Topic: New recorder needed! What to buy?

[chunga1]

Im done dinking with the ZoomH2
Jb3 is dead...... So..

I have $400 to spend any suggestions,
For a new recorder?
I have mics and battery box already..

It will be used for stealth recording

[chinariderstl]

My vote is for the Sony PCM-M10.  Best bang for the buck IMO.  I love mine, it's super easy to use, runs on AA's batteries and the battery life is unbelievable.  Has 4GB (I think) built in storage and you can add a MicroSD card for added storage.  Copy files directly to your PC via USB.

[F.O.Bean]

Without a doubt the Sony m10

[Scooter123]

I have two Sony M-10s

[tim in jersey]

Ditto the M-10.

[Myco]

^ Yup, what they've said. M-10 is the best pocket recorder I've used/owned.

[Ultfris101]

Love my M10

[F.O.Bean]

i also own 2 m10s and after winter ill be purchasing  3rd. a white one this time so i know which is which. i will have aq red/blqack/white m10s

[achalsey]

Roland R-05 is another good option to look at.  Its a bit smaller than the M10.  Might actually be easier to control while "undercover" too.  Big record button in the middle, input gain plus/minus next to it.  On the M10 all the buttons feel the same.  I've never stealthed though so take that opinion with a grain of salt.

I've owned both, and while I generally like the M10 more (it felt more solid and was just sleeker looking), I was totally happy with the R-05.  Pretty sure its up to the same general standards inside.

[ljsurfer2002]

my Nomad Jukebox 3 is long been relegated to the problem / back drawer. I did tape one show 3 years ago (my last show) with a rockbox'd iriver from 2006 or so.

I too was wondering what the 'current' state of HD recording hardware decks were for the kids these days. I was waiting for a mod to get cranky and point to a FAQ but it is good to see everyone pointing to a Sony PCM-M10 .. http://www.amazon.com/Sony-PCMM10-B-PCM-M10-Black/dp/B002R56C4O $250 isn't bad!

I'm surprised the 2010 fan favorite Zoom H4n wasn't mentioned. has it been surpassed in technology / pocketability by the Sony M10 ?

[F.O.Bean]

what kinda price is the r5 compared 2 the m10?

[ljsurfer2002]

what kinda price is the r5 compared 2 the m10?

http://www.amazon.com/Roland-R-05-Studio-WAVE-Recorder/dp/B003IJ3WIW 

Roland R-05 = $200

Sony M10 = $250

[achalsey]

what kinda price is the r5 compared 2 the m10?

Also with "cyber monday" coming up (is that what its called?) or black friday, they might be on sale again.  There was the batch of them this time last year for like 90 bucks new.  Thats when I got mine.

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=151494.0

Edit to add this from the above thread:

The onboard pre should be just fine.  While obviously not on the level of something like Sound Devices, TS member Pnoman and Avisoft did tests and have specs on the R-05 and they look pretty good.  Avisoft notes lower self-noise for the R-05 than the R-09HR, and Pnoman puts it on par with the Sony M10.

Roland R-05 test - http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=140726.0

Avisoft chart - http://www.avisoft.com/recordertests.htm

[F.O.Bean]

for $50 extra, its a NO BRAINER! get the M10. not knocking the r5, but almost every feature is better on the m10, at least IMHO

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

If you can go a little higher than $400 you might be able to add a Naiant Tinybox (depending on your mics). The pre-amp in the M10 isn't bad, but the Tinybox is much nicer.

Getting both the M10 and Tinybox into a venue isn't an issue for me. The Tinybox is about 2/3 the size of the M10.

In regards to running the M10 undercover it is the best deck I've ever used for it. My favorite feature is being able to get it recording, flip the switch to 'hold' so I can't accidentally stop the recording and still have the ability to change levels. I'll usually get it rolling 5 minutes before showtime, set my levels to close to where I think they should be and then adjust them once the band comes on. Some people are afraid their levels might get changed in their pocket, but the knob is tight enough and protected by a piece of the case that wraps around it that I've never had that problem.

The battery life on the M10 is unreal. Factor that into your cost. I can record well over 10 sets of music without changing them.