Topic: What is the best, "RELIABLE!!", stealthable recorder

[~sin213~]

I have had nothing but problems trying to find a decent and RELIABLE stealthable recorder.  I have had 3 iHP-120's each of which were hit or miss whether a show would be transferrable from the hd to my computer.  I currently have a HI MD (RH10), but have had at least 5 out 15 of the discs mess up on me and not be able to transfer from the disc to my computer.  Now just recently, my HI MD messed up another way - I was removing a split from a show and it displayed REC ERROR and I lost my whole show...damn it!!

I thought about getting an R09, but read about all the line input issues with it being loose and breaking.  Had also thought about a MT recorder, until I read about how hot it got and then talked with a taper at Vegoose this past weekend that told me one actually blew up in his hand and burned him!  MAN!!!!

So, in your opinion...is there any recorder out there that has a good track record with being reliable and is also stealthable?

[Belexes]

I stealth an M1 and R-09 with no problems with either of them, input issue on the R-09 be damned.

The only problem with the M1 is that I used CoreSound's 7-pin and seemed to have damaged that interface for transferring. R-09 records and transfers without issue. 

[JiB97]

I would put a vote up for the JB3, even though it is a little bit bigger than most of the newer stealth units, it can still be done.  It has a lock feature, is very reliable, and has no lights or anything once you lock it.

I'm sure most will say that the JB3 is not your ideal stealth recorder, but if you are looking for something with a proven track record, and has a digi in, its tough to find something other than the JB3. (since you have already had problems with the iRiver)

And I'm not just saying this because I currently have a JB3 for sale. 

[edtyre]

R-09

Mine ran for almost a year and a half of heavy use before the line in broke
then after repair is good as new.

[boyacrobat]

found hi md more reliable than m1 to be honest.
my most reliable rec the hi md is.

sure you are running latest sonicstage ver ?
never had rec issues but have with transfers sometimes.

latest ver solved all my transfer probs

goodluck

g

[dorrcoq]

Never a problem with the R-09 (knock on wood!)

[gewwang]

I've been using an R09 since July 2006 though I've only used it about 3 times since June of this summer. I never had a problem with the line-in and therefore never needed the mod. I think I read somewhere that using a right-angle mini-in helps and I've been using the same right angle mini on the same XLR>mini interconnect cable 3 d100's, 2 r1's, and an r09 since 2000.

I've been stealthing the 722 instead of the R09 without any issues since June of this summer. It's not ideal for stealthing but it's not as hard as people believe.

[boyacrobat]

kudos taking the 722 as stealth machine.
man with balls

walk on

g

[rdflash]

kudos taking the 722 as stealth machine.
man with balls

walk on

g

or man that has removed his balls for more space

[dmonkey]

I like my R-09. Never had an issue with the jack like others have. I run a RA plug into the R-09 from my pre and it works fine. I'm just careful about when I put in and take out the RA plug, but that's about it. No kid gloves, but I also don't toss it across the room or give it to the neighbor's dog to chew on. 

In other words, I wouldn't be afraid of the R-09 due to the jack issue on some units.

[Arni99]

wait for the sony pcm-d50 which will be out in 2-3 weeks.
i had 3 edirol r-09 and all of them had the input problem(mic-input in my case and edirol couldn´t fix the fault!), although i always used a right angle plug and handled it extremely carefully as i knew about the input issue before i bought it.
personally i will never try an r09 again.
input issue and noisy preamps compared to HI-MD units.

i´m sure the new sony pcm-d50 is of great built-quality like any former sony recorders.

another more stealthable new recorder is the Zoom H2 Handy recorder:
Zoom H2

[sailcat]

i have had the zoom h2 for a while now, and I highly recommend it based on recording quality and price. the mic in is useless, but if you use your batt box/pre to line in, you should be good to go. The unit hasn't been out long enough for people to start breaking it, but I'd say the build quality is at least as good as the MT or R09. Any of these affordable units are going to be kind of plasticky. The Sony Hi-MDs are tougher, but you are familiar with their limitations as well. It's all a matter of what you want to put up with, I guess.

Ozpeter, who posts here, has done lots of in-depth testing of the H2, which is posted here: http://www.oreillynet.com/digitalmedia/blog/2007/04/zoom_h2_digital_recorder_detai.html

There is also a very interesting test of the surround capabilities of the h2 v.s. very high-end equipment here: http://www.radio.uqam.ca/ambisonic/comparative_recording.html

the samples are not up yet, but it should be pretty cool.

The best thing about the h2 for my needs is that the internal mics are very useable, so in open situations, or jam sessions at home, etc., you can just point and shoot and get very good results.

That said, you should also wait for the new Sony deck, as someone else suggested. It looks pretty cool

[tms]

Regarding the Zoom H2 vs. the Edirol R-09, how do each handle the 2gb split?   I think the R-09 is seamless and the H2 has about a 10 second gap.  Can someone confirm this?

[~sin213~]

Regarding the Zoom H2 vs. the Edirol R-09, how do each handle the 2gb split?   I think the R-09 is seamless and the H2 has about a 10 second gap.  Can someone confirm this?

Thank you to everyone that has provided feedback!  This has helped immensely!

So now I'm down to 2 (well, 3) choices...R09 or Zoom H2 (or wait for new Sony device).

We got a few weeks before the new Sony device comes out...So my question is the same as tms - how does the R09 and H2 handle file splits.

Again, thanx for all the feedback!!

[Brian Skalinder]

I have had 3 iHP-120's each of which were hit or miss whether a show would be transferrable from the hd to my computer.  I currently have a HI MD (RH10), but have had at least 5 out 15 of the discs mess up on me and not be able to transfer from the disc to my computer.

Have you considered that the problem may not lie in the recorders, but with your computer?  It seems unlikely that experiencing identical problems with all three iHP-120s and the RH-10 points to a recorder problem, and suggests, to me, anyway, it's the computer that's the root of the problem.