Sound Devices 702 Review

A review of the Sound Devices 702 digital recorder. Please excuse the low light and my "ummms" and "ahhs." I did this review in one take on a Saturday night (I was pretty brain-dead) after a long week. Used a minimal setup (that is, no lights, low-end camera, etc.). Virtually no editing in post.

All that aside, I really love the 702! I highly recommend it.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• sound devices
• 702
• audio
• digital recorder
• review

[M3sslah]

I am looking around for a portable recorder and first I was mostly looking around at the more portable ones. But the thing is I am totally allergic to buzz and hiss and background noise from the machine itself. Do you experience this to be really silent when there is nothing going on? Because from my honest opinion every handheld fieldrecorder had some background noise and that will totally destroy the feel in more silent parts. Thanks for taking the time to do this review I really like it.

[timwarneka]

@M3sslah - I agree with you. I hate the buzz and hiss. There are many audio samples of the Zoom and other field recorders available on-line that have a lot of buzz and hiss. I'm fairly new to audio, but as far as I can tell, the 702 is amazingly quiet. Apparently, in audio, you get what you pay for. Sound Devices are very expensive, pro-level gear. And worth every penny to me for the quiet I get. Perhaps you might try a 702 from a company with a liberal return policy. Good luck!

[timwarneka]

@ubetcha13 - lol! I hear ya! I saved my pennies for a long time, and sold off a number of things on ebay to be able to afford it. Worth every cent, IMHO.

[ubetcha13]

@timwarneka I am still very jealous that you have one of these or were using it. This item is on my must have list.

[timwarneka]

@ubetcha13 - No irony intended. Just me learning about level settings and audio.

[ubetcha13]

@wynnfilms I hate to be critical as well but have to agree I cannot hear what you are saying, is this an exercise in irony?

[wynnfilms]

@timwarneka Cool. That'd be great. Thanks man. Maybe also use some key, fill, and back light. and maybe shoot duel camera, with cam-B picking up insert shots. Just a suggestion. Keep doin vids.

[timwarneka]

@wynnfilms Good point. My apologies. I rushed through the export process in Final Cut ... this video did turn out lower than I intended. Certainly no fault of the 702. I'll see if I can bump up the dbs in the future. Cheers.

[timwarneka]

@niceguy2685 - You raise a good point ... important to compare apples to apples. The 702 is the only digital recorder I have, so I couldn't compare to any other (Fostex, etc.). Again, the purpose of this quick and dirty video was to give people who are considering the 702 a closer look. Thanks!

[wynnfilms]

For a 702 audio recorder review, this reviews audio is horribly low. pump up the db's guys. I have my volume all the way up and having a hard time following you, because I still can't hear anything.