---(1) from Doug Worsham <[log in to unmask]> -- Transom's reviews are a great resource for learning more about digital recorders: http://www.transom.org/tools/ There are reviews of both the PMD660 and the PCM-D50. Doug ~~~ Doug Worsham L&S Learning Support Services University of Wisconsin - Madison [log in to unmask] http://lss.wisc.edu/~doug/ http://unionblend.uniblogs.org/ ---(2) FROM [log in to unmask] Hi The reviews on both recorders might help http://www.bradlinder.net/2007/10/comparing-sony-pcm-d50-fostex-fr2-le_06.ht ml Regards Kate www.theswitchboard.eu ---(3) from [log in to unmask] They look pretty comparable to me. The main difference is the Sony has built-in mics, which I do not recommend--you really want to have the mic(s) closer to the consultant. I can't tell what kind of external mic input the Sony takes. The Marantz takes XLR, which is good. The University of Chicago's Language Archives (which I am no longer affiliated with) has used a sibling of the Marantz. I have met linguists who like the Sony. Barbara Barbara Need ---(4) from [log in to unmask] Many of the small digital field recorders have rather poor front ends due to cheap capacitors. As a result they are rather poor for proper linguistics research activities. While expensive the Fostex FR-2 is the bench mark and has a very good front end. A very good set up for linguistic recordings would be a Fostex FR-2 and a matched set of Oktava Mk 012 microphones. I would not recommend the Marantz given the nature of the front end circuitry. I do not have any knowledge of the Sony. We have used the Fostex and Oktava combination with satisfactory repeatable results. Lee Ramsdell, Technical Supervisor Arts Resource Centre Room 130 - A1, Arts Building Phone 780-492-2142 Cell 780-863-4316 ---(5) from [log in to unmask] I have a couple of the Marantz recorders in the lab for lending out. They have met with a lot of enthusiasm from faculty and grad students, and even undergrads. They are easy to use and seem to produce good recordings (without any added microphone). Judy Shoaf ----------------- *********************************************** LLTI is a service of IALLT, the International Association for Language Learning (http://iallt.org/), and The Consortium for Language Teaching and Learning (http://www.languageconsortium.org/). Join IALLT at http://iallt.org. Otmar Foelsche, LLTI-Editor ([log in to unmask]) ***********************************************