Interesting! Up to three mic pairs can be recorded simultaneously. Or a WAV and an MP3 version of a stereo recording can be simultaneously recorded.
The r26 has four stereo mic inputs: built-in omni, built-in XY, 3.5mm stereo jack with plug-in power, and a pair of XLR-TRS combo inputs with 48V phantom power. According to the web site, you can listen to the four mic pairs (one pair at a time), and then choose which three to record. Recording medium is the full-size SDHC card (rather than those tiny micro-SD cards that are so hard to find when you drop them in the dark).
Dimensions of 7.125 x 3.250 x 1.625 inches and weight of 14 ounces (probably without battery) means the r26 is a little smaller than the Marantz PMD661, a little larger than the Zoom H4n, and the same size as the Tascam DR-100. The r26 is about half the size of the Edirol R-44 (also a Roland product).
The battery is four AA cells. Maximum draw, according to Roland, is 500 mA. That would translate to a realistic recording time of 3-4 hours, depending on the type of AA cell used.
Flintstone
update: Roland says "The preamps for all mic channels are derived from the hi-res preamps found in Roland’s R-44 4-Channel Portable Recorder."
http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=145356It will be interesting to hear if "are derived from" translates into "sounds as good as."