Marantz CDR-310 2-Channel Stereo/Mono Portable MP3/CD Recorder

• Lightweight and portable CD recorder with CD-DA/WAV/MP3 or AIFF compressed/uncompressed recording
• Long-term recording in uncompressed and MP3 formats
• Internal 1" 4GB hard drive stores audio before burning to CD
• Burns audio or data CD-R, records up to 20 hours on 1 CD (MPEG Mono); burns audio discs for playback on standard CD players, data discs for transfer to computer or archival applications
• Simplified operation with one-touch record feature; Pre-record mode enables active recording for up to 10 seconds when unit is stopped

The product discription is misleading. The recorder does not weigh 24 lbs. I'd estimate 3-4 lbs. You can pick it up in one hand. The first unit I purchased would record up to specs, but when I inserted a blank CD, it would only burn up to a minute or so then eject the CD. I tried several brands of CDs to no avail and called the USA Marantz rep who confirmed it was defective. B&H Photo readily exchanged the unit. The replacement worked fine except for the battery charge indicator, which does not report a correct charge level. Despite a full charge of the optional NiMH battery, the charge level shows half charge within five minutes after being turned on, then no charge after about another hour. The unit will operate for up to 3 hours & 55 minutes on a full charge, however, but the charge indicator is of no value until there is absolutely no charge left at all. Then the indicator flashes for several seconds, and the unit shuts off. The Marantz rep says they know this is a general problem with the CDR310's. I use my unit with a Shure VP88 stereo microphone and have recorded local music festivals and environmental sounds including rain and thunderstorms. The unit is fast and easy to use. Although I use it with a high-end set of Sennheiser headphones just to confirm my balance and level (& I just enjoy the amazing clarity & fidelity), the phones aren't necessary. The level display is highly user friendly, and the lighted display option is convenient. The controls/functions are extremely well thought out. If you're line-in recording from your computer or from any other input source (turntable, tapedeck, CD player, etc.) and you need to spoil a track, you can undo just that particular track without deleting the other tracks you recorded. I also like the ability to manual or insert auto-tracks. I can't think of anything you'd want to do that you can't do in the field with this recorder. You can record a group and burn a CD on the spot for them, then burn a master for yourself, erase your hard-drive, then go on to record other scenarios. With my Shure VP88, I get studio quality sound that astonishes people when I give them CDs as gifts. I am a quadriplegic with some use of my hands, and I can hold the recorder in my lap, manipulate the controls with one hand while I direct my microphone with the other. It's a snap! I love archival CDs and don't bother with MP3s, but you could record them if that's your thing. I subtracted one star only because of the unreliability of the charge indicator and due to the need to return the first unit. But, I am blown away by the depth and range of sound produced by this recorder and mic combination and its versatility and ease of use.

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I am in aggreement with Vivatone66's review of this recorder and I think the review is thorough and good. I would add that I use the Marantz CDR310 for guitar lessons. When I give a lesson, I record it and then burn the lesson to a CD-R. This really helps the student remember what they learned in the lesson. When doing field recording for my own purposes, I use Memorex Black CD-R's which seem to have a noticeable increase in sound quality which in turn improves the fidelity of copies. Maybe it's just me, but that's my humble opinion. If you need to do recordings and don't need or want a 24 track studio mixer, this is a great device. It is one of the best tools of the trade that I own.

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I have had this model for about five years and use it daily in my work and absolutely love it. It has never let me down and the quality is extraordinary. I tried a whole slew of cheaper models prior to this but they just didn't cut it. I will always buy Marantz from now on.

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I've been using this for a while know and there's been no problems. I use it for spoken word not too much music. The Battery is terrible though, I tried another holder and several different batteries but still haven't got too much out of it. otherwise it works well.