Right now, I'm tying to figure out what the next move would be when I pick up a second recorder for times that I can run open or have access to a board feed (i.e., run cards and omnis or a set of mics and a board feed). Ideally, the Edirol R44 would be great because I wouldn't have to worry about timing, etc., in a matrix mix, however, I can't afford to drop $800-$1000 on one (and my mics are terminated at 1/8" anyhow).
I'd like to keep the cost down low. I used to have the (original) R-09 and I know they did tend to act up once in a while - mine did on the last recording I made with it so I wouldn't buy one used. Based on "low cost," I've seen the Zoom H1 and the Tascam DR05 (both are available at around $80-90). Anybody have any ideas here? My mics would be powered either by a battery box or a Church Audio 9100 preamp. And for board feeds, I'm thinking of picking up a -10dB (minimum) PAD.