
Review Summary
2018-09-27T16:55:51
The Marantz PMD-561 is a mighty unit that packs a powerful punch. Whether you're a beginner, hobbyist semi-pro or a hardcore recording geek, all will be pleased to own this portable audio recorder and appreciate its capabilities. I had a smaller competitor unit but it died. I'm glad I chose the Marantz because it gives you plenty of recording options and delivers a great sound. I had no problems figuring out its features because of my experiences with these kinds of recorders. So, I can say without a doubt, that the Marantz PMD-561 is a mighty audio recorder with great features for all kinds of applications. Keep On Recording "Jazz Organ Man"
Chester S.
2017-03-08T13:04:27
For someone accustomed to Zoom/Tascam size of recorders, this one would certainly look huge. No metal construction, but plastic does feel resistant and well built. Buttons have a soft (but not mushy) touch, which is great, as there's no doubt whether you pressed one. It the box there's a USB cable, an Power adapter, a 4GB Sd card, and a RCA to 1/8'' (3.5mm) cable . I will try to make a short comparison to its principal competitor, the Tascam DR-100mkIII: Preamps - While the Tascam preamps are a little quieter with condensers, and defitevely more suitable to dynamic mics, the PMD ones have a more open sound, less boomy and more 3D. Possibly a way of explaining this is like a noise reduction filter was applied to the DR 100MKIII sound: less noise, but constricted and non-dimensional. Interface and buttons - The Marantz have a cleaner front panel and better distributed buttons, though the Tascam size really helps in handling. Marantz have two 9-led level indicators, while Tascam have 3-led indicators, plus level readout on the screen, though this can be a problem when brightness doesn't allow to read it. One important feature is that the PMD-561 allows independent gain for both channels of recording using 2 knobs, while the DR 100 only has 1 knob. The 561 has Neutrik XLR's, while the Tascam has Amphenol's. Internal Microphones - The Tascam has both directional and omni built-in mics. The Marantz has only one. Functions and power - The recorders share most basic functions; however, each one have unique characteristics. Tascam offers a limiter and has dual-stereo recording for unexpected peaks protection, while Marantz does not (though it has a similar dual-mono function). On the other side, the PMD-561 has: a retake function, high cut filter, silent skip recording and password protection. For power, Marantz allows using 4AA batteries or AC power (included), while Tascam uses 2AA batteries, USB power, or a rechargeable battery (however, an AC adapter is also sold separately).
Italo L.
Great preamps!
By Italo L.
For someone accustomed to Zoom/Tascam size of recorders, this one would certainly look huge. No metal construction, but plastic does feel resistant and well built. Buttons have a soft (but not mushy) touch, which is great, as there's no doubt whether you pressed one. It the box there's a USB cable, an Power adapter, a 4GB Sd card, and a RCA to 1/8'' (3.5mm) cable . I will try to make a short comparison to its principal competitor, the Tascam DR-100mkIII: Preamps - While the Tascam preamps a...
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The Mighty Marantz!
By Chester S.
The Marantz PMD-561 is a mighty unit that packs a powerful punch. Whether you're a beginner, hobbyist semi-pro or a hardcore recording geek, all will be pleased to own this portable audio recorder and appreciate its capabilities. I had a smaller competitor unit but it died. I'm glad I chose the Marantz because it gives you plenty of recording options and delivers a great sound. I had no problems figuring out its features because of my experiences with these kinds of recorders. So, I can say w...
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The PMD561 is a compact handheld professional-grade audio recorder that records directly onto SD/SDHC flash media. It's compact and lightweight, yet it delivers audio recording quality of the very highest caliber, thanks to its sensitive stereo microphone arrangement and superior solid-state recording process. The PMD561 is intended for reporters, safety personnel, researchers, anyone who needs accurate, detailed, reliable in-field recordings. It's ideal for situations where no-compromise recordings are required, but bulky equipment and separate microphones are not possible or appropriate.
Its hardware feature set includes an integrated high-quality stereo condenser microphone array for 'point and shoot' operation, switchable balanced mic/XLR line inputs, as well as unbalanced line outputs on RCA connectors and a secondary unbalanced line input on 3.5 mm mini jack connector.
Measuring just 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.6" (170 x 105 x 40mm) with a highly visible 128 x 64 dots matrix OLED (organic LED) display ensures ease of use wherever recording, playback or setup may be taking place. A high-resolution 24-bit / 96 kHz recording option means quality is never an issue when recording to the supplied SD flash card.
Compatibility with SDHC media means cards up to 32 GB in size can be used. In addition, the new built in 'SD Card Check' makes it easy and convenient to insert any SD card and check compatibility. High capacity media storage is matched by seven hours recording time from four AA Alkaline / Ni-MH batteries. Drag-and-drop file transfer is supported via the USB port.
The new 'Retake' feature allows a simple button press to take you back though the previously recorded audio and create a drop-in point to overdub. This enables easy re-recording part way through unwanted takes ideal for dictation and electronic note gathering applications.
Applications include broadcast, electronic news gathering/journalism, DSLR video, sound effects capture, law enforcement, municipal and court recording, government and surveillance, musicians, dictation for law, medical, education and meeting recording.
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