Topic: Sony PCM-M10 (Part 6)

[bluewingolive]

Mine are duct taped. I NEEED gaff tape but its expensive as hell. I can get 3 x Rolls of KILLER duct tape from Sams Club for $12.00 that lasts me about 1 year. I roll of gaff tape is almost 30 bucks Guess with all the $$$$ I have invested in gear, I can splurge a lil for 1 roll of gaff tape

@ B&H 2in X 12yd roll is around $6.  Everytime I order something that get's me free shipping....I add a few rolls on the order.  Nice smallish rolls that you can strap to your gear bag.  Easy peasy....and cost effective.

[Ekib]

Is there any difference in various brands of Alkaline batteries ? Or do the brand names doesn't vary much ?
I currently use rechargable batteries ( and they're great ) , but when travelling I don't feel like taking the loader .

[earmonger]

There are battery tests around that say they're all pretty similar unless you buy Lithium.

http://dealnews.com/features/Test-Results-That-Will-Change-the-Way-You-Buy-Batteries-Forever/449005.html

http://www.zbattery.com/zbattery/batteryinfo.html

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?64660-Alkaline-Battery-Shoot-Out--This one has surprisingly good results for Rite Aid generics!

But...call me superstitious. Back in my Minidisc days I was switching back and forth between Energizer and Duracell. From my own purely anecdotal and amateur tests I found that Energizer would work fine and then suddenly drop below a certain threshold and stop powering the unit, like dropping off a cliff, while the Duracell would dwindle more gradually and hang in there longer at 2 bars. So I've stuck to Duracell since then. But the more scientifically expert are probably laughing now. 

[Ekib]

There are battery tests around that say they're all pretty similar unless you buy Lithium.

http://dealnews.com/features/Test-Results-That-Will-Change-the-Way-You-Buy-Batteries-Forever/449005.html

http://www.zbattery.com/zbattery/batteryinfo.html

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?64660-Alkaline-Battery-Shoot-Out--This one has surprisingly good results for Rite Aid generics!

But...call me superstitious. Back in my Minidisc days I was switching back and forth between Energizer and Duracell. From my own purely anecdotal and amateur tests I found that Energizer would work fine and then suddenly drop below a certain threshold and stop powering the unit, like dropping off a cliff, while the Duracell would dwindle more gradually and hang in there longer at 2 bars. So I've stuck to Duracell since then. But the more scientifically expert are probably laughing now.

Thanks for the answer .
I haven't used batteries basically since the early DAT days . later on , even with DAT , I started using rechargable ones .
 I've seen some tests but I am also interested what M10 users thinks are best .

So I guess as long as they are ( brandname) Alkaline or Lithium it should be fine , eh ?

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

Is there any difference in various brands of Alkaline batteries ? Or do the brand names doesn't vary much ?
I currently use rechargable batteries ( and they're great ) , but when travelling I don't feel like taking the loader .

I buy whatever I can get cheaper...and since the M10 is scary good in the battery life dept. that means I've only used Duracell's. I'm still on my original 20 pack of Duracell's. I've had no issues with them.

I personally don't trust the rechagables as much. A 20 pack of Duracell AA's are $6 on Amazon. That's 60 cents each time I reload batteries. They last me AT LEAST 10 shows...so 6 cents per show. At that rate...I don't worry about it.

[H₂O]

They last me AT LEAST 10 shows...so 6 cents per show. At that rate...I don't worry about it.

What bit rate and freq are you running at?

[gmm6797]

I have been running these:
http://www.thomasdistributing.com/-MAHA-POWEREX-Four-2700-mAh-AA-NIMH-Rechargeable-Batteries_p_20.html
on a set of 4 for about 3 years, and recording at 24/96. 

UI typically get 2-3 shows out of a set of freshly charged batteries when I have a couple of shows in a week.... $13 for 3 years, ~100 shows a year... you do the math

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

They last me AT LEAST 10 shows...so 6 cents per show. At that rate...I don't worry about it.

What bit rate and freq are you running at?

24/48

Does it make a difference in battery life?

[tim in jersey]

They last me AT LEAST 10 shows...so 6 cents per show. At that rate...I don't worry about it.

What bit rate and freq are you running at?

24/48

Does it make a difference in battery life?

I've found it makes a difference on my 722. I haven't tested on my M-10, but I bet it has some impact.

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

They last me AT LEAST 10 shows...so 6 cents per show. At that rate...I don't worry about it.

What bit rate and freq are you running at?

24/48

Does it make a difference in battery life?

I've found it makes a difference on my 722. I haven't tested on my M-10, but I bet it has some impact.

Interesting. I guess more 1's and 0's take more juice.

The damn thing still blows my mind especially compared to other recorders I've used. My old DR-07 would last ONE show. Maybe 2 if it was a really short show.

[aaronji]

^^^ Sony even lists different record times for various bit depths and sampling rates in the manual.

The damn thing still blows my mind especially compared to other recorders I've used. My old DR-07 would last ONE show. Maybe 2 if it was a really short show.

This hits the nail on the head: who's worried about batteries with the M10?  Even for a long festival day, with cheap batteries, you'd still be good to go.

[cashandkerouac]

has anyone had to have their "line in" jack repaired?  if so, what was the cost?

my buddy's line in jack went bad and he thinks it'll be better to buy a new unit rather than have it fixed.  thanks.

[gmm6797]

how did it go bad?  the R09 had solder issues, but it was a $25 patch to keep them going

[cashandkerouac]

he thinks it went bad due to bumping and jostling of the cable while in the jack.  nothing from the outside appears to be physically broken, but he's getting some static and drop-out when using the jack.

[gmm6797]

I only asked because I was having issues, but when I changes my input cable, it seems to have stopped... being a couple of years in on these and only using my for stealth (which beats it up), I am wondering if the End Of Life for these units is about up for me (meaning replacement or upgrade)