however, the m-audio recorder appeals to me a lot more. 1 - its supposedly $2k cheaper, thats $2k i can be spending on something else and 2 - its a helluva lot smaller. Not saying the 722 isn't stealthable, but smaller is better, even when you're trying to fit everything in your gear bag in a non stealth situation.
i dunno, so far the m-audio recorder appeals to me more than the 722 and its blinky lights.
I'm not a stealth guy. In fact, if a band tells me I can't record them, I consider it their loss, not mine. But then I've had really good luck recording bands that typically don't allow recording. But, the stealth factor never plays into my decision. I can see how it might for some I suppose.
The M-Audio Recorder is getting a lot of buzz. If they can deliver, this will definitely be one hot box. The 744T & 722 have their place and for some it's the holy grail they have been searching for. My demands were even greater than these two boxes could deliver, thus I went with the Zaxcom Deva IV. However, not everybody can afford 10K for a recording device (even I had a really hard time justifying it to myself... I love the box and I'll never have to buy another box again, but 10K is a lot of change to be tossing down), and it's definitely not something that lends itself to stealth situations.
As the R1, R4, and M-audio recorders start hitting the street in full force, I think we're going to start seeing some great things from the taping community. As it is, shows are now suddenly appearing within hours of the show instead of weeks or months. There will be other benefits too, and most of them will be positives.
But you're right about one thing, one size doesn't fit all when it comes to recording.
Wayne
