What do you do when what you need is not something that plays back audio, but something that records it? At the highest level, Sony believes that you should look no further than its 4th generation flagship recorder.
Aside from the addition of DSD recording, the PCM-D100 also features a long excluded feature: speakers, which means you can now listen to audio recordings without earphones. Still, considering the availability of older, cheaper models, is it worth its staggering asking price?
FEATURE PACKED
Built primarily out of aluminium, the D100 feels rigid and solid without the heft one might expect at first glance. The condenser mics are even protected by twin metal roll bars, which means the D100 can probably take a knock or two without many problems.
Still, it’s quite beefy in terms of size, and you’ll probably want to carry it around in a bag rather than a pocket. The face of the D100 is dominated by a series of control buttons while the inputs such as the mic/line selector and the various I/O ports are located on the sides. The battery compartment, along with the screw thread are on the bottom of the device, leading to a pretty intuitive separation of control.
Despite the intimidating amount of controls, everything feels exactly where it should be, which was really useful while I was testing it in the field. I never had to look longer than a couple of seconds to find what I wanted, which is a testament to Sony’s design.
Controlling the device was also pretty painless as the large monochrome screen was big enough to display everything you needed to see, such as metering data, time information and file names. You can even toggle the backlight on or off, which can be a little bit helpful when trying to eke out that few extra minutes of recording time.
RECORDING QUALITY
For the asking price, we have to say that the D100 really delivers on audio quality. The D100 is capable of recording Direct Stream Digital (DSD) at 2.8224MHz, and there is some significant advantages to that. The bespoke mics have some impressive range, and is able to competently capture mid and high ranges without sacrificing any low end frequencies. Even very high range audio sounded excellent when played back.
Still, if there is some criticism to this, the sensitivity of the D100 is a little too much when recording handheld, picking up far too much finger movement. You really need a stationary stand, especially for professional work. Thankfully, there’s a wireless “Remote Commander” option which can let you perform some basic operation such as pause or record from a distance, giving you some control even far away. Sony’s pre-amp is also excellent, and almost any external microphone will be able to take advantage of this and sound superb.
To sum up, the D100 is an extremely competent recorder. It’s a brilliant piece of hardware, especially if what you’re looking for is crystal clear recordings of the highest quality. The only downside to it is the asking price. If your demands aren’t too high, we would recommend going for the older D50, which is still a very capable device in its own right.
Verdict: Incredibly expensive, but flawless audio recording
Value: 7/10
Features: 9/10
Performance: 9/10
Design: 8/10
Usability: 9/10
Total Score: 8.4/10
