First and foremost, many thanks all of you who've responded to my original posting and the responses.
I've thought of seeking out used gear on say, Ebay. But either they're overpriced (above the original MSRP), or, well, let's just say that I've had previous experiences with Ebay that were sub-optimal.
Maybe I should give the Roland R-07 another look, if indeed they've fixed the major bugs that I mentioned earlier. Where can I find more recent reviews of it?
I've avoided Zoom products. They look like excellent devices, but they don't look that stealthy to me, especially the ones with interchangeable mics.
Lastly, just a random thought. The smartphone phenomenon has all but obliterated the market for point-and-shoot digital cameras. Might the same thing be happening with digital sound recorders? I wouldn't want to use a smartphone for serious recording. Their battery life isn't that great, and frankly I don't care for devices that rely on touchscreens. Too easy to make something happen by accident.