( 6 reviews )
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Posted: Jun 14 2009
I have had this unit for about 18 months and it has performed excellent. It is easy to learn how to operate and produces outstanding sound quality.
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Posted: Apr 23 2009
I'm graduating from my Zoom H2 and moving up to the Sony, no doubt my last recorder. As a musician, music lover, music critic, I need, simply, a reliable, dedicated machine with no frills, no thick manuals containing the promise that "the possibilities are limitless." (I've got just one lifetime. Even the promotional literature of the new Zoom H4n is enough to scare me away.) I don't need a portable recording studio with capabilities of recording MP3s, of mixing 4 tracks, or a machine with tiny levers in place of knobs and numerous settings inviting disaster (I've lost a few recordings with my Zoom because of overlooking one minuscule setting in the small window). Sony comes closer--even more than Marantz--in keeping the average person's-- and musician's--needs in mind yet giving him all of the quality desired by anyone who isn't a record producer. I assumed that high-quality external mics would be essential with a unit like this, but the onboard ones on this Sony are, to my ears, practically of commercial CD quality. And I don't need more than 5-6 hours of WAV file room. There's nothing plastic or cheap about this machine, and I love some of its "old-fashioned" deployment of controls that have a single function. Because it's so practical, direct, intuitive and simple, this is a machine I'm likely to use--and take more seriously than a small, light unit like the Edirol (which understandably is preferred by some musicians and audiophiles). I've had it with the ultra gadgetry combined with the excessive miniaturization currently beckoning us from all directions. There was a time when Sony blew me away with its mini-disc Walkman. This reduced-priced model of their top-of-the-line machine, which costs 3-4 times more, continues the same tradition that once did Sony proud in the field of cutting-edge audio reproduction from miniature technology. Rather than creating another trendy gizmo, Sony has designed a no-nonsense "hi def audio" recorder that is, above all else, "solid." Certainly, the company could have included lesser-quality recording formats, reverb effects, 4-track recording, a speaker, extra mics, but they chose to go with what is most essential--and to do it right. In sum, the Sony is a hefty "small-enough" machine with dedicated, clearly-labeled controls (a welcome change from tiny touch pads and deeply buried menu settings). It's not for someone who wants to run separate mics on the drums, bass, and piano or add reverb and numerous other effects. In the category of bells and whistles, the only feature that might qualify is the 5-second pre-record monitor (which seems to excite some reviewers far more than it does me--I just don't see the big advantage). In fact, if I have one major disappointment it's the lack of an automatic volume control, a feature I've come to take for granted since it's common on much less expensive machines. If you perform music and simultaneously record yourself, it can be a hassle monitoring levels so that they remain in the -12db level. What sets the unit apart is the quality of its two onboard microphones, the accessibility of the controls, and above all the professional quality of the sound--not enhanced but so faithful that it's fair to say the recorder literally hears what the listener hears. Unlike my Zoom H2, the Sony was seen immediately by my iMac using OSX.5 (Leopard). Now if Sony would only do something about that ridiculous $50 "hat" / windscreen that's offered as an option. (The Zoom H2 still serves me well as a handy back-up, and some of the "extras" that come as standard equipment with the Zoom--e.g. a hand grip and a tripod--occasionally are useful with the Sony.) A word on behalf of the Zoom H2: Admittedly the 4 mics border on "gimmickry," but's it's an unbeatable value as currently priced--weightless and small, a perfect "stealth" machine. And frequently I can't distinguish its sound quality from the Sony. Unlike the Sony, it has features like MP3 as well as .WAV formatting, file conversion, normalizing, and functions usually found only on computer software programs for recording and editing audio. It even contains a metronome and tuner. And it's proven indestructible. If the user can get past the "toylike" feel of the machine and the absence of dedicated knobs and sliders (it employs a tiny touchpad on an exterior "skin"), it's capable of doing a job rivaling the priciest, most esteemed recorders in its field.
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Posted: Apr 23 2009
I'm graduating from my Zoom H2 and moving up to the Sony, no doubt my last recorder. As a musician, music lover, music critic, I need, simply, a reliable, dedicated machine with no frills, no thick manuals containing the promise that "the possibilities are limitless." (I've got just one lifetime. Even the promotional literature of the new Zoom H4n is enough to scare me away.) I don't need a portable recording studio with capabilities of recording MP3s, of mixing 4 tracks, or a machine with a tiny touchpad in place of knobs and switches. Sony comes closest in keeping the average person's-- and musician's--needs in mind yet giving him all of the quality desired by anyone who isn't a record producer. I assumed that high-quality external mics would be essential with a unit like this, but the onboard ones on this Sony are, to my ears, practically of commercial CD quality. And I don't need more than 4-5 hours of WAV file room. There's nothing plastic or cheap about this machine, and I love some of its "old-fashioned" deployment of controls that have a single function. Because it's so practical, direct, intuitive and simple, this is a machine I'm likely to use--and take more seriously than a small, light unit with gratuitous gadgetry combined with excessive miniaturization. There was a time when Sony blew me away with its mini-disc Walkman. This reduced-priced model of their top-of-the-line machine, which costs 3-4 times more, continues the same tradition that once did Sony proud in the field of cutting-edge audio reproduction from miniature technology. Rather than creating another trendy gizmo, Sony has designed a no-nonsense "hi def audio" recorder that is, above all else, "solid." Certainly, the company could have included lesser-quality recording formats, reverb effects, 4-track recording, a speaker, extra mics, but they chose to go with what is most essential--and to do it right. In sum, the Sony is a hefty yet compact, personal machine with dedicated, clearly-labeled controls (a welcome change from tiny touch pads and deeply buried menu settings). It's not for someone who wants to run separate mics on the drums, bass, and piano or add reverb and numerous other effects. In the category of bells and whistles, the only feature that might qualify is the 5-second pre-record monitor (which seems to excite some reviewers far more than it does me--I just don't see the big advantage). In fact, if I have one major disappointment it's the lack of an automatic volume control, a feature I've come to take for granted since it's common on much less expensive machines. If you perform music and simultaneously record yourself, it can be a hassle monitoring levels so that they remain in the -12db level. When all is said and done, what sets the Sony apart is the quality of its two onboard microphones, the accessibility of the controls, and above all the professional quality of the sound--not enhanced but so faithful that it's fair to say the recorder literally hears what the listener hears. And unlike my Zoom H2, the Sony was seen immediately by my iMac using OSX.5 (Leopard). Now if Sony would only do something about that ridiculous $50 "hat" / windscreen that's offered as an option. (The Zoom H2 still serves me well as a handy back-up, and some of the "extras" that come as standard equipment with the Zoom--e.g. a hand grip and a tripod--occasionally are useful with the Sony.) A word on behalf of the Zoom H2, which is still #1 in Amazon sales (I may be so immodest as to suggest with no small help from my spotlighted review, which Amazon recently decided to demote to the date of composition): Admittedly the 4 mics border on "gimmickry," but's it's an unbeatable value as currently priced--weightless and small, a perfect "stealth" recorder or back-up. And often I can't distinguish its sound quality from the Sony. Unlike the Sony, it has features like MP3 as well as .WAV formatting, file conversion, normalizing, and functions usually found only on computer software programs for recording and editing audio. It even contains a metronome and tuner. And it's proven indestructible. If the user can get past the "toylike" feel of the device and learn to live with its tiny touchpad, it's a machine that someone on a budget need have no regrets about.
