Obviously there are far better connectors than we are finding on mini-recorders being sold for low cost these days.
Obviously the errors made with R-09 have been mostly corrected by Edirol/Roland with fixes to now be not much worse than normally experienced with mini-jack type inputs.
The point I see being missed here is there are easy, practical ways of minimizing the stresses placed on these jacks so they work for the life of the product without resorting to cumbersome redesign efforts to make these decks into something they are not.
Short of gluing the connector to the recorder or eliminating it all together by soldering a cable directly to the pcb, the fact is that the 1/8" jack was not designed for the tasks they are putting to.
What made my living for the last 16 years was selecting, renting and sometime modifying audio equipment to be used on location in film & video. That was also based on my previous 15 years experience as a film location recordist. So I think I gathered some practical knowledge on what works, does not work at all or can be improved.
My first contact with the 1/8" jack in semi-pro equipment was on the Sony Wm6C semi-pro cassette recorder, and then in the D7/D8 DAT portables. By then I knew the only way to walk around the "weak link" problem was replacing it (a difficult option) or using short cable adapters. If locking 1/8" connectors had been widely available back then, in 1990, I would have certainly replaced them.
The matter on what these units are or not is a debatable question. DV video was not meant to become what it became, now followed by HDV. If the capabilities allow it, why not stretch as much as you can what you can do?
Sure, some of you are capable of doing extensive modifications to the deck, and then to all the equipment you connect up using specialized connectors, but this is not a solution for many of us concerned with reliable recording using miniaturized equipment.
The other end is easier to solve, or is already solved, mostly using XLRs. We can concentrate on solving the decks problems.
As an equipment designer, the best tact is produce low stress interfaces using the same type of connectors as supplied with these recorders, and not demand modification be done on the decks themselves. This has worked well in the past, and will continue to provide adequate solution for needed reliability for connecting gear to mini-decks with 3.5 mm jacks.
When I designed my preamp, some years ago, to be used with DV cameras, portable DATs and MD recorders, one of the problems I wanted to solve was the 1/8" jacks the used. The linking cable was to remain permanently connected, very much like what the Beachtek did.
Velcro attached cord securing is a +7 year old tip on my site suggested for minidisc decks using small molded right-angle plugs with flexible cord, and will work with the R-09 with if securing the back cover seams with tape as illustrated in the review atwww.sonicstudios.com/r-09revw.htm
Some ideas seem to work in different contexts. In 1987, Super-8 modified Sony WM6C recorders provided velcro strips on their commercial decks, both for mic and headphone cable adaptors (all 1/8" on the original Sony recorder), so you could secure the cables to the shoulder belt.
Using straight plugs still leaves open good chance of jack-damaging stress from an accidental bump on the plug's long length dimension.
L-shaped connectors are second best (and a good idea) to locking 1/8" types.
