Sony PCM-D100 Portable Recorder Discussions | Drop

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Sony PCM-D100 Portable Recorder

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syncretism

Mar 20, 2018

As @JazzMaven noted, the last drop was for a gray-market PCM-D100 from China; it didn't ship with batteries, but it did ship with a 220v ac power supply, which is a bummer. Changing the language settings is trivial with a Google search, and once it's in English, it's functionally identical to any unit you'd buy stateside.
That said, the mic pres on my unit were fried, so I have sent it to Sony for repair or replacement. Dealing with Sony, including their professional support services, is neither a smooth nor pleasant process, but I'm confident that I'll have a working unit... eventually.
I've used the D100 in the past; when it works, it's a very good product, but not perfect for all jobs. Its built-in mics sound better than the D50's, or any similar Tascam I've used. I suspect that it's better than similar Zoom products, but I don't have first-hand experience with those. It's also not my only kit; when I want to use condenser mics in a tight space, I connect a Sound Devices USBPre to the optical port, which is a pretty great arrangement - I can use high gain external microphones when the work calls for it, or I can carry a single device on a Rycote audio kit for field recordings, or I can just use it as a safety in a larger recording setup. People will say that it's expensive, and maybe it is when you factor in purchase of a mount and power adapter, but I don't think it's in "diminishing returns" territory, and certainly not at the price Massdrop advertised. It does a few things and it does them well.
That said, I wouldn't use this if I were in a crowd of reporters clamoring for a statement, say. The noise from handling the chassis is unreal (get the Rycote thing). Attn: @Dr.McCoy

Mar 20, 2018

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