Marantz PMD-750 — an on-camera digital wireless system
Marantz Professional, owned by the large American company inMusic, offers many interesting and affordable products for audio professionals, creators, and bloggers. The Marantz PMD-750 is an on-camera digital wireless system. It includes a bodypack transmitter with a lavalier microphone and a receiver that mounts on a DSLR camera.
An important advantage of the Marantz PMD-750 is its two-channel receiver mode. This allows two lavalier microphones to be connected for an interview, for example. The standard package includes one PMD-750T transmitter and one PMD-750R receiver. The receiver also works with the interesting PMD-750TA transmitter, which attaches to any XLR microphone and supplies +48 V phantom power when needed.
The official video explains the system in more detail:
Marantz PMD-750 specifications
| Frequency range | 2.401–2.483 GHz |
| Number of channels | 16 |
| Signal latency | 4.5 ms |
| Receiver and transmitter frequency response | 50 Hz–18 kHz |
| Microphone frequency response | 20 Hz–20 kHz |
| Maximum SPL | 130 dB |
| Capsule type | Electret |
| Polar pattern | Omnidirectional |
| Operating time with AA batteries | Up to 7 hours |
| Weight | Transmitter: 90 g; receiver: 82 g |
| Operating range | Up to 100 feet (31 meters) |
This 2.4 GHz wireless system offers wide capabilities, a good accessory package, and modern 24-bit/96 kHz electronics with a dynamic range of 110 dB. Its maximum range of 31 meters is more than enough for most tasks.
The Marantz PMD-750 comes in attractive packaging with foam inserts. The transmitter and receiver have a modern design and are very light thanks to their molded ABS plastic housings. The gold-colored OLED text looks slightly unusual, but matches the manufacturer's black-and-gold color scheme.
The system is extremely easy to use and needs no manual reading. Hold the power button to switch it on or off. The controls provide manual transmitter gain adjustment and MUTE through a short press of the power button. A large, bright OLED display shows the necessary information without clutter: channel number, signal level, and gain. MUTE mode is shown by a crossed-out speaker symbol and a flashing red indicator. During normal operation, the status LED is steady blue.
Two lavalier windscreens are included: foam for indoor use and fur for windy outdoor conditions. The lavalier cable is long enough, and the clip is a standard type. A removable wire clip attaches the transmitter to a belt or waistband. Size and weight match or slightly improve on competitors.
Metal 4-pin mini-XLR connectors lock the cables securely and give the impression of a carefully designed professional product. The housing also states that the system was designed in Germany and made in Taiwan.
The transmitter and receiver synchronize automatically when powered on, with no extra user action. To add a second transmitter, use the receiver's buttons to enter pairing mode.
Power comes from two AA batteries or a micro-USB port. A power bank or a standard 5 V adapter can be connected to that port.
We connected the Marantz PMD-750 to a professional Blackmagic cinema camera and had no problems. Reception and recording quality were excellent despite several nearby Wi-Fi networks using the same 2.4 GHz band. We use our own wireless devices, smartphones, and laptops in the 5 GHz band whenever possible. This improves data speed and reduces congestion, and we recommend the same approach.
The Marantz PMD-750R receiver has a mono mode that records the signal to both channels. This is mainly useful with DSLR and mirrorless cameras. Overall, the system felt reliable and well designed. Battery consumption is moderate, so a set of alkaline AA batteries lasts a shooting shift.
Conclusions
We liked the Marantz PMD-750 on-camera digital wireless system after testing it. Its features and quality will suit many users because it gives good results with little setup. We especially liked the option to expand to two channels. This allows not only a second lavalier but also any XLR microphone to be added. All that is needed is a second transmitter.
Note. This is an adapted machine translation into English. It follows the “In simple terms” approach. Read the original article at https://prosound.ixbt.com/microphones/marantz-pmd750.shtml.