I guess I made up my mind. I'll go for the Tascam
DR100mkiii and try out some DIY stuff with the EM172. Some soldering and crafting shouldn't be a problem.
Good choice. This is a great deck & hard to beat for sound quality. It will also open up the possibility of using XLR mics at a later date.
Just to clarify the point about recorder clipping levels: the Avisoft "clipping level" column is specified at
max recorder gain, which doesn't make it a particularly useful figure. (They do actually mention this in footnote 2 at the bottom of the table)
From the horse's mouth (Tascam DR100-III manual p50):
EXT IN jack (can provide plug-in power)
Connector:
3.5mm (1/8”) stereo mini jack
When EXT MIC input source selected
Maximum input level: -2.8 dBu (PAD on)
<<<<< max input before clippingMinimum input level: -62.8 dBu (PAD off )
Input impedance: 50 kΩ or more
Which is a much more reasonable spec. In fact, at LOUD sound levels, the biggest cause for concern is clipping of the mic itself when run on the Tascam's 3V plug-in-power. But there certainly won't be an issue when recording most ambient soundscapes!