Didn't you said in the begining of the thread that you'll be using the recorder for field recordings? I mean, outdoor capture of sound? Enviroments usually are noisy, if you're recording urban soudscapes, that won't make a big diference, perhaps in remote nature settings you'll hear that diference in using the mics, anyway the Rode NT1 are large diaphragm mics, so huge to carry around in the field, and the options for whidshields are very rare... I don't know how we get into this mics-preamp-recorder situation... if you want a all-in-one option, easier to carry anywhere, the Marantz 661 will be much nicer, because it has onboard mics and XLR input phantom mics, you could also consider the Tascam DR-100 and the Zoom H4n... (the best preamps are the 661, but the onboard mics are the H4n), but if you want good preamps, and you cant get a SD machine, the the Fostex is the way to go... but i'm a bit confused with the way the thread turn out, you should specify first the recording situations you want... and not get tangled in this tecno rush...