Dr-100 (not MkII) for $150

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wheatgrinder

Hey my audio expert friends..

I have a chance to pick up a DR-100 (not the MKII) model for $150. My research says this is an average price, however, is it usable?

I currently have a Marantz PDM 660 that is rather noisy and needs a headphone repair. Though, frankly I thought it worked well, but it is only 16bit. The DR-100 has a firmware upgrade that takes it to 96K 24bit, but I understand the preamps are weak and it doest drive very hot...

What would you do? (FYI: I barely have the money right now, but I need something to do a little bit of ADR)

Thanks
 
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If you're doing ADR it might be better to have a real computer audio interface. The Focusrite Saffire PRO 14 is only about $250.

The original DR-100 is okay, but you're right, the pres are a bit weak. However, for $150 if it's new...
 
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Well, if you're handy you can repair the headphone jack yourself.

http://www.zachpoff.com/diy-resources/marantz-pmd660-headphone-jack-fix/

How noisy is it? The weakness in the DR-100 pre-amps means that you need to add more gain, so it's probably not that much better than the PMD-660. Can you borrow one and do a comparison? It's been a very long time since I've used either, so I don't really know. I don't remember the PMD-660 as being all that noisy, though...

Is there a problem with the unit? Is it just a little hiss or something else? Are you gain-staging properly? Also keep in mind that low-budget mics have a little hiss of their own as well.
 
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wheatgrinder said:
Yeah, I could do the ADR here at my house with my DAW (firebox) so never mind that..
would you fix the PDM 660 or Buy the USED DR-100?
Click to expand...

http://www.avisoft.com/recordertests.htm

I would fix the PMD 660 as the DR100 is not better... in the short term. If I were to compare a PMD 660 and DR100 back-to-back, both are both extremely noisy.

The major advantage of the DR100 is it works really well with a mixer whereas the PMD660 has a reputation for being difficult to pair with mixers. For example, the line input on the PMD 660 is a 1/8-inch stereo interface, which makes it difficult to use most pro field preamplifiers, such as Sound Devices MixPre.

The DR100 has a 'low gain' setting which means that when paired with a decent mixer, it becomes extremely good at recording sound. This cuts all the hiss (I mean ALL the hiss, it's amazing) and the mixer makes it possible to do some basic sound design. This is my personal experience but bear in mind I have only just started using mixers.

Therefore, if the long-term goal is to upgrade to a pro level sound kit, getting a DR100 would be a better step than the 660. However, if the short-term goal is important, I would stick with the 660 as you will not notice the difference with a DR100 without a mixer. But also bear in mind this may be BS as I have only just started on this route, myself.
 
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You could even get the DR100 for $150 and then have Oade upgrade the preamps for another $125, and you are still $200 cheaper than buying a stock PMD660 new these days. I picked up a very cheap open-box DR100mk2 and have even been contemplating sending it to Oade for the $225 FET mod.
 
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