Hi here some real world facts about this baby...
http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/html/naturerecordists/2007-04/msg00532.htmlThe FR-2LE has a clean and quiet preamp. I'd guess it's quieter than
anything under $500 or so, perhaps on a par with the Marantz PMD671.
The FR-2LE's controls for recording are easy to use.
Fostex has taken a lot of care to prevent loss of a recording. Each
take results in a new file, so you can't write over a previous take.
The FR-2LE is pretty fast in operation. It takes 4 to 5 seconds to
power up, 2 seconds to start recording (that's why the Pre-Record
function is 2 seconds long), and about 3 seconds to power down.
I like the battery solution. The FR-2LE has a big battery
compartment, much larger than the 4 AAs it normally runs on. The
compartment accepts a 7.2V battery with Tamiya-style connector. These
batteries are commonly used in radio-controlled cars and other toys.
The batteries are available from many vendors. A single battery and
the transformer to charge it from mains power costs about $40
Once the FR-2LE is configured, the field recordist doesn't need to
think about settings, just when to push the Record button. It doesn't
matter which XLR jack a mono mic is plugged into. Most relevant
settings are visible on the LC screen if you want to check.
I'm sure Fostex worked a long time with customers like radio stations
to come up with this fail-safe arrangement. The FR-2LE forces you to
work a particular way to maximize the liklyhood that your recordings
will come home intact, and in the format you want. But some people
will find these restrictions burdensome.
BUT COU CANT DELETE THEM, ONLY ON THE COMPUTER. NO MAC OSX CONNECTION, CF CARD TO READER ONLY. NO MONOFILES (yet). HEADPHONE OUTPUT NOT SO LOUD + VOLUME KNOB SMALL. THE SAMPLE RATE SELECTION NEED TO REFORMAT THE CF CARD.
SINGLE FILE SIZE LIMITED TO 4 GB.KEEP THE MIC GAIN BELOW 90%.
.