New audio kit to test

Very soon, new HD cameras (Sony Z1), Field Mixers (Sound Devices 302) and Flash Disc recorders (Marantz PMD660) are going to be purchased. Audio tests are going to be carried out and comparisons will be made between this new kit and the poor audio results of the older Sony VX2000 camera. The Sony Z1 has onboard XLR connectors, together with +48VDC Phantom Power, meaning that having to use XLR to 3.5mm mini jack connectors will soon be a thing of the past. As well as testing a microphone directly with the Z1 camera (Sennheiser MKH-416), tests will also be carried out with the Sound Devices 302 mixer used for the front end pre-amplification before the Z1 camera and with the Sound Devices 302 mixer and Marantz PMD-660 recorder. It will be interesting to hear the differences.....