Topic: So - Am I missing any tragic flaws in the Fostex FR-2 LE?

[Roving Sign]

Wondering about this?

http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/pro_support/FR2LE_V110_supplement.pdf

Scroll down to #3

"Peak (default) - The LED level meters on the front panel act as the peak meters."

"Level - The LED level meters on the front panel act as the level meters."

Whats that mean? Is this really just a matter of calibration of the LED segments...

[digifish_music]

I am sure I got this link on this forum, but the noise floor and internal mic-pres of the LE are compared here...

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

[it-goes-to-eleven]

I am sure I got this link on this forum, but the noise floor and internal mic-pres of the LE are compared here...

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

That guy has done some great work and the data are very interesting and useful... But his focus is nature recording. I don't like how he tests the recorders at max gain because the amount of gain is different for each recorder and that makes it hard to compare the results.  Most of us don't go anywhere near max gain.  I'd like to see the test at 20 or 30dB of gain, etc.  Also, even for nature recording, I want to know the noise in line-in mode.

He also omits a lot of important info on how the recorders were configured.  Max gain.. Is that the H setting on a microtrack with the +27db boost?  722 at 70dB of gain?  Etc.

[flintstone]

Raimund Specht's tests are at max gain because that's often the setting needed for nature recording, like bird song or quiet ambience.  Max gain usually is the worst-case scenario for a recorder's preamp.  Almost all gear sounds OK at low to medium gain.

Dr. Specht's tests may have little relevance if you regularly record in a loud club environment.  There you have to be more concerned about attenuating the input to the preamp, not maximizing it.

Flintstone

[ArchivalAudio]

Those combo jacks are tough.  The sound from the V2 goes through the LE's Pre before it gets to the ADC.  That's why you brickwall.  There's no way getting past the LE's Pre.

V2 > LE Pre > LE ADC   

umm
I doubt this is correct...
the neutrik combo lacks are not wired to the same path
1/4 are the line ins
and XLR are the Mic ins


the line ins should bypass the mic pre

as supported by the specs:
Recording/Reproduction Frequency 20 Hz - 20 kHz ±2dB (FS 44.1/48kHz)
20 Hz - 40 kHz ±3dB (FS 88.2/96kHz)
S/N (ADC-DAC, 24bit, 48kHz)
Line (Input Gain: +4dBu) 95dB (typical)
Mic (Input Gain: -60dBu) 85dB (typical)
Dynamic Range 95dB (typical) (ADC-DAC, 24bit, 48kHz)
T.H.D. (ADC-DAC, 24it, 48kHz)
Line less than 0.008% (at 1kHz – 1dB, typical)
Mic (trim max) less than 0.01% (at 1kHz – 1dB, typical)
Channel Separation more than 90dB (at 1kHz 0dB) (24bit, -20BFS, 48kHz)


here:
http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/pro_products/fr2le_spec.shtml
I am very interested in ths unit too

eric b thanx for you posts

[Brian Skalinder]

umm
I doubt this is correct...
the neutrik combo lacks are not wired to the same path
1/4 are the line ins
and XLR are the Mic ins


the line ins should bypass the mic pre

I'm guessing the 1/4" line-in simply have a pad in the signal path.  That's how most of the all-in-one boxes work.  AFAIK, anyway...haven't dissected them myself, but others far more knowledgeable than me have posted their findings plenty of times in the past.

[Roving Sign]

umm
I doubt this is correct...
the neutrik combo lacks are not wired to the same path
1/4 are the line ins
and XLR are the Mic ins


the line ins should bypass the mic pre

I'm guessing the 1/4" line-in simply have a pad in the signal path.  That's how most of the all-in-one boxes work.  AFAIK, anyway...haven't dissected them myself, but others far more knowledgeable than me have posted their findings plenty of times in the past.

Except - unlike most all-in-one boxes - this unit has mic trimmers and peak lights that operate independently of the master level control (and other metering) - and are not active when using line in. At least a little evidence that SOME of the signal path is separate?

[Roving Sign]

Those combo jacks are tough.  The sound from the V2 goes through the LE's Pre before it gets to the ADC.  That's why you brickwall.  There's no way getting past the LE's Pre.

V2 > LE Pre > LE ADC   

umm
I doubt this is correct...
the neutrik combo lacks are not wired to the same path
1/4 are the line ins
and XLR are the Mic ins


the line ins should bypass the mic pre

I hope that is wrong also - but it has not been uncommon for circuits to be designed that way.

I think the Sony D-10 and the Tascam DA-P20 both have a Line in thats padded and sent to the mic pre...

[Jamos]

I always wondered this myself...(about the line inputs bypassing the pres)
Busman should be able to answer this now that he has modded a few of these boxes.

[ArchivalAudio]

Busman

Chris
are you here?

can you solve this mystery?

thanx in advance

[nbasila]

Chris just modded one for me. It looks like it will arrive on Friday.

[Colin Liston]

Has anyone plugged one of these into a soundboard? 

[Jammin72]

Has anyone plugged one of these into a soundboard? 

I'll test something similar soon.  The SV-3800 allows for both -10dB and +4dB output which should cover the output from any board that will actually allow you to patch.

Though I have to start looking into a new DAT playback solution as this one is starting to drift out of alignment... 

[Jammin72]

Oh and after doing a quick Specs check.

The Mic Reference Level Input is -50 - -10 with a maximum of +2

After the Oade Mod this shifts from -40 - +0,  I can only assume that the maximum will also rise which leads me to believe that Going XLR from the board into the tweaked input would be the way to go from soundboards.

The standard Line In max is +2dBu which would be not enough for some soundboard outputs but plenty for Record or Tape outputs if the board is so equipped. 

[tenesejedd]

I guess I'm still a little confused.

If I plan to run a pre in front of the FR-2LE, would it make a difference if I had the unit modded or not? Or would it depend on if i was running XLR in from the pre versus 1/4'' in from the pre?