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Gear / Technical Help => Recording Gear => Topic started by: MLKLuke on December 30, 2008, 11:54:18 AM

Title: The smallest handheld recorder without internal mics?
Post by: MLKLuke on December 30, 2008, 11:54:18 AM
all is in the subject...I just wanted a small and reliable recorder without internal mics as a backup for my R09

what do you suggest?

thanks in advance
Title: Re: The smallest handheld recorder without internal mics?
Post by: neutrino on December 30, 2008, 12:18:27 PM
Why not another R09? It's not like the mics add anything to the unit's size or weight. You can find a used R09 for a reasonable price. Another thought is to upgrade to the R09HR and use the original as a backup..

Food for thought.
Title: Re: The smallest handheld recorder without internal mics?
Post by: rastasean on December 30, 2008, 12:33:43 PM
A HI MD recorder. no mics, good pres, small, cheap
Title: Re: The smallest handheld recorder without internal mics?
Post by: flintstone on December 30, 2008, 01:36:53 PM
The smallest "music" recorder is the Yamaha Pocketrak 2G:
34 x 120 x 13 mm, 49 g including one AAA battery
But I wouldn't recommend it because it doesn't sound very good.
In addition, it's so small that adult fingers have some difficulty
using the controls.

Its larger brother, the Yamaha Pocketrak CX, is a better choice:
47 x 130 x 18 mm, 92 g including microSD card and one AA battery
This is about the same weight as a HiMD machine, and its long
and narrow shape fits easily into a pocket.

This Pocketrak CX also doesn't sound as good as the R-09 or R-09HR,
but it's the smallest recorder with OK performance.  At $400, it's an
expensive little bugger.

There's more about the CX here
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,105902.0.html

The Yamaha web page is here
http://www.yamahasynth.com/products/pocketrakcx/index.html

Flintstone
Title: Re: The smallest handheld recorder without internal mics?
Post by: John Willett on December 30, 2008, 01:49:12 PM
The smallest quality recorder around is the Sonosax MINIR82 (http://www.sonosax.ch/recorders/minir82/minir82_index.html).

(http://www.sonosax.ch/recorders/minir82/minir_pen.jpg)
Title: Re: The smallest handheld recorder without internal mics?
Post by: rastasean on December 30, 2008, 02:01:16 PM
The smallest quality recorder around is the Sonosax MINIR82 (http://www.sonosax.ch/recorders/minir82/minir82_index.html).

That's what I was trying to think of!
Title: Re: The smallest handheld recorder without internal mics?
Post by: Dede2002 on December 30, 2008, 03:02:25 PM
Why not another R09? It's not like the mics add anything to the unit's size or weight. You can find a used R09 for a reasonable price. Another thought is to upgrade to the R09HR and use the original as a backup..

Food for thought.


Exactly. That's what I did. No regrets at all.  ;)
A backup does not need to be a lower quality unit.
Title: Re: The smallest handheld recorder without internal mics?
Post by: guysonic on December 30, 2008, 04:57:19 PM
The Sonosax Minir82 is NOT so small, weighs ~ 1 pound, has ability to record 8 tracks from 12 different inputs to internal hard drive with 2-channels to flash card,  needs optional interface patch cords, seems power hungry, and costs ~$5000 USD without needed accessories!

However, it may be the ultimate portable exceeding the capability of SD 700 series portables having just a fraction of their size.

See details: http://www.pro-sound.com/SonosaxR/SSAXMINIR82.html (http://www.pro-sound.com/SonosaxR/SSAXMINIR82.html)
Title: Re: The smallest handheld recorder without internal mics?
Post by: digifish_music on December 30, 2008, 07:55:43 PM
all is in the subject...I just wanted a small and reliable recorder without internal mics as a backup for my R09

what do you suggest?

thanks in advance

I'd get an R09HR and use your R09 as the backup :)

digifish
Title: Re: The smallest handheld recorder without internal mics?
Post by: bgalizio on December 31, 2008, 07:43:13 AM
all is in the subject...I just wanted a small and reliable recorder without internal mics as a backup for my R09

what do you suggest?

thanks in advance

I'd get an R09HR and use your R09 as the backup :)

digifish

QFT, though you'll be increasing in size ever so slightly with the R-09HR. IMO (and other's too), the HR sounds better than the R-09.
Title: Re: The smallest handheld recorder without internal mics?
Post by: sunjan on December 31, 2008, 08:08:38 AM
The smallest "music" recorder is the Yamaha Pocketrak 2G:
34 x 120 x 13 mm, 49 g including one AAA battery

Actually, there is an even smaller "sibling" in the Sanyo/Yamaha family!
ICR-PS185RM: 33 ×112 ×13 mm (JAP only)
ICR-PS285RM: 34.2 ×119.7 ×13 mm (Pocketrak 2G)
ICR-PS390RM: 34.2 ×119.7 ×13 mm (roughly Pocketrak 2G with a memory bump, JAP only)
ICR-PS603RM: 35.4 ×120 ×13.9 mm (latest generation, not launched in US yet)
ICR-PS1000M: 46.5 ×129.5 ×17.5 mm (Pocketrak CX)
Sanyo's comparison site: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.sanyo-audio.com/icr/common/spec_list.php

Kenwood MGR-A7 is another tiny contender at 100 x 52.7 x 18mm.

If you're dead set against internal mics (although all above have line/mic in), the smallest recorder is Sony's Hi MD RH-1 (aka MZ-M200).

I created a sizeasy for these models:
http://www.sizeasy.com/page/size_comparison/21028-Sanyo-PS1000M-Yamaha-Pocketrak-CX-vs-Sanyo-ICR-PS603RM-vs-Sanyo-ICR-PS185RM-vs-Kenwood-MGR-A7-vs-Sony-RH-1-MZ-M200

Compare that with gear mentioned previously:
http://www.sizeasy.com/page/size_comparison/20215-PMD661-vs-Tascam-DR-1-vs-Olympus-LS-10-vs-R-09HR-vs-PMD620

That said, I agree there's no point chasing for the smallest unit unless you hang out at totally paranoid venues. Just get another R-09HR!  ;D
Title: Re: The smallest handheld recorder without internal mics?
Post by: sunjan on December 31, 2008, 08:53:30 AM
The Sonosax Minir82 is NOT so small, weighs ~ 1 pound

120 x 80 x 28 mm (4.75" x 3.15" x 1.1"), still pretty small. But you're right about the weight: 430 gr. Almost a factor 10 to the lightest recorder these days!  :o
Title: Re: The smallest handheld recorder without internal mics?
Post by: Dede2002 on December 31, 2008, 09:22:22 AM
all is in the subject...I just wanted a small and reliable recorder without internal mics as a backup for my R09

what do you suggest?

thanks in advance

I'd get an R09HR and use your R09 as the backup :)

digifish

QFT, though you'll be increasing in size ever so slightly with the R-09HR. IMO (and other's too), the HR sounds better than the R-09.

Agreed  ;)
Title: Re: The smallest handheld recorder without internal mics?
Post by: EarlyMorningRain on December 31, 2008, 11:31:13 AM
well there is always this thread

http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,113804.0.html

Mind you it doesn't show some of the "smallest" devices out there, but more lists devices in use by many folks here.

Surprised no one has mentioned any of these yet --> iRiver H1xx or the H3xx,Marantz 620, MT II ?