Marantz Professional PMD661MKII Professional Handheld Broadcast Recorder

• Record mono/stereo audio directly to SD/SDHC cards for dictation and meeting recording , DSLR film shooting, court reporting and more...
• MP3 and uncompressed WAV formats up to 24-bit 96kHz provide audio recording for wide-ranging applications
• Advanced features including passcode protection, retake record for overdubbing within a single file, and file encryption for sensitive recordings set the PMD661MKII apart from its competition
• Large multi-function OLED (organic LED) display with large buttons and intuitive layout, switchable MIC/Line XLR inputs with +48V phantom power, S/PDIF digital input
• Dictation functions including pitch control and skip back and included DMP Mark Editor software for advanced marking features and simple audio editing

When I realised Marantz had released a newer version of the PMD661 I got excited hoping they had:

A) repositioned the record LED so you can actually see it while the unit is hung around your neck.

B) increased the pathetic monitor headphone output level

C) allowed the user to "lock" the record level knob

Unfortunetly this release just seems to patch up the common problem of certain SD cards being incompatible with the Marantz along with a few daft "security" features. I can quite honestly say that I have never been worried about someone "stealing" my audio WAVS in 20 years of sound recording :)

Thus I shall stick with my MKI re-routed through an external headphone booster for adequate levels and gaffer tape over the record level knob to stop it from moving around in between takes.