What will I gain by owning the Edirol R-09? Any suggestions are welcomed. I plan on mainly stealthing, just for the convenience of it. I just think I'll like the R-09 for festivals and/or longer shows where I can carry a change or two of batteries and a few extra 4g cards. And in a pinch (from some shows I've heard that others have taped) the internal mics will do a passing job. Especially if I send it off for the CA mod on the internals.
I've yet to record my first show with my H120 and I'm ready to pull the trigger on an R-09. I can see that I'm going to have a gear-acquiring affliction in this new hobby...
OK, after thinking real hard, I can come up with a few valid points that you'll miss:
- no optical in (maybe a moot point if you're stealthing, but H120 is more versatile if you have an AD20 or UA5 and want to run open once in a while)
- no Rockbox (I like the cheesy little games and stuff you can play while listening on the bus/train. Also a customizable FM receiver, text editor and a few other goodies)
- the H120 can be modded for CF use too.
Having said that, there are a
lot more advantages with the R09 at the end of the day. Better pre has been mentioned: more gain to your external mics, enabling you to run them without BB or external pre if you're in a tight spot.
For stealthing, I couldn't see myself running the internals with the R09, even after having them upgraded. Hat mounted externals beats hand held in every situation. And I like to have my hands free during the gig, but that's just me...
You haven't mentioned the rest of your rig. Do you have external mics + BB/pre/AD already, or which are you planning to pick up?
/J