Topic: Portable recorder

[Vurki]

Hello

I just bough a pair of Rode NT1-A microphones. Now I need a recorder and preamplifier for them. Use is field recording, many things like nature, vehicles, whatever. As we know, those Rodes are extremely quiet (self noise 5dB), and in field there are sometimes very quiet sounds, so I need a quiet preamp too. What recorder fits for me? I have been thinking of Fostex FR2-LE, it seems very good. Low noise level is the most important thing, of course I also need two Phantom-powered XLR inputs for mics (more is better for surround experiments, but two is fine too) and practicality is also a nice feature. Budget is 500€, I think it's about 650$. Is the Fostex best for me or is there some better?

Sorry if there're many threads like this, I'm not very familiar with these English-language forums, so my ability to use search is limited. If you can find threads that consider this same subject, I will be very grateful.

Thank you!

[Belexes]

FR2-LE or Marantz 661 would fit the bill.

[Ozpeter]

This site has noise ratings for many recorders -

http://www.avisoft.com/recordertests.htm

Indeed, the FR2-LE has very low noise preamps, but unfortunately a noisy headphone output.  If you get one, ignore that noise and plug it into an external amp or copy the files into your computer, and then you'll get the best sound.

[John Willett]

Indeed, the FR2-LE has very low noise preamps, but unfortunately a noisy headphone output.  If you get one, ignore that noise and plug it into an external amp or copy the files into your computer, and then you'll get the best sound.

The original FR-2 had a headphone amp. optimised for low current consumption to maximise the battery life of the recorder.

I found that low impedance headphones were best and you needed them to be efficient as well - I found the Sennheiser HD 25-1 worked best as they are 120dB efficient (much more than most others) so you can get a good monitoring level and keep the amplifier turned down.  Certainly I did not find the FR-2LE very noisy when I reviewed it - but I *was* using the HD 25-1 headphones while I did the review.

[refrain]

Go for the Fostex FR2-LE, i've got a similar ring, a FR-2 LE (for the same subject - field rec) but with a Rode NTG3, and it's very quiet, also use the HD25 headphones, and I find the head pre-amp nice, not very noisy... remember that you need a windshield for outdoor use, perhaps a rode, the rycote are really good (better) but to expensive...

CS

[rastasean]

The original FR-2 had a headphone amp. optimised for low current consumption to maximise the battery life of the recorder.

I found that low impedance headphones were best and you needed them to be efficient as well - I found the Sennheiser HD 25-1 worked best as they are 120dB efficient (much more than most others) so you can get a good monitoring level and keep the amplifier turned down.  Certainly I did not find the FR-2LE very noisy when I reviewed it - but I *was* using the HD 25-1 headphones while I did the review.

Do you think a headphone amp could be used in between the 2le and headphones?
something like this: http://www.jdslabs.com/products.php


another very nice thing about the 2le is that it uses rc 7.2 volt batteries so I would invest in that since the rode nt1a requires phantom power and 4 AA batteries will not last forever.

[willndmb]

what do you guys use/need the headphone amp for?

i have gone out of the rca plugs (which is controlled volume wise by the headphone knob)  into a camcorder and found it to work fine

[rastasean]

what do you guys use/need the headphone amp for?

i have gone out of the rca plugs (which is controlled volume wise by the headphone knob)  into a camcorder and found it to work fine

so to monitor the audio and not use the headphone amp, you recommend connecting a camcorder?

[Belexes]

I don't tend to monitor my recordings while taping on the FR2-LE (headphones) or playback on it, so the noise in the headphone input hasn't ever been an issue for me.

[Vurki]

This is a great forum, so much replies this fast!

So. It seems like FR2-LE is very good. I don't think the heaphone amp noise is a problem... I mean, monitoring isn't usually that accurate. You can't do any exact analyse in nature no matter what kind of equipment you have, it's enough if you can find out when it clips and does the sound of a distant car come in - and all that can be done with meters on the screen, so actually, monitoring isn't that important. It doesn't require high quality for my use.

About that

This site has noise ratings for many recorders -

http://www.avisoft.com/recordertests.htm

Indeed, the FR2-LE has very low noise preamps, but unfortunately a noisy headphone output.  If you get one, ignore that noise and plug it into an external amp or copy the files into your computer, and then you'll get the best sound.

I actually found that site some time ago, I just somehow didn't really notice it. Ty for posting, it's useful. According to that site, Marantz 661 is a little noisier than Fostex, not big differences, but it's also a little more expensive than Fostex, so in general, is Fostex better? Or is there something good in that Marantz that I just don't see? Suggestions of other recorders are also welcomed, if there're any.

[rastasean]

This is a great forum, so much replies this fast!

I actually found that site some time ago, I just somehow didn't really notice it. Ty for posting, it's useful. According to that site, Marantz 661 is a little noisier than Fostex, not big differences, but it's also a little more expensive than Fostex, so in general, is Fostex better? Or is there something good in that Marantz that I just don't see? Suggestions of other recorders are also welcomed, if there're any.

I think there are pretty extensive reviews on the two but the main reason people like the 661 is because of the digital I/O which the 2le lacks.
If you read the reviews on b&h for both of these units, the vast majority of all 20 people (10 on 2le and 10 on 661) have been pleased with it. the 2le takes CF cards so be sure to get those and NOT sd cards.

[Belexes]

I don't think you could make much of a mistake between the both of them.  Both are nice "all in one" decks when you can't afford the SD 7xx series.

[willndmb]

what do you guys use/need the headphone amp for?

i have gone out of the rca plugs (which is controlled volume wise by the headphone knob)  into a camcorder and found it to work fine

so to monitor the audio and not use the headphone amp, you recommend connecting a camcorder?

no
i am saying that i have gone out into my camcorder and i have compared the audio on the video to the audio on the fr2le and not noticed much if any difference
ie i don't see a big problem with the rca (if they are actually connected to the headphone amp - which i would assume since the same volume knob works both)

[Vurki]

Ok. I browsed couple of reviews and it seems that both 661 and FR2-LE are good, but I somehow prefer Fostex. Like Belexes said, I probably can't make a big mistake. And I don't think I'll have use for digital I/O (I'll probably only connect it to mics, headphones and computer). The only thing that I'm still thinking is the noise level. It seems like Fostex has a little lower level, but then, what do you think: could I utilize my Rodes significantly better if I'd buy a 1000€ recorder? I won't probably do that because there simply isn't enough money, but I'm wondering that if I will buy this Fostex or Marantz, do I kinda lose a little of Rodes' potential concerning the noise? I don't want to do that... of course, with 500€ you can't get the best, but how close to the best?

[fmaderjr]

I'm a bit puzzled by the responses because it seems to me that the original posted did not start out asking about all in one decks. He was asking about a recorder and preamp.

I'm in the minority-I hate my FR-2LE. Not enough gain to satisfy me for acoustic music, so its hard for me to see how it would be great for nature without an external pre. I guess I must be wrong, given all the positive responses about it, but I'm a bit surprised to hear it works well for nature. I would sell the damn thing but when Busman finally got it working correctly, he left a part rattling around inside that I`` can't get out, so nobody would want it.

If you want an external pre, I would get a MixPre or MP-2 (very quiet) and a smaller recorder like an Edirol R-09HR or Sony PCM-M10. The Marantz 661 would also be great if it fits the budget & you want the option of going digi-in later. The fact that it may be a tiny bit noisier than the FR2-LE would be irrelevant if you are using it with a preamp. I would never get a FR2-LE if I was going to be using an external pre anyway.