Topic: Sanyo PS1000M (AKA Yamaha PocketRak CX) - first TS.com report!

[sunjan]

Hey all,

The new range of Sanyo handhelds has been out since April. I'm surprised nobody posted it here yet.

The scoop is the PS1000M (AKA Yamaha PocketRak CX), main features are:
Recording in 16bit/48kHz
XY internal mics
microSDHC card slot
22 hrs PCM recording time on one AA(!)
small footprint (weight 92g)
3.5mm mic in/line in
Supposedly new and better electronics inside (ADC, processor etc)

Some specs and reviews:
http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/news_details.php?id=15818
http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.e-life-sanyo.com/products/icr/ICR-PS1000M_K/index.html
http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.sanyo.co.jp/koho/hypertext4/0804news-j/0411-2.html
http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://journal.mycom.co.jp/news/2008/04/12/001/
http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=zh-CN&u=http://www.impresswatch.com.cn/radio/289/8100289.shtml
http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20080428/dal324.htm
http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20080411/sanyo.htm

The only difference I can see on the Yamaha branded model is the lack of a fingerprint sensor (no use for us anyway), but it comes bundled with a MicroSD card and Cubase AI4:
http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.yamaha.co.jp/product/syndtm/p/rec/pocketrakcx/
http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.yamaha.co.jp/news/2008/08061701.html

There are also two new low-budget Sanyo models, pretty similar to last year's PS285RM (aka Yamaha Pocketrak 2G), but they are barely usable for live taping, lacking external memory slots:
http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.sanyo.co.jp/koho/hypertext4/0804news-j/0411-1.html

16bit/44.1kHz
2GB resp. 1GB built-in memory (no expansion slot!)
Tiny footprint (48g)
3.5mm mic in
Battery life 11 hours on one AA (but would require dumping the content to another USB unit after the 2GB is used up )

A comparison page for the various Sanyo models:
http://209.85.171.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.sanyo-audio.com/icr/common/spec_list.php

The best price for the PS1000M at Japanese online retailers is 29,000 Yen (equals $270), while the 185/182 models are selling for $138/$101:
http://tinyurl.com/4hcewt
There are also ebay sellers, but the price is much higher:
http://tinyurl.com/4h62c3

[flintstone]

Nice find! +T

These new models address the shortcomings of the Pocketrak 2 model.  With the upgraded mics, preamp and A/D it would appear that Sanyo is serious about improving the fidelity of the recording. 

I see that these models have the transport controls on the face of the recorder.  Earlier versions had frequently-used controls on the side of the recorder, which made them hard to find without looking.  The new design addresses this with buttons of different shape, and in position for you to push using your thumb.  Sanyo also ditched the gimmick of the built-in USB connector.  All in all, a nice upgrade in design.

I'm not a fan of the MicroSD cards.  I've broken a couple removing them from inside a cell phone.  The standard SD or Mini-SD are more sturdy.

The Sanyo recorders are available on eBay.  I received price quotes from two Japanese eBay vendors, JoynetCafe and ace_of_bicycle2004, that are significantly less expensive than Yamaha's dealers charge in USA.  Remember that the japanese versions don't have english markings on the shell of the recorder, although you can choose english for the menus.

Flintstone

[flintstone]

This report, machine translated from Japanese, sounds ominous:

"Record levels of 0 to 30 can set the microphone sensitivity is high and low settings can be.  This is a high sensitivity microphone and set the record level of around 20 to monitor the volume and it seems unlikely.

However, over the level it does not, but the slightly larger inputs, or sound is in flight, a high PIRIPIRIPIRI sound strange noise entering.  Did you mean the level meter that is not listed, just beyond the peak, but I also thought, but I also do not think so.  Guttokuru to reduce the input level, the sound not be nervous, but it is not possible to have a decent record. "

Perhaps a Japanese-speaking TS member can confirm this translation.  Here's the source

録音レベルは0～30で設定でき、マイク感度の高・低の設定ができるようになっている。  ここではマイク感度を高に設定するとともに、録音レベルを20前後でモニタすると音量的によさそうだった。

ところが、レベルオーバーしているわけではないのに、やや大きめな入力があったり、風切り音が入ると、ピリピリピリという高い音の妙なノイズが入る。 もしかして、レベルメーターに表示されていないだけで、ピークを超えたのかとも思ったのだが、そういうわけでもなさそうだ。 入力レベルをグっと下げると、そのピリピリ音はなくなるが、これではまともな録音ができない。

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20080428/dal324.htm

[mantovibe]

that's hilarious

[sunjan]

English website out now, if you don't like wading through dodgy Japanese translations 
http://www.yamahasynth.com/products/pocketrakcx/index.html

[flintstone]

The Yamaha Pocketrak CX is available for sale in USA from the usual outlets.

Price seems tightly controlled at $399 -- ouch!  That's hard to accept when
the Sanyo ICR-PS1000M (an identical model) sells for about $270 in Tokyo.

Chief advantages of the CX are its small size and weight, and long recording
(more than 20 hours of WAV recording from one AA cell -- amazing!). 
Major disadvantages are the maximum digitizing rate of 16/48, and maximum
file size is 2GB (almost 3 hours at 16/48). 

I'm still not sure the MicroSD card format is a good choice for a field recorder. 
Price of the MicroSD is OK (Kingston 8 GB for $25, for example), but I worry that
the card is not durable enough for regular insertion and removal from the CX.
You might have to use USB for file transfers to protect the MicroSD card.

Here's Yamaha's web page about the CX,
http://yamahasynth.com/products/pocketrakcx/index.html

and the page to download the reference manual
http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/emi/english/xg/pocketrakCX_en_rm_a0.pdf

Flintstone

[flintstone]

I took a quick look at the Pocketrak CX yesterday.  It's really amazing how light it is.  92 g is about half the weight of the next lightest flash recorder.  (For those keeping score, there are a couple of HiMD models that are this light.)

The bad news first:  The CX preamp is below average, particularly considering how expensive the unit is.  There is plenty of hiss noticeable, and there's an annoying whine in there, too.  I think it's electrical interference from the LCD display.  These faults are disguised when recording loud music, but they are easily audible when recording quieter subjects. 

Other problems include no 24 bit recording, a 2GB file size limit, and a legible but very small screen.

The CX does have a limiter, high pass filter, and mic sensitivity switch.  You can insert track marks while recording or during playback.  The CX is easy to use, with well laid out controls.  It has a built-in speaker, but it's not loud at all.

The CX uses a micro SDHC card, like the memory you'd buy for a cell phone.  I have broken a couple of memory cards trying to pull them out of the back of a cell phone, so I had my doubts.  Not to worry -- the CX card has the same sort of "push to lock, push to unlock" slot that the full size SDHC calrds use.  So it was easy to insert and remove the micro SDHC card.  Since a micro SDHC card is about the size of the nail on a man's index finger, I still have concerns about losing the card.  But it's easy to insert into the CX. 

Micro SDHC is cheap.  I bought a Sandisk 4GB card for $9.

Somehow Yamaha gets 20 hours of WAV recording from a single AA cell.  Amazing!  The package includes an Eneloop AA rechargeable cell.  The CX will recharge the Eneloop when you make a USB connection.

The $400 price is out of line.  The Tascam DR-1 sounds a lot better, and costs half as much.  I guess Yamaha thinks people will pay a premium for a very small and light unit. 

OTOH, stealth tapers will have no problem concealing this unit.

Flintstone