I think that the M10 as described so far is an alternative recorder, but not really an upgrade to what's currently out there. Ultimately, the lack of firmware updates, the moveable input level when on Hold, and the orientation of the buttons on the front are enough to make me stick with the R-09HR.
I agree the recorder is an alternative and not an upgrade, but I don't think anyone claimed otherwise. If you already have an HR and like it, there's no need to sell it and get the Sony. But if you're trying to decide which of the 2 to buy, both have a lot to offer.
However:
1) How often do some of us have to write that the movable record level when on hold is not a disadvantage. It is NOT going to move by accident. I think it a plus, not a minus.
2) Did anyone have a problem the the D50 not having firmware upgrades? Sony design their products so they work optimally right off the bat.
3) You don't usually have to rely on feel to start a recorder-there's usually some light. If you want to start it while it's in your pocket, put a couple bits of gaffers tape in appropriate spots to help you find the key recording buttons.
4) The M10 has a 5 second record buffer which the HR does not have.
Good points. However, I do think that when gadgets like these come out, that it actually is a matter of deciding how they stack up against what is currently out there, and then figuring out if something truly is "better". Because, if they're not "better", then the alternatives tend to be pointless and not worth risking the $$$ on. If for no other reason than the fact that they don't have the proven track record that the unit already out there does.
If I was in the market for a new recorder, I think that the M10 falls short of a standard set by units like the R-09HR. The only true advantages I've heard so far are that the internal mics in the M10 might be quieter (but still noisy), and that the battery life is exceptional. Neither of those things matter to most, I think.
But it's the design differences that I think make the M10 less desirable. Not everyone tapes in the same conditions, so the more flexibility and intuitive design a unit has the better. Rather than make buttons that stand out, in different shapes, they made them pretty much all the same, and in a cluster. That's a drawback. You could be hitting Record, or you could be hitting Stop. There is no learning curve with the layout of the R-09HR. Once levels are set, you could operate that thing blindfolded.
And there is a difference between a volume level that "won't move" and one that "can't move", when the "Hold" button is engaged. Everyone has been at shows where there's been pushing or tight crowds involved, or where there isn't a lot of light. And regardless of how one packs their bag, or stores their recorder, things can get in the way and move things around. Sure, you can fix it down with tape, but that becomes an unnecessary workaround, especially when there is a comparable recorder already out there that doesn't need tape to achieve the same results. If there is a "Hold" function on a machine, then it should freeze everything. If it doesn't, then what was the point of having a "Hold" button on there in the first place?
As for the 5-second buffer, the press out there states that this is useful so that you don't accidentally miss a moment or two before you officially start recording. I'm not clear on how this works or why it would truly be useful. Is the buffer automatically engaged when the unit is turned on? Or do you have to engage a "pre-record" mode (i.e. like the Sony DAT portables) where you are first hitting record, and then hitting Play? What about the levels? If you have to pre-engage the pre-record function, then what makes that any different than having just hit Record as soon as you turn the unit on? Without time travel, you're always going to miss the sounds that occurred before you thought to pick up and turn on your recorder. And memory cards have huge storage capacity these days, so there's no longer the need to "conserve tape" anymore, waiting just before the lights go down before hitting record, so that you have enough room to get the whole show. With as big as memory cards have gotten, you can pretty much just turn the recorder on as soon as you leave your car (even your house, for that matter), and then keep it on as you enter the venue if you wanted to.
I know it's nit-picking to a significant degree. But it's the same process that has been ongoing since the R-1 and the Microtrack came out a few years ago. Each year brings a new set of recorders, each with slightly different features. Recorders are no longer the huge expense that they were back in the days of DAT, but $300 is still a chunk of change to be casually spending, so the more info we can share with each other the better.
