So, after looking at the pictures on the Edirol sight more closely, it appears that the unit is using up and down "buttons" instead of the manual "dial" that the R-1 has to control the input level.
And, to quote Doug Oade from his board regarding this similar feature on the Microtrack....
"Sadly this thing (the Microtrack) uses a digital level control that probably cannot be bypassed or improved. Fine for MP3 users or ENG but not so great for tapers or audiophiles. Think JB3/MD analog input sound quality. Still, the promise of this thing is as a non resampling 24 bit storage device for the Grace V3, Apogee MiniMe or MOD UA5. Until we see Microphone Preamps with A/D converters that include CF slots, something like this unit is our best hope for low cost storage.
Let us all hope they managed to include a good quality 24 bit S/PDIF input"
The difference here is that the new R-09 doesn't have a digital input in, so it won't be able to be used as a bit bucket like the MT. So this is an obvious handicap right off the bat, regardless of whether or not you run a preamp in front.
So, if this is the case, at least it's better to know conclusively before the thing even comes out. Much better than waiting months and months and months and spending all that money first. Unless of course, I'm wrong on my technology-facts here....