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currently going back and forth between the options for my next field recorder upgrade and would love some input. Have been working with the Sony PCM-M10 + NTG-3 + NT-4 for the past year and a bit for spot sfx and ambience and am now in a position where I can afford to upgrade my kit further. I actually have the possibility now to jump up to the Sound Devices 702 however it is at the very top of my budget leaving nothing extra in the bank than change for a CF card for it and a new bag.

However, I have also seen some good feedback from people running the SD MixPre-D into the PCM-M10 and I am wondering if that would be a worthwhile route or not. Aside from the listed specs for both I can't seem to find any viable audio comparisons between the MixPre-D and SD702's preamps quality. The price difference on the other hand would potentially allow me to add a new microphone to my collection.

I am finding it quite hard to decide between the two options, on the one hand I can future proof by getting the 702 now (can always rent an additional or other SD mixer if I need more channels for a particular project) which should see me through the next few years and on the other hand I could also hopefully get very similar quality with the MixPre-D into my existing PCM-M10 and expand my mic collection by one or two.

Does anybody have any experience with the MixPre-D in comparison to the 702 and be willing to shed any light on if its a worthy comparison. I feel like I might end up kicking myself for not getting the 702 while I have the chance to but if the MixPre-D into the PCM-M10 would still give me very similar results then obviously it would be a more economically sensible choice at the moment, even if its slightly more hassle with two units rather than an all in one solution.

Any help or feedback on this would be hugely appreciated.

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  • I can't really answer your exact question, as I don't own a 702 or a mixpre, but I do run a second-hand SQN 4S into a M10. It is a bit fiddly not having the recording controls right next to preamp controls. Sound is good though, and if you use the test tone on the mixpre to calibrate the inputs of the M10, you don't need to worry about overloading your recordings (because you can tell by meters on your mixer if you are) If I could afford the 702, I'd probably get one - but on a lower budget, my current solution works very well.
    – christiancoriolis
    Dec 4, 2014 at 10:52

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I use a Mix-pre into a Nagra Mezzo. It works well and is very portable. With a pair of DPA 4060's I can pack it into a case and take it anywhere.

I've not owned 702 before, so can't comment specifically, but I don't think you would regret either choice. One nice thing about the Mix-pre if you go that route is that it works well with either a 744 or the newer machines like the 633 to expand the mic inputs.

The 702 would get you 192khz recording if that matters to you.

Interesting opinion of Mixpre vs Mixpre-d here: Buying advice: 744t with a mixpre or a SQN4S-II as extra pre-amp ?

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  • Many thanks Mark and also to christiancoriolis, in the end and after a lot of searching around and thinking I ended up going with a used 744t from Pink Noise Systems. Very happy with it! Really appreciate both your input on the question.
    – user9529
    Dec 17, 2014 at 2:21

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