Best long-term investment, Sony D50 or Tascam DR680

J

Jema

Well-known member
Hello!

Another thread about what to buy, but please be gentle.

Recently came over two offers on used equipment, and while I usually search extensively on items I'm interested in and can make up my own mind, this has me at a loss, so I'm asking for more information and user experiences. One is a DR680 for 750-850 dollars with warranty (about 1200 new in Sweden), and a D50 with accessories which is asking for 500, but I would be offering 400 (750 new).

My question is which of these would be the better long term investment as primarily a field recorder. I will probably get a more professional multichannel recorder (SD, Zacxom etc) when I get bigger and more serious jobs, but I'm looking for something to use until then and for smaller gigs (it would later become a backup, and maybe in the case of D50 a plant recorder/mic).

The DR680 would give me 6 channels with phantom power, pretty low noise, and decent ergonomics in a bag. An external power source would be required for maybe an extra 100 dollars. It's quite a new product though, not a very sturdy build, and there have been a lot of scary stories about malfunctioning units (although almost all owners agreed they would still buy it again for the amazing value). Maybe it's not worth it if it would ever slow down a shoot becouse of malfunction, and I don't know how long I can expect to be able to use it.
2 years? 5 years or longer?

The D50 has 2 channels, good running time on AA-batteries, decent preamps with high gain (good enough with somewhat quiet mics and low dialogue? Some nature recordists find it a tad noisy), but it would require an external box for phantom power, adding 50-80 dollars. I could probably find a way to get good monitoring of the meters in use. It's been around for about 4 years, and seems to be quite sturdy in build and reliability, so I think I could expect a long time running it. Since I already have a Zoom H2 that I use quite frequently, the portability and internal mics of the D50 would also make it an upgrade and replacement to that.

So, regarding feature vs cost, the DR680 offers amazing value, but the question is if it's reliable enough? Am I better off with only 2, but more dependable, channels on the sturdier D50?

Thanks in advance!


This question has also been posted by me on the taperssection forums - those interested can look there too.
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=150078.msg1911928
 
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"Long-term" investment may be subjective on either. Both are constructed largely of plastic and won't be nearly as robust as something from SD or Zaxcom. Handheld recorders tend to get knocked around a bit more, and the lack of XLR ins is a pretty big downside to me.

If I had the capital to get either, the DR680 wins hands down. It's much more flexible, bag-friendly, and will last quite a while if you take care of it.
 
That's the kind of advice I'm looking for, thanks! ^^

Yes, long-term is very subjective, but I was a bit interested in what everyone here might consider long-term in this regard. For me, if the Tascam wont give me a minimum of 4-5 years, then I don't think it's worth it.

Of course an SD or Zaxcom is definately better in all regards, but I'm a student and can't justify one until I know it would be put to good use on films with some budget.

Shure, the lack of XLR-inputs on the D50 is a bit of a bother, but would a DI-box strapped to it with a short 2XLR to stereo 1/8 between them be too dangerous? Regarding it being knocked around, since It's quite a lot smaller I was thinking about making some sort of larger bag or mount for it with the DI-box beneath and display facing up when using it over the shoulder.
 
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A DI box isn't what you'd need. You'd need an XLR converter from the likes of JuicedLink or BeachTek... and those tend to be a little on the noisy side. Or you could buy the one Sony makes just for the D50 ($450 USD). Either way, you're adding another $250-450 in order to function with that machine.

I think you can easily get at least 4-5 years out of the DR680 if you take care of it.
 
Hmm, tried searching on it, but what is the difference between using a DI-box just for phantom and the converters you mention? Is it converting balanced to unbalanced? How does normal phantom power units function in this regard?

I found this page using the setup I was thinking of.
http://thesoundmyheadmakes.blogspot.com/2011/03/quickie-shootout-744t-vs-pcm-d50-with.html

Here's another forum post discussing the D50 with a phantom power unit, though in comparison with a mixpre.
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/remo...quality-sd-mixpre-pcm-m10-pcm-d50-ps-2-a.html


Good to hear that you think the tascam may hold a while. As I know it's plastic, I would definately be careful with it.
 
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FWIW, I purchased the Tascam DR-680 within the last year for its multi-track abilities. A few times I've used three inputs, but on one occasion I used 5 (four XLR inputs and one 1/4"). I've had great results with it. Generally, I've used it to record dialog when shooting video. Although I didn't compare it to the Sony when making my purchase decision, I can say I'm satisfied with the purchase.

Good luck on your decision.
 
In case you didn't know this, the DR-680 has only four preamps. If you have the money, the DR-680 will do much more. The lack of XLR inputs would be a deal killer for me.

Grant
 
henryqiu said:
4 preamps for 8 tracks - are you sure?
Click to expand...

It actually has six pre-amps, though 5 and 6 have 1/4" TRS inputs instead of XLR. You can get 8 simultaneous ins/tracks if you have an S/PDIF source for 7 and 8. Otherwise, you get 6 discrete tracks plus a stereo mix.
 
Well, I decided to skip the tascam and save up for something I know I can depend on. But as it looks now though the seller is actually having a hard time getting what he wants for it, so he might drop the price. In that case I might make an offer.

Maybe the D50 isn't a good solution either - I'll have to think about that, since you have a point that I would probably find two cannels a bit limiting.

Thanks for all your replies, they helped!
 
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