marantz PMD 620 is a great unit. However, since the Edirol R-09HR came out, I can not imagine recommending anything but the Edirol in this price range. It is simply amazing!