Okay so, 488 vs. 488mkII

N

napoli187

New member
so now my question is, what are the main differences between the 488 and the mkII. the ones i know of are: mkII has 4 preamps, the 488 only has 2. mkII has two xlr input, the 488 has none.

those are the only i know of. any others? can they both record 4 tracks at a time?

i'm deciding between these two and the difference is like $200. i have a tascam teac powered mixer so i figure this could bypass the preamp problem with the 488. any suggestions? thanks

by the way, i'm impressed at the amount of knowledge about these products i've encountered on this board. good job people!
 
Okay,...

Your basic points are correct.

The 488std has 2 preamps, and the 488mkII has 4 preamps.

The 488std has NO XLR inputs, and the 488mkII has 2 XLR's.

The 488std has NO PHANTOM POWER, and the 488mkII has it.

The 488std and MK2 both record up to 4 tracks simultaneously.

The 488std has the LCD display bargraph VU meters, and the 488mkII has the flouro-luminescent bargraph VU meter display.

The 488 std has 2-band FIXED EQ, and the 488mkII has 3-band EQ, with 2-band FIXED and 1-band SWEEPABLE EQ.

The 488std is a light grey, and the 488mkII is a dark grey color.

The 488std and 488mkII have slightly different design & body style.

On balance, the 488mkII is the better machine, and worth the extra bump in price.
 

Attachments

  • tascam 488mkiia.jpg
    tascam 488mkiia.jpg
    29.3 KB · Views: 61
Being that the 488std and 488mkII are the same 8 track cassette format,...

there are some significant differences.

The upgraded features of the 488mkII [IMO] make it a better unit than the 488std, and worth the higher bid value. Exactly how much higher, kind of depends on the day. I also think it's worth a slightly higher bid value to get a clean & low-use unit, which can make a big difference, in the overall scheme of things.

The 488mkII not only looks a lot better than the std, it has better features, and those higher value features would logically give you a slightly better edge in getting a better basic recording and mix.

I have a 488mkII, so I'll surely put my money where my mouth is.;)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top