Any one have experience with the tascam 60d vs the zoom h6?

D

Deer Film

Well-known member
Would like to get another field recorder for under 400 dollars.
Does anyone have experience with the 60d and the zoom h6 or something similar from Tascom?

I have the zoom H1 and Zoom H4. I really like the idea of knobs and improvement in the H6. They say the H6 is much better then the H4.

I read a lot of reviews, but not really a clear winner between the 60d and the H6. Maybe that is good as both are good products.
I really would like to hear from the people here then the people on Amazon forums or BH.

I use the xlr inputs a lot. But it would be nice if the field recorder had a nice mic too.
 
Hi all
as I'm in the same boat I am bumping this thread rather than starting a new one.

At the moment don't have a field recorder.
My initial use will be for interviews using an lav &/or shotgun mics.

cheers
 
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I have both the H6 and the H4n and prefer the H4n as a 2 track recorder.
the thing that I don't like about the H6 is the way the screen dims on record and the meter is hard to see with sun glasses on,
the XLR on both sides also make it a pain.
 
I don't think you'll find too many people with both, to be honest. Most would go for one or the other.

The pros/cons are as follows, as far as I have seen (and I went through the same choice process):

TASCAM DR-60D

Pros

- Better pre-amps
- Actual line inputs
- Locking XLR connectors
- Dual recording mode to protect against digital clipping
- Easier-to-read display in sunlight

Cons

- Heavier
- Fewer XLRs
- Stepped gain (doesn't go up/down smoothly)

ZOOM H6

Pros

- More XLR inputs
- Smaller/lighter
- Can be used as USB interface for computer
- Has onboard mics

Cons

- Noisier preamps
- No actual line inputs, only "pad" attenuator, means you can never bypass aforementioned noisy preamps
- Screen unreadable in sunlight
- No locks on XLRs


I think that sums it up, more or less. I went for the Tascam, btw, and am very pleased with it so far. Your preferences/needs may be different, of course…

Roly
 
Would this make any difference(as it claims) to noisy pre-amps ?
FetHead microphone preamp

http://www.tritonaudio.com/index.php?option=com_simpleshop&Itemid=30&cmd=product&product=10&catName=Pro%20Audio

 
Well, it may help. But even if you put a Sound Devices mixer in front of the H6, you'd still have to go through the mic preamps. They'd be "turned down", so not as noisy. But not "off", and hence by-passed, as they would be if you were using the line input.
 
Roly, what do mean by "Actual line inputs".. and how did you ascertain the 'line' input does not go through the mic pre like the Zoom and other budget recorders? Just because it accepts +4dB (nominal) does not prove this.. Do you have a schematic or block diagram?
 
Gah, could have sworn I saw that in one of the discussions (jwsound?). Can't seem to find in now, of course. Typical.

So take that point with a grain of salt, folks
 
I recently purchased a 60D because I needed an XLR interface so that I can do a long balanced cable run from my mixer to my 5D b-camera. Especially at events where there's a lot of RF in the air. I figured that having a recorder with the safety track would provide a nice backup. I'm running all mics into a SD MixPre and have a breakaway cable (with headphone return) going to the 60D. I have the TA3 line going to my C100. I've done one job so far with this setup and it seems to work great. Very clean audio on both ends. I usually work alone or with one assistant. The 60D makes solo operation easier. I know there have been complaints about the form factor and how tall it is. I'd usually not put it under the camera except maybe on a slider to keep the track out of a push or pull shot. It seems the 60D would double as a riser. I actually mount it onto a CB flash bracket turned backwards so it sits to the left and behind my camera. I use a micro Arca Swiss plate quick release. Works great that way. If I need a spare track for additional ambiance, I can send a single mixed track to the 60D and use the other XLR line to run a Rode NTG3 with the phantom power. The limiters seem to work pretty well on the 60D so can be run unattended in situations that are not too unpredictable.
 
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It's possible you did see it over at the JW forum Roly. I had stated someplace the 8-trk. DR680 does bypasses the mic preamps all together. (verified by a schematic) Don't know about the 40, 60 or 100.. it's possible on the 40 due to the hardware switch and sounds as such.
 
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