Topic: Which would you consider more important?

[bluenote2005]

Would you consider the digital reorder or the microphone most important? If you're budget will allow you get the best of one of the two which would you spring for?
I lean toward the MIC. For me digital recording is going to be the same between the various units, but a real good mic can make all the difference in the world.
Any thoughts?

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

Microphones...end of discussion. 

[OFOTD]

Microphones...end of discussion. 

Microphones...end of discussion. 

[boojum]

I would also say the mic is the most important of the two choices.  Note that there are differences between digital recorders however.

[Belexes]

Mic, but back in the day the recorder was right up there as a very close second. Not so much anymore with these new fangled digi contraptions.

[J.Maye]

Mics, but on the flip side, if you are using an all-in-1 recorder/pre/ad there is a pretty huge difference between plug in power on a minidisc and running a 722.

[mmadd29]

Microphone, then microphone

[bhtoque]

Importance to sound quality flows right down the signal path, then proceeds in very marginal increments to the sampling rate, bit depth and cables. Of course it continues in the opposite direction coming out of whatever you are playing back on.

JAson

[notlance]

Mics are more important.  In addition, mics don't become obsolete as fast as recorders and mics retain their value better than recorders.  I can think of some mics that will last you your lifetime and your kids will be able to sell them after you die for at least what you paid for them.  I hope I can get 10 years out of a recorder before it is so obsolete that it is worthless.

[rastasean]

Mics are more important.  In addition, mics don't become obsolete as fast as recorders and mics retain their value better than recorders.  I can think of some mics that will last you your lifetime and your kids will be able to sell them after you die for at least what you paid for them.  I hope I can get 10 years out of a recorder before it is so obsolete that it is worthless.

Well said. Microphones can die and become obsolete but not at the rate recorders and pre-amps do.

[612]

I would say mics but I just bought a Sony PCM D-50 because I wanted a 24 bit recorder with a digi-in.

A mic upgrade will have to wait for me.

[Gutbucket]

I thought the choice was going to be between something more difficult like raw sexual attraction vs engaging & intellectually stimulating conversation in a long-term relationship.

Transducers seem to be where the biggest challenges lie and most distortions occur (or where the voodoo happens, depending on your metaphysical persuasions) and so usually deliver the biggest audible return on investment.  Mics, phono-cartridges, headphones & speakers are the direct connections between the physical vibrations we sense as sound and the electrical world of voltages and currents.  Those are also the mechanical parts of the chain and so are more costly to produce than parts which benefit from miniaturization and Moore's Law cost savings.

Following that line of thought, the transformation from the electrical world of voltages and currents to the conceptual world of digital numeric values is another radical transformation. I'd list ADCs and DACs as next in line after physical transducers.  The amplification and digital storage parts are important to get right too, but pose less problems.

[adrianf74]

Microphones...end of discussion. 

What he said.

And others.   

Honestly, digital recorders are (more or less) digital recorders.  Back in the day when we were dealing with Digital Audio Tape, Analog Tape, MiniDisc, the recorder tended to matter A LOT more than the mics.

Nowadays, the mics are far more important.  Bad/cheap mics will sound that way.  Just keep in mind that different scenarios will require different mic pickup patterns so you may be required to pick up different capsules/mics depending on your needs/budget.

[bluenote2005]

Thanks for all the feedback. So microphones win. I would have to believe.

One more question, preamps, the few I looked at seemed to large to conceal. Any good small ones that would work well with a Zoom H2 or H4 and are not to bulky?

[Belexes]

I don't consider the CA-9100 very bulky.  Chris makes the CA-UGLY, which is much smaller, but I have no experience with it.