Zoom h4n VS Marantz pmd661 VS Sound Devices 702...

Faymus Media

Faymus Media

Well-known member
i currently own a rode ntg2 mic, its sounds pretty darn clear on the zoom h4n...

however when i visited this audio recorder review site it had reviews of all the major field recorders...

there was a test on that site comparing the zoom h4n with the marantz pmd661 both recorded with the rode nt2, the marantz had no noise or hiss at all and the zoom h4n did...

when i record with the zoom h4n, to get a great sound for vocals i need to have gain set to 75% or sometimes 85%, the guy on that site said the zoom h4n needs to be pushed for vocal recording(movies)

i also heard the sound devices 702 and while it sounded great, i didnt think it was leaps beyond the marantz...

i was thinking about returning the zoom h4n...

the only advantage to the zoom h4n that i see, is better built in mics, a hard case, and wind foam, which is all only good for recording with built in mics...

would i be satisfied with the marantz? does it allow me to pause during playback , and fast forward stuff like that?

thanks
 
The marantz is much better than the H4N.

The Sound Devices is in another league entirely, but that depends on your budget.

I went from the H4N to the sd722, and the difference was startling, but then, so was the price.

It was worth it for pristine audio, imo.
 
do you think i can get great audio with a rode nt2 and a marantz pmd 661?

also it seems like i read the h4n has harmonic issues, and everything i record seems to have a echo reverb ping going on, like i was in a small room...no matter where i record...
 
Supossedly the pmd661 has much cleaner mic pre's, so yes.

You should ask user Stephen Mick as he has one modified from Oade bros.
 
Comparing the H4n vs the SD or Marrantz is like comparing apples to oranges. You get what you pay for. I believe the old saying, Garbage in/ Garbage out.
 
Can't address the H4n, but I have the Oade modified Marantz PMD 661 and it works really well. The mod isn't that much extra, but I believe its a good sounding machine even without the mod.
Best,
Bernie
 
First lesson is the only thing worse for getting useful information than the spec sheets are reviews on web sites, well actually anywhere. Both can be useful but you have to sift carefully. So when "some guy" says something... who is saying it? What is their background? Why should you believe anything they say? I'm sure you can also find a site that has the Zoom as the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Second thing is if you don't have a problem don't make one. If you like the Zoom great, your in a lot of good company. You can find plenty of "reviews" that pretty much trash the Marantz. The "mod" is supposed to fix the big noise problem. THe PMD 670 supposedly had a problem with the mic pre's. But when the 671 came out with much better ones there was a tone of chatter about them only being marginally better etc. I did a number of noise tests with mine and the noise floor is very low unless you crank the pre's all the way up and I have never seen a pre that wasn't noisier cranked.
The point is if your happy with the Zoom use it. Don't swap out because some site said "DANGER - NOISE!!!!". With out a lot of detail on how they tested and some assurance that they actually followed the protocol AND double checked results I wouldn't put much/any faith in the article. Is the Marantz quieter than the Zoom? Probably, it's maker has a longer better track record. Is it going to be noticeable by you? Probably not. Is the SD quieter, I certainly hope so, that's part of what your paying for in professional equipment. Does it make any difference? For you and what your doing, probably not much. If you were doing big stereo recordings of very quiet stuff probably.

And FYI 75% or so of full is usually the sweet spot for audio gear so if you have the Zoom at 75% that is probably the ideal setting.
 
craven said:
how do i get the mod? someone told me the mic pres are stellar clean...is this true?
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You can't get the mod. You can only by the box with the mod. Someone offered me a share of the Brooklyn bridge for $20. I have found "someone" to be the least reliable source of information on anything.

I would recommend some basic reading on sound because then , like dude you could stop using meaningless terms like "stellar clean" and not have to take advice from Somebody.
 
i have a music recording studio, i know alot about "recording studio" sound...

however the field recording for movies is completely different...

the zoom h4n has very noticeable hiss, and noise, and if the gain is under 80 its hard to pick up voices..

i read in a few places that supposidly the zoom was more aimed at recording instruments and not vocals...

i just started this thread to see what everyone thought...

lastly it seems the h4n has harmonic issues, like hallow box sounds even while outside recording..
 
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also is the rode ntg 2 a outdoor mic? if so is the AT-4071L a good indoor mic? its 900 bucks lol

or should i go with the ntg-3, or maybe a 4053b?

it seems the AT-4071 has the best rejection, and most narrow polar pattern....
 
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A sound devices mm-1(mp-1) with a cheap recorder like a dr-07 might be something to consider (single channel).
 
i have a music recording studio, i know alot about "recording studio" sound...

however the field recording for movies is completely different...
Click to expand...

Well actually no it's not that different. Generally less controlled and the work flow is different but getting good clean tracks is the heart of both.


the zoom h4n has very noticeable hiss, and noise, and if the gain is under 80 its hard to pick up voices..
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to quote your original post.
i currently own a rode ntg2 mic, its sounds pretty darn clear on the zoom h4n...
Click to expand...

So which is it? "darn clear" or "noticeably hissy"?


i read in a few places that supposidly the zoom was more aimed at recording instruments and not vocals...
Click to expand...

??? And how would those two differ? Do you use a different recorder for vocals in your recording studio?


lastly it seems the h4n has harmonic issues, like hallow box sounds even while outside recording..
Click to expand...

That would be news to the large number of people using it for FX and production sound. I'm guessing more of a set up issue than a box issue.


also is the rode ntg 2 a outdoor mic? if so is the AT-4071L a good indoor mic? its 900 bucks lol

or should i go with the ntg-3, or maybe a 4053b?

it seems the AT-4071 has the best rejection, and most narrow polar pattern....
Click to expand...

If you don't want to get a book at least read the stickies. Shotguns are not good generally for indoor work.
 
when i said above that the ntg2 was clear i mean the mic is clear, but the h4n is noise....the ntg2 is cleaner than the onboard mics...

i believe that the h4n is nowhere near, good enough for an indie film...

as far as indoor work i can use a super cardiod long mic, like the AT-4053b or 4071...i just wanted to know if anyone had any experience with those 2 mics..
 
craven said:
when i said above that the ntg2 was clear i mean the mic is clear, but the h4n is noise....the ntg2 is cleaner than the onboard mics...

i believe that the h4n is nowhere near, good enough for an indie films...

as far as indoor work i can use a super cardiod long mic, like the AT-4053b or 4071...i just wanted to know if anyone had any experience with those 2 mics..
Click to expand...

You obviously haven't listened to a lot of indi films... :grin::D

Someone who actually owns a h4n will have to speak to it's quality level but since it is used by some very well known and respected folks I would have to say it's probably not the boxes fault your not getting decent sound.

As far as reports, you can search the site or heck how about just reading the stickies. They are there for a reason and they address your question about mic in a fair amount of detail.

FYI the 4071 IS a shotgun mic and IF you read the stickies you will see that you are NOT likely to get good results indoors with a shotgun mic.
 
I'll add my 2 cents - Read the stickies!

Just curious, what kind of music do you record in your studio? What's your typical setup like?
 
i read the stickies they say nothing about the AT-4071L in which has the most narrow polar pattern i have ever seen


my studio is setup with the following

yamaha hs-80's studio monitors
UA LA2A
Pro-Tools Fast track ultra
completely pro tools
ART tube pre (the bigger one) with NOS bullard tubes

numberous condenser mics
guitars, bass guitars, cabs, vocal booth, sound designed, 2 24" monitors

got some more stuff coming, i also have waves mecury, antares full bundle, nomad factory, full adobe cs4 and cs5....

tons of other stuff 2
 
I would be interested in seeing the venue an indie film is showing in that would reveal dramatic differences between the H4n and other portable recorders (either pro or con). I've had the "pleasure" of seeing a couple of shorts play on screens in 400 seat theaters, where the sound proofing of the venue was good enough to reveal the deficiencies of what I captured, but that is a pretty unusual (for me) setting. Most of the time, the viewing venue is going to have so much ambient noise, and will be played at such a low volume, that significant differences seem to be masked.

Does this excuse not using the best gear you can? Of course not. However, I'd stop far short of suggesting that something in the league of the H4n isn't capable of capturing audio good enough for indie films. I'm inclined to quote Lee Trevino, when asked about a given brand of golf clubs, "It's not the arrow. It's the Indian." - Tim
 
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