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Gear / Technical Help => Recording Gear => Topic started by: stevetoney on December 17, 2011, 12:51:13 AM

Title: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 17, 2011, 12:51:13 AM
My new Tascam DR100mkii was delivered today, so I'm gonna start a review since this just started shipping this week.  I'll add to the review as I test this thing out, so check back every so often. 

I paid $330 from B&H with free ground delivery from UPS.  I ordered it on Tuesday and it arrived on my front step this afternoon, which is Friday.

First thing is to discover what's included in the box.  Check out the following picture...starting from upper right and working clockwise around the attached photo, all of the following items were included in the box.

-  Users manual and warranty cards
-  Neoprene case
-  Wireless remote control with battery (clear plastic sheet is pulled out to activate battery and keep it from running down prior to use)
-  Mini-USB Cable
-  Windscreen (slips over the top end where the mics are located)
-  Wired remote case (the wireless remote is inserted into this case to convert the wireless remote to a wired remote)
-  Li-ion battery
-  8 foot long male-min > male mini cable for connecting the wired remote case to the recorder
-  Tascam DR100mkii
-  RCA > mini digital input cable

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000340-1.jpg)

Here are some closer-up images of the unit itself...

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000341-1.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000362-1.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000350-1.jpg)

The first thing I was curious about was the size.  Here are a few photo's to show the relative size of the unit (compared side-by-side with a PMD-661)

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000344-1.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000345-1.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000354-1.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000359-1.jpg)

I like the fact that a protective case is included standard with the recorder.  Sony charges an extra $30 for theirs.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000346-1.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000348-1.jpg)

The two main features that appealed to me about this recorder are the digital input and the dual battery option.  I immediately checked both out.  I noted that the mini-jack fits with the right amount of snug-ness...I was concerned that it might be too loose and be prone to losing connection, but has a good feel of 'not too much, but not too little'.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000349-1.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000361-1.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000343-1.jpg)

A slightly annoying feature of the Sony M10 is that the switches on the back are a little too easy to bump out of position accidently, so I taped those to keep it from happening.  No tape needed on this unit...these switches are both recessed and need a little bit of force to move to the next position.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000342-1.jpg)

I'm not sure how much I'll use the wired remote, but it came as a surprise to me that the unit comes packaged with both wireless and wired capability.  The wireless remote is inserted into a holster that has a belt clip on the back.  An eight foot long cable connects the holster to the unit.  For better or worse, the jack that connects the wired remote is the same jack as is used for the digital input.  Obviously, that means the wired remote can't be used at the same time as the digital input.  However, we'll have to wait and see until later in the review if there are any issues with using the wireless concurrently with the digital input.  [EDIT; 2011-12-27: After further testing, the wired remote DOES work at the same time as the digital input.  My initial assumption was wrong....NICE!!!]

The first photo shows the parts disassembled and the second photo shows the wireless assembled and connected.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000351-1.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000352-1.jpg)

Picking the unit up and giving it a first feel through, it feels typically solid.  Nothing really cheap feeling about the unit.  I'm pretty sure I read that the body of the unit is made of aluminum, so that's a nice feature.

Obviously, first thing I did (before reading the instructions...who reads the manual before starting to play with their new electronics right?) was to turn the unit on.  Nice!  The on/off button requires a push and hold for about 3 or 4 seconds for the unit to turn on or off.  This hold aspect is a nice feature because it can help to prevent accidental shut offs.  I've owned units where it was easy to accidentally hit the power button (UA-5 for example) and this is a good 'attention to detail' feature.

Out of curiosity, I engaged the 'hold switch', which is located just above the on/off button, and the unit won't turn on when the switch is engaged and if the unit is on, the hold switch of course prevents the unit from shutting off.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000369.jpg)

I'm sure the internal mics on this unit won't matter to many people on taperssection, but it has four built-in mics.  The two omni's are shown in the following photo and they're on the face of the unit, while the directional mics are on the top of the unit.  I was confused at first when I got this unit because it appeared that the directional mics on the top are arranged in parallel in an A/B mic configuration.  That doesn't make alot of sense for directional mics that are only 2 1/2 inches apart.  However, upon closer inspection if you hold the unit up to the light so you can see through the screens of the directional mics, you can see that the capsules on the inside of the screens are facing 45 degrees apart from each other.  So, while the separation is still a little close for a classic DIN or DINa configuration, the mics are at least properly angled. 

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000366.jpg)

To test the directional aspect of the mics, I put the unit in front of my face and spoke while turning the unit around through 360 degrees.  With the mics in the omni position, the unit does indeed have seem to have a good omni pattern, as my voice didn't seem to drop off at all as I rotated the unit through 360 of motion.  Similarly, with the directional mics engaged, the unit has distinct directional pickup characteristics.  Obviously, this was a totally non-scientific test method, but satisfied me that the internals will at least act as billed.

Not sure how well the following pictures will show it, but I tried to show how you can see the capsules inside the protective cage of the directional mics, showing that the capsule is oriented at 45 degrees.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000401.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000402.jpg)

In addition to the dual battery situation previously shown, the unit can be operated with a five volt wall wart.  As shown in the picture, the tip is positive.  Notice that a wall-wart does NOT come standard with the unit, but it's available for optional purchase.  I didn't find this to be such a big deal because I never use the wall-wart with my recorders.  In the end, the only reason it's important to me is if I sell the recorder, the next guy asks for $25 off if the wall-wart isn't included if it originally came with the package.  However, I can see where the wall wart would be needed for anyone that would be using this recorder, say to regularly record from the soundboard.  (Note:  I'll get to powering options a little later.)

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000370.jpg)

In addition to the on/off button and hold switch, the left side of the unit also has the USB port.  An included standard mini-USB cable is used to transfer files and charge the internal battery.  (Internal can also be recharged with either the USB or a wall-wart.)  There is a headphone level control, 1/8 mini headphone jack, 1/8 mini Line Out jack and 1/8 inch mini Line In jack.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000382.jpg)

The top of the unit has the directional mics and the SD card slot.  The SD card cover on most recorders is a small compartment door that flips open, but on this one it's more of a plastic cover similar to covers I've seen on the sides of alot of cameras.  I think you can tell from the picture what I'm talking about.  It's probably not a big deal, as long as the plastic cover never has issues or gets damaged (I suppose that could happen to a flip door too, so neither here nor there), but I think that a flip open door would have probably felt a more robust and high quality.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000375.jpg)

The right side of the unit has the level control knobs, cover for the li-ion battery, and the mini-jack for the wired remote and the digital in.  I've always loved the design of this type of a control knob, where L and R can been independently adjusted, but for the majority of the time levels are adjusted on both L and R simultaneously.  Note that the jack for the remote/digital input is a 2.5mm mini-jack.  All of the other mini-jacks on the unit are 3.5mm mini. 

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000384.jpg)

The bottom on the unit has the XLR connectors and a selector switch for mic or line levels on the XLRs.  I learned to really like this feature when I owned a 702.  This is also a feature on the PMD-661.  The reason I liked it was that when I use an external preamp, this feature allows you to set the stock inputs on the recorder at line level...most of my external preamps sound a heck of a lot better than anything I've gotten (stock or modded) internal to an all-in-one recorder, so when I have the option, I've always preferred setting the XLRs at Line Level and max'ing out signal from my external pre.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000383.jpg)

The front has all of the navigational controls and buttons.  The main feature of the front is the navigation/spin wheel...I've always been a fan of this type of control so I really like this control.  For those that are familiar with the ipod classic, it's essentially the same functionally except the wheel actually spins.  When navigating a menu, you'll spin the wheel clockwise and counterclockwise to navigate through the menu.  The button in the center is an enter or select button.

I do find that the front of the unit is little busy with lots of buttons and when you inventory what's there, you see a couple of buttons whose function isn't very obvious (and frankly, I'm not seeing them to be all that useful once I figured out what they do).  Of course, it has the standard buttons for stop, play/pause, record buttons, >> and <<, menu and home.  There are four buttons that just aren't all that obvious...PB control, I/O loop, Quick and Auto.  I'll discuss what those do later.

Finally, there is an input selector switch at the upper right.  This switch enables the user to select between XLRs, directional internals, omni internals, or Line In. 

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000372.jpg)

This concludes my initial 'once over' of the unit.


POWERING THE TASCAM DR-100MmkII

The power scheme for this unit is innovative and probably the most unique design feature of the DR-100mkII.  There are four separate ways to power this unit.  What makes this a fantastic design feature is that all these options make for a situation where you will have both flexibility and control of powering when you are in the field...and this can be especially helpful if you are at a festival.  So the four different options for powering are...

- Internal AA batteries (either regular or rechargeable)
- Internal Li-Ion battery
- External battery connected via the 5V connector
- AC powered via a wall-wart

The manuals says the li-ion recharges in 3 hours through a wall-wart but since I didn't have a stock wall-wart for this, I elected to initial charge the li-ion through the USB. 

Last night before bed I plugged the unit into the USB on my computer.  While it is charging, a red/orange 'charge' light is lit.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000379.jpg)

I'm not sure how long the battery took to charge from the USB, but when I got up this morning the battery was charged and the light was out.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000381.jpg)

Note that the connector tip on the 5V was previously identified as tip POSITIVE.  Upon closer examination and testing the size of the tip, it turns out that the tip used is the same tip as the PMD-661.  Referring to Ted Gakidis' guide to equipment power tips, that means that the tip needed for this is Size B, 4.00mm OD × 1.70mm ID / Center pin (+)  Ring (-) / Normal Polarity.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000386.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000387.jpg)

Taking both the AAs and the Li-ion out of the unit so that there's no internal power, I connected my Power Runner battery which was set to 5V and fired the unit up to verify that it will run without any issues on external battery power!  YESSS!  (Notice how the display indicated in the upper right hand corner that I'm connected to AC...actually I'm just supplying 5V DC from the external power jack!)

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000388.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000389.jpg)

An interesting feature of this recorder is that the either the Li-ion or the AA batteries can be selected as the main battery.  Use the menu as shown below to select which battery you want to have as the main battery.  This selection causes the recorder to draw from that battery first...and according to the manual once that battery drains down, the other battery seamlessly takes over.  I'll confirm this through testing later.

First are a couple of photos that show the menu selections for choosing which battery you want as main.  In this case I've selected the internal Li-Ion battery.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000392.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000391.jpg)

A nice feature is that the main display tells you which battery is being used at any given time...see the upper right corner of the display.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000393.jpg)

Then I switched and selected the AA's as main.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000394.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000395.jpg)

OK, one thing that's somewhat confusing about the manual is that it indicates that you can hot swap a low battery as long as that battery is NOT selected as the main battery.  It indicates that you'll lose your recording.  So, my immediate concern is what EXACTLY happens to the recording in this case.  Is it saved intact?  Is it saved at all?  Is it corrupted?  To test this, I simply removed all power from the unit while I was recording through the internals.  The result, which you can see from the sequence shown below is that the file is corrupt, but not lost. 

(Having some experience with this issue after owning an MT2496, it appears to me that this is the same situation as MT2496 corrupt files.  I've fixed many MT2496 files using the handy Homegrown WAV Header fix tool linked below).

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=72936.0

This first audio file was recorded and stopped normally.  Notice the file size is 3.7M.  When you press play, the file plays normally.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000397.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000396.jpg)

I unplugged all power while recording the second file and you can see, the file still appears up on the menu, but it's file size is 0MB and when you press play, you get an error message.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000399.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000398.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000404.jpg)

At first glance, this isn't a very positive finding.  However, let's throw this issue on the back burner for now and do some more testing of the power switching capabilities to see how likely it is that we'd ever run into a situation of losing power completely.  (I'm still curious to test that statement in the manual about problems if 'main' is selected and then power battery gets removed!)

Testing different battery configurations and automatic switchover in case of sudden disconnect of one of the power supplies:

-  AA selected as main, no AA inserted, Li-ion inserted; unit powers on without problem...power is being supplied from Li-ion
-  Li-ion selected as main, no Li-ion inserted, AA inserted; unit powers on without program...power is being supplied from AA
-  Li-ion selected as main, no li-ion inserted, AA inserted, 5V external battery connected; disconnect external and it switches automatically to being powered from AA
-  AA selected as main, no AA inserted, Li-ion inserted, 5V external battery connected; disconnect external and it switches automatically to being power from Li-ion
-  AA selected as main, both AA and Li-ion inserted, no external battery connected; remove AA and UNIT POWERS OFF (no automatic switchover)!  :(
-  Li-ion selected as main, both AA and Li-ion inserted, no external battery connected; remove li-ion and it switches automatically to being powered from AA.
-  AA selected as main, AC power supply on, no AA or Li-ion battery inserted; unit powers on without any issues
-  Li-ion selected as main, AC power supply on, no AA or Li-ion battery inserted; unit powers on without any issues

Summary:  Strangely enough, the unit does automatic switchover from any power supply to any other power supply for all situations EXCEPT FOR ONE...when the AA battery is selected as main and it's removed before it's drained.  This is fairly easily resolved procedurally.  If you want to swap out the AA before they're dead, you go into the menu and manually swap the main battery from AA to Li-ion.  Then you can remove the AA for hot swapping without fear of losing power to the unit.

Even though the above glitch is resolve procedurally, it is a little bit concerning.  I can easily see a situation...say during a festival...where you would want to have the li-ion as your emergency power supply, so AA are selected as main because you don't want to drain the Li-ion at all during the weekend...you only want the Li-ion to be used in case you accidently forget to change AA before the AA runs dead. 

OK, so now you're in the middle of the festival and your AAs start running low so it's time to swap them out for a fresh pair.  You're in the middle of a killer set and you forget to go into the menu to change to Li-ion as main and you pull your batteries out.  Boom!  You've just lost a recording!  (OK maybe it can be recovered using WAVE fixer, but right now that's not looking like a good option to me.)

The question I have from the above is...if every other configuration allows for automatic switchover without the unit powering down, why would it make a difference if the AA's are removed suddenly?  The second question is what is the difference between an automatic switchover upon removing the batteries suddently while they have power vs. an automatic switchover after the batteries have drained down (the manual of course says that if the AAs are selected as main and they go dead, there would be an automatic swtichover to the Li-ion.)  This is obviously something that I need to test out!!!

Stay Tuned!!

...several hours later...well I set the recorder at main = AA and ran a partially used pair of rechargeables out and it does indeed switchover to the Li-ion without a problem...that's definitely good. 

I don't really understand the difference between pulling the AA's out and having the unit shutdown and have the AAs run out and the unit does a switchover, especially when the unit seems to do a swithover with every other permutation of lost power.

Finally, I took out all of the batteries and plugged in the USB cable to see if the unit could be powered via the USB.  At first I thought that it couldn't be because as with other recorders, the unit automatically detects that it's connected to the computer via USB and defaults to basically being recognized as a removable drive my your PC.  See below.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000413.jpg)

However, Dan Nolan (spyder9) pointed out that there is a workaround for the above and I confirmed that the DR-100mkII reacts consistently with Dan's experience on the DR-1.  In the responses to this review Dan pointed out...

There is a work around.  Press Record first, THEN plug in the external USB battery pack.  You'll continue to record while charging the Lithium on the fly.  No "USB Connect" screen.  I perfected this at Wanee a few years ago with my DR-1, which runs the same battery.   A simple cheapo USB AA battery pack had that puppy running 11 hours.  Hot swapping made easy.  NOTE:  if you Stop your recording, the "USB Connect" screen will come up, but no fears, your recording will be saved.


RUN TIME TEST 

I'll start doing a run-time test tonight with a fresh pair of energizer batteries and then tomorrow night I'll run the Li-ion battery down to see what it gets.  (I don't currently have a pair of P48 mics, so I'm not going to be able do run time tests with P48 engaged.)

Run Time = 3 1/4 hours  (AA Energerzers, P48 off, internal directional mics selected, backlight off)

Run Time = 5 hours  (AA Ni-MH Energizer Rechargeables, P48 off, internal directional mics selected, backlight off)

Run Time = 5 1/2 hours  (Li-ion, P48 off, internal directional mics selected, backlight off)


MEDIA TEST 

I only currently own two SD cards, plus the 2gb card that was supplied with the recorder.  One card is an 8gb Sandisc, Class 2 and the other card is a 16gb Lexar, Class 4.  After testing them out with some quick, basic format, recording and playback checkouts, all three of the cards seem to work fine in the unit. 

Interesting note, there are two options for formatting the SD cards in the menu; Quick Format and Full Format.  Quick format seemed to take only 5 or 10 seconds for either of these cards, but Full Format was another story.  At first, I thought there was a problem because the 2gb card was taking an abnormal amount of time to go through the full format, which I figured would take a few minutes.  However, checking the manual, it warns that you should plug the unit into AC power before doing a full format.  Realizing that the full format may just be a very slow process I re-started the full format on the 2gb card.  Wow, it took over 18 minutes to finish a full format.  I'm not sure if the time would extrapolate linearly for the larger cards, but safe to say that full format will take a LOOONG time for the larger sized SD cards. 

The unit didn't recognize either of the larger cards when I first inserted them...of course they hadn't been formatted in the DR100mkII yet.  When you load a card in the unit that isn't formatted in it, it first asks the user if you're sure you want to format the card...see photo below.  Press yes and the unit takes 10 seconds or so to do a quick format.  Both of my cards were good to go after the quick format, so I'm not really sure at this point what is the advantage of full format over quick format, but quick format seems to be all that's needed.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000409.jpg)

EDIT on 2011/12/19, 8pm:  Gutbucket provided a very nice summary of the difference between quick format and full format, which is copied below from Page 2 of this thread. 

Regarding media cards and formatting, I assume this unit will behave similarly to both the DR-680 and DR2d which I use.  A couple comments on that that may be helpful-

With the DR-680 and the DR-2d, I’ve found it best to do full formats of the SDHC cards with a computer (formatting as FAT32) since doing that is far, far faster than trying to run a full format using the recorder.  I then transfer the card to the recorder, power it up and it will either ask to format, requiring a press of the enter button (and doing a quick format), or it will just ask to write system files to the card, which also requires a press of the enter button.  Writing system files does not erase the data on the card, it only adds system files and folders that the Tascam uses.

Important general notes on fast vs full-format (not specific to this recorder)-
Formatting erases the existing data on the card.  Actually it’s more complex than that as computer savvy users will already know- A quick format basically erases the file system table of contents and allows the existing data on the card to be overwritten, but it may be possible to retrieve existing data before it has been overwritten by using file retrieval software.  A full format completely erases the media, overwriting the existing data and also checking the full media for errors.  Data is usually not recoverable after a full format.  That applies to most all ‘flash’ recorders that use solid state media cards.

I share multiple SDHC cards between recorders and cameras.  The Tascam machines are pickier about formatting and system files than my other recorders and cameras [edit- and will often ask to format a card it does not recognize, where as my Edirol R-44, R-09s, Panasonic and Cannon cameras generally work with any FAT32 formatted card].  To make sure I can use any freashly formatted card in any of my SDHC recorders and cameras, my working procedure for SDHC cards is as follows:

1)   Do a full format of the card with a computer (choose FAT32 file system).
2)   Put card in DR-680 and power up. DR-680 will ask to format (doing a quick format) and will write folders and system files to the card. 
3)   Put card in DR2d and power up. DR2d will ask to write its own system file.
4)   Put card in the pool of  ‘empty and ready to use cards’.  Any of my devices will now read and write to the card.  A couple cameras will add their own folders and system files the first time a formatted card is used in them, but they don’t specifically ask to do and present a risk of accidental formatting.

Note: The DR-680 is picker than the DR-2d.  With a freshly computer formatted card, the DR-680 will require it’s own quick format (erasing anything that may be on the card) while the DR2d usually only requires writing system files, which does not risk erasing other data that is already present.  By following the procedure above, I can interchange cards at any time between all of my devices, without having to re-format and loose data.  Good pre-festival procedure, but maybe unnecessary if you don’t need the flexibility of swapping cards around.


REVIEW OF MENU SELECTIONS

I don't think I'll do a very detailed review of the menu because the DR100mkII basically has all of the same menu features as most other units, but I'll point out a couple of unique features that caught my eye on first run through.

First off, use of the spinwheel and the enter button is easy and intutive for navigating the menu, especially for people that have owned an ipod classic, since the same principle of navigation applies.

One setting that's kinda neat is the INPUT SETTING menu.  There is a selection on that menu that allows you to toggle the monitor on/off.  (See photo below.)  In the ON position, the recorder is continuously monitoring throught the headphones, regardless of whether or not the unit is recording to the SD card.  The feature also exists on the Sony D50...I'm hard of hearing and I actually found this to be a cool way to amplify the sound of the room you're in so you can hear things louder.  For example, I once happened to have the D50 with me in the car and brought it into our church and I was able to hear the ministers sermon ALOT better just by using the D50 to amp everything up.  It's a kinda handy little option!

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000410.jpg)

Another interesting feature that I haven't seen on any other recorder is that there's a menu selectable cue speed control.  You can select faster or slower cue speeds, depending on your preference from the menu up to a peak cue of x10 speed.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000412.jpg)


DIGITAL INPUT TEST

Starting to get into the nitty gritty.  One of the main reasons I bought this unit was because it has a digital input.  On taperssection we have discussed for several years now the need for a digital input on a reliable handheld recorder in the sub-$500 range.  Most people that didn't have a minimum of $600 for a PMD-661 had to suffer with the quirks and frustrations of the MicroTrack 2496 or MTII.  Both are terrible recorders and I know at least one person that gave up taping because they stopped enjoying shows after getting into it and the ONLY reason they gave up taping was the frustration of dealing with a Microtracker...they determined that recording wasn't worth losing the fun of the show!!  That just never happen to a brethren!

I think the DR100mkII is a real step in the right direction.  At $330, it bridges the gap between the MT line of recorder and the $600 required at the next step for a PMD-661.  Not that price is the only issue, the size of this unit, while larger than most handhelds, still is small enough that it can fit in a shirt pocket.   

As far as testing...I have a mini-me that I am using to test the digital input on the unit.  The mini-me has both AES/EBU and SPDIF outputs, so I first hooked up my mini-me through the digital SPDIF output.  The DR-100mkII locked in quickly at both 16bit and 24bit and at both 44.1 and 48khz sampling frequencies.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000419.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000416.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000417.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000418.jpg)

I did do a test of the unit through the AES/EBU output of the mini-me and the unit locked in at the 24/44.1 setting.  Strangely, it would NOT lock on the mini-me AES/EBU output signal when the settings were 16/44.1, 16/48, or 24/48.  However, the manual says that this unit outputs SPDIF, so apparently this isn't going to be a unit for people that need to interface with AES/EBU connectors.

I'm not sure if this is a big deal for some people.  I think most people needing the digital input would be needing to use the SPDIF standard, so obviously for them this unit should be OK
This is the message returned by the DR100mkII when the Digital Input will not lock...

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000415.jpg)

LI-ION BATTERY RECHARGE TEST

It took the battery 4hr, 20 minutes to recharge from fully dead until the recharge light goes out.  This was done recharging the battery via USB cable.

FILE SPLIT TEST

Tonight I checked to see if there is any dropped out music between file splits.  The unit allows you to set file sizes really small, so for test purposes I set the unit at the smallest size, then I recorded a Panic song into the Line In 2 jack.  First I recorded the song straight up without any split and then I recorded the same section of the song right before the unit got to the file split point and let the file split position itself in the same portion of the song I'd recorded straight through before.

I then loaded both samples into Audition to analyze the results.  First I opened the song with no splits.  Then I laid the second recording down parallel to the first.  If there was any dropped music from the second recording, it would show up in a comparison between the two because there would be some lost music at the gap split.

Results were totally positive...I zoomed way in and the two recordings absolutely paralleled each other and I couldn't see even the slightest dropping of music between track splits down to at least a hundredths of a second.

So, I'm calling this unit's track splitting capability completely seamless...NICE!


TESTING/REVIEWING THE REMOTE CONTROL

The remote control is active with the unit Remote/Deigi-In selection set to either Digi-In or RC-10, as shown below. 

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000423.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000421.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000422.jpg)

The remote control for this is shown in the the following photo.  The basic functions are covered.  There are some function buttons (F1, F2, etc) that perform some ancillary functions, but really not that big a deal to worry about.  If you really want to know what all the buttons do, PM me or check the manual.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000420.jpg)

In order to change this to being a wired remote, you simply take the harness and slide the wireless remote into the harness and snap it in place.  Note that the unit cannot be operated from the remote once the wireless is secured in the harness if the wireless is not plugged into the 2.5mm jack.  You can't really see all that well in one of the pictures, but the harness is more than just a plastic holder...it has an internal remote sensor in it that 'see's' the IR from the wireless and translates that for transmission over the cable.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000424.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000426.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000427.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000428.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000430.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000431.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000432.jpg)

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Please look closely at the following picture.  You'll see two 2.5mm cable connectors.  The top connector is the connector for the wired remote cable and the bottom is the connector for the digital input cable.  Second photo shows more clear which is which.  The important thing to note is that these two connectors are different.  The top connector has one fewer barrel connections than the bottom connector.  This will be something to note if anyone wants to make any custom cables for this unit.

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000433.jpg)
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000434.jpg)

Functionally, here are some basic observations/findings when checking out the functionality of the remote:

-  Wirelessly, the remote works with up to 9 feet of free air space between the remote and the unit.
-  The remote does not function wirelessly once inserted into the harness.
-  Remote functions (both wireless and wired) are NOT disabled or frozen when the hold switch is engaged.
-  The remote (both wireless and wired) is functional when digi-in is selected.
-  The remote is disabled completely by selecting the footswitch (which is an optional accessory) from the menu (see photo below).

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000435.jpg)


USING THE LOW/MID/HIGH GAIN SWITCH

The switch on the back (see photo below) seems to be a handy feature that's unique to this unit in the handheld market.  This L/M/H switch is used to adjust the gain scale on the mic-in (XLR inputs) depending on the level of input sound being recorded.  The switch seems to me to be similar to the menu selectable low/high scale on the Sound Devices SD-7XX machines.  The switch is a rough adjustment while the level control knob allows for fine adjustment.  Another analogy is that the L/M/H switch is analogous to the step gain control on a V3 while the level knob is analogous to the trim control on the V3.

Here's what the manual says...

L (LOW)
Use to record band performance and other loud sounds of close sound sources.

M (MID)
Use to record acoustic guitars and wind instruments, for example.

H (HIGH)
Use to record meetings, voices and other quiet sounds or distant sound sources.

The manual also says...

NOTE:
When the MIC GAIN switch is set to M (MID), if the level meters do not extend very far even as the INPUT volume setting approaches 10, set the MIC GAIN to H (HIGH).  On the other hand, if the level meters stay extended even as the INPUT volume setting approaches 0, set the MIC GAIN to L (LOW).

Couldn't have said it better myself!

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/P1000342-1.jpg)


TESTING THE LOW/MID/HIGH GAIN SWITCH AND THE LEVEL CONTROL

I was interested to determine the amount of gain added when the gain switch went from the L to the M setting and then again from the M to the H setting.  So, after giving this some thought, I figured out a test that I think determined this fairly well.  I went downstairs in my basement where it's fairly quiet and the background is fairly uniform and without miscellaneous noises or sounds.  I recorded the background at each setting and then loaded the results into Audition to see electronically what amount of gain gets added at each step.

The first thing I found out is that the L/M/H switch is disabled when the Mic In/Line In switch is moved into the Line-In position.  I really like this feature because I don't want to be adding any gain from the unit when I'm using an external preamp.  Nice.

Moving the XLR switch over to Mic In, I ran the swich through each of the settings while recording the results.  The following were my results...

L to M  -  +25db

M to H  - +25db

I also tested the amount of gain that is added by the gain dial. 

First, as expected, in spite of the fact that the L/M/H switch is disabled in Line In position, the gain control controls the levels in with the XLR switch in either Mic In or Line In.

To conduct this test, I set the XLR switch to Mic In and set the L/M/H switch to M.  Then I ran the level control through the full range from 0 to 10 and then back to zero again.

The results of this test are that the level control has 30db of range.

So, interestingly the L/M/H switch provides 25db of gain with each step increase and the level knob provides 30db of gain when running it from 0 through 10.  This provides a nice coverage range, where the L/M/H switch is used for rough setting the gain scale needed for the type of sounds being recorded, while the level control is used for fine tuning.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: F.O.Bean on December 17, 2011, 12:59:23 AM
Looks awesome buddy :) My DR2D arrives tomorrow! Merry XMAS to yourself and I Steve ;D 8)

So, please tell me youre keeping your M10 ??? Once I get my new Busman mics and my new LB end of January, we will have quite the kickass setups :)

Congrats my phriend! BTW, whjatcha doin for NYE ???
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: TimeBandit on December 17, 2011, 03:40:30 AM
after i read this it's fact the Tascam blews the Oly ls100 away.

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 17, 2011, 08:28:42 AM
Great review! Looking forward to more. Thanks! :coolguy:
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 17, 2011, 11:33:30 AM
Update made at 11:30am on Saturday December 17.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: ashevillain on December 17, 2011, 12:23:43 PM
Does the hold switch lock the level adjustment?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 17, 2011, 02:56:30 PM
Here's a diagram from Tascam re: their internal mic configuration:
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Javier Cinakowski on December 17, 2011, 03:23:37 PM
Fantastic review Steve.

Im curious to find out why you Luke this deck more than the 661. (Other than dual battery as u mentioned.)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: aaronji on December 17, 2011, 04:30:17 PM
This looks pretty good!  I like the metal case (it just makes it feel more robust to me) and the user-swappable Li-ion.  I'm very curious to hear about run times, particularly with P48 on, and audio quality!  I wonder if it puts out the full 48V too (think Microtrack's 30V P48)...

Thanks for being the Guinea pig, Steve!  I can't wait to read your further observations...
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: mhlsr on December 17, 2011, 09:24:30 PM
I have the DR100, exact same case except for some minor changes. In regards to the wireless remote I covered up the sensor on the unit with black electrical tape. At some shows I recorded in the taper section there were 1 or 2 other DR100's. If someone messed with the wireless remote they could screw up other decks.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: newplanet7 on December 17, 2011, 09:54:29 PM
Can't wait to see what you think of the stock pres/noise and whether this pig can be run barefoot, straight in
Wondering how the headphone volume is also. When I make my comeback it will be either this deck
or the 661 I am thinking.

todd
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: hi and lo on December 18, 2011, 10:09:04 AM
Nice work Steve! Really great review. Pocketbook beware.

It doesn't really appear there is anything special about the digital input jack other than it's 2.5mm. I assume it will be pretty easy to wire up a more robust cable with a right angle 2.5mm plug and a locking type connector rather than rca.

I'll be really curious to know how the stock pres sound as well. I don't record only two-channels all that often anymore, but this would be a nice addition for those times where I'm too lazy to haul the 680 around. I am thinking psp2 > ad2k+ > dr100 should sound pretty good. :)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 18, 2011, 11:44:50 AM
Folks.  Thanks for the encouragement.  What I plan to do is add to this review as I go.  So the review is a work in progress and I figure it will take me maybe a week or two to write everything I want to about the unit. 

So keep the questions coming as far as things you want to know about it and I'll see what I can do to make sure they are addressed in the long run.  I can't promise that my access to technology or brain matter will allow me to do some of the more technical junk that some people do when they do whatever bench testing can be done, but I'll do my best.

I did a small update this morning (Sunday and I plan to write some more today).  The update this morning was to address some incorrect conclusions I'd reached yeterday about the internal mics, where I'd originally though that the 2 directional mics are simply pointing upward in a parallel A/B manner, but I held the screens up to the light and you can see that the capsules are arranged at a 45 degree angle, so they're in a close DINa pattern.  Also, the omni's seem to work as omni's since a rough test of pressing play and turning the unit through 360 degrees confirmed that they're indeed omni-directional.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: hi and lo on December 18, 2011, 11:55:54 AM
In terms of testing, I think I'd be most interested in how reliable it is at locking to an external SPDIF signal from different A/D's and at various sample rates. I assume the noise specs of the mic preamps are in-line with with the DR-100, so pretty good but certainly not spectacular. If they improved those, it would certainly be a pleasant surprise.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 18, 2011, 05:52:53 PM
I know that the Li-ion battery will charge from a USB connection. Can you power the unit itself from a USB connection?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 18, 2011, 08:06:54 PM
I know that the Li-ion battery will charge from a USB connection. Can you power the unit itself from a USB connection?

Nope.  Explanation and photo added.  Basically it's just like other recorders...once you connect the USB to the PC, it acts like a separate drive for downloading files from the recorder but recorder functionality is disabled.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: mcnys on December 19, 2011, 03:22:15 AM
i wounder how good are preamps :)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dominic on December 19, 2011, 10:55:54 AM
What's your impression of the recorder's sound in general?
I am looking to buy a recorder and am having trouble choosing between this, the Roland R-26 and the PMD661.
Is it worth spending a bit more, are the pre-amps a lot better on the PMD?
Thanks
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 19, 2011, 12:57:29 PM
To those asking about the sound quality of the pre-amps, I ask for your patience.  I understand that this is one of the most important questions for any All-In-One recorder.

I've never felt that just cranking the stereo and doing a comp in the basement provides a very good test, if for no other reason because my stereo sucks.  I'd really like to have the chance to take this out the run it in the club setting and compare the sound the 661's stock pre's and my PSP-3.

Anyway, I only got the unit on Friday, so I haven't had a chance to take it out in the field yet.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: flintstone on December 19, 2011, 01:16:42 PM
Fantastic report, thanks for your exploration of power options.

Any battery life test results?  The older DR-100 running on the Li-Ion batt and internal mics gets about 7 hours, according to published sources.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 19, 2011, 01:50:58 PM
Fantastic report, thanks for your exploration of power options.

Any battery life test results?  The older DR-100 running on the Li-Ion batt and internal mics gets about 7 hours, according to published sources.

Coincidentally, I've got the unit running down the Li-ion right now.  I don't have a pair of P48 mics, so I'm letting it power the internal directional mics.  Not sure how much of a 1 for 1 that is with providing 48V phantom to a pair of mics, but after doing it this way I'll do the same test over again with my tube mics (which don't use any phantom powering) for comparison.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Gutbucket on December 19, 2011, 03:52:29 PM
+T on the thorough review and testing, Steve.  BTW, excellent taste in test CDs.  ;)
 
Quote
-  AA selected as main, both AA and Li-ion inserted, no external battery connected; remove AA and UNIT POWERS OFF (no automatic switchover)! 

I’m sure you’ve planned this already, but I’d suggest the following power switchover test: Set AA’s as ‘MAIN’ power source.  Allow unit to run until it indicates that it has fully depleted the AAs and has switched to the Li-ion.  Try swapping the AAs batteries at that point to see if it shuts down.  Hopefully it does not, and (barring a possible firmware update that corrects the issue) the practical work around for that festival powering hot-swap scenario becomes either of two choices:
1) Wait for the unit to switchover to the Li-ion before changing AAs while recording,
-or-
 2) Enter the menu and change ‘MAIN’ power source to Li-ion before swapping the AAs.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 19, 2011, 04:07:10 PM
+T on the thorough review and testing, Steve.  BTW, excellent taste in test CDs.  ;)
 
Quote
-  AA selected as main, both AA and Li-ion inserted, no external battery connected; remove AA and UNIT POWERS OFF (no automatic switchover)! 

I’m sure you’ve planned this already, but I’d suggest the following power switchover test: Set AA’s as ‘MAIN’ power source.  Allow unit to run until it indicates that it has fully depleted the AAs and has switched to the Li-ion.  Try swapping the AAs batteries at that point to see if it shuts down.  Hopefully it does not, and (barring a possible firmware update that corrects the issue) the practical work around for that festival powering hot-swap scenario becomes either of two choices:
1) Wait for the unit to switchover to the Li-ion before changing AAs while recording,
-or-
 2) Enter the menu and change ‘MAIN’ power source to Li-ion before swapping the AAs.

Yes, that's exactly right, Gut.  You are correct that these are your two options. 

What happens in this scenario is that the AA batteries die and the unit does the automatic switchover.  When the switchover happens, MAIN changes over to the Li-ion (or if the main batteries started out being the Li-ion, main would switch over to the AAs).  Nothing happens when you remove the dead batteries because MAIN has already been switched over automatically. 

OK, if you're in the festival mode and you wanna keep your Li-ion as the backup for the rest of the weekend, at this point after you swap the dead batteries out, if you want the unit to start running on AA, you need to go back into the menu and manually change the battery selection back over the AAs being MAIN.  If you didn't do that, the Li-ion would continue running empty and then an automatic switchover back to the AAs would happen.  However, unless you have another Li-ion, at this point you have no back-up.

In my own personal festival powering situation, I'll probably go one step further and use that power runner you see in the pictures to power the unit and use both the AA and the Li-ion as emergency power.  I'll probably buy a pack of AAs before the festival and throw those in my bag, leave a fresh pair in the unit and set the AAs as MAIN so that if the Power Runner goes dead, first the AAs will kick in and I can swap those out until I run out, then as a last resort I'll have the Li-ion.  If I find $30 laying around sometime, I might pick up a spare Li-ion battery for fun.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Gutbucket on December 19, 2011, 04:09:36 PM
^^
That makes sense.

Regarding media cards and formatting, I assume this unit will behave similarly to both the DR-680 and DR2d which I use.  A couple comments on that that may be helpful-

With the DR-680 and the DR-2d, I’ve found it best to do full formats of the SDHC cards with a computer (formatting as FAT32) since doing that is far, far faster than trying to run a full format using the recorder.  I then transfer the card to the recorder, power it up and it will either ask to format, requiring a press of the enter button (and doing a quick format), or it will just ask to write system files to the card, which also requires a press of the enter button.  Writing system files does not erase the data on the card, it only adds system files and folders that the Tascam uses.

Important general notes on fast vs full-format (not specific to this recorder)-
Formatting erases the existing data on the card.  Actually it’s more complex than that as computer savvy users will already know- A quick format basically erases the file system table of contents and allows the existing data on the card to be overwritten, but it may be possible to retrieve existing data before it has been overwritten by using file retrieval software.  A full format completely erases the media, overwriting the existing data and also checking the full media for errors.  Data is usually not recoverable after a full format.  That applies to most all ‘flash’ recorders that use solid state media cards.

I share multiple SDHC cards between recorders and cameras.  The Tascam machines are pickier about formatting and system files than my other recorders and cameras [edit- and will often ask to format a card it does not recognize, where as my Edirol R-44, R-09s, Panasonic and Cannon cameras generally work with any FAT32 formatted card].  To make sure I can use any freashly formatted card in any of my SDHC recorders and cameras, my working procedure for SDHC cards is as follows:

1)   Do a full format of the card with a computer (choose FAT32 file system).
2)   Put card in DR-680 and power up. DR-680 will ask to format (doing a quick format) and will write folders and system files to the card. 
3)   Put card in DR2d and power up. DR2d will ask to write its own system file.
4)   Put card in the pool of  ‘empty and ready to use cards’.  Any of my devices will now read and write to the card.  A couple cameras will add their own folders and system files the first time a formatted card is used in them, but they don’t specifically ask to do and present a risk of accidental formatting.

Note: The DR-680 is picker than the DR-2d.  With a freshly computer formatted card, the DR-680 will require it’s own quick format (erasing anything that may be on the card) while the DR2d usually only requires writing system files, which does not risk erasing other data that is already present.  By following the procedure above, I can interchange cards at any time between all of my devices, without having to re-format and loose data.  Good pre-festival procedure, but maybe unnecessary if you don’t need the flexibility of swapping cards around.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Gutbucket on December 19, 2011, 04:16:39 PM
I have the DR100, exact same case except for some minor changes. In regards to the wireless remote I covered up the sensor on the unit with black electrical tape. At some shows I recorded in the taper section there were 1 or 2 other DR100's. If someone messed with the wireless remote they could screw up other decks.

DR2d has a menu setting which enables/disables use of the IR remote.  Not sure if that is the case with this machine.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 19, 2011, 06:42:25 PM
I have the DR100, exact same case except for some minor changes. In regards to the wireless remote I covered up the sensor on the unit with black electrical tape. At some shows I recorded in the taper section there were 1 or 2 other DR100's. If someone messed with the wireless remote they could screw up other decks.

DR2d has a menu setting which enables/disables use of the IR remote.  Not sure if that is the case with this machine.

Doesn't ring a bell, but I'll double check.

I got 5 1/2 hours run time from the internal Li-ion...backlight off, internal directional mics on, 24/48.  Not bad at all, AFAIC.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 19, 2011, 08:15:26 PM
To confirm that the AES/EBU synch issue I'm experiencing with the DR-100mkII isn't on the mini-me side, I just connected my 661 to the mini-me and ran it through all of the combo's of 16/24 and 44.1/48 while connected to both the AES/EBU and SPDIF outputs of the mini-me and the 661 synchs without problem, so that seems to confirm that this recorder does indeed have issues with AES/EBU signal...at least the signal issued from a mini-me.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: hi and lo on December 19, 2011, 08:26:57 PM
To be fair, the manual says it's SPDIF only.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: it-goes-to-eleven on December 19, 2011, 08:47:18 PM
Nice review.  This looks very promising.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: page on December 19, 2011, 09:01:08 PM
Fantastic review Steve.

+1
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: spyder9 on December 19, 2011, 09:29:50 PM
I keep hearing a little voice in my head:   "Come back to Team Tascam, Dan.  Come back................."    :o

+T Steve.  Great job on the review.  This thing is so tempting.  Tiny and versatile. 
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 19, 2011, 10:17:00 PM
To be fair, the manual says it's SPDIF only.

I missed that.  Thanks for the feedback Richard.  I'll update the review then based on that information. 

EDIT:  Review updated per your feedback Richard, thanks again.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 19, 2011, 10:22:57 PM
3 hrs, 15 minutes on a pair of AA energizers. 

Backlight off, internal directional mics, 24/48, low cut and the filters off, of course.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 19, 2011, 10:28:16 PM
I got delivery of my DR100mkii today, and wanted to report that it works with an AC adapter I originally bought on eBay for my Tascam DR-07 for about $6.00.

If you search PS-P520 on eBay, a bunch of them come up from different retailers.

It looks like this:

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 19, 2011, 10:29:55 PM
To everyone giving kudo's for the review, I'm just having a shitload of fun doing this.  :)  It's the first time I've ever done something like this and it's a blast...right up my alley of being a slutty muddyfugger.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 19, 2011, 10:32:31 PM
I got delivery of my DR100mkii today, and wanted to report that it works with an AC adapter I originally bought on eBay for my Tascam DR-07 for about $6.00.

If you search PS-P520 on eBay, a bunch of them come up from different retailers.

It looks like this:

Nice.  The more detailed specs in case you can't get this specific adapter would be 5V, B tip, tip positive. 
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: spyder9 on December 19, 2011, 10:54:50 PM
Lithium battery model #  Tascam BP-L2  priced anywhere between $34 - $46.    I've seen Chinese knockoffs of these batteries floating around the 'net too

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/579083-REG/Tascam_BP_L2_BP_L2_Battery_Pack_for.html



Tascam also made an AA battery pack to work with the 100.  It should work with the mkii no problem.  You can find cheaper versions on eBay.  I bought a 4 cell AA box for $8.00 shipped a few years ago.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/826148-REG/Tascam_BP_6AA_BP_6AA_External_Battery_Pack.html
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: spyder9 on December 19, 2011, 11:05:19 PM
I know that the Li-ion battery will charge from a USB connection. Can you power the unit itself from a USB connection?

Nope.  Explanation and photo added.  Basically it's just like other recorders...once you connect the USB to the PC, it acts like a separate drive for downloading files from the recorder but recorder functionality is disabled.

Not true Steve.  There is a work around.  Press Record first, THEN plug in the external USB battery pack.  You'll continue to record while charging the Lithium on the fly.  No "USB Connect" screen.  I perfected this at Wanee a few years ago with my DR-1, which runs the same battery.   A simple cheapo USB AA battery pack had that puppy running 11 hours.  Hot swapping made easy.  NOTE:  if you Stop your recording, the "USB Connect" screen will come up, but no fears, your recording will be saved.

Give it a try Steve when you get a chance.  Thanks again.  :) 
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Gutbucket on December 20, 2011, 12:02:03 AM
How'd you figure that one out?  :o
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: spyder9 on December 20, 2011, 12:39:31 AM
How'd you figure that one out?  :o

By accident.    :angel:
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: jbou on December 20, 2011, 02:45:42 AM
Not true Steve.  There is a work around.  Press Record first, THEN plug in the external USB battery pack.  You'll continue to record while charging the Lithium on the fly.  No "USB Connect" screen.  I perfected this at Wanee a few years ago with my DR-1, which runs the same battery.   A simple cheapo USB AA battery pack had that puppy running 11 hours.  Hot swapping made easy.  NOTE:  if you Stop your recording, the "USB Connect" screen will come up, but no fears, your recording will be saved.

Does this charge the Lithium and power the unit?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: spyder9 on December 20, 2011, 10:02:33 AM
Not true Steve.  There is a work around.  Press Record first, THEN plug in the external USB battery pack.  You'll continue to record while charging the Lithium on the fly.  No "USB Connect" screen.  I perfected this at Wanee a few years ago with my DR-1, which runs the same battery.   A simple cheapo USB AA battery pack had that puppy running 11 hours.  Hot swapping made easy.  NOTE:  if you Stop your recording, the "USB Connect" screen will come up, but no fears, your recording will be saved.

Does this charge the Lithium and power the unit?

YES!   ;D
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: it-goes-to-eleven on December 20, 2011, 10:42:35 AM
3 hrs, 15 minutes on a pair of AA energizers. 

Backlight off, internal directional mics, 24/48, low cut and the filters off, of course.

Cool. Thanks.   Wonder how that might improve with lithiums, and also p48 on.

Looking forward to learning more about the pre-amp stage performance at low rock gains, and higher gain settings.... And the unbal and balanced line-in performance.

And to think I finally broke down and bought an m10 less than three months ago!
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 20, 2011, 12:56:07 PM
4hr, 20 minutes to charge the Li-ion through the USB cable from dead until the light goes out.  (Great for hippy tapers.)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: ero3030 on December 20, 2011, 09:19:56 PM
^^^^^^ big hippy, dont let him fool ya!!!
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 20, 2011, 11:00:08 PM
Tested track splitting capability tonight.  Totally seamless!  Details added to the end of the review.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 21, 2011, 10:56:16 AM
Does the hold switch lock the level adjustment?

The hold switch DOES NOT lock level adjustment.  Seems to lock almost everything else though.  I'll do a detailed test and review and put it in the report.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 21, 2011, 11:04:55 AM
I have the DR100, exact same case except for some minor changes. In regards to the wireless remote I covered up the sensor on the unit with black electrical tape. At some shows I recorded in the taper section there were 1 or 2 other DR100's. If someone messed with the wireless remote they could screw up other decks.

DR2d has a menu setting which enables/disables use of the IR remote.  Not sure if that is the case with this machine.

Doesn't ring a bell, but I'll double check.

I got 5 1/2 hours run time from the internal Li-ion...backlight off, internal directional mics on, 24/48.  Not bad at all, AFAIC.

I need to make a correction on my earlier response about having the ability to disable the remote.  The menu has three choices that control what's going on with that 2.5mm jack.  The choices are:

digi-in
RC-10 remote
footswitch

The first selection is made for digital input recording.  The second selection is made to use the remote either in wireless or wired mode.  The final selection is for an optional footswitch.

Even though it's not specifically identified in the menu as such, if you choose the third selection, you can disable the remote.  Confirmed through testing.

I'll update the review to address this.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 21, 2011, 11:10:53 AM
I know that the Li-ion battery will charge from a USB connection. Can you power the unit itself from a USB connection?

Nope.  Explanation and photo added.  Basically it's just like other recorders...once you connect the USB to the PC, it acts like a separate drive for downloading files from the recorder but recorder functionality is disabled.

Not true Steve.  There is a work around.  Press Record first, THEN plug in the external USB battery pack.  You'll continue to record while charging the Lithium on the fly.  No "USB Connect" screen.  I perfected this at Wanee a few years ago with my DR-1, which runs the same battery.   A simple cheapo USB AA battery pack had that puppy running 11 hours.  Hot swapping made easy.  NOTE:  if you Stop your recording, the "USB Connect" screen will come up, but no fears, your recording will be saved.

Give it a try Steve when you get a chance.  Thanks again.  :)

Confirmed to be same for DR100mkII.  Also confirmed that file is not lost.

Thanks for the workaround Dan. 
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkII Review
Post by: jbell on December 21, 2011, 11:25:56 AM
Have you taped a show with it??
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Gutbucket on December 21, 2011, 11:35:26 AM
The hold switch DOES NOT lock level adjustment.  Seems to lock almost everything else though.  I'll do a detailed test and review and put it in the report.

Does it lock out the IR remote?  Hold switch on the DR2d does not, which is a nice feature IMO.  See below..

The menu has three choices that control what's going on with that 2.5mm jack.  The choices are:

digi-in
RC-10 remote
footswitch

The first selection is made for digital input recording.  The second selection is made to use the remote either in wireless or wired mode.  The final selection is for an optional footswitch.

Even though it's not specifically identified in the menu as such, if you choose the third selection, you can disable the remote.  Confirmed through testing.

That implies that the IR remote may be disabled if digital input recording mode is selected.  Is that the case? I've found it very convenient to be able to lock-down the DR2d with the hold switch and then use the IR remote to stop/start recording.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 21, 2011, 01:56:07 PM
The hold switch DOES NOT lock level adjustment.  Seems to lock almost everything else though.  I'll do a detailed test and review and put it in the report.

Does it lock out the IR remote?  Hold switch on the DR2d does not, which is a nice feature IMO.  See below..

No, does NOT lock-out IR remote or wired remote.   :coolguy:

The menu has three choices that control what's going on with that 2.5mm jack.  The choices are:

digi-in
RC-10 remote
footswitch

The first selection is made for digital input recording.  The second selection is made to use the remote either in wireless or wired mode.  The final selection is for an optional footswitch.

Even though it's not specifically identified in the menu as such, if you choose the third selection, you can disable the remote.  Confirmed through testing.

That implies that the IR remote may be disabled if digital input recording mode is selected.  Is that the case? I've found it very convenient to be able to lock-down the DR2d with the hold switch and then use the IR remote to stop/start recording.

Good news.  The remote is operable in both wired and wireless modes when digi-in is selected also.

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 21, 2011, 01:58:52 PM
I've updated the review to add checking out the remote.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: mterry on December 21, 2011, 05:15:57 PM
I'll be running mine @ New Deal two nights next week....V2 >

Can't wait!
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: newplanet7 on December 22, 2011, 07:42:33 AM
Mark, can you try running straight in for one set?
The opener perhaps, if there is one? I know a ton of us are curious about
the spls/distortion/brickwalling of running straight into the stock pres.
Thanks for the reviews Steve and hopefully Mr.T

-todd
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 22, 2011, 07:55:02 AM
Mark, can you try running straight in for one set?
The opener perhaps, if there is one? I know a ton of us are curious about
the spls/distortion/brickwalling of running straight into the stock pres.
Thanks for the reviews Steve and hopefully Mr.T

-todd

Todd.  My first night out with the recorder in a venue will be in a week, so if nobody has tested the pre's by then, I'll run the opening set straight through the internal preamp to see what we get. 

I've got the rest of the year off, so I think I'll do a basement music test in the meantime.  Even though I don't really like that method of testing, I'm losing patience to find out a little more about what they sound like.  ;)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: flintstone on December 22, 2011, 11:52:55 AM
First independent published preamp test : http://www.avisoft.com/recordertests.htm

The equivalent input noise level of the DR100mkII is pegged at -119 dBu.  The older DR100 tests out at -113 dBu.  Since the dB scale is logarithmic, a 6 dB improvement is substantial, certainly a difference you can hear in a recording if you're using decent mics.

The DR100mkII results put it in good company.  The old Edirol R-09HR scores -118 dBu, the Sony PCM-M10 -120 dBu.

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Ozpeter on December 22, 2011, 03:56:27 PM
Just for the record, the Sony M10 result depends on how it's set.

SONY PCM-M10
(SENSE HI, LEVEL 10)    -122dBu
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 22, 2011, 04:09:00 PM
I ran a stereo mic XLR IN into the DR-100mkii with phantom power on. It got about 3 1/4 hours out of the fully-charged lithium battery.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: aaronji on December 22, 2011, 04:13:55 PM
^^^ Interesting!  What is the current consumption of the mics you used?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 22, 2011, 04:35:21 PM
^^^ Interesting!  What is the current consumption of the mics you used?

I'm an ignoramus about these things. Not quite sure what to look for but the spec sheet says:

"Phantom power requirements:  48V DC, 6.4 mA typical – both channels total"

It's a stereo mic.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: newplanet7 on December 22, 2011, 07:38:51 PM
Mark, can you try running straight in for one set?
The opener perhaps, if there is one? I know a ton of us are curious about
the spls/distortion/brickwalling of running straight into the stock pres.
Thanks for the reviews Steve and hopefully Mr.T

-todd

Todd.  My first night out with the recorder in a venue will be in a week, so if nobody has tested the pre's by then, I'll run the opening set straight through the internal preamp to see what we get. 

I've got the rest of the year off, so I think I'll do a basement music test in the meantime.  Even though I don't really like that method of testing, I'm losing patience to find out a little more about what they sound like.  ;)
Steve, that would be stellar brother! I can tell you're curious as well.
I will be back in the game soon and I have a few recorders I have been rushing through my brain.
The top contenders as it stands right now are the 661 because I ran the 660 and am familiar with Marantz
and this tascam. So  am digging what yo are kicking out here Steve.Big time thanks.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: newplanet7 on December 22, 2011, 07:42:34 PM
I am also curious about the switch on the back.
I'm thinking it will stay in the Low position once SPL's from the PA are involved.
I was thinking it was more for mini-mics?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 22, 2011, 08:01:26 PM

Steve, that would be stellar brother! I can tell you're curious as well.
I will be back in the game soon and I have a few recorders I have been rushing through my brain.
The top contenders as it stands right now are the 661 because I ran the 660 and am familiar with Marantz
and this tascam. So  am digging what yo are kicking out here Steve.Big time thanks.

Well this works out well then.  My basement test will be the stock pre's on the 661 vs. the stock pres on the DR100mkII vs. the AETA PSP-3.  I'll probably do it tomorrow when my wife leaves the house since it requires some blasting of tune-age.

Definitely one of the things I'm going to check out is what the different gain steps are when you switch between L, M, and H and then what gain range at each setting the level dial goes through from zero to ten. 
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 22, 2011, 08:05:59 PM
I ran a stereo mic XLR IN into the DR-100mkii with phantom power on. It got about 3 1/4 hours out of the fully-charged lithium battery.

That's not as good as I expected based on my run-time test with the internals. 

Did you fully cycle your Li-ion a couple of times?  If not, you might not be getting your max run-time until you run your Li-ion down a time or two. 

(EDIT:  I don't necessarily think that new Li-ion batteries need to be cycled because Li-ions don't have a memory effect.  Therefore, I'm not sure from a technical perspective if the above comment is accurate or not, but just out of habit, I've always cycled my new rechargeables once or twice before taking them out into the jungle we call the real world.)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: spyder9 on December 22, 2011, 09:20:08 PM
Does the hold switch lock the level adjustment?

The hold switch DOES NOT lock level adjustment.  Seems to lock almost everything else though.  I'll do a detailed test and review and put it in the report.

That's fine for now.  The Sony M-10 suffers from the same issue.  Just tape the puppy down.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: spyder9 on December 22, 2011, 09:25:37 PM
I ran a stereo mic XLR IN into the DR-100mkii with phantom power on. It got about 3 1/4 hours out of the fully-charged lithium battery.

Thank you!!  Can you try with a pair of AA only and report results?  Thanks again.   
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: willndmb on December 22, 2011, 09:40:29 PM
wow what a review
nice work

so is it safe to assume the overall pros (also assuming it sounds good) vs a m10 are...
48v
dig in

the con is battery life
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: newplanet7 on December 22, 2011, 09:54:51 PM

Steve, that would be stellar brother! I can tell you're curious as well.
I will be back in the game soon and I have a few recorders I have been rushing through my brain.
The top contenders as it stands right now are the 661 because I ran the 660 and am familiar with Marantz
and this tascam. So  am digging what yo are kicking out here Steve.Big time thanks.

Well this works out well then.  My basement test will be the stock pre's on the 661 vs. the stock pres on the DR100mkII vs. the AETA PSP-3.  I'll probably do it tomorrow when my wife leaves the house since it requires some blasting of tune-age.

Definitely one of the things I'm going to check out is what the different gain steps are when you switch between L, M, and H and then what gain range at each setting the level dial goes through from zero to ten.
This intrigues me the most since you brought up the SD7xx feature and Hi and Lo brought up the
similar switches in the 680.
Can't wait!! If I was female I would be moist. Thanks again man.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 22, 2011, 10:04:10 PM
wow what a review
nice work

so is it safe to assume the overall pros (also assuming it sounds good) vs a m10 are...
48v
dig in

the con is battery life

Pros
Digital In
Locking XLRs
Mic In or Line In on XLR
On-board 48V Phantom
Multiple battery options for hot-swap-ability
Small size (fits in pocket)
Metal construction
Wired or wireless remote
Included accessories and especially case included
Recessed back switches (to prevent accidental re-positioning)

Cons
File header isn't written on a file when all power is removed
AES/EBU digital standard isn't recognized

While this clearly doesn't run as long on the same amount of juice as the M10, I'm not sure that battery life should be called a con since they've designed to eliminate all issues with limitations on battery life.  The only reason it's an issue is if you insist on buying alkalines and feeding it those, but I'm planning on using nothing but rechargeables.

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 22, 2011, 10:05:05 PM
I'm thinking it will stay in the Low position once SPL's from the PA are involved.

I'm pretty sure it will. My second test http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=152385.0 [see further down the page] with only acoustic piano had the switch at M and the gain at 5.0, and peaks were hitting -12db. When I had the switch at L, the gain was 8.0 and reached the same peaks.

I imagine with a PA, even with the switch on L, the gain will have to be quite low.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 22, 2011, 10:07:06 PM
Did you fully cycle your Li-ion a couple of times?  If not, you might not be getting your max run-time until you run your Li-ion down a time or two.

It didn't occur to me to do that, but I'll give it a try.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 22, 2011, 10:07:53 PM
I ran a stereo mic XLR IN into the DR-100mkii with phantom power on. It got about 3 1/4 hours out of the fully-charged lithium battery.

Thank you!!  Can you try with a pair of AA only and report results?  Thanks again.

Will do.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 22, 2011, 10:19:57 PM
Does the hold switch lock the level adjustment?

The hold switch DOES NOT lock level adjustment.  Seems to lock almost everything else though.  I'll do a detailed test and review and put it in the report.

That's fine for now.  The Sony M-10 suffers from the same issue.  Just tape the puppy down.

Actually, I like that level can still be adjusted even with the lock switch on.  This is the same on I think all of the recorders I've owned.  Even though I usually don't touch my levels much after the show starts, sometimes the FOH guy will lean on the levels as the show progresses and you might need to back yours off a little bit.  Regardless, you'd need to be pretty messed up to accidently move the level knob on this unit. 
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 22, 2011, 10:26:51 PM
I ran a stereo mic XLR IN into the DR-100mkii with phantom power on. It got about 3 1/4 hours out of the fully-charged lithium battery.

Thank you!!  Can you try with a pair of AA only and report results?  Thanks again.

Will do.
 

LOL, don't forget to take out the Li-ion first.  The first AA battery run-time test I did, I wasted a pair because I started it and went to bed while leaving it running.  When I got up in the morning it was still running and I was thrilled, but realized that sometime in the middle of the night it had swapped over to the Li-ion which I hadn't removed.  Doh! 
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: aaronji on December 23, 2011, 09:04:31 AM
^^^ Interesting!  What is the current consumption of the mics you used?

I'm an ignoramus about these things. Not quite sure what to look for but the spec sheet says:

"Phantom power requirements:  48V DC, 6.4 mA typical – both channels total"

It's a stereo mic.

Excellent!  Thanks!  My mics are spec'ed at 2.8 mA each, so I should be able to get run times similar to yours or a little better...

I ran a stereo mic XLR IN into the DR-100mkii with phantom power on. It got about 3 1/4 hours out of the fully-charged lithium battery.

That's not as good as I expected based on my run-time test with the internals. 

I don't think it's too bad, is it?...About 60% of the run-time of the internals seems pretty reasonable to me, although I guess it depends a lot on the needs of the internals vs. those of the externals (I would think the internals probably draw less current). 

I ran a stereo mic XLR IN into the DR-100mkii with phantom power on. It got about 3 1/4 hours out of the fully-charged lithium battery.

Thank you!!  Can you try with a pair of AA only and report results?  Thanks again.

Will do.

Thanks again!  Assuming that the difference in run-time between your mics and the internals with the Li-ion is consistent with that in the AAs, it should be another 1.9 hours or so.  More than five hours total without swapping batteries!  That sounds very good to me; I almost never need more than that...
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 23, 2011, 09:17:21 AM

That's not as good as I expected based on my run-time test with the internals. 

I don't think it's too bad, is it?...About 60% of the run-time of the internals seems pretty reasonable to me, although I guess it depends a lot on the needs of the internals vs. those of the externals (I would think the internals probably draw less current). 

[/quote]

Right.  I agree with you.  My thoughts were that I had sometime ago done a comparison of power draw on a battery with and without phantom and I don't remember specifics of which mics or (I think it was an Oade m248 preamp) other than I got something like 5 1/2 without phantom on and 4 1/2 with phantom on.  Since I got 5 1/2 hours of runtime with the Li-ion powering the internals, I was thinking/hoping for something close to the same with phantom on, but no I think 3 1/2 is long enough for almost every show I'd attend and then when you have a couple of AAs as backup, you should never have a power issue.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 23, 2011, 09:26:08 AM
Assuming that the difference in run-time between your mics and the internals with the Li-ion is consistent with that in the AAs, it should be another 1.9 hours or so.  More than five hours total without swapping batteries!  That sounds very good to me; I almost never need more than that...

Sorry, my news is not so good --- with a pair of fully charged ENELOOPS, I only got 40 minutes. I guess the phantom really draws a lot.

Now, these ENELOOPS are a few years old, so they may not be charging as well. I'll try again with some new AA's.

And I'll take Steve's suggestion -- run the Lithium down a couple times and see if I can stretch it.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: aaronji on December 23, 2011, 11:59:37 AM
^^^ That's too bad.  I am definitely curious to hear what happens with the new AAs, though.  For the majority of shows I see, the AAs would be there mostly as a backup anyway, but, still, 40 minutes is a little light!

Right.  I agree with you.  My thoughts were that I had sometime ago done a comparison of power draw on a battery with and without phantom and I don't remember specifics of which mics or (I think it was an Oade m248 preamp) other than I got something like 5 1/2 without phantom on and 4 1/2 with phantom on.  Since I got 5 1/2 hours of runtime with the Li-ion powering the internals, I was thinking/hoping for something close to the same with phantom on, but no I think 3 1/2 is long enough for almost every show I'd attend and then when you have a couple of AAs as backup, you should never have a power issue.

That's what I was thinking too...
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 24, 2011, 07:31:19 AM
I bought a new fresh set of NI-MH Energizers a couple days ago.  I cycled them once and got 5 hours run-time powering the internals.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 24, 2011, 07:41:44 AM
Sorry, my news is not so good --- with a pair of fully charged ENELOOPS, I only got 40 minutes. I guess the phantom really draws a lot.

Now, these ENELOOPS are a few years old, so they may not be charging as well. I'll try again with some new AA's.

And I'll take Steve's suggestion -- run the Lithium down a couple times and see if I can stretch it.

Since you got 3 1/2 out of the li-ion with p48, your rechargeables might have alzhimers.  I just got 5 hours out of a new pair of 2300 maH Energizers, but again that's powering the internals and not P48.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 24, 2011, 09:17:45 PM
Here's some good news of sorts.

Over the last two days, I had run the DR100mkii with a bunch of different rechargeables. The best I got with one pair was 52 minutes.

Then I tried a stereo mic with less of a current draw then the first mic: 4.5 mA total vs. 6.4 mA total.

No big surprise: the batteries lasted longer. I got 1 hr 55 min. using the same Eneloops as my first test where they had lasted only 40 minutes.

Someone still might do better with newer rechargeables.

I'll try the Lithium tonight with that second mic and see how long it goes.

 BTW: One thing I hope they fix in a future firmware update is some kind of symbol on the display to show you're using phantom power.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 24, 2011, 09:48:01 PM
Some more testing info.

-  The L/M/H switch is disabled when the XLR switch is in the Line In position.  Sweet!

-  When moving the L/M/H switch from one position to another, there's a 25db step gain change.

-  When moving the gain dial through the full range from 0 to 10, there's an equivalent gain change of 30db.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 24, 2011, 10:39:21 PM
I finally did some sound sampling today using my PSP-3 preamp and a stock PMD-661 for comparison.  I don't really know how much anyone can tell from these...I don't really think you can tell much to be honest other than the obvious.  My playback unit downstairs is a piece of shit, but it's the best I've got right now.  With the shit stereo, there's not enough detail to really be able to hear subtleties.  As I said earlier, I'll be taking the unit out in the field in a week, so that will be the true test.

Schoeps MK4 > M221b tubes > Tascam DR-100mkII using XLR In (XLR Switch on Mic In)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/0n4gdk

Schoeps MK4 > M221b tubes > Marantz PMD-661 using XLR In (XLR Switch on Mic In)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/4ricbr

Schoeps MK4 > M221b tubes > AETA PSP-3 > using XLR In (XLR Switch on Line In)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/60ssbq

Directional Internal Mics on Tascam DR-100mkII
http://www.sendspace.com/file/qzbxu6

Omni Internal Mics on Tascam DR-100mkII
http://www.sendspace.com/file/np5gx7
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: F.O.Bean on December 24, 2011, 11:44:39 PM
Damnn. Whatcha recording next week Steve?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Napo on December 25, 2011, 01:37:49 AM
I finally did some sound sampling today using my PSP-3 preamp and a stock PMD-661 for comparison. 

Schoeps MK4 > M221b tubes > Tascam DR-100mkII using XLR In (XLR Switch on Mic In)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/0n4gdk

Schoeps MK4 > M221b tubes > Marantz PMD-661 using XLR In (XLR Switch on Mic In)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/4ricbr

PMD-661 better on the bottom end (bass)?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: F.O.Bean on December 26, 2011, 12:38:22 AM

That's not as good as I expected based on my run-time test with the internals. 

I don't think it's too bad, is it?...About 60% of the run-time of the internals seems pretty reasonable to me, although I guess it depends a lot on the needs of the internals vs. those of the externals (I would think the internals probably draw less current). 

Since I got 5 1/2 hours of runtime with the Li-ion powering the internals, I was thinking/hoping for something close to the same with phantom on, but no I think 3 1/2 is long enough for almost every show I'd attend and then when you have a couple of AAs as backup, you should never have a power issue.
[/quote]

I am in the same boat Steve! The DR2D powers up for around 5hrs w/ 2300mah Energizer rechargeables. I wont be using it at festioes, just local shows so it will DEF run long enuf for ANY PBurgh shows :P ;D 8)

**Sorry for the slight highjack**
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 27, 2011, 01:11:29 PM
Some better battery life news.

I ran my Beyerdynamic 930's into the XLR of the DR100mkii, using rechargeable Eneloop AA's, with phantom power on, 24/96, and got just under 1 hr 40 min recording time.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Sebastian on December 27, 2011, 01:27:56 PM
Some better battery life news.

I ran my Beyerdynamic 930's into the XLR of the DR100mkii, using rechargeable Eneloop AA's, with phantom power on, 24/96, and got just under 1 hr 40 min recording time.

Is that with or without the Li-ion internal battery?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: mterry on December 27, 2011, 02:26:35 PM
Ran mine last night 24/96, p48 off, xlr in coming out of a V2. First of all, love the layout and size over my 661. My only qualm with the design is that its easy to bump the level adjustment wheel. Of course, if i pay attention it wont matter, but after a bottle of wine last night.....you get the picture.

I got about 2 hours with the internal battery. Did not bring AAs. There was one bare left, so probably another 30next minutes. I had the back light set on 30 seconds, and did a bit of adjustment. So you can probably get some more time of you lower the timer. I was hoping for a longer battery life ......however, its a great little recorder.

As far as noise coming from the machine....since i had p48 off there was none. Quiet as could be...
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: runonce on December 27, 2011, 02:30:22 PM
Ran mine last night 24/96, p48 off, xlr in coming out of a V2. First of all, love the layout and size over my 661. My only qualm with the design is that its easy to bump the level adjustment wheel. Of course, if i pay attention it wont matter, but after a bottle of wine last night.....you get the picture.

I got about 2 hours with the internal battery. Did not bring AAs. There was one bare left, so probably another 30next minutes. I had the back light set on 30 seconds, and did a bit of adjustment. So you can probably get some more time of you lower the timer. I was hoping for a longer battery life ......however, its a great little recorder.

As far as noise coming from the machine....since i had p48 off there was none. Quiet as could be...

Would battery life be longer at 24/48?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 27, 2011, 06:58:18 PM
My only qualm with the design is that its easy to bump the level adjustment wheel. Of course, if i pay attention it wont matter, but after a bottle of wine last night.....you get the picture.

This comment surprises me a bit.  The wheel is recessed in both planes and only about 30 degrees is exposed at the top...I kinda felt one needed a deliberate thumb push/pull to move it, whereas most level knobs aren't recessed.  Course the best level knobs are on the Sound Devices units where you push them and they pop out and push them again and they recess so they can't be twisted at all on purpose or by accident.  Obviously Mark, I understand though how, with the assistance of alcohol, anything is possible.  ;)

Regardless, I hope you're getting the goods on the final few shows, Mark!
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 27, 2011, 07:33:30 PM
Some better battery life news.

I ran my Beyerdynamic 930's into the XLR of the DR100mkii, using rechargeable Eneloop AA's, with phantom power on, 24/96, and got just under 1 hr 40 min recording time.

Is that with or without the Li-ion internal battery?

That is without the Li-ion battery. That is using the AA's alone.

When I tested the Li-ion alone I got about 3 1/4 hours with phantom on.

I think about 5 hours on the combination of internal batteries with phantom power is not too shabby.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Gutbucket on December 27, 2011, 07:36:14 PM
The best recording level controls to my mind are simple increase/decrease buttons for two reasons-

They lock with the hold switch.
The adjustment is incremental (you can count the number of pushes and know exactly by how much you changed the gain) but usually not audible.
They take less room on the machine.
The knob can't come off by accident and roll off somewhere on the floor.

OK that's four, and the last may not apply here.  But really I think level knobs are more about marketing than actual functionality.  People like knobs.  I know I really dislike car stereos which have buttons instead of a volume knob.

[edit- one more came to mind, the ability to adjust input gain via remote is more common with buttons]
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 27, 2011, 10:46:48 PM
The best recording level controls to my mind are simple increase/decrease buttons for two reasons-

They lock with the hold switch.
The adjustment is incremental (you can count the number of pushes and know exactly by how much you changed the gain) but usually not audible.
They take less room on the machine.
The knob can't come off by accident and roll off somewhere on the floor.

OK that's four, and the last may not apply here.  But really I think level knobs are more about marketing than actual functionality.  People like knobs.  I know I really dislike car stereos which have buttons instead of a volume knob.

[edit- one more came to mind, the ability to adjust input gain via remote is more common with buttons]

Not the we record with internals, but knobs would be less noisy than a button if you're recording from the internals, especially if the button makes any type of clicking sound.  That said, I assume a knob means a pot and I've heard pots can be the most vulnerable part of any electronic device...I know that's true of hearing aids I've had in the past where the volume control was always the weak link and needing to be worked on.

Locking with the hold switch is a nice feature.  Actually, it would be great to have a menu selectable option of whether the user wanted the level buttons locked or not when hold is selected because there are times when I like to have access to levels also.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Sebastian on December 28, 2011, 03:30:22 AM
That is without the Li-ion battery. That is using the AA's alone.

When I tested the Li-ion alone I got about 3 1/4 hours with phantom on.

I think about 5 hours on the combination of internal batteries with phantom power is not too shabby.

Thanks for the clarification. That's the answer I needed to justify buying this recorder. The MBHOs directly into the DR100mkII should make for a very nice stealth rig. And 5 hours is the same run time I'm getting from my current setup.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: F.O.Bean on December 28, 2011, 05:21:25 AM
Fantastic review Steve.

+1
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 28, 2011, 10:06:10 AM
Fantastic review Steve.

+1

Thanks again here as well. Having easy access to those photos of the digital cable plug really helped me out at the computer trying to figure a way of making a custom digital cable to go from the USBPre2 SPDIF out into the DR100mkii.

Any idea how the wiring would work from this peculiar 2.5 mm plug to an RCA plug?

ADDED:

I found this: 2.5mm TRRS plug to RCA female adaptor for GPS Video Input

here:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/2-5mm-TRS-plug-RCA-female-adaptor-GPS-Video-Input-/330611669636?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf9fdba84

Looks like the same adapter. Probably could just replace the RCA jack with an RCA plug.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: aaronji on December 28, 2011, 10:58:05 AM
I think about 5 hours on the combination of internal batteries with phantom power is not too shabby.

I think so too.  Actually, I almost never go past the 3+ hours you got with the Li-ion, so the AAs would be there mostly as a backup...
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: BMillz on December 29, 2011, 10:18:25 AM
I am contemplating returning my DR-40 and paying a few more bucks for this.  There's a weird "helicopter noise" problem with that model, documented here on BH:http://goo.gl/cklQE
Does the MK have any problems with this? 
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 29, 2011, 11:10:08 AM
I am contemplating returning my DR-40 and paying a few more bucks for this.  There's a weird "helicopter noise" problem with that model, documented here on BH:http://goo.gl/cklQE
Does the MK have any problems with this?

Is it only when running on batteries, or do you get the noise when using an AC adapter as well?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: rastasean on December 29, 2011, 04:50:56 PM
Well after reading this very complete review, its no wonder you decided to let go of the 661.
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=152538.0

It looks like this recorder is bridging the gap between the m10 and 661.

Enjoy the recorder!
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 29, 2011, 09:17:04 PM
Well after reading this very complete review, its no wonder you decided to let go of the 661.
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=152538.0

It looks like this recorder is bridging the gap between the m10 and 661.

That's right.  All-in-all, I think it's mostly a toss-up between the 661 and this Tascam on features, but the price and size make the Tascam the keeper between the two in my own decision process.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 29, 2011, 09:33:08 PM
Any idea how the wiring would work from this peculiar 2.5 mm plug to an RCA plug?

If you have a multi-meter or for that matter any continuity testing device, all you need to do is take the cable that came with our recorder and reverse engineer it.  The only issue I think you might have is finding a 2.5mm plug with the three connectors to make a replacement cable from, but I'd think that RCA connectors should be available at Radio Shack.  Obviously, you'd wire it up with a female RCA if you want to replicate the cable we already have...maybe make it longer or just to have a redundant cable.  Alternatively, as you mention below, you could eliminate the connection in the middle if you just put a male RCA on the other end using consistent wiring scheme.  The second option is what I plan to do.

 
I found this: 2.5mm TRRS plug to RCA female adaptor for GPS Video Input

here:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/2-5mm-TRS-plug-RCA-female-adaptor-GPS-Video-Input-/330611669636?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf9fdba84

Looks like the same adapter. Probably could just replace the RCA jack with an RCA plug.

Yup, this looks exactly like what came with the unit.  If you decide to order this, when you get it I'd just check the wiring on it to make sure it's consistent with the wiring on the cable that came with our unit.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Todd R on December 30, 2011, 11:22:32 AM


I found this: 2.5mm TRRS plug to RCA female adaptor for GPS Video Input

here:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/2-5mm-TRS-plug-RCA-female-adaptor-GPS-Video-Input-/330611669636?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf9fdba84


Really just finally checking in, since this looks like a good recorder option.  Thanks for the detailed review Steve!

On the cable, is the included cable a TRRS cable?  The Tascam website lists the digital input jack as a 2.5mm TRS jack, not a TRRS jack. ???
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 30, 2011, 12:41:17 PM


I found this: 2.5mm TRRS plug to RCA female adaptor for GPS Video Input

here:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/2-5mm-TRS-plug-RCA-female-adaptor-GPS-Video-Input-/330611669636?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf9fdba84


Really just finally checking in, since this looks like a good recorder option.  Thanks for the detailed review Steve!

On the cable, is the included cable a TRRS cable?  The Tascam website lists the digital input jack as a 2.5mm TRS jack, not a TRRS jack. ???

Both.  Look at the photos in the review that I took of the cables that are included in the package.  In the review, I noted the differences in the tips.  The cable that connects to the remote is a 2.5mm TRS, but the digi-cable is 2.5mm TRRS.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Todd R on December 30, 2011, 12:53:03 PM
Thanks Steve.  I read the first iteration or two of the review, but I guess I need to go back and read the edited and fully expanded one.

I've seen several places to get a right-angle 2.5mm TRRS cable assembly that cable builders could use to make custom cables (right angle always seems like the way to go for me), but I haven't found any right-angle 2.5mm TRRS connectors themselves yet.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=090-504

http://www.mouser.com/Search/Refine.aspx?Keyword=172-7426

http://readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=168
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 30, 2011, 01:36:13 PM
I've seen several places to get a right-angle 2.5mm TRRS cable assembly that cable builders could use to make custom cables (right angle always seems like the way to go for me), but I haven't found any right-angle 2.5mm TRRS connectors themselves yet.

Thanks alot for the links Todd.  I may just have to order some of these connectors.  I agree that RA would be the way to go and I'd just eliminate the middle connection altogether and make a cable that goes straight into the spdif on my mini-me.  I'd think that the RA connector would help minimize the chance that the connector accidentally gets pulled out.  Then with the RA in place, what I like to do is wrap a rubber band around the unit and the cable (which is now hugging the side of the unit) and that makes for additional protection against having the connector pulled out of the jack during a show.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Sebastian on December 30, 2011, 02:28:13 PM
I just got mine today.

On a first test run, I got 3 hours out of the internal Li-Ion battery with the MBHO actives and P48 on. However, the run time of the AAs is just ridiculous. I got 10 minutes from a fully-charged pair of Eneloops, 25 minutes from a pair of Sanyo 2700 mAh Ni-MH rechargeables and 9 minutes from a new pair of Varta "High Energy" non-rechargeables.

While the Li-Ion performance is what I had expected, the AA performance is just disappointing. I am still thinking about whether or not to keep the recorder. If I keep it, I guess I'll have to get a secondary Li-Ion pack for those shows when I want to tape more than one band...
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 30, 2011, 04:20:20 PM
I just got mine today.

On a first test run, I got 3 hours out of the internal Li-Ion battery with the MBHO actives and P48 on. However, the run time of the AAs is just ridiculous. I got 10 minutes from a fully-charged pair of Eneloops, 25 minutes from a pair of Sanyo 2700 mAh Ni-MH rechargeables and 9 minutes from a new pair of Varta "High Energy" non-rechargeables.

While the Li-Ion performance is what I had expected, the AA performance is just disappointing. I am still thinking about whether or not to keep the recorder. If I keep it, I guess I'll have to get a secondary Li-Ion pack for those shows when I want to tape more than one band...

I agree...that's disappointing. 

I think I'm going to reach out to Tascam about this.  There's something not right about what you guys are seeing...I really wish I had a pair of P48 mics so I could also test. 

The BP-L2 Li-ion battery is rated 3.7V and 1800 mah.

Alkalines are rated 1.5V and 1800 - 2400 mah each...so a pair provides a capacity of 3V and 3600 mah minimum.

NiMH are rated 1.25V and 800 to 2400 mah each...so a pair provides a capacity of 2.5V and 1600 mah minimum.

What this tells me is that AAs SHOULD be giving longer run times than the Li-ion.  Regardless, just by comparing the ratings, you shouldn't be getting a fraction of the run-time from the AAs than you get from the Li-ion.

Having said this, the specs of the unit say that the maximum draw is 4W...that's very high compared to other devices, but that still doesn't explain the differences in run-time between the two.

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Sebastian on December 30, 2011, 04:31:38 PM
I think I'm going to reach out to Tascam about this.  There's something not right about what you guys are seeing...I really wish I had a pair of P48 mics so I could also test. 

Thanks, please let us know when you get an answer from them.

I just realized something interesting. When I insert a fresh pair of AAs, the battery indicator in the top right corner of the recorder's display only shows 2 out of 4 bars. I'm getting this behavior with Ni-MH rechargeables and 1.5V alkalines. Is anybody else getting more bars on the battery indicator from AAs?

Edit: The manual lists a run time of 5 hours for Li-Ion and 4 hours for Eneloop (2000 mAh) AAs. That means AAs should run for around 80% of the Li-Ion's run time. The Li-Ion has a specified wattage of 6.66Wh (3.7V x 1800mAh). Two Eneloop AAs have a wattage of 5Wh (2 x 1.25V x 2000mAh). This is 75% of the wattage of the Li-Ion and therefore consistent with the manual. And, at a specified maximum power consumption of 4W, the Eneloops should at least last an hour.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 30, 2011, 07:04:57 PM

I just realized something interesting. When I insert a fresh pair of AAs, the battery indicator in the top right corner of the recorder's display only shows 2 out of 4 bars. I'm getting this behavior with Ni-MH rechargeables and 1.5V alkalines. Is anybody else getting more bars on the battery indicator from AAs?

Yes and no.  A fresh pair of AA's showed all bars, but I do recall inserting a freshly recharged pair of brand new Ni-mh and it had a bar missing upon initial installation.  Don't forget that you need to choose the proper battery on the menu selection.  The only reason for this though is so the meter will be calibrated correctly for the battery you're using.  The voltage of the fresh li-ion is 3.7V where the voltage of a pair of AAs is either 2.5V or 3V.  I'm pretty sure that the number of bars is a function of the voltage. 

However, I really don't think this has anything to do with your short run-times on P48. 

Edit: The manual lists a run time of 5 hours for Li-Ion and 4 hours for Eneloop (2000 mAh) AAs. That means AAs should run for around 80% of the Li-Ion's run time. The Li-Ion has a specified wattage of 6.66Wh (3.7V x 1800mAh). Two Eneloop AAs have a wattage of 5Wh (2 x 1.25V x 2000mAh). This is 75% of the wattage of the Li-Ion and therefore consistent with the manual. And, at a specified maximum power consumption of 4W, the Eneloops should at least last an hour.

These numbers are consistent with the run times that I got (my ni-mh batteries are 2300 mah), but my run-time tests were using the internal mics.  Repeating the results I got below...

Li-ion - 5 1/2 hours
Ni-Mh - 5 hours
Alkaline - 3 1/2 hours

If you extrapolate these results to the results that you guys got with using the internals with P48 mics, you should be seeing approximately the following run-times...

Li-ion - 3 hours
Ni-Mh - 2 1/2 - 2 3/4 hours
Alkaline - 1 3/4 - 2 hours

Hmmm, in spite of the above, your run-times weren't even remotely close, so something isn't right. 

Question:  Did either of you guys get any heat when you used AA's and P48?  If you only got 10 - 30 minutes out of a fresh pair of batteries, all of that energy had to go somewhere!
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 30, 2011, 08:16:40 PM
Message I just sent to Tascam web support...

****

Hi!  I've volunteered to write you on behalf of several users of the new DR-100MKII units that we've recently purchased.  I ordered mine from the B&H website the first day it was available and have been impressed with it since the day I got it.  I'm an active member of a website you might be familiar with...taperssection.com.  You might be interested to read a review that I wrote on the unit...the link is provided below...

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=152321.0

If you page through the responses to my review, you'll see a few responses from users in which they get VERY short run times from their units when powering from the AA batteries and providing P48 to their microphones.  In fact, the run-times are so short that there seems to be either a design problem or something else going on because the run-times are both inconsistent with the run-times stated in the manual, but also based on common sense.  For example, one user has stated with multiple battery types, the longest run-time he got was 10 minutes from AA's, even though he got 3 hours from the Li-ion! 

Do you have any thoughts on what might be the issue here or have any other users reported on this?

Since I took the lead on prepared the detailed review and have been active soliciting feedback on the unit, I also volunteered to contact Tascam to see what responses you might have on this issue.  Your response is appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Steve Toney
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: F.O.Bean on December 30, 2011, 08:42:34 PM
Thats a HUGE BUMMER bout the runtimes :(

How long do NIMH AA's last when just recording the Digital Coax INPUT ???
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Ozpeter on December 30, 2011, 10:09:43 PM
Going through AA's that fast means they are being close to short-circuited with possible safety issues.  Were they actually dead when the recorder said they were?  Is there a battery type setting somewhere, such that the recorder is properly set for the battery type in use?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 31, 2011, 05:31:58 AM
Going through AA's that fast means they are being close to short-circuited with possible safety issues.  Were they actually dead when the recorder said they were?  Is there a battery type setting somewhere, such that the recorder is properly set for the battery type in use?

Right.  There is a battery type setting, but as I understand it those settings are simply for calibrating the meter so that it shows proper drainage, since Ni-MH and Alkalines provide different start voltages.  (The meter calibration is a second issue that seems to be a problem, but I'm 90% sure it's unrelated to this issue...see my earlier comment to Sebastian.  To me this isn't much of an issue especially because of the automatic switching...the unit will switch when the batteries are dead so I don't really need to worry too much about what the meter reads, but this is me and other people might want the meter to read properly.)

SEBASTIAN and DOGMUSIC, did you experience any heating issues during your AA run-time tests, because that fast a discharge would require the energy to dissipate somewhere. 
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 31, 2011, 05:32:37 AM
Thats a HUGE BUMMER bout the runtimes :(

How long do NIMH AA's last when just recording the Digital Coax INPUT ???

5 hours.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 31, 2011, 05:49:48 AM
2011-12-30 20:54:29
Hello Steve Toney,
Thank you for contacting TASCAM.
Our customer support representative, NFaison, has written
the following response to your message:
 
 
Steve,
 
First, a very thorough review. Very impressive.
 
I read your review but not the complete thread yet.
Did your use reflect similar results as the other users regarding the use of AA batteries?
 
I will be forwarding this to the design engineers to see what they have to say about it.
Please be patient as we have the New Year holiday upon us along with NAMM show preparations.
We will definitely be getting back to you as soon as there are some definitive answers.
 
Again, great review.
 
Thank you for your interest in TASCAM products.
 
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: kleiner Rainer on December 31, 2011, 07:24:24 AM
Hi all,

just a little clarification concerning battery capacity:

Amp-Hours do NOT add when batteries or rechargeables are connected in series!

Amp-Hours indicate how long you can draw a certain current from a battery. This quantity does not change when you connect two or more cells in series.

Another point to keep in mind is the power consumption of P48:

assuming two mics with 5mA each and an efficiency of the step-up converter for 48V of 80% we get

48Vx5mAx2/0.8= 0.6W or 600mW.

If we assume two NiMh cells at 2.5V (1.25V per cell), this amounts to an additional current draw of 0.24A only for P48!

Keep in mind that non-rechargeable AA cells (even Alkalines) have a rather high internal resistance that can lead to premature undervoltage shutdown of your recorder, especially with P48.

BTW a fully charged Li Ion cell has an open circuit voltage of 4.2V, and it takes some time to drop to 3.7V. Li Ion voltage is proportional to remaining capacity, so a simple voltage measurement ("battery bars") gives a good approximation of state of charge.
This is also true for alkalines, but not for NiCD or NiMH!


My advice: use good quality rechargeables with low internal resistance from reputable sources. Most of the well known brands have specifications online for their cells and state how they measure their cells. I would not bet on no-name products or e*ay bargains...

An example can be found here:

http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/nh15-2300.pdf

http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/E91.pdf

just for grins: compare the internal resistance of alkaline vs. NiMh!

End of battery technology lecture  ;)


Greetings,

Rainer
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Sebastian on December 31, 2011, 07:30:04 AM
I just ran down another pair of NiMHs. The unit got warm, but not really to a point that I would call it hot. But what's more interesting: I measured the voltage on the NiMHs afterwards and they had 1.274 V and 1.278 V. In my experience, empty batteries should have a lower voltage. I also inserted them into my DR-2d and this unit shows all three bars on the battery indicator. WTF?

Oh, and I did another test with the same Eneloop NiMHs I used yesterday and that got me 10 minutes with P48 on. This time, I recorded from the internal omnis and got 229 minutes just on the AAs.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: runonce on December 31, 2011, 07:48:19 AM
I just ran down another pair of NiMHs. The unit got warm, but not really to a point that I would call it hot. But what's more interesting: I measured the voltage on the NiMHs afterwards and they had 1.274 V and 1.278 V. In my experience, empty batteries should have a lower voltage. I also inserted them into my DR-2d and this unit shows all three bars on the battery indicator. WTF?

Oh, and I did another test with the same Eneloop NiMHs I used yesterday and that got me 10 minutes with P48 on. This time, I recorded from the internal omnis and got 229 minutes just on the AAs.

This AA  battery issue sure sounds like a firmware bug...?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: it-goes-to-eleven on December 31, 2011, 08:37:31 AM
I just ran down another pair of NiMHs. The unit got warm, but not really to a point that I would call it hot. But what's more interesting: I measured the voltage on the NiMHs afterwards and they had 1.274 V and 1.278 V. In my experience, empty batteries should have a lower voltage. I also inserted them into my DR-2d and this unit shows all three bars on the battery indicator. WTF?

Oh, and I did another test with the same Eneloop NiMHs I used yesterday and that got me 10 minutes with P48 on. This time, I recorded from the internal omnis and got 229 minutes just on the AAs.

This AA  battery issue sure sounds like a firmware bug...?

It does, and that's good news.

Hopefully Tascam will do some testing of Lithium AA's and NiMH AA's and sort it out with a new firmware release.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 31, 2011, 10:34:38 AM
Looks like maybe we're getting somewhere! 

Sebastian, it seems like your results prove that the unit it cutting out prematurely when on AAs and that the issue isn't how much power is being consumed by the unit when using AAs only.  If you take your results along with the information in the prior message from Kleiner, perhaps the issue is simply internal resistance or draw down on the voltage of the AAs while the unit is on p48 is causing the unit to cut out on low voltage.

I received a message back from my latest Tascam email saying that they'll get back to me on the next weekday, so seems as if today is a holiday.  I suggest at this point that we let Tascam take a look at this thread and see what they say.

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 31, 2011, 10:54:49 AM
As I reported in my previous posts in this thread, I got very different battery run-times with phantom power on.

From Dec. 24:

"Over the last two days, I had run the DR100mkii with a bunch of different rechargeables. The best I got with one pair was 52 minutes.

Then I tried a stereo mic with less of a current draw then the first mic: 4.5 mA total vs. 6.4 mA total.

No big surprise: the batteries lasted longer. I got 1 hr 55 min. using the same Eneloops as my first test where they had lasted only 40 minutes."


From Dec. 27:

"I ran my Beyerdynamic 930's into the XLR of the DR100mkii, using rechargeable Eneloop AA's, with phantom power on, 24/96, and got just under 1 hr 40 min recording time. "


So the mic current draw affects the battery life, and perhaps also how strictly the mic requires a full 48V.

All the batteries had juice left in them after the DR100mkii would not work with phantom on. Sometimes when I switched the phantom off, an extra bar would appear in the display. (And sometimes a bar would disappear as soon as I had switched on the phantom.)

Yes, the AA batteries got quite warm, sometimes fairly hot.

The other variable is how good are the rechargeables, and which ones does the DR100mkii like. The same eneloops which only got me 52 min on a stereo mic, then got me 1 hr 40 min with the Beyers.

But before I ran the second test, I had drained those eneloops down to zero and did an all-night recharge.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Sebastian on December 31, 2011, 11:52:38 AM
I'm currently running a test using a pair of Nickel-zinc rechargeable AAs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel%E2%80%93zinc_battery) that I borrowed. They are rated at 1.6 V / 1500 mAh and so far I'm getting all three bars on the battery indicator (see the blurry picture I've attached). I'm currently 11 minutes into the test and things still look good. I'll keep you guys posted once this test is finishes.

Edit: On a side note, am I the only one who always mistakes the headphone icon in the lower right of the display for a circled "arrow up"?  :-[
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on December 31, 2011, 12:17:56 PM

Edit: On a side note, am I the only one who always mistakes the headphone icon in the lower right of the display for a circled "arrow up"?  :-[

No.    ;D

And on another side note regarding the display, Tascam really needs to add an icon in the display that signifies "Phantom On".
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: flintstone on December 31, 2011, 12:18:08 PM
The short run time on AA alkaline cells matches my experience with the original DR-100.  I got only 15 minutes record time with phantom power on and a pair of Sennheiser ME mics connected.  When the recorder shut down, the AAs were too hot to touch.  Sad to hear that this issue continues with the new mkII model.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Sebastian on December 31, 2011, 02:31:59 PM
Wow, I'm now totally astonished. I just got 2 hrs 9 mins from the two NiZn 1.6 V / 1500 mAh rechargeables that I borrowed. And this time, the batteries are really empty (even the DR-2d won't accept them anymore). The unit did not even get hot (just slightly warm).
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Gutbucket on December 31, 2011, 04:16:25 PM
This AA  battery issue sure sounds like a firmware bug...?
It does, and that's good news.

Hopefully Tascam will do some testing of Lithium AA's and NiMH AA's and sort it out with a new firmware release.
I'm currently running a test using a pair of Nickel-zinc rechargeable AAs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel%E2%80%93zinc_battery) that I borrowed.

This is all very similar to DR2d until the 1.03 firmware update.  Short runtimes, picky about aged NiMH, trying higher current Nickel-Zink cells, etc..  I ended up always using an external battery until it was fixed by a firmware update, and haven't since.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 31, 2011, 08:09:07 PM
Wow, I'm now totally astonished. I just got 2 hrs 9 mins from the two NiZn 1.6 V / 1500 mAh rechargeables that I borrowed. And this time, the batteries are really empty (even the DR-2d won't accept them anymore). The unit did not even get hot (just slightly warm).

In addition to the recent posts within the last page or so where people have posted about similar experiences on other units and how firmware resulted in a fix, this result you had Sebastian seems consistent with the information Kleiner posted one page back where he discusses the concept of internal resistance on rechargeables being lower than on AAs. 
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on December 31, 2011, 09:03:36 PM
However, one point I would correct:  Li-ions do not have a progressive discharge curve; they have a quick drop from 4.2V, then a very flat discharge curve before rapid death.  This requires a precision voltage reference to trigger an accurate low battery warning:

(http://johndayautomotivelectronics.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/BM-S23-Fig1-300x287.jpg)

This curve explains my typical experience with the battery meters on recorders where I typically use Ni-Mh's, where all the bars are on for awhile when batteries are freshly charged, then maybe a bar goes out and you'll see all the bars on for a long time except one, but then in the last 10 minutes before batteries go dead you quickly lose all the bars. 

(Actually, I already knew this, but I wanted to reinforce this point.)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: kleiner Rainer on January 01, 2012, 06:44:29 AM


However, one point I would correct:  Li-ions do not have a progressive discharge curve; they have a quick drop from 4.2V, then a very flat discharge curve before rapid death.  This requires a precision voltage reference to trigger an accurate low battery warning:

(http://johndayautomotivelectronics.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/BM-S23-Fig1-300x287.jpg)

Hi mshilarious,

could you point me to the source of the discharge diagram you posted? I ask because I have seen many datasheet for LiIon and LiPoly cells, but none of them showed such a discharge curve.

Here is an example for a typical LiPoly cell:

http://www.ibt-power.com/Battery_packs/Li_Polymer/Lithium_polymer_tech.html

Greetings, and happy new year to all,

Rainer
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 01, 2012, 08:33:29 AM
Rainer, I don't interpret the discharge curve in the site you link to as being very different at all from the curve that mshilarious posted.  The key take away from both of these curves is that there's a long stretch in the middle where the battery discharges slowly but then falls off rapidly as the battery approaches depletion.
Title: Battery discharge - was Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: kleiner Rainer on January 01, 2012, 12:08:54 PM
Tonedeaf, mshilarious,

sorry, but I disagree. In this case, I trust a company that designs fuel gauges for battery operated devices. I suspect they know what they are talking about: http://pdfserv.maxim-ic.com/en/an/AN121.pdf

Table 3 is the point we are talking about. As specified, this is for constant current discharge.
In this table, a voltage of 3.7V means about 45% of capacity left at 20 degrees Celsius. The diagram mshilarious posted shows about 95% capacity left at 3.7V. Something is very wrong here. Either we talk about different battery types or the measurement conditions are totally different.

The cells I tested with my charger/discharger/conditioner showed similar results to the Maxim application note. When using a 3-cell LiPoly battery in a portable transceiver (constant current drain in receive) I could guesstimate the recharge capacity needed based on the cell voltage with rather good accuracy.

mshilarious, I followed the link, but I only found the picture we already know. What type of Li battery is this? Manufacturer? Order code? Datasheet?

Greetings,

Rainer
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 02, 2012, 09:28:37 AM
Dear Jon and Rainer:

How does the issue you're debating help with the diagnosis of the early cut-out problem with the Tascam?  If it doesn't help and your discussion about flat vs. sloping discharge curve is tangential to diagnosing the root cause of the Tascam problem, could I request you please start a new thread? 

It seems to me the concept of internal battery resistance under heavy load (perhaps on old rechargeables and certain types of alkalines) and its effect on output voltage was the key concept that needed to be flushed out.

Thanks



Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 02, 2012, 09:35:44 AM
Dear Jon and Rainer:

How does the issue you're debating help with the diagnosis of the early cut-out problem with the Tascam?  If it doesn't help and your discussion about flat vs. sloping discharge curve is tangential to diagnosing the root cause of the Tascam problem, could I request you start a new thread? 

It seems to me the concept of internal battery resistance (perhaps on old rechargeables and certain types of alkalines) and its effect on output voltage was the key concept that needed to be flushed out.

Thanks

Well, my main point was about high internal resistance of various types of alkaline AAs, which will contribute to the variance in observed runtimes with that option.  You would want to be sure to use the Duracell Coppertop/Energizer level and not the lower grades, and if you want maximum possible life, the primary (photo) lithium grades.

Also the point about recorders/phantom as constant power, not current, loads--as the battery voltage drops and internal resistance increases, the box will draw increasing amounts of current.  That will accelerate the battery towards death, and that effect is worse as power load increases (meaning high phantom draw).

 :coolguy:
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: BMillz on January 02, 2012, 11:43:38 AM
Well, I'm gonna give this recorder a chance.  Just put in a return for my DR-40.

PS. I got a decent deal over at JR.com.  It was $315 today with shipping.  You just have to use their end of year promo code (JR2012) and join their free "friends with benefits" email program for the free shipping.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 02, 2012, 11:51:58 AM
This link on the Battery University site seems to describe what might be happening on the early cut-out.  The first graph seems like it would be a logical explanation for the experiences of dogmusic and Sebasian.

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_does_internal_resistance_affect_performance

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: kleiner Rainer on January 02, 2012, 01:51:14 PM
Hi all,

in my first post I already discussed a possible cause of the short runtime of the DR100Mk II: high power consumption when using P48. I checked the manual and it lists a maximum power consumption of 4W.

Assuming 2 NiMH AAs with 2.5V, this amounts to 1.6A of current  :o

At this current range, AAs are a bit under-powered...

Since I want to share my hard gained experience of decades of engineering and outdoor recording, here a kind of "executive summary" about batteries and rechargeables:

- care for your batteries. Keep them clean and cool, recharge them regularly and as soon as possible after use. Do not drop them or leave them in the car in the summer.

- keep the battery contacts of your recorder and the contact areas of your batteries clean. Use denatured alcohol and q-tips. we want the lowest contact resistance possible.

- buy quality cells from well-known and reliable sources. Concert tickets and the gas needed to get there are much more expensive than even Lithium AAs.

- If available, choose cells optimized for high current applications (eg "photoflash").

- when building external battery packs, prefer ready-made packs with welded contacts and selected cells. I recommend asking the RC guys. Most battery holders I know are crap, except Bulgin and Keystone ($$$).
Build big. Bigger cells=less resistance and more runtime. P48 is a power hog.

-invest in a good charger. Again, ask the RC guys, there are very good universal (NiCD, NiMH, LiIon, LiPoly, Lead acid) chargers that also can cycle and condition batteries and show charge and discharge capacitances.
If your NiMH cells get hot during charging, it is not a good charger.

I hope this helps a little bit.

Greetings,

Rainer
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 02, 2012, 02:02:01 PM
This link on the Battery University site seems to describe what might be happening on the early cut-out.  The first graph seems like it would be a logical explanation for the experiences of dogmusic and Sebasian.

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_does_internal_resistance_affect_performance

I don't think a recorder would be a pulsed-load the same way a computer is, especially given the evidence in this thread that the cause of AA death is closely associated with phantom load, which is constant.  The trouble is that DC converter efficiency is dependent upon a low-resistance supply.  So as the resistance increases the efficiency drops, which in turn demands more current, which is a nasty positive feedback loop.

^  Gotcha, Jon.  My point in linking the article wasn't to focus on pulsing being the cause of the voltage cut-out as much to link to another source that supports a more general concept that when there's a power strain on the battery, whether caused by pulsing or in our case when P48 is engaged, that batteries with high internal resistance will tend to challenge the low-voltage cut-out set point more than if the battery does not have high internal resistance.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 03, 2012, 02:15:49 PM
0.06C / 0.1C
Initial voltage:  8.35V / 8.34V
1 hour: 8.15V / 8.11V
2 hour: 8.04V / 7.92V
3 hour: 7.94V / 7.76V
4 hour: 7.83V / 7.63V
5 hour: 7.71V / 7.53V
6 hour: 7.63V / 7.46V
7 hour: 7.56V / 7.43V
8 hour: 7.51V / 7.37V
9 hour: 7.48V / 7.21V
10 hour: 7.45V / 6.86V
11 hour: 7.43V
12 hour: 7.38V
13 hour: 7.29V
14 hour: 7.15V
15 hour: 6.76V



So, I was curious to see graphically what this looked like so I copied the data into Excel...

(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/stevetoney/voltagecurve.jpg)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 03, 2012, 02:31:19 PM
Wouldn't it be interesting to compare the above results under several differing conditions...

1)  With batteries of differing chemistries

2)  At each chemistry, effects of differing 'calendar' age and/or 'usage' age

3)  How differing the battery load affects the above results.


Then for each situation, the variables I'd be curious to analyze are...

a)  how steep is the slope of the curve initially until it flattens out, and

b)  at what voltage, as a percentage of the initial voltage, does the curve flatten at.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Sebastian on January 05, 2012, 01:45:50 AM
Here's an update on battery run times... After a few days of charge/discharge cycles I'm getting continuous runtimes of around 320 mins. with the Li-Ion and NiZn AAs together. The Li-Ion lasts for 180 to 190 mins. and the NiZn AAs last for 120 to 130 mins. This is enough for any concert I attend.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: flintstone on January 05, 2012, 11:22:13 AM
Sebastian,  thanks for sharing.  Are you using the internal mics for your tests, or external using phantom power?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: spyder9 on January 05, 2012, 11:31:42 AM
Here's an update on battery run times... After a few days of charge/discharge cycles I'm getting continuous runtimes of around 320 mins. with the Li-Ion and NiZn AAs together. The Li-Ion lasts for 180 to 190 mins. and the NiZn AAs last for 120 to 130 mins. This is enough for any concert I attend.

Is this with Phantom turned on?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: hi and lo on January 05, 2012, 01:44:26 PM
I would assume so. Sebastian's normal rig is MBHO 603a > MP2
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Sebastian on January 05, 2012, 02:48:11 PM
My run time tests were all done with two phantom-powered MBHO 603a bodies and KA200N capsules. According to the specs they draw 4.5mA each, so that makes 9mA for both mics.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: manleyf on January 07, 2012, 11:24:01 PM
I bought one from JR, got it in yesterday but I think I have an issue.

My input select switch will not move past the "uni" position so I'm unable to select omni or line in.

Has anyone experienced this?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: BMillz on January 09, 2012, 01:59:21 PM
Hi Manley,
I literally just got mine in the mail today via JR and haven't had that issue.

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: newplanet7 on January 15, 2012, 02:43:19 PM
Did anyone run straight in at a show yet with this deck?
I listened to your samples steve and the pres sound good but, we need to
know how they react in a high spl environment too.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: manleyf on January 15, 2012, 04:17:21 PM
BTW- I've shipped my DR-100mkii back to JR.com for a refund.

In the mean time, I ordered from GuitarCenter.com, drop ship to store.... I found a 12% coupon online, but with tax it ended up being about $330.

A banner ad on TS before I posted this shows Sweetwater having them for $299 (http://Sweetwater having them for $299), free shipping, and no tax for me, but NOT IN STOCK YET....   I LOVE Sweetwater's service too.....
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DR100mkII?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PPC&utm_campaign=none&gclid=CLG69Nfx0q0CFTEBQAodFgq8mA

On another note, while I wait for my DR-100, I'm having second thoughts, wondering if I should have bought a DR-40.

For me, the reason I went for the DR-100 was the SPDIF in, to run it as a back up device off my V3, along with my DR-680.

But, I'm starting to wonder if having a DR-40 would be a more versatile piece, and still serve as an even more full proof backup to hang off the V3.

Here's my logic, advantage / thought process:

DR-100mkii: SPIDIF in, potentially better pre's and capsules than DR-40, but only 2 channel.
DR-40: no SPIDIF in, BUT, could be a backup deck off my analog outs of my V3, and more fool proof if my V3 digi out section went out.  Obviously that is probably pretty unlikely, and the V3 conversion should be superior.
DR-40 also offers an advantage for occasional use as a light weight live recording rig for my bands, where I could grab ambient with the built in mics and board feed, all in one tiny package compared to the V3-DR680 rig....

Thoughts?
TiIA,
Manley
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: F.O.Bean on January 15, 2012, 06:21:45 PM
tonedeaf ran his m221b tubes>mic-in. Im psyched to hear it :)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Sebastian on January 17, 2012, 03:57:17 PM
I finally recorded my first show with the DR-100mkII. The results are available on Dime (http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=390116&hit=1). However, please don't expect any wonders as this was a stealth job in one of the worst sounding venues I know (an old tunnel).

What I can say, though, is that I found the unit to be a bit hard to operate in the dark with the hold switch and the level control on two opposing sides. But I guess that's just something I need to get used to. Oh, and I had to set the mic gain to "M". The "L" setting gave me levels well below -20dB. I got peaks at around -10dB with the "M" setting and the level knob at "2" with the MBHOs.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: it-goes-to-eleven on January 17, 2012, 04:22:50 PM
Any word from Tascam on the power issue and a firmware update?

They've had a while to investigate.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: BMillz on January 17, 2012, 10:12:09 PM
manleyf,
I returned my DR-40 for a DR100mkii and I'm very glad I did!
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: manleyf on January 18, 2012, 12:53:00 AM
manleyf,
I returned my DR-40 for a DR100mkii and I'm very glad I did!
Thanks for the feedback!
What led to the exchange, why are you glad?
The only thing that has me thinking twice really is the 4 track capabilities, even if it's 2 tr+ mics....
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: doblecombo on January 18, 2012, 03:20:40 AM
I just want to know 3 things:


1) Comparing the built-in mic quality, xlr hiss/noice and the preamps of the mkii and the mki, Which one is better overall?

2) Which one you think is better this one or the zoom h4n?

3) Is the 3.5 mm good as the sony pcm m-10? Like for using this? Rode VideoMic Pro


Thanks a lot people.

And I would like you to let me know whick one you preffer for built-in mics and for externals aswell.

Zoom h4n vs Dr-100 vs Dr-100 MKii
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: manamana on January 18, 2012, 09:48:14 PM
as anyone compared the A-D / line level performance of the m10 and the DR100MKII? I may finally upgrade my old R-09 - looks like the M10 wins on size and battery life, the DR100MKII has better level adjustment and XLR-IN.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: newplanet7 on January 19, 2012, 06:33:55 PM
Did anyone run straight in at a show yet with this deck?
I listened to your samples steve and the pres sound good but, we need to
know how they react in a high spl environment too.

tonedeaf ran his m221b tubes>mic-in. Im psyched to hear it :)
WHAT UP STEVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Gutbucket on January 19, 2012, 07:00:22 PM
Just met Steve last night at a jazz gig down here in FL and he was running this deck.  A nice sounding room but no PA so not a high SPL situation.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: F.O.Bean on January 19, 2012, 09:20:49 PM
Just met Steve last night at a jazz gig down here in FL and he was running this deck.  A nice sounding room but no PA so not a high SPL situation.

NICE! He's BY FAR one of the coolest and nicest people you will EVER meet 8)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: F.O.Bean on January 19, 2012, 09:21:40 PM
And Steve ran mk41>m221b>DR100mkII and I ran mk41>sax>m10, so it will DEF be a good comp for people to check out ;)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Gutbucket on January 20, 2012, 09:39:49 AM
..BY FAR one of the coolest and nicest people you will EVER meet 8)

True!
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 21, 2012, 02:24:57 PM
Did anyone run straight in at a show yet with this deck?
I listened to your samples steve and the pres sound good but, we need to
know how they react in a high spl environment too.

tonedeaf ran his m221b tubes>mic-in. Im psyched to hear it :)
WHAT UP STEVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here ya go guys!

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=153006.0
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 22, 2012, 08:59:28 AM
I just want to know 3 things:


1) Comparing the built-in mic quality, xlr hiss/noice and the preamps of the mkii and the mki, Which one is better overall?

2) Which one you think is better this one or the zoom h4n?

3) Is the 3.5 mm good as the sony pcm m-10? Like for using this? Rode VideoMic Pro


Thanks a lot people.

And I would like you to let me know whick one you preffer for built-in mics and for externals aswell.

Zoom h4n vs Dr-100 vs Dr-100 MKii

These questions are valid questions, but the chances of getting a good answer aren't very good.  I doubt that anyone owns all three of these recorders in order to do a head-to-head comparison that you want. 

Perhaps you could get a response directly from Tascam about the performance of the DR100 against the DRMKII.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 22, 2012, 09:02:49 AM
manleyf,
I returned my DR-40 for a DR100mkii and I'm very glad I did!
Thanks for the feedback!
What led to the exchange, why are you glad?
The only thing that has me thinking twice really is the 4 track capabilities, even if it's 2 tr+ mics....

I'm pretty sure if you look through this thread, or another thread in the recorders section about the DR100mkII that he explained the issues he had with the DR-40.  I recall it had something to do with significant noises (sounds like a sprinkler) when recording.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 22, 2012, 09:08:31 AM
Any word from Tascam on the power issue and a firmware update?

They've had a while to investigate.

I never received a response to my inquiry. 

However, in my inquiry I directed Tascam to this thread and we've kinda flushed out the issue, so I don't really feel a need to get a response anymore.  That said, it's crappy customer service to not respond at all to an inquiry, especially one that has to do with a potential design issue in a newly released product.

I'm hoping at some point for a firmware update the revises the low voltage cut out to a lower setpoint.



Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: it-goes-to-eleven on January 22, 2012, 11:46:15 AM
I'm hoping at some point for a firmware update the revises the low voltage cut out to a lower setpoint.

What I'm looking for is a schedule on when the oh so important fix will be released.. Or even if it will be released.

This issue makes it fairly clear that they never tested the product with commonly available rechargeable AA's. That's a bit sloppy.

It's a deal breaker for me.  I was considering the recorder, but will not consider it until they fix it.  And if they choose not to issue a fix, then it would very much hurt my confidence in their brand and all but rule out considering them for any future purchase.

Long time readers will recall how we waited for microtrack fixes from m-audio and what a fiasco that became. Never again.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 22, 2012, 03:48:57 PM
I'm hoping at some point for a firmware update the revises the low voltage cut out to a lower setpoint.

What I'm looking for is a schedule on when the oh so important fix will be released.. Or even if it will be released.

This issue makes it fairly clear that they never tested the product with commonly available rechargeable AA's. That's a bit sloppy.

It's a deal breaker for me.  I was considering the recorder, but will not consider it until they fix it.  And if they choose not to issue a fix, then it would very much hurt my confidence in their brand and all but rule out considering them for any future purchase.

Long time readers will recall how we waited for microtrack fixes from m-audio and what a fiasco that became. Never again.

My feeling is that, while I agree with your assessment that it was sloppy to issue this without a fix, it shouldn't be a deal breaker for people even if there's never a firmware fix.

This recorder provides a $270 cost saving over to the PMD661 which is its primary competition, but the 661 has only one option for on-board powering.  This recorder provides two on-board options for powering.  So yes there is a negative with the stated issue, but the Tascam also has powering positives.  Since the issue stated has been ferreted out, it's simple to work around it until the firmware update is issued.  If it's never issued, big deal.  I know that if I want to phantom power mics from the unit using the AAs instead of a) the internal battery or b) alkaline AAs or c) an external, I know to use Zinc rechargeables instead of nickel rechargeables.  I personally don't see that as a big deal since it's such a simple work around and there are multiple options for powering before I'd feel the need to use a nickel rechargeable.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review - DIGITAL CABLE
Post by: dogmusic on January 25, 2012, 11:30:11 AM
I had success using this 2.5 MM to 3 RCA Camcorder AV Cable for a digital connection.

I plugged the yellow RCA plug (video) into my SD USBPre2 SPDIF coax digital out, and the 2.5mm TRRS plug into the Tascam DR100mkii DIG in.

Purchased here:

http://www.pandawill.com/25-mm-to-3-rca-camcorder-av-cable-p37604.html

Careful where you buy. Some places have the same AV-type cable but the TRRS plug is 3.5mm instead of 2.5mm.

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: hi and lo on January 25, 2012, 12:05:05 PM
The rechargeable AA issue is definitely a bit sloppy, but so far everything else about this deck is extremely promising. I think as soon as we determine a solid solution for making a custom SPDIF breakout cable, I will pull the trigger. Having a small 2-channel recorder with digi-in will really help me avoid the dread of using my AD2k+. Will make it easy for me to only run two channels and be clock synced with whoever else is at the show with me.

Unfortunately, I checked pretty much everywhere on the intarwebs and couldn't find a single high-quality right-angle 2.5mm TRRS plugs available. Everything out there is straight, pre-molded plastic garbage.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review - DIGITAL CABLE
Post by: it-goes-to-eleven on January 25, 2012, 12:50:10 PM
I had success using this 2.5 MM to 3 RCA Camcorder AV Cable for a digital connection.

I sorta think I got one of those at radio shack years ago for doing digi-in recording on my Archos mp3 player.

Never thought I'd see one again.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: manleyf on January 25, 2012, 03:32:54 PM
Has anyone had one of our resident cable gurus make a RIGHT-ANGLE-2.5>SPIDIF for the DR-100mkii?

If so, who and how much?
Thanks!
Manley
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 26, 2012, 09:22:17 AM
Has anyone had one of our resident cable gurus make a RIGHT-ANGLE-2.5>SPIDIF for the DR-100mkii?

If so, who and how much?
Thanks!
Manley

I need one too, so I just sent an inquiry to Ted about making one up.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: tgakidis on January 26, 2012, 10:02:23 AM
Two options for right angle.

This one with who knows what quality of cable http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=090-504

This one is straight and can be chopped and filled with epoxy for extra strength  http://www.markertek.com/Connectors-Adapters/Audio-Connectors/3-5-2-5mm-Mini-Connectors/Connectronics/30-701A.xhtml?30-701A

I personally would opt for the chopped since the connector appears to be better quality then the molded right angle one.

Since the length will be short a true "digital" cable is not need and i would use some good quality mini star quad cable and a straight or right angle rca cable.

Cost shipped including payapl:
straight TRRS > staight RCS = $28
straight TRRS > right angle RCa = $31
right angle TRRS > Straight RCA = $33
right angle TRRS > Straight RCA = $36

I clearly don't have these in stock and would need to place a special order so I would prefer to get as many intrested parties ahead of time to reduce my shipping costs, other wise I would ask that it be spread between the few who do want one.

Hit me up a tgakidis@gmail.com if interested.

Has anyone had one of our resident cable gurus make a RIGHT-ANGLE-2.5>SPIDIF for the DR-100mkii?

If so, who and how much?
Thanks!
Manley

I need one too, so I just sent an inquiry to Ted about making one up.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: tgakidis on January 26, 2012, 10:05:59 AM
Here is another connector but it is plastic http://www.showmecables.com/product/3-5mm-Plug-TRRS-Right-Angle-Connector-Plastic.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=merchant&utm_campaign=946
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 26, 2012, 10:30:03 AM
I'm definitely in for one Ted.  I'll PM the others that I know have purchased this recorder to generate some sort of list to see what kind of a special order we can get.

One thing of note is that a couple of the links you've provided above are to 3.5mm TRRS, but this connector requires 2.5mm TRRS.  If you do locate an all metal 2.5mm straight, I agree that the chopped option is what I'd like to have.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: tgakidis on January 26, 2012, 11:35:27 AM
After hunting around (for the right 2.5mm Connector, thanks for pointing that out Steve) i can't seem to find a decent metal connector.  Here is the revised cost using cable http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=090-504

Cost shipped including payapl:
right angle TRRS > Straight RCA = $28
right angle TRRS > Straight RCA = $31

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: matjinks on January 26, 2012, 11:36:39 AM
Here's the connector you need,

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-5mm-Jack-Right-Angle-90-Degree-Solder-4-Pole-Male-Plug-Connector-/320808389138?pt=UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL&hash=item4ab1ab8a12

Then use Mogami 2964 digital cable with a gold RCA to terminate-

http://www.ebay.com/itm/140675075918?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Audio-RCA-Plug-Gold-Plated-Male-Connector-1-Pair-/170657828955?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27bbffd05b

Good luck.

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on January 26, 2012, 12:22:06 PM
Anyone have an idea what the wiring schematic would be? From the 2.5mm 4C Right Angle Plug with 12" Cable, which of the 4 wires would connect to what on the RCA plug?

I gather it would be the same as if you were connecting to video. Anyone know what that wiring scheme is?

EDIT: I just had another look at the product page, and there's a close-up of the wiring. Most probably the yellow wire is for the video connection.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on January 26, 2012, 12:39:05 PM
After hunting around (for the right 2.5mm Connector, thanks for pointing that out Steve) i can't seem to find a decent metal connector

Here's one:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/2-5mm-Jack-Metal-Nickel-4-Pole-Male-Plug-Solder-Connector-/220869380265?pt=UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL&hash=item336cd748a9
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: alpine85 on January 26, 2012, 01:05:27 PM
I must be missing something here, but I'm really curious what all these extra wires are for on the mini end of this digital cable (???)

How is the connection on this thing any different than any other SPDIF coax?  Isn't the female RCA just TS?  Why TRRS on the other end?   SPDIF is just a bitstream, right?  And this thing is only transmitting 2 channels of audio, right?

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 26, 2012, 01:18:12 PM
Anyone have an idea what the wiring schematic would be? From the 2.5mm 4C Right Angle Plug with 12" Cable, which of the 4 wires would connect to what on the RCA plug?

I gather it would be the same as if you were connecting to video. Anyone know what that wiring scheme is?

EDIT: I just had another look at the product page, and there's a close-up of the wiring. Most probably the yellow wire is for the video connection.

Seems easy enough to figure out.  Just do reverse osmosis on the stock cable.  All you need is a continuity tester to figure out which part of the TRRS has continuity with the parts on the RCA end.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: matjinks on January 26, 2012, 01:55:49 PM
The SPDIF is sharing a socket with the remote, which is why you have 4 pole for the SPDIF, you only use one of the poles and the earth the other poles on the socket side are used for the remote cable connection. Just hold the two plugs side by side the remote cable and the SPDIF cable and you will see which poles are being used by the remote the other is used by the SPDIF.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: alpine85 on January 26, 2012, 02:37:29 PM
Thanks for clarifying that.  I totally missed that it was a shared jack.   Seems kind of silly - how much could it have cost them to put in a separate jack for the remote?

So, I'm thinking about picking one of these up - mainly to replace the JB3 as a bitbucket for a 2nd rig, but I love the fact that it could be a good 2-ch recorder as well for lower profile gigs.  Has anyone decided how the pres and A/D compare to the M-10?  Better?  Worse?  Just a different flavor?

Would I still want to run the Busman UA-5 in front of this whenever possible?  I'm assuming both the Pres and A/D would be better quality in the UA-5 - would that be a correct assumption?  Would this thing accept 24-bit from the UA-5?

By the way, Musician's Friend has a promo code that's good til 1/30 - 10% off purchases that would bring this thing down to $300 shipped.  Best price I've found so far...

EDIT:  Here is the promo code info from MF: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pages/year-of-the-dragon?icid=200175

It looks like EVERYONE is selling this at $330, so with the 10% off this is definitely the best deal on a new one ($297 shipped)

The SPDIF is sharing a socket with the remote, which is why you have 4 pole for the SPDIF, you only use one of the poles and the earth the other poles on the socket side are used for the remote cable connection. Just hold the two plugs side by side the remote cable and the SPDIF cable and you will see which poles are being used by the remote the other is used by the SPDIF.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: it-goes-to-eleven on January 26, 2012, 02:46:00 PM
Thanks for clarifying that.  I totally missed that it was a shared jack.   Seems kind of silly - how much could it have cost them to put in a separate jack for the remote?

Quite a bit, actually.  It would have taken up a lot of space, both outside and especially inside the device.

Given how rare digital inputs are, be damn glad it's there at all!

It'll be interesting when someone opens one up and posts pics.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: page on January 26, 2012, 02:58:12 PM
Thanks for clarifying that.  I totally missed that it was a shared jack.   Seems kind of silly - how much could it have cost them to put in a separate jack for the remote?

Quite a bit, actually.  It would have taken up a lot of space, both outside and especially inside the device.

agreed. There are very few handheld digital devices these days that have an excess of spare space for additional connections.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 26, 2012, 03:03:41 PM
Thanks for clarifying that.  I totally missed that it was a shared jack.   Seems kind of silly - how much could it have cost them to put in a separate jack for the remote?

Quite a bit, actually.  It would have taken up a lot of space, both outside and especially inside the device.

agreed. There are very few handheld digital devices these days that have an excess of spare space for additional connections.

I like the single input and rather find use of TRRS for multiple functions to be a kinda neat concept.  My main thing is that the fewer the jacks, the less chance I have to plug into the wrong jack in the dark, which I've done ohhh a million times.  (Actually only three or four, but it feels like a meel-yen)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on January 26, 2012, 03:14:59 PM

So, I'm thinking about picking one of these up - mainly to replace the JB3 as a bitbucket for a 2nd rig, but I love the fact that it could be a good 2-ch recorder as well for lower profile gigs.  Has anyone decided how the pres and A/D compare to the M-10?  Better?  Worse?  Just a different flavor?

Would I still want to run the Busman UA-5 in front of this whenever possible?  I'm assuming both the Pres and A/D would be better quality in the UA-5 - would that be a correct assumption?  Would this thing accept 24-bit from the UA-5?



I don't think there's been anything definitive stated, but the M-10 is industry best handheld for self-noise so probably safe to say that it still wins a self-noise comp.  That said, I also think it's been concluded that the DR100mkII pre's are quite clean, while the flavor of the pre's (which is a subjective thing anyway) can be heard on a couple of samples that have been posted in this thread and one or two other threads in the recorder forum.  Recommend reaching your own conclusion on whether or not you like the flavor.

On whether or not these would be improved by a UA-5 in front, again I think the answer would be subjective.  What you'd be getting is an option to run two different flavors and whether you prefer one over the other is based on your own tastes.  If you listen to the samples I posted, I can say this much...the internal pres on this sound pretty good so I don't think you'd be disappointed running without the UA-5.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: F.O.Bean on January 27, 2012, 12:48:29 AM

So, I'm thinking about picking one of these up - mainly to replace the JB3 as a bitbucket for a 2nd rig, but I love the fact that it could be a good 2-ch recorder as well for lower profile gigs.  Has anyone decided how the pres and A/D compare to the M-10?  Better?  Worse?  Just a different flavor?

Would I still want to run the Busman UA-5 in front of this whenever possible?  I'm assuming both the Pres and A/D would be better quality in the UA-5 - would that be a correct assumption?  Would this thing accept 24-bit from the UA-5?



I don't think there's been anything definitive stated, but the M-10 is industry best handheld for self-noise so probably safe to say that it still wins a self-noise comp.  That said, I also think it's been concluded that the DR100mkII pre's are quite clean, while the flavor of the pre's (which is a subjective thing anyway) can be heard on a couple of samples that have been posted in this thread and one or two other threads in the recorder forum.  Recommend reaching your own conclusion on whether or not you like the flavor.

On whether or not these would be improved by a UA-5 in front, again I think the answer would be subjective.  What you'd be getting is an option to run two different flavors and whether you prefer one over the other is based on your own tastes.  If you listen to the samples I posted, I can say this much...the internal pres on this sound pretty good so I don't think you'd be disappointed running without the UA-5.


Well said, and I agree 100% Steve. I think the pres in this sucka sound quite good being stock and all :)
Title: onsale today (2/9/2012) at musician's friend
Post by: kenyee on February 02, 2012, 03:04:54 PM
For the fence sitters, the DR100mkII is on sale today for $280 shipped at Musician's Friend.
Use code GROUNDHOG...
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: drchen on February 03, 2012, 06:01:00 PM
Thank you for that tip over the fence.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: it-goes-to-eleven on February 04, 2012, 10:25:25 AM
Has anyone posted m10 vs mk2 pics?   It's so much easier than comparing measurements...

I am really curious how the mk2 a/d performs compared to the 7xx and m10 when used with a front-end pre.  But also how it runs stand-alone...  More comps please!  ;)

And also general subjective usability compared to the m10, which is really excellent.

My m10 has never been run in the field, and I am giving some thought to selling it in favor of the mk2...
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: aleal5687 on February 04, 2012, 10:58:39 AM
No pics but I did find this

http://www.sizeasy.com/page/size_comparison/33663-Tascam-DR100mkII-vs-Tascam-dr2d-vs-Sony-Pcm-M10-vs-Ediro-r9hr-vs-Roland-R-05

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on February 04, 2012, 11:41:38 AM
Has anyone posted m10 vs mk2 pics?   It's so much easier than comparing measurements...

Yeah, that link gives a good representation.  In a descriptive sense, the mk2 is just big enough to pull off having XLRs, but just small enough that it still fits in most pockets for portability.  Definitely bigger and thicker than an m10, but it doesn't go over some subjective point where people wouldn't call it portable.  As a contrasting point, the 661 isn't all the much bigger than the mk2, but it's on the other side of that subjective line.  The inch or so extra width and length of the 661 does make it just a little too big, IMO.

I am really curious how the mk2 a/d performs compared to the 7xx and m10 when used with a front-end pre.  But also how it runs stand-alone...  More comps please!  ;)

I don't have an m10 or 7xx anymore, but can you give me an idea of what you're wanting to see?  I could try to run some specific test on the mk2 if you can give me a suggestion of what you're looking for or how to run a test.

And also general subjective usability compared to the m10, which is really excellent.

I agree.  I owned two M10's and they're great.  Again, I'm not sure what specifically you're after here.  I've used the mk2 now 5 times out in the field and there aren't any specific 'gotcha' features of the unit that stick out.  I think for apples to apples features, the m10 battery life is the biggest plus on it's side.  The multiple battery options is the big plus on the side of the mk2.  Another plus is XLRs, which of course lock down.  Finally, the ability to adjust channel levels independently is a plus for the mk2.

For non-apples to apples features, the mk2 clearly wins because it has many more features.  However, if those features aren't useful to you then that's not an issue.  The body of the review includes a summary of the difference in features.

Otherwise, as far as general subjective usability, I have no issues with either the m10 or mk2.  They both operate almost identical when you're out in the field.  They both have a pre-record buffer, two pushes of the record button are needed to actually start recording, the hold switch locks the same functions, etc.) 


Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on February 14, 2012, 11:49:24 AM
Has anyone posted m10 vs mk2 pics?   

Here's a pic of M10 vs Dr100mkii vs D50:
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: it-goes-to-eleven on February 14, 2012, 01:54:07 PM
Very helpful, thanks!

I wonder if they could have knocked an inch off by eliminating the speaker and mics up top?  I suppose the XLR's are up there and take a lot of room.

Can you open the Tascam up and take some shots of the guts?  :P
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: jbou on February 14, 2012, 05:34:38 PM
I wonder if they could have knocked an inch off by eliminating the speaker and mics up top?  I suppose the XLR's are up there and take a lot of room.

The xlrs are on the bottom aren't they?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: newplanet7 on February 14, 2012, 05:49:31 PM
I wonder if they could have knocked an inch off by eliminating the speaker and mics up top?  I suppose the XLR's are up there and take a lot of room.

The xlrs are on the bottom aren't they?
Yep.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: it-goes-to-eleven on February 14, 2012, 05:59:05 PM
I wonder if they could have knocked an inch off by eliminating the speaker and mics up top?  I suppose the XLR's are up there and take a lot of room.

The xlrs are on the bottom aren't they?
Yep.

Oh, right.  It'll be interesting to see how they've packed things in there.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on February 14, 2012, 09:06:38 PM

Can you open the Tascam up and take some shots of the guts?  :P

Sure. Just send me $330.  ;D
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: alpine85 on February 15, 2012, 04:11:12 PM
Well I picked one of these up last week, ran some tests at home (just to run a few tests & familiarize myself with it a bit) and then took it out for some real world festy experience this past weekend. 

A couple observations:

- Very logical and user friendly interface, menus, etc.   Display is great - I like the way it gives you a dB number for  the peaks every couple seconds AND has the peak light you can see from a distance.  The low/mid/high mic gain switch gives you a nice range.  I used the "mid" setting with the level between 4-6 on the knob most of the time

- Pres seem to be quiet and transparent.  Not quite as much so as the Oade R-44, but pretty damn good for a $300 unit.  Much better than the stock PMD-660 I had a while back.

- a little too easy to hit the 'STOP' button when bumping or handling it  (not a big deal, I just need to get in the habit of using the 'HOLD' function, which I should be doing even with the R-44)

- battery life is much better than I expected, after what I had read here.  I recorded a 2+ hour set running phantom and had 1 bar left on the Li-Ion.  It didn't switch over to the AAs until after listening to some stuff on the way home (probably another hour or so)

- it does NOT accept 24-bit from the Busman UA-5.  It DOES accept 16-bit, although that definitely limits its use as a bitbucket (until I can upgrade my preamp anyway).  I would be curious to know how it works with other pres / A/Ds
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on February 16, 2012, 07:50:52 AM
I would be curious to know how it works with other pres / A/Ds

It works great with the Sound Devices USBPre2: SPDIF out. I get 24/96.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: drchen on February 16, 2012, 08:14:13 PM
Well I picked one of these up last week, ran some tests at home (just to run a few tests & familiarize myself with it a bit) and then took it out for some real world festy experience this past weekend. 

- Pres seem to be quiet and transparent.  Not quite as much so as the Oade R-44, but pretty damn good for a $300 unit.  Much better than the stock PMD-660 I had a while back.

My first listen-back after doing a comparison: the V2-> AD2k-> Dr-100 mkii  was *way-way* better than using the stock DR-100 mkii's pre and a-to-d. But then I'm comparing apples and oranges, money-wise. So no big surprise here.

- battery life is much better than I expected, after what I had read here.  I recorded a 2+ hour set running phantom and had 1 bar left on the Li-Ion.  It didn't switch over to the AAs until after listening to some stuff on the way home (probably another hour or so)
 
In my experience, the internal Li-Ion batt does just OK, not great (I got 1:45:00 including phantom power to 2x Schoeps CCM4s). Its the AA's that are *terrible*: I got about 00:10:00 from the brand-new Lenmar 2500ma rechargable AA's before it switched to the internal Li-Ion (powering the CCM4s). I hope this is a Tascam firmware "fuel-gage" issue that will be fixed in a future firmware update, as I believe someone has stated that the DR-2d has been fixes in its 1.03 firmware version. 

- it does NOT accept 24-bit from the Busman UA-5.  It DOES accept 16-bit, although that definitely limits its use as a bitbucket (until I can upgrade my preamp anyway).  I would be curious to know how it works with other pres / A/Ds
[/i]
Thats a serious bummer!!! as I just bought a UA-5 off the YS just for the purpose running of 24/48 into the Dr-100mkii for my minimal-system. !
BTW, I had no problem with DR-100 mkii locking onto a AD2k at 24/48 the one time I tried. I think I had problems locking at 24/96 but that may have been human error--I'll check that again and report back.
thanks to everyone for sharing your experience/information on this new product.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on February 16, 2012, 10:27:17 PM
I think I had problems locking at 24/96 but that may have been human error--I'll check that again and report back.


Make sure you have set the correct mode in order to record at 96 kHz. You must be in HS mode. See pages 25-26 of the manual:

"Mode selection

You can set the operation mode used for recording and playback.

Setting the mode

1.   While pressing the ENTER/MARK button press the button to turn the power ON and open the MODE SELECT screen.

STD (default) Standard mode for using WAV files with sampling frequencies of 44.1 or 48 kHz and MP3 files

HS Mode for using WAV files with sampling frequencies of 44.1, 48 or 96 kHz

2.   Use the wheel to select the mode to use, and press the ENTER/MARK button to confirm the setting. The unit will start in the selected mode.

NOTE: The selected mode setting is retained and will be used the next time the unit power is turned ON."
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: drchen on February 17, 2012, 02:31:38 AM
Thanks Dogmusic! 
I'm sure that was my problem because I definitely did not put it into HS mode.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: jb63 on March 07, 2012, 07:12:17 PM
Just finished reading all the pages here.
Wow.
Fantastic review, covered most every question I could have!

I was just noticing that the the cost of R-44s is now up to almost what Doug charges for one he's modded:

http://www.oade.com/digital_recorders/hard_disc_recorders/upgrades.html

when I scrolled down to see that he does mods on the DR100.
do you think that also applies to the MKII?

I've been meaning to call him, but since I'm not ready to push the button any anything just yet, I haven't gotten around to it.
he lowest price I've found on these is $300, and if you add a $125 mod and some shipping, that's pretty good.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: jbell on March 07, 2012, 07:19:37 PM
The DR100 mkII with the concert mod would be a nice deck.  Also has the Digi input.

Edit:  I emailed Oade and he isn't going to mod the DR100 mkii
Just finished reading all the pages here.
Wow.
Fantastic review, covered most every question I could have!

I was just noticing that the the cost of R-44s is now up to almost what Doug charges for one he's modded:

http://www.oade.com/digital_recorders/hard_disc_recorders/upgrades.html

when I scrolled down to see that he does mods on the DR100.
do you think that also applies to the MKII?

I've been meaning to call him, but since I'm not ready to push the button any anything just yet, I haven't gotten around to it.
he lowest price I've found on these is $300, and if you add a $125 mod and some shipping, that's pretty good.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: jibooer on March 08, 2012, 05:34:25 PM
Great review tonedeaf...it's good of you to break down the features for us, especially relative to the way we use stuff. Much obliged.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: jb63 on March 08, 2012, 09:16:17 PM

I emailed Oade and he isn't going to mod the DR100 mkii


Too bad.
I was looking into it today and thinking that could be the perfect all-in-one with the mod.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on March 09, 2012, 10:17:44 PM

I emailed Oade and he isn't going to mod the DR100 mkii


Too bad.
I was looking into it today and thinking that could be the perfect all-in-one with the mod.

This doesn't really surprise me.  I might be off base here, but I think maybe one of the reasons the Tascam units are lower cost is how they manufacture the boards.  From Oade's perspective, I also recall reading that his mods replace stock soldered surface mount components, but if the key components aren't soldered surface mounted, then he can't do anything with the unit.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: newplanet7 on March 13, 2012, 08:08:47 PM
Does this unit even "need" a mod. It doesn't sound like it.
Although most of the mods done aren't really NEEDED anyway. I guess it's a flavor thing.

The only deck that I know of that had mods done out of necessity was the 660, which I have.
It was nearly unusable with amplified music as an all in one without the mod I have read.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: jibooer on March 16, 2012, 08:51:39 PM
As far as external powering goes, has anyone 'experimented' with a Tekkeon 5V USB out or a DVD battery w/ 5v regulator yet? I know tonedeaf has had success with the Power runner.

Title: a limiter issue?
Post by: jimbee on April 08, 2012, 12:01:29 PM
Thanks for the amazingly helpful review of the DR-100 MKII, Steve.  Here is a quick question, in my, uh, limited testing of the recorder, I believe I have stumbled on an issue with the limiter.

In MONO mode, with one mic (Rode NTG-1) plugged into the left XLR and phantom power ON, with the limiter switch on the back turned OFF, the limiter still seems to be engaged, like a brick wall at -6 db, and it sounds terrible.

Maybe it is just my machine, but I wonder if that test is repeatable?  Probably nobody has tried it, why would they, who would record with one mic in mono?  But if you are recording film dialogue with one shotgun mic on a boom, you might like to record in mono to get two identical channels of audio rather than having the audio only in the left channel and nothing in the right channel.

Or, if I am missing something, and that is truly the way the limiter is supposed to work in mono with one mic, I'm wondering why.  What purpose would it serve to have the limiter still engaged in mono even when the switch on the back is turned off?

In stereo mode, with the limiter switch OFF, it works like I would expect, and will clip at 0 db.  With the limiter switch ON in stereo mode, the limiter does seem to work, it sounds much better, and you can approach 0 db without being slammed at -6.

Thanks for any advice,
jimbee
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: batton77 on April 13, 2012, 11:53:05 AM
I'm liking the Dr100mkii,  especially gong all digital with my Sound Devices MIXPRE-D >AES out (cannare BCJXJA10TRA) to SPDIF in of the mkii - sounds fantastic ..... Nah make that unbelievable.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: mhlsr on April 14, 2012, 09:19:06 PM
Just used mine for  first time last Sat.
http://archive.org/details/Furthur2012-04-07.Furthur2012-04-07.AT897s
Got a few whistlers, howlers. Other wise sounds great.
Mic Gain-High, Limiter off, Phantom power off, mics AA battery, Levels 4.5.
Used 2 AA's lithium's each set. No Problem.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: seanay on April 24, 2012, 12:39:31 PM
Just picked one up yesterday (B&H had them listed online at 269)...looking forward to trying it out.  I'm going to try running the SPDIF from a UA-5 digimod to the digital in.

Echoing an earlier post, what are people planning to use for external power?  I just picked up a Chinese knock-off 5v/9v/12v external and running that either into the DC in or the USB in.  I'll let you know how it works.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on April 24, 2012, 01:02:10 PM
Just picked one up yesterday (B&H had them listed online at 269)...looking forward to trying it out.  I'm going to try running the SPDIF from a UA-5 digimod to the digital in.

Echoing an earlier post, what are people planning to use for external power?  I just picked up a Chinese knock-off 5v/9v/12v external and running that either into the DC in or the USB in.  I'll let you know how it works.

Nice.  I've been eyeing that same battery on ebay.  That battery should run this unit for a really long time.  I'm using a Power Runner (the predecessor of the Tekkeon) and I have no clue how long it goes on that battery because it's never come remotely close to running out of juice.  In fact, during an average 3 to 4 hours worth of music, I rarely see any of the lights on the Power Runner go out.  Summer festival season is almost upon us though, so this summer I'll probably run the Power Runner dry at some point over a weekend.  I'll report results then.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: BusDriver on April 24, 2012, 09:23:49 PM
Instead of posting in review section I should maybe post in DR100mkII 'problems' ....

Those damn silly rubber feet on the unit ... one was missing when I took it from the box. Now, two more have fallen off from simple movement. Little things get my goat. I've replaced them with more durable pads.

Battery ... what gives?? No more than 3 hours on the internal running built in mic.  I bought an extra anticipating low life, but this is LOW. Running phantom tomorrow with mics drawing 3.3 mA each. Hope it is a short set. And, is 5 hours a normal recharge time via USB?

Now, I can't seem to get anything from the speaker. Any trick to this? Anything more than switch on bottom and headphone / line out unplugged? Manual doesn't indicate a menu adjustment.

I like my mixpre / M10. What did I need this for?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: fmaderjr on April 28, 2012, 02:07:57 PM
The only deck that I know of that had mods done out of necessity was the 660, which I have.
It was nearly unusable with amplified music as an all in one without the mod I have read.

And before that, DAT decks like the Sony DCT-D100. My unmodded one was totally unusable going mic in with fairly loud live music. I thought I flushed $800 down the toilet and went back to mini-disc.  (Of course had I known about taperssection then, I would have known about battery boxes and could have tried going line in).

After the mod, never a problem & the limiter also worked great if I wanted to use it. Before the mod, distortion set in before the limiter kicked in.

I like my mixpre / M10. What did I need this for?

Great combo! Plus you can use the M10 alone for low profile.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: BillStrehl on April 30, 2012, 07:19:21 PM



Quote
The BP-L2 Li-ion battery is rated 3.7V and 1800 mah.

Alkalines are rated 1.5V and 1800 - 2400 mah each...so a pair provides a capacity of 3V and 3600 mah minimum.

NiMH are rated 1.25V and 800 to 2400 mah each...so a pair provides a capacity of 2.5V and 1600 mah minimum.

What this tells me is that AAs SHOULD be giving longer run times than the Li-ion.  Regardless, just by comparing the ratings, you shouldn't be getting a fraction of the run-time from the AAs than you get from the Li-ion.

Having said this, the specs of the unit say that the maximum draw is 4W...that's very high compared to other devices, but that still doesn't explain the differences in run-time between the two.

I just ran a test with a Rode NTG-3 using phantom power and got 44 minutes of continues recording time.  When I went back to look at peoples comments and I think you might be wrong on your calculations for the Alkaline.  It appears the battery is hooked up in series so I think the 2 batteries together would provide 3 volts at 1800 to 2400 mAh.  I looked anthoer website that seems to validate my thinking.

Let me know if I am wrong.

And a HUGE THANKS for such an excellent review!!!
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on April 30, 2012, 07:47:28 PM



Quote
The BP-L2 Li-ion battery is rated 3.7V and 1800 mah.

Alkalines are rated 1.5V and 1800 - 2400 mah each...so a pair provides a capacity of 3V and 3600 mah minimum.

NiMH are rated 1.25V and 800 to 2400 mah each...so a pair provides a capacity of 2.5V and 1600 mah minimum.

What this tells me is that AAs SHOULD be giving longer run times than the Li-ion.  Regardless, just by comparing the ratings, you shouldn't be getting a fraction of the run-time from the AAs than you get from the Li-ion.

Having said this, the specs of the unit say that the maximum draw is 4W...that's very high compared to other devices, but that still doesn't explain the differences in run-time between the two.

I just ran a test with a Rode NTG-3 using phantom power and got 44 minutes of continues recording time.  When I went back to look at peoples comments and I think you might be wrong on your calculations for the Alkaline.  It appears the battery is hooked up in series so I think the 2 batteries together would provide 3 volts at 1800 to 2400 mAh.  I looked anthoer website that seems to validate my thinking.

Let me know if I am wrong.

And a HUGE THANKS for such an excellent review!!!

Your comment seems correct to me.  If two batteries are in series, the voltage doubles, but the capacity does not double.

Conversely, if you connect them in parallel, the voltage does not change, but the capacity doubles.

An example for that is I have a cable that I use to hot swap batteries.  The cable has a pig tail for parallel connecting batteries.  When one battery runs low and it's time to change out to the second battery, if you connect the second battery so that they're both connected at the same time for awhile before the first is depleted, you aren't changing the voltage being supplied to the device, but you're supplementing the capacity of the first battery by adding more capacity via the fresh one.   
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: F.O.Bean on May 01, 2012, 11:40:12 AM
Instead of posting in review section I should maybe post in DR100mkII 'problems' ....

Those damn silly rubber feet on the unit ... one was missing when I took it from the box. Now, two more have fallen off from simple movement. Little things get my goat. I've replaced them with more durable pads.

Battery ... what gives?? No more than 3 hours on the internal running built in mic.  I bought an extra anticipating low life, but this is LOW. Running phantom tomorrow with mics drawing 3.3 mA each. Hope it is a short set. And, is 5 hours a normal recharge time via USB?

Now, I can't seem to get anything from the speaker. Any trick to this? Anything more than switch on bottom and headphone / line out unplugged? Manual doesn't indicate a menu adjustment.

I like my mixpre / M10. What did I need this for?

Why'd u buy one then? I would sell it and just use the m10
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Sebastian on May 03, 2012, 05:32:58 AM
Here's a recent show I taped with the DR100mkII... (http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=155386.0) The unit worked surprisingly well in the stealth-without-guilt situation (i.e. I had no problems finding any buttons in the dark).
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: seanay on May 03, 2012, 10:54:00 AM
Took my MkII out for the first time last night, running through a digimod UA-5 into the digital in.  I'm very pleased with the sound, but I am concerned about external power.

EDIT: Forgot to mention initially, I had trouble running 24/96 from the preamp, but I could get locked in at 24/48.  I need to play around with it more, I'm sure, but that seems...concerning.

As it is, I ran nearly the entire show on the internal battery...and probably wouldn't have had problems if I had decided to run the ENTIRE show on it.  When the battery jumped down to one bar, I flipped on my knockoff battery with 5v power through USB.  I had intended to use the trick tonedeaf mentioned in his review, turning on the USB power in the middle of recording so the recorder wouldn't shift into "Connected" mode.  However, the trick lasted only a few minutes before the "Connected" sign came on. 

Long story short, by the time I flipped the thing back on (and foolishly tried again), I lost a song and half of Terrapin Flyer's second set.

EDIT: Found some cables that will work for powering.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dallman on May 03, 2012, 04:00:33 PM
Here's a recent show I taped with the DR100mkII... (http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=155386.0) The unit worked surprisingly well in the stealth-without-guilt situation (i.e. I had no problems finding any buttons in the dark).
As large as the DR100mkII is, it is smaller than my old Sony Pro Walkman WM-D6C the old standard. Oh how times have changed.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: runonce on May 03, 2012, 04:06:33 PM
Here's a recent show I taped with the DR100mkII... (http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=155386.0) The unit worked surprisingly well in the stealth-without-guilt situation (i.e. I had no problems finding any buttons in the dark).
As large as the DR100mkII is, it is smaller than my old Sony Pro Walkman WM-D6C the old standard. Oh how times have changed.

Times have changed indeed! - I think you look more suspicious at a concert if you aren't fiddling with some flashing light device!
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Massive Dynamic on May 03, 2012, 04:29:52 PM
Took my MkII out for the first time last night, running through a digimod UA-5 into the digital in.  I'm very pleased with the sound, but I am concerned about external power.

EDIT: Forgot to mention initially, I had trouble running 24/96 from the preamp, but I could get locked in at 24/48.  I need to play around with it more, I'm sure, but that seems...concerning.

Another user reported earlier that recording from the UA-5 was problematic,

- it does NOT accept 24-bit from the Busman UA-5.  It DOES accept 16-bit, although that definitely limits its use as a bitbucket (until I can upgrade my preamp anyway).  I would be curious to know how it works with other pres / A/Ds

Have you checked the Mode selection?

Make sure you have set the correct mode in order to record at 96 kHz. You must be in HS mode. See pages 25-26 of the manual:

"Mode selection

You can set the operation mode used for recording and playback.

Setting the mode

1.   While pressing the ENTER/MARK button press the button to turn the power ON and open the MODE SELECT screen.

STD (default) Standard mode for using WAV files with sampling frequencies of 44.1 or 48 kHz and MP3 files

HS Mode for using WAV files with sampling frequencies of 44.1, 48 or 96 kHz

2.   Use the wheel to select the mode to use, and press the ENTER/MARK button to confirm the setting. The unit will start in the selected mode.

NOTE: The selected mode setting is retained and will be used the next time the unit power is turned ON."

I am curious about whether the UA-5 will or won't work. I also didn't think the UA-5 ever output a 16-bit signal, so the results mentioned earlier are puzzling.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: seanay on May 03, 2012, 09:41:29 PM
Massive Dynamic--

I did have the DR-100 set to the HS setting, set to record at 24/96.  The problem was, it was not recognizing a digital signal from the UA-5 when the UA-5 was set to 96 khz.  When I changed the UA-5 to 48 khz, things ran normally.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Massive Dynamic on May 07, 2012, 07:04:10 PM
Massive Dynamic--

I did have the DR-100 set to the HS setting, set to record at 24/96.  The problem was, it was not recognizing a digital signal from the UA-5 when the UA-5 was set to 96 khz.  When I changed the UA-5 to 48 khz, things ran normally.

Not to belabor the point, but do the 48k files you recorded from the UA-5 to the DR-100mkii show up as 16-bit or 24-bit files in an audio editor? Still trying to understand alpine85's comment about 16-bit files. thx
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: runonce on May 07, 2012, 07:49:36 PM
Massive Dynamic--

I did have the DR-100 set to the HS setting, set to record at 24/96.  The problem was, it was not recognizing a digital signal from the UA-5 when the UA-5 was set to 96 khz.  When I changed the UA-5 to 48 khz, things ran normally.

Not to belabor the point, but do the 48k files you recorded from the UA-5 to the DR-100mkii show up as 16-bit or 24-bit files in an audio editor? Still trying to understand alpine85's comment about 16-bit files. thx

I think he had the recorder set to accept 16 bits - the other 8 bits are truncated...resulting in a 16 bit file.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: seanay on May 08, 2012, 01:58:10 PM
When I dropped the files into Cool Edit Pro, they were listed as 32-bit float, 48 khz - which, I've found, is what 24-bit recordings show up as in that format.  When I encoded the WAVs to FLAC files, they came out as 24/48, so I'm fairly positive that my settings were correct on the recorder.  I'm thinking there's just an issue of picking up 96 khz from the UA-5, a problem that seems to have been experienced by more than a few people.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: alpine85 on May 08, 2012, 02:08:07 PM
Massive Dynamic--

I did have the DR-100 set to the HS setting, set to record at 24/96.  The problem was, it was not recognizing a digital signal from the UA-5 when the UA-5 was set to 96 khz.  When I changed the UA-5 to 48 khz, things ran normally.

Not to belabor the point, but do the 48k files you recorded from the UA-5 to the DR-100mkii show up as 16-bit or 24-bit files in an audio editor? Still trying to understand alpine85's comment about 16-bit files. thx

I think he had the recorder set to accept 16 bits - the other 8 bits are truncated...resulting in a 16 bit file.

I'm pretty sure I had the recorder set to HS (I had just gotten the unit and was reading the manual as I was testing, plus I had no problem recording 24-bit going straight in w/ the mics).

BUT...  there's a very good chance that I did NOT have the UA-5 "ADV" switch on!!!  I had never used the UA-5 with anything besides a JB3, so I had completely forgotten about the ADV thing.  I'll try it again when I get a chance. 

Sorry about the confusion!

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: newscane on May 22, 2012, 12:13:29 AM
Took the plunge...ordered the DR-100mkii today from B&H.  Looking forward to upgrading from my JB3!  It should arrive Thursday, and I hope to use it Friday at the local jazz festival to record Bela Fleck. 

Is there a rundown somewhere of SDHC cards that have been tested/are expected to work well with this deck?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: chrisv31 on May 24, 2012, 04:36:15 PM
I just bought a DR100mKII and i would like to ask you something about it:
Is it possible to power a set of DPA 4021 or 4022 with it?
Thxs
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: aaronji on May 25, 2012, 05:09:09 PM
I just bought a DR100mKII and i would like to ask you something about it:
Is it possible to power a set of DPA 4021 or 4022 with it?
Thxs

Probably should have thought about that before you sprung for the new recorder... ;)

It should work, though.  The Tascam puts out 48V phantom and the DPAs are pretty moderate in their current requirements.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on May 28, 2012, 10:13:41 AM
I just bought a DR100mKII and i would like to ask you something about it:
Is it possible to power a set of DPA 4021 or 4022 with it?
Thxs

Probably should have thought about that before you sprung for the new recorder... ;)

It should work, though.  The Tascam puts out 48V phantom and the DPAs are pretty moderate in their current requirements.

If those DPA's use less than 48V, would you not be in danger of blowing them?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: aaronji on May 28, 2012, 02:48:07 PM
^^^ Those DPAs are spec'ed for 48V phantom (http://www.dpamicrophones.com/en/products.aspx?c=item&category=233&item=24026#specifications (http://www.dpamicrophones.com/en/products.aspx?c=item&category=233&item=24026#specifications)), so it should be OK.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: ashevillain on May 28, 2012, 03:42:32 PM
Bought a DR-100MKII and used it for the 1st time the other day. Seriously NOT IMPRESSED at all.

This comment probably belongs in the Remote Power subforum but whatever...it applies here. I also bought a Tascam BP-6AA for external power. It uses 6 AA batteries to supply 5V to the A/C power jack. I should have known it would not be efficient since 6 AA = 7.2V. They are stepping the voltage down in this box. There is a green 'on' light and a red 'low power' light. The red light came on after 1 hour. The green light turned off after 1.5 hours. It continued to power the recorder with only the red indicator on. It only lasted for a total of 4 hours. Used 2600mah AA's with phantom power on (powering AT4053a's).

How are people powering this thing (while supplying 48V phantom) for festivals?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Sebastian on May 28, 2012, 04:03:34 PM
How are people powering this thing (while supplying 48V phantom) for festivals?

I can power my MBHOs for two hours with two internal Nickel-zinc AA rechargeables.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on May 28, 2012, 05:26:46 PM
^^^ Those DPAs are spec'ed for 48V phantom (http://www.dpamicrophones.com/en/products.aspx?c=item&category=233&item=24026#specifications (http://www.dpamicrophones.com/en/products.aspx?c=item&category=233&item=24026#specifications)), so it should be OK.

Right you are. I thought (mistakenly) that they would be the same as 4060's.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: stevetoney on May 29, 2012, 12:29:22 AM
Bought a DR-100MKII and used it for the 1st time the other day. Seriously NOT IMPRESSED at all.

This comment probably belongs in the Remote Power subforum but whatever...it applies here. I also bought a Tascam BP-6AA for external power. It uses 6 AA batteries to supply 5V to the A/C power jack. I should have known it would not be efficient since 6 AA = 7.2V. They are stepping the voltage down in this box. There is a green 'on' light and a red 'low power' light. The red light came on after 1 hour. The green light turned off after 1.5 hours. It continued to power the recorder with only the red indicator on. It only lasted for a total of 4 hours. Used 2600mah AA's with phantom power on (powering AT4053a's).

How are people powering this thing (while supplying 48V phantom) for festivals?

I just returned from Summercamp and powered my DR100mkii for 4 straight days using two batteries, although I wasn't powering any mics.  So I was happy enough with the performance of the unit. 

Nearest I can tell, the unit draws between 300 and 400ma without phantom power.  Different mics pull different current, so you'll need to conduct your own testing to determine what run-times to expect when you add powering your mics into the mix. 

4 hours from six AA's doesn't seem all that bad to me when you're powering your mics too.  Obviously, if you used an external pre, your run-times using that AA pack would probably increase fairly significantly.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: bhadella on May 29, 2012, 09:34:44 AM
Bought a DR-100MKII and used it for the 1st time the other day. Seriously NOT IMPRESSED at all.

This comment probably belongs in the Remote Power subforum but whatever...it applies here. I also bought a Tascam BP-6AA for external power. It uses 6 AA batteries to supply 5V to the A/C power jack. I should have known it would not be efficient since 6 AA = 7.2V. They are stepping the voltage down in this box. There is a green 'on' light and a red 'low power' light. The red light came on after 1 hour. The green light turned off after 1.5 hours. It continued to power the recorder with only the red indicator on. It only lasted for a total of 4 hours. Used 2600mah AA's with phantom power on (powering AT4053a's).

How are people powering this thing (while supplying 48V phantom) for festivals?

Tonedeaf states his review post (the 1st post in this topic) that you can feed it 5 volt power via Radio Shack Adaptaplug B.    I use an Energizer XP8000 to power my USBPre2 with it's 5 volt output and found it easy to use.   Prices seem to have skyrocketed on the XP8000 (I bought mine for $40) but I would give it a positive review.   Make yourself or have one of our cable makers a USB to B cable and your good to go.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: alpine85 on May 29, 2012, 11:07:18 AM
Tondeaf states his review post (the 1st post in this topic) that you can feed it 5 volt power via Radio Shack Adaptaplug B.    I use an Energizer XP8000 to power my USBPre2 with it's 5 volt output and found it easy to use.   Prices seem to have skyrocketed on the XP8000 (I bought mine for $40) but I would give it a positive review.   Make yourself or have one of our cable makers a USB to B cable and your good to go.

It should also run just fine off of one of these - http://www.amazon.com/Digicom-DC-EPP3000-Xtreme-Power-Pack/dp/B00028VKRM  (12 bucks!)

Haven't tested this one specifically, but it looks just like the old "PP-99", which some of you may have laying around from the old days of powering a JB3.   I have tested the PP-99 and it works just fine with the Tascam.  Not sure about the battery life with phantom on, but the Tascam shows "AC" when it's hooked up, and says the internals are charging. 

In fact the MK2 has exactly the same power config as the JB3 - 5V with a "B" tip (this battery has a "N" tip, btw).    The AC adapter is almost identical too - other than the Tascam spec is "2.0A" and the JB3 is "2.4A"  (this wouldn't make a difference, would it?).  Wish I would have known this before I wasted $20 on the Tascam power supply!

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: runonce on June 19, 2012, 08:52:58 AM
Max file size?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: jbell on June 19, 2012, 09:49:15 AM
Here is the cable you need for cheap!  http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-Male-5V-DC-4-0mm-Barrel-Connector-Power-Cable-/221011998439#ht_4119wt_1254

I also grabbed one of these and use this setup for my DR-2d and it works great and is really cheap.

 http://www.batteryspace.com/batteryholderaax4withusbinterfaceconnectorandbeltcliponoffpowerswitch-rohscompliant.aspx

Tondeaf states his review post (the 1st post in this topic) that you can feed it 5 volt power via Radio Shack Adaptaplug B.    I use an Energizer XP8000 to power my USBPre2 with it's 5 volt output and found it easy to use.   Prices seem to have skyrocketed on the XP8000 (I bought mine for $40) but I would give it a positive review.   Make yourself or have one of our cable makers a USB to B cable and your good to go.

It should also run just fine off of one of these - http://www.amazon.com/Digicom-DC-EPP3000-Xtreme-Power-Pack/dp/B00028VKRM  (12 bucks!)

Haven't tested this one specifically, but it looks just like the old "PP-99", which some of you may have laying around from the old days of powering a JB3.   I have tested the PP-99 and it works just fine with the Tascam.  Not sure about the battery life with phantom on, but the Tascam shows "AC" when it's hooked up, and says the internals are charging. 

In fact the MK2 has exactly the same power config as the JB3 - 5V with a "B" tip (this battery has a "N" tip, btw).    The AC adapter is almost identical too - other than the Tascam spec is "2.0A" and the JB3 is "2.4A"  (this wouldn't make a difference, would it?).  Wish I would have known this before I wasted $20 on the Tascam power supply!
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: adrianf74 on June 19, 2012, 10:09:35 AM
I'm going to be a little lazy here as I'm at work but I do have a quick question (which I'm sure has been answered in this thread so I apologize in advance):

I'm looking at having two mic setups available.  I have an M10 and will have an option of running either setup to the M10 when I have to be somewhat discreen.   When I can run open, I would like the option of having one deck that would do what I need it to do (allowing me to run both mic sources or a board feed via XLR if need be with the same clock timings).  The gear I'm looking at running is:

CARDS: MBHO KA200N's > active cable (mini XLRs) > Tinybox > 1/8"

OMNIS: Countryman B3's > Naint PFA > XLR  (also will have a battery box available for ultra low-pro)
 
I already have an M10 which would work well in low-pro situations with either option but I would like to have something that would allow me to record both sources at once.  Would the DR100mkII be what I'm looking for?  Are there any other solid options?

Thanks.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: DATPAT on June 29, 2012, 02:29:52 AM
Just got my dr100mk2 modded by busman. I should get it back tomorrow. And once I get a pull I report in.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: it-goes-to-eleven on June 29, 2012, 08:28:03 AM
Just got my dr100mk2 modded by busman. I should get it back tomorrow. And once I get a pull I report in.

Cool.  Though I haven't heard a single comp that compares the stock unit to anything else.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: ashevillain on June 29, 2012, 09:21:57 AM
Just got my dr100mk2 modded by busman. I should get it back tomorrow. And once I get a pull I report in.

Interesting...I sent him an email about a month ago asking whether he was doing mods and never got a reply. Guess he doesn't want the business :shrug:
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: hermannhesse70 on June 29, 2012, 09:42:54 AM
Just got my dr100mk2 modded by busman. I should get it back tomorrow. And once I get a pull I report in.

Interesting...I sent him an email about a month ago asking whether he was doing mods and never got a reply. Guess he doesn't want the business :shrug:

Yeah!  WTH?  Nothing on the site about that nor have I heard anything else about it.  Be interested to hear about any improvements.  I think the stock amps sound really good, and like the previous responder - haven't heard any comparisons to anything else.  How much was the mod, and of what order?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: pine_tree on July 01, 2012, 04:56:43 AM
Hey Now!  First post here.  I'm a longtime music fan and new owner of a DR100MKII.  I bought this about a week ago and have been reading through this thread and messing around with it throughout the week.  I took my first go at recording with it a couple nights ago at a performance by the Legendary Les McCann with Javon Jackson.  This is a video of their closing song using the DR100MKII is the audio source.  I used the internal UNI mics only.  The unit was propped up on a couple of drink menus on the table with another menu covering the unit to draw as little attention to the device as possible.  The Mic Gain switch was set to medium, input dialed to 10 and Auto/Limiter switch was on.   Recorded as WAV 16bit  44.1k.  I think the internal mics sound very nice but please share feedback of any kind and I welcome any tips for better stealth/better sound quality with this unit. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hsqzWgXk3M
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: hermannhesse70 on July 01, 2012, 05:49:29 PM
i'm super new to the mk2 also, but have some input.  CA14s would be the thing to add.  cards for indoors, omni's for out.  they will sound 6000 times better than those internals.  you can keep the unit out of site and get creative with the mics, which are small.  sound good with the stock pre amps.  uh-uh on using the auto anything or limiter.  cranking up the dial to ten will add unnecessary noise.  go for signal to noise balance by finding the gain switch setting that allows you to keep the dial somewhere in the middle for optimum level.  also, may as well record 24/48 so you can get the best sound and leave enought room to boost CLEAN volume in post production, say with something free and easy to use like Audacity!  I have been making mostly field recordings and will post some soon when the stuff I've collected is edited.  Got a great one of a uhhhh chorus of cockroaches in downtown houston that sounds huge, full and outright creepy. 
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: pine_tree on July 01, 2012, 11:58:53 PM
Thanks for your comments hermannhesse70.  I fully intend to upgrade to some good stealth mics as soon as possible.  The CA14s look fantastic and would be perfect for my stealth needs.  I do have a matched pair of Rode NT-5s that I use for drum overheads.  Though not an ideal mic and definitely not stealth, I am guessing they will be better than the internals in certain situations.  Good to know about the auto-limiter and input dial set too high.  I should know better than to use any auto-anything when recording.  I have some opportunities in the coming weeks to record several more live bands so I will try some different settings along the way.  I'd like to hear some of the recordings you've made with this unit (cockroaches!) so please post here when you have them done.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: fmaderjr on July 02, 2012, 03:20:36 PM
I do have a matched pair of Rode NT-5s that I use for drum overheads.  Though not an ideal mic and definitely not stealth, I am guessing they will be better than the internals in certain situations.

They're good mics. When you don't need to stealth, they should be quite a bit better than the internals in most situations- especially when recording live music.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: drchen on July 02, 2012, 06:35:20 PM
FWIW, I just verified that the DR-100 mkII digi-in will lock on to the digi-out from an SD722 at 24/48 and at 24/96, but only if digital out format of the SD722 is set to "Consumer", not "Professional" (accessable via the 722's menu).
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: pine_tree on July 10, 2012, 03:06:19 PM
If anyone is interested, here is a recording I made of Galactic this past weekend with the DR100MKII.   Mics were internal UNI.  This time I had the input level set to 5.  Limiting switch OFF.  I can't remember what the gain switch was set to, but I think it was MED.   I recorded the entire show using the AA batteries and those provided plenty of juice for the 90 minute set without switching over to the backup power.  I think it sounds very good--but again, I am only using the internal UNI mics right now until I can afford some better CA14s or similar microphones.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imbH0nuW6Yg
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: ashevillain on July 13, 2012, 01:44:27 PM
[Prices seem to have skyrocketed on the XP8000 (I bought mine for $40) but I would give it a positive review.   Make yourself or have one of our cable makers a USB to B cable and your good to go.

Bought one of these Energizer XP8000's, had a cable made by tgakidis and ran some tests this week.

I got about 7.5 hours of documented record time with 48v phantom power on (powering a pair of AT405x's) using only this external battery. I removed all other batteries though, so when the recorder shut down it left that last file as an unrecoverable 0kb wav file. So I don't know the actual record time as that file could have theoretically been any length up to 2h 15m. Combined with the internal li-ion (which I got about 2 hours ) and a pair of AA's I feel confident I could get 10 hours of record time before needing to recharge. Not gonna cut it for anything more than a single day festival but it's way better than I was getting out of the BP-6AA.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: jbell on July 17, 2012, 02:24:09 PM
Oade might start modding these!!  He said, that he is waiting to make sure they don't have issues like the original DR100. 

Just got my dr100mk2 modded by busman. I should get it back tomorrow. And once I get a pull I report in.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: ashevillain on July 17, 2012, 02:33:40 PM
Oade might start modding these!!  He said, that he is waiting to make sure they don't have issues like the original DR100. 

Just got my dr100mk2 modded by busman. I should get it back tomorrow. And once I get a pull I report in.

Doug told me he had no plans to offer mods for the MKII and recommended that I get rid of it and find an original DR-100. Didn't mention any problems with the original and, in fact, said the original was the better deck of the two for all-in-one concert recording.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: jbell on July 17, 2012, 02:36:48 PM
Here is the email I got from Doug!

John, I'm waiting to be sure it trouble free the original DR100 was 
really buggy and Tascam changed one of the PC boards so it's a 
question mark. Tascam does sell parts for any deck, they don't track 
by serial number so I'll be upgrading any DR100MKII as I do now. I 
expect it to be a few months or more before I decide.
thanks...Doug

Oade might start modding these!!  He said, that he is waiting to make sure they don't have issues like the original DR100. 

Just got my dr100mk2 modded by busman. I should get it back tomorrow. And once I get a pull I report in.

Doug told me he had no plans to offer mods for the MKII and recommended that I get rid of it and find an original DR-100. Didn't mention any problems with the original and, in fact, said the original was the better deck of the two for all-in-one concert recording.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: ashevillain on July 17, 2012, 02:43:33 PM
^ oh well, I guess he's losing his memory or something. That's pretty much the exact opposite of what he told me.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: jbell on July 17, 2012, 02:53:07 PM
That is strange!!  I don't own one, but though a concert mod on one would make a nice all in one. 

^ oh well, I guess he's losing his memory or something. That's pretty much the exact opposite of what he told me.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: ashevillain on July 17, 2012, 04:19:01 PM
a concert mod on one would make a nice all in one. 

I agree, it would. After running the MKII for a few more shows, I'm actually not as discouraged with it as I was at first. When using the internal pre, the noise floor is a bit higher than most people would like but it's not terrible if the music is loud. I can see how it wouldn't be good for acoustic music or anything that needs a lot of gain. A concert mod seems like it would take care of the noise issue. Other than the noise floor I think the MKII pre sounds great for the price.

(in other words, it's not so bad that I would spend double the price on a used PMD 661...really the only upgrade that I see as worthwhile for an all in one would be to a DR-680 or R-44)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: mterry on July 20, 2012, 10:50:22 PM
a concert mod on one would make a nice all in one. 

I agree, it would. After running the MKII for a few more shows, I'm actually not as discouraged with it as I was at first. When using the internal pre, the noise floor is a bit higher than most people would like but it's not terrible if the music is loud. I can see how it wouldn't be good for acoustic music or anything that needs a lot of gain. A concert mod seems like it would take care of the noise issue. Other than the noise floor I think the MKII pre sounds great for the price.

(in other words, it's not so bad that I would spend double the price on a used PMD 661...really the only upgrade that I see as worthwhile for an all in one would be to a DR-680 or R-44)

Glad you two are becoming friends.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: phaedarus on August 20, 2012, 10:04:13 AM
Your review of the DR100 Mk 2 is much appreciated.

I've been looking to get my hands on my very first portable recorder for some time but have held off from purchasing Sony's M10 due to:

1. The lack of directional mics. I don't plan to purchase any external microphones so not having UNIs was a deal breaker for me.

2. No rechargeable battery pack. Being forced to use only AA batteries increases the total cost of ownership; I don't care how long batteries last in a Sony M10 - if it isn't an eternity than it's too short. An hour for a single session is good enough for me so I have no need for extra batteries other than as an emergency backup.

Looks like the DR100 Mk2 may just be the ticket. Now if only I can find a good deal on one.

They cost $450 plus 13% sales tax in Canada which is ridiculous!
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Todd R on August 20, 2012, 11:08:18 AM
It doesn't help since the M10 won't meet your needs on the internal mics, but the increased cost of ownership shouldn't be too high.  At least in the U.S., we can pick up from both Energizer and Duracell (and probably a lot of other brands) a rechargeable AA battery charger and 4 rechargeable NiMH AA batteries for $20. 

Since 2 of the AA's will run the M10 for 30+ hours, you'd wouldn't even need the other 2 AA batteries you buy in the set.  So you'd have a new set of AA batteries for you favorite TV remote along with the batteries you need for the M10 for $20. 

The DR100 mkII might be just what you're looking for.  Another option might be the Sony D50, which is the big brother to the M10.  Unlike the M10 though, the D50 has directional mics, with the option of 90 degree and 120 degree placement.  You can often pick them up used on ebay for $350 or so.  Plus the $20 for the AA charger and batteries of course.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: aaronji on August 20, 2012, 11:21:13 AM
The lack of directional mics. I don't plan to purchase any external microphones so not having UNIs was a deal breaker for me.

If you're not planning on using P48 externals, you can find something considerably smaller, and cheaper, with directional internal mics.  Maybe one of the Olympus models, for example.

They cost $450 plus 13% sales tax in Canada which is ridiculous!

There's one in the Yard Sale right now (http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=157657.0 (http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=157657.0))...
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: rodeen on August 20, 2012, 11:39:26 AM

Today's W00t is for 72 AA Alkaline(*) batteries for $15 + $5 shipping.  If my Minnesota math is correct, that should get you nearly 1100 hours of recording time for USD$20.00.

That would keep me running for a while. 

* - Best if used by 2018
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Todd R on August 20, 2012, 12:10:12 PM
And nothing against going the woot route, but a 4x AA NiMH + charger set for $20 should give you about 15,000 hours of record time.  Assuming only 300 charge cycles, when NiMH generally provide 400-500 cycles, and the two sets of 2x AA's you need for the M10.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: phaedarus on August 21, 2012, 06:05:03 AM
Hmm, my experience with rechargeable batteries (which was a long time ago) wasn't the best. Everything from diminished capacity after several recharges, fluid leaks (which could damage the unit) and overall reliabilityh as led me to view them with suspicion. The fact that the DR100 MK2 has a battery pack specifically designed for it does give me piece of mind. Rechargeable batteries may have improved since although I only use batteries for the TV remote and fire alarm (I had no idea Energizer now sells rechargeable batteries! That seems to go against their business model of profiting off of consumables.)

You're both right that there are deals to be had - but only if you live in the United States. Here in Canada, ordering from the US doesn't give us much of a discount after paying the 13% sales tax (Ontario) and the tariffs imposed upon Customs Canada; even for used items. This is the reason why cross-border shopping is so popular among Canadians because the savings, especially for everyday items like groceries and clothing, are pretty significant. Unfortunately, I'm not among those who live close to the border to be able to take advantage of it.

I've tried searching high and low on ebay and craig's list for used units like Sony's PCM-DB50 but there are almost none to be found. It seems no one here sells their sony digital recorders which, I guess is a testament to how good they are. On the rare occasion that I do stumble upon one, it's priced similar to retail; perhaps on the assumption that the seller thinks he or she is doing you a favor by saving on taxes.

To get an idea on the vast price differences we pay, despite the fact that the USD and CND are pretty much on par with each other, here's a Visteka.com and Musiciansfriend.com comparison:

http://vistek.ca/search/sony%20pcm.aspx

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/search/search.jsp?sB=r&question=sony+pcm

Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Todd R on August 21, 2012, 10:59:21 AM
FWIW, my experience many years back was that NiCD batteries were pretty useless.  NiMH batteries are much better, and to me, the latest "pre-charged" NiMH batteries (aka, low self discharge NiMH, hybrid NiMH, ready-to-use NiMH -- which started with the Sanyo Eneloops) are great.

About 10-12 years ago, I picked up some NiMH AA's and a battery charger from Radio Shack.  Lasted about two charges, maybe a bit more.  The problem isn't/wasn't with the batteries but instead with crap chargers. 

Right after that, I picked up a high quality charger from thomasdistributing.com.  Since then, for the past 10 years, my experience has been great.  I don't know whether the Duracell and Energizer chargers are crap too.  Probably that is their new business model -- get people to try rechargeable AA's with their crap charger, the batteries won't last at all, and then people will say rechargeable batteries are crap, I'm sticking with my disposable alkaline AAs.

As much as I said that Duracell and Energizer battery/charger combos were widely available (to make life easy), I really personally would recommend getting something like a MAHA smart charger from thomasdistributing (which are only $15 or so) and a set of 4 NiMH AAs for another $10.  It would be $25 well spent, and probably much better than the Energizer brand.

Also, fwiw and ymmv, but I think NiMH is a much more reliable, robust, and durable rechargeable battery technology compared to the Li-ion or Li-poly rechargeables that are used in the DR100 mkII.  Li-ion and esp Li-poly are much more prone to failure.  Though again, a good charging circuit probably helps loads, and the DR100 may have that.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: eman on August 21, 2012, 03:00:16 PM
I've found that it is a good idea to at least upgrade the charger that comes with the batteries every once in awhile, they did in fact suck before and they are getting better. You do have to pay attention to what you are doing and NiMH treat you righteously. You have to put two fairly well discharged batteries in at a time and make sure that you see the light go on and stay on for a good long while (but if they don't turn off by the next day you may have trouble as well, could be the charger or the batteries). I haven't ever had one leak yet and if they are properly charged they may actually go to the rated 1.45 Ah which is way better than standard alkaline.
NIMH are recyclable, which alkalines aren't. With an M10, there's no reason not to use NiMH at all. Really. Unless you like to poison your descendants on principle, which I know some do.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: aaronji on August 23, 2012, 11:05:07 AM
Also, fwiw and ymmv, but I think NiMH is a much more reliable, robust, and durable rechargeable battery technology compared to the Li-ion or Li-poly rechargeables that are used in the DR100 mkII.  Li-ion and esp Li-poly are much more prone to failure.  Though again, a good charging circuit probably helps loads, and the DR100 may have that.

I was under the impression that the lithium polymers are substantially more robust than the lithium ions at this point.  The reliability is good too, I think (they use them in a ton of portable electronics and cordless tools).  I guess the important thing is that the device and charger are designed for them (like having a good cut-off circuit)...

I am also a big fan of the low self-discharge NiMHs, though.  As you mentioned, they're a large step up from previous types.  And another great thing about "standard" size NiMHs, like AAs, is that if you forget them/forget to charge them/lose one/etc., you can probably find some alkalines without too much trouble.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: hermannhesse70 on August 31, 2012, 10:00:47 AM
Hey guys - couple questions concerning the MKII:

Anybody had any problems using the LINE 2 for mics (I'm using CA-14)?  For the last few months I've been using the mics with a PFA w/the XLR and all has been well.  Only complaints given I have to use the high gain settings for the field recording I've been doing with the budget mics is that there is a bit of noise, but not unacceptable.  I was also questioning battery life using the phantom power with PFA vs. with a battery box. All of a sudden I decided to try the LINE 2 input with the mics, first with no battery box and got absolutely nothing no matter what gain setting (H,L,M - wheel to 10), then with the battery box and still got VEEEERY little and only on all of the highest possible gain settings.  I have tried my CA-14 omnis and cards as well just to be sure that it wasn't the mics.  I was expecting that the mics would work okay even without the battery box, but what's up with the poor performance.  I fear the jack has been compromised somehow, OR - that I may be a total idiot  :).  Either way, I wish I had tested all features when I first bought the thing.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: aaronji on August 31, 2012, 11:03:57 AM
^^^  With line-in, you'll need to record something pretty loud to get decent levels.  Especially since I am under the impression that the CA14s are fairly low sensitivity.  If you want to make sure the jack is working properly, you could feed it a line level signal from a CD player or something...
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: hermannhesse70 on August 31, 2012, 11:21:54 AM
^^^  With line-in, you'll need to record something pretty loud to get decent levels.  Especially since I am under the impression that the CA14s are fairly low sensitivity.  If you want to make sure the jack is working properly, you could feed it a line level signal from a CD player or something...


I guess REALLY loud.  I'm talkin' yelling into the mics with all gain options maxed out and barely getting anything.  I will run that test though, with a CD player, etc.  The mics operate as I assumed they would using the PFA and XLRs, and assumed it would work similarly through line 2 w/PIP or battery box, but this is worlds different.  Essentially, running these mics through a PFA and into the mic in XLRs should be virtually the same as with the line in plus battery box, I'd expect.  I really only got the PFA because set up and portability is tidier than taping/dangling a battery box for use with line 2.  Isn't the whole deal just properly powering the mics?  ...And yes, I got this unit vs. say, an M10 because of the XLR option, enabling me to use much better mics in the near future without having to use an external pre, etc..

OOooo, dang.  Back to me being a total noob/idiot.  Yeah... not LINE 2 not the same as mic in.  Oh well.  Live and learn.   ::)




Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Kyle on September 07, 2012, 05:18:19 PM
Late coming to this one, but really an excellent rundown of this recorder. I have one question.  The manual indicates that if using the digital input the sampling rate of the recorder must match the incoming signal's sample rate or you will receive an error. This leads me to believe that the recorder does not re-clock the incoming signal (bit -perfect recording). Has this been confirmed? I read all 19 pages and I if I missed this then of course my apologies for re-covering old ground. Thanks! :coolguy:
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on September 07, 2012, 06:04:46 PM
The manual indicates that if using the digital input the sampling rate of the recorder must match the incoming signal's sample rate or you will receive an error.

If you haven't set the recorder into HS mode, you can't record at 96 kHz. [See manual page 25.]  That's even if you are recording with the internal mics, or line-in.

If your external digital equipment was outputting 96 kHz, but you were only in STD mode, you might get this error message.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: guyburns on September 09, 2012, 07:32:26 PM
I like the look, functions, sound and price of this recorder, but… does it offer recording on a second channel that is reduced by a certain amount of dB, as offered by the DR-40 and PMD 661?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: eman on September 17, 2012, 04:00:01 PM
Why not just run it at a reasonable level and then you don't have to sacrifice stereo recording? A completely useless feature if you ask me.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: fmaderjr on September 19, 2012, 02:25:49 PM
Why not just run it at a reasonable level and then you don't have to sacrifice stereo recording? A completely useless feature if you ask me.

I agree. Plus the PMD-661 does not have this feature in stereo. I think I read a post that it has this for mono, but that is a REALLY useless feature.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: noahbickart on March 10, 2013, 12:49:29 PM
Has anyone had any experience using a dr-100mkii as a bit bucket in conjunction with a mini-me? I'd love to get feedback if so.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: it-goes-to-eleven on March 10, 2013, 01:37:00 PM
Bummed we never had a good line in comp - that I am aware of - vs. the m10.  Or vs. the 7x2.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: Karl on March 10, 2013, 03:24:07 PM
My experience was that the line in on the Tascam vs the input on a UA5 (digimod) was very similar. If that helps any as a point of reference.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: OldNeumanntapr on May 21, 2013, 10:20:07 PM
Some better battery life news.

I ran my Beyerdynamic 930's into the XLR of the DR100mkii, using rechargeable Eneloop AA's, with phantom power on, 24/96, and got just under 1 hr 40 min recording time.

Is that with or without the Li-ion internal battery?

That is without the Li-ion battery. That is using the AA's alone.

When I tested the Li-ion alone I got about 3 1/4 hours with phantom on.

I think about 5 hours on the combination of internal batteries with phantom power is not too shabby.

I looked up the spec sheet of the Beyer 930s and it lists current consumption as 4.6 milliamps. My Neumann KM140s are rated at 2 milliamps, so judging by this I might get even better than 3 1/4 hours with the DR100mkII with phantom power on? That would be nice.

(I just got my DR100mkII and have only done one show with it, using my Beyer MV-100 external preamp.)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: mterry on June 05, 2013, 11:11:23 PM
Someone buy mine in the YS ::cough,cough::
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: rodeen on June 20, 2013, 01:58:13 AM
Anyone ever have this happen? (see attached photo)  First time out with my brand spanking new DR100mkii, 36 minutes into a fine Tedeschi Trucks Band set and the display went blank.  I had my trusty DR2D running along side so had a backup so I turned of the DR100 and started it up again.  Same thing.  Looked at the memory card when I got home and the bits were saved just fine, only the display went wonky and continues to be blank.  I'm thinking mine is defective from the factory but thought I would ask here first incase there is a simple fix.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: F.O.Bean on June 20, 2013, 05:32:29 PM
Anyone ever have this happen? (see attached photo)  First time out with my brand spanking new DR100mkii, 36 minutes into a fine Tedeschi Trucks Band set and the display went blank.  I had my trusty DR2D running along side so had a backup so I turned of the DR100 and started it up again.  Same thing.  Looked at the memory card when I got home and the bits were saved just fine, only the display went wonky and continues to be blank.  I'm thinking mine is defective from the factory but thought I would ask here first incase there is a simple fix.

WTF? I don't own one, but I have never heard of that happening to anyone here at ts.com ??? Sounds like you may have a lemon :( I'd get ahold of where you bought it from and see if you can get a new one ASAP!!!

My best friend tonedeaf has been running one for a couple years now, and I've NEVER seen that happen to his ???
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: rodeen on June 20, 2013, 06:09:57 PM
I had the DR100mkii attached to Steve's old V3.  Must have been the V3 that caused it  ;D

I've only had the deck for a week or so.  It'll be going back to Amazon for a replacement.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dallman on June 20, 2013, 07:34:50 PM
I had the DR100mkii attached to Steve's old V3.  Must have been the V3 that caused it  ;D

I've only had the deck for a week or so.  It'll be going back to Amazon for a replacement.
I was sitting next to rodeen last night and I'd definitely say it was Steve's fault  8)
Seriously, it was odd and likely a bad deck. It recorded fine too. At first  when Rick showed me, I thought he had found some new magical low pro button..."no, I'm not recording, see the screen is blank", but he couldn't make it come back, so the euphoria was short lived.  ;D
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: yug du nord on June 20, 2013, 07:58:06 PM
Nice job having a backup deck rolling Rick!! 
Great show I'm sure!   
Blame it on the monkeys....  they're always up to something.   ;)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: rodeen on June 20, 2013, 08:03:33 PM
What's funny is I never run a backup deck but I recently added a GAKable V3 analog > 3.5mm to my arsenal and wanted to give it a try.  Ted's fine work saved my recording.  TTB were stellar as always.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: F.O.Bean on June 20, 2013, 10:18:07 PM
What's funny is I never run a backup deck but I recently added a GAKable V3 analog > 3.5mm to my arsenal and wanted to give it a try.  Ted's fine work saved my recording.  TTB were stellar as always.

What mics do you have? Or what did you run that night? I love TTB too, so id love to hear your recording ;)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: rodeen on June 20, 2013, 10:46:32 PM
I ran my Neumann SKM-184>V3>DR2D.  Tracking it right now.  Watch for Cliff's KM-185>SD>DR100mkii?.  Can't wait to hear the 184's and 185's side by side.  His DR100mkii worked flawlessly.  I knew I should have brought my Microtrack instead!!  ;D
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: F.O.Bean on June 20, 2013, 11:14:38 PM
I ran my Neumann SKM-184>V3>DR2D.  Tracking it right now.  Watch for Cliff's KM-185>SD>DR100mkii?.  Can't wait to hear the 184's and 185's side by side.  His DR100mkii worked flawlessly.  I knew I should have brought my Microtrack instead!!  ;D


That's awesome. I can't wait to comp those two sources too ;)

When you say 185>SD, do you mean an SD MP2 or exactly what pre?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: rodeen on June 20, 2013, 11:31:02 PM
SD USBPre2 with those damn taper porn lights on the front!
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: F.O.Bean on June 20, 2013, 11:52:43 PM
SD USBPre2 with those damn taper porn lights on the front!

Yea those are some taper pron lights. My old 722 had cool lights too ;)
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: rodeen on June 20, 2013, 11:59:43 PM
Here are links to my pull:

LMA: http://archive.org/details/ttb2013-06-19.km184.flac16
bt.etree: http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=564845

Hope you like it!
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: F.O.Bean on June 21, 2013, 03:45:22 PM
Here are links to my pull:

LMA: http://archive.org/details/ttb2013-06-19.km184.flac16
bt.etree: http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=564845

Hope you like it!


Thanks! sounds killer!!!
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: nickgregory on August 23, 2013, 03:38:19 PM
so just got one of these and I see in this thread there was some talk to making a right angle plug connector for the digi in...did anyone ever do that or find a source for one?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: nickgregory on August 23, 2013, 05:55:06 PM
And I have a new set of 2700 nimh batteries that work in other devices for some reason the dr100 won't power off of. I flipped the menu setting to nimh on the batter type screen and it still doesn't work.  Any ideas?
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: dogmusic on August 23, 2013, 07:17:27 PM
so just got one of these and I see in this thread there was some talk to making a right angle plug connector for the digi in...did anyone ever do that or find a source for one?

There's this:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/190841101392?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

As you can see, you can just plug a coax digital cable into it. I use an rca male-to-male adapter on it to plug into my USBPre2 coax out, and it works.

Someone less lazy than me would put a right angle rca plug on the end.
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: rodeen on September 16, 2013, 11:56:44 AM
Has anyone tried V3 AES out to the S/PDIF input on a DR100mkii?  Any issues with this setup? 
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: pillowman on August 18, 2020, 01:44:24 PM
hey !
can someone please tell me how long the recorder will run while powering 2 LINE CM3 mics with 48Volt  :shrug:

would be just awesome,
thanks !

pillowman
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: mccordo on August 18, 2020, 02:41:37 PM
I haven’t run my old DR100mkii for 5-6 years, but I used to get about 40 minutes with AA batteries. A simple 5V usb external battery should give you a few hours.

hey !
can someone please tell me how long the recorder will run while powering 2 LINE CM3 mics with 48Volt  :shrug:

would be just awesome,
thanks !

pillowman
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: pillowman on August 18, 2020, 03:09:26 PM
I haven’t run my old DR100mkii for 5-6 years, but I used to get about 40 minutes with AA batteries. A simple 5V usb external battery should give you a few hours.

hey !
can someone please tell me how long the recorder will run while powering 2 LINE CM3 mics with 48Volt  :shrug:

would be just awesome,
thanks !

pillowman

Thanks for your reply. So you mean a powerbank ?
 :shrug:
Thanks
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: mccordo on August 18, 2020, 03:28:37 PM
Yes, a power bank battery. I had a handheld one about the size of a bar of soap that I used. Larger sized battery will give you more runtime.

I haven’t run my old DR100mkii for 5-6 years, but I used to get about 40 minutes with AA batteries. A simple 5V usb external battery should give you a few hours.

hey !
can someone please tell me how long the recorder will run while powering 2 LINE CM3 mics with 48Volt  :shrug:

would be just awesome,
thanks !

pillowman

Thanks for your reply. So you mean a powerbank ?
 :shrug:
Thanks
Title: Re: Tascam DR100mkii Review
Post by: pillowman on August 18, 2020, 03:33:33 PM
Yes, a power bank battery. I had a handheld one about the size of a bar of soap that I used. Larger sized battery will give you more runtime.

I haven’t run my old DR100mkii for 5-6 years, but I used to get about 40 minutes with AA batteries. A simple 5V usb external battery should give you a few hours.

hey !
can someone please tell me how long the recorder will run while powering 2 LINE CM3 mics with 48Volt  :shrug:

would be just awesome,
thanks !

pillowman

Thanks for your reply. So you mean a powerbank ?
 :shrug:
Thanks

ah ok, .... thanks from europe !