Topic: Which recorder should I get?

[Thierry]

I just sold my Edirol r09hr, looking to get a smaller recorder for stealth taping. Price range €200 / €250, what should I get?

Are there better options than the m10?

[Church-Audio]

I would have kept the R09HR its a good recorder. Finding something much smaller that is as good will be difficult. Tascam, Sony are all bigger then the HR. Not by much but they are bigger.

[achalsey]

Its all relative, but many here will probably tell you "not really."  Also, you're not going to get much smaller than your R09HR.  Any particular reason for selling it?

The Roland R-05 is slightly smaller overall I believe.  Again, its all relative, and I don't stealth tape, but having used the M10, R09 and R-05, they all feel pretty much the same size to me. 

Sanyo made some pretty small recorders.  Can't comment on them though.  I know someone here has one.

http://us.sanyo.com/Digital-Sound-Recorders

[dallman]

On low pro gear so much depends on your personal set up and preferences. Most of the popular decks are really pocket size and some a bit smaller than others. I like the Roland R-05 as my deck of choice, largely because it is very small, trouble free, easy to use and the jacks for the mic and line are on the top, much like the now really inexpensive Tascam DR-2D which I also like. The Roland is smaller though and the button to lock the deck is on the side where as with the Tascam it is on the back and I find that more cumbersome. But everyone does it differently, so your prefernces in how you like to set up may help determine the best deck for you. good luck!

[acidjack]

I'd buy the M10 or R-05, whichever is cheaper.  I own the M10 but, if it had existed when I bought it, I'd probably get the R-05 instead. I prefer Roland's button setup, don't like the M10's non-lockable wheel, and don't believe that it has "incredible preamps and A/D" as is the "conventional wisdom" here (which has never been actually tested in a comp, AFAIK). 

The only other consideration would be battery life.  My M10 has been on the same set of Energizer Lithiums for something like 50 hours now.  I don't know if the R-05 is that good, but that's also a consideration.

[hi and lo]

What is the maximum input level of the R-05? I would not buy any recorder that had an max input level that is less than the M10. Unfortunately, this is a specification that is, more often than not, unpublished.

The R-09 had a terrible max input level and caused me to brickwall a number of recordings.

[F.O.Bean]

I would undoubtedly go with the M10. It's a proven workhorse! I have had my black M10 for over 2 years now and I don't want to jinx myself, but it's a solid as the day I bought it! My red one is newer and just as reliable!!!

[H₂O]

Buy €200 in lottery tickets - take the money you win and buy a Aeta 4minx Sonosax minir82... Or get an M10

[Thierry]

Ok, it'll be a m10 or the r05. Bit worried bout the non lockable knob on the m10.

Thanks for the info.

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

Don't worry about the knob. It's firm enough that it isn't going to move around. The plus side is you can lock the buttons, but still adjust your levels. I have NEVER had a problem with the knob moving on it's own (dozens of stealth shows with the M10).

[swordfish]

Or use some tape to secure the knob on the M10..that is what I do...to adjust levels if necessary I remove it and put it back on

[acidjack]

If one deck is waterproof and one is not, both are totally fine as long as you don't drop them in water.  It doesn't mean that both are waterproof.  If you touch the level adjustment of the R-05 while it's on HOLD, nothing happens. If you touch the knob of the M10 while it's on HOLD, your levels change. 

I've stealthed dozens of shows with the M10 also. I've moved the knob.  Only once where I noticed it, but IMO it's a flaw in the design. You can decide for yourself. 

[Church-Audio]

Ok, it'll be a m10 or the r05. Bit worried bout the non lockable knob on the m10.

Thanks for the info.

between the two the m10 hands down. it's got decent internal mics for basic stuff and its a Sony. can't go wrong well built and good quality A/D converter.

[Fried Chicken Boy]

A long-time R-09 user, I picked up an R-05 over a year ago when Musician's Friend was selling them at a price too low to ignore.  Having recorded with it so far in both open and  situations, I really like it and have found the sound quality just as good if not better than anything else in that category/price range.  It seems to be a distillation of the best of the R-09 and R-09HR, pretty small form factor and similar layout to those two decks.  Not crazy about the LCD display as opposed to the OLED that the R-09 series had but that's just my preference.  I'm pretty sure the battery life isn't as incredible as the Sony M10 but it's been much more than sufficient for my uses.  As acidjack pointed out, the M10's locking button doesn't lock the level adjustment knob, whereas the lock button on the R-05 disables all the buttons.  A dealbreaker for me but not for others depending on your needs.  My 2 cents, YMMV, etc.

[hi and lo]

As acidjack pointed out, the M10's locking button doesn't lock the level adjustment knob, whereas the lock button on the R-05 disables all the buttons.  A dealbreaker for me but not for others depending on your needs.  My 2 cents, YMMV, etc.

Mhm. As a counterpoint, I did not like having to unlock my old R-09 to make level adjustments, mostly because it meant the red LED would flash and because it was simply a lock button rather than a sliding switch, you'd sometimes have to physically look at the unit to see if it was unlocked and if you had correctly adjusted the levels, thus making that red LED visible.

[Fried Chicken Boy]

^^  On the R-05, the lock is a sliding switch that's incorporated into the power button.  Very convenient, and if you try to power the unit off while it's recording, accidentally or otherwise, it won't immediately do so and you'll get a message that you're recording.  As far as the LED, I think there may be a way to disable it on the R-05.

[dallman]

As acidjack pointed out, the M10's locking button doesn't lock the level adjustment knob, whereas the lock button on the R-05 disables all the buttons.  A dealbreaker for me but not for others depending on your needs.  My 2 cents, YMMV, etc.

Mhm. As a counterpoint, I did not like having to unlock my old R-09 to make level adjustments, mostly because it meant the red LED would flash and because it was simply a lock button rather than a sliding switch, you'd sometimes have to physically look at the unit to see if it was unlocked and if you had correctly adjusted the levels, thus making that red LED visible.

The R-05 does have a sliding lock button and it is easy to maneuver. The record light can be disabled in the menus. I have some decks that you can move the record level button while locked and I like that, but for low pro, I like it to lock. Again, it is all personal preference. Unfortunately we don't usually gain an opinion until we are in the field. In terms of quality in all areas, I think the R-05 is the most underrated deck out there.