I have tried a lot of small mics before landing with the CA-14's. I like them for the simple reasons that they are cardiods and they don't distort. Can bass still distort them? Of course. Bass, under the right (or wrong!) circumstances, can distort any microphone. The venue also has a lot to do with it, as the "boom" can ruin an otherwise clean recording. One thing that was important to me with my stealth set-up, was that the pre was made of plastic and that it was small. The Church Audio 9200 offers both of those things with a gain to boot. It hasn't set off a metal detector yet, and the mics can actually be worn going through the security check. I find them to be the best for my stealth needs. Are they as good as a full size pair of expensive (for lack of a better word) microphones? No, but they do make a nice clean recording. Seek them out on posting sites and give them a listen, paying attention to the venue and recording location. Then do the same with other mics that fit your needs. Although the R-09 is a good recorder, is it possible there is something wrong with it? Test it out under different conditions and find out. I've used one for awhile and thought it was a good machine (just too small of a screen for me). I like the R-09HR myself (but it has a bigger screen and a few improvements over its predecessor). The internals on both are great...if you're recording yourself playing a guitar in your bedroom, and if the stars align, in a live acoustic setting, or not too loud of a concert, but the low end suffers dearly.