There are two features in particular that I don't see in the F3 that caught my eye on this recorder. The mic/line hardware switch on each XLR input, and the ability to adjust the gain per channel (they call it a mixer) are both features I value greatly in a concert recorder. The F3, like most modern recorders, use software to change the gain structure to accomodate a line-in signal, but the signal still
follows the same path through the mic preamp. Like the old Marantz PMD decks I use, a hardware switch changes the circuit path, bypassing the preamp. There is zero reason to put a physical switch where a menu driven control will suffice, should there be any doubters to the benefit of that feature. Also, while "set and forget" is the ethos with 32bit float, the lack of ability to adjust the gain between channels while recording is hard to live with. I can't look at a display with severely out of balance levels during a show and tell myself I can fix it in post.
