<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">I have used a Zoom H4,<DIV>in fact I bought one and then sent it back again. I then bought an Edirol R-09 instead.</DIV><DIV>I wanted something small enough to fit in my pocket.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Recently on the LANGUSE list someone made an enquiry about Edirol R-09 vs M Audio Microtrack.<DIV>I enclose my posting to that list.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>There is also a technical review of the R-09 in Language Archive Newsletter No9</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="http://www.mpi.nl/LAN/issues/lan_09.pdf"><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial Unicode MS" size="3"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">http://www.mpi.nl/LAN/issues/lan_09.pdf</SPAN></FONT></A><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#333564" face="Arial Unicode MS" size="3"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"> </SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Best</DIV><DIV>Joe</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I have an Edirol R-09. I like it. Though I haven't really used in a fieldwork situation yet.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">The first time I used one I wrote these comments in a blog</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="http://blogs.usyd.edu.au/elac/2006/10/recording_naturalistic_convers_1.html">http://blogs.usyd.edu.au/elac/2006/10/recording_naturalistic_convers_1.html</A></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Before buying it also looked into the M Audio Microtrack</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/MicroTrack2496-main.html">http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/MicroTrack2496-main.html</A></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">and the Zoom H4</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1901">http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1901</A></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">What you need to realise is all these things are built down to a price.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Each have their strengths and their weaknesses.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">For me the M Audio microtrack wasn't worth considering because it has its own built in rechargeable batteries that are not interchangeable with anything else.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">The Zoom H4 and the Edirol R-09 take AA batteries.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">The Zoom H4 has XLR inputs (the three pin plugs for professional microphone inputs). I actually bought one of these machines and sent it back. I didn't like it very much. The xlr in puts it's nearly 50 % larger than the edirol.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">For recording conversation the R-09 is great because it's so small and unobtrusive. I also think it does better recordings than the Zoom H4.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">The edirol is probably the best of the three but there is a catch thing underneath it that holds the batteries in place. It also covers both the sd flash card and the input socket for the usb cable. That catch is absolute rubbish. I expect it to break. You need to be very careful with it. I am careful and apart from that I think the machine is pretty good. Even without an external mike the sound seems reasonable but I haven't had any recordings analysed for their quality.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">All three of these machines are probably the poor cousins of the Sony PCM-D1</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="http://aes.harmony-central.com/119AES/Content/Sony/PR/PCM-D1.html">http://aes.harmony-central.com/119AES/Content/Sony/PR/PCM-D1.html</A></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I've never seen one, but this is a professional piece of equipment that has is bound to have vastly superior electronics. It should do, it's nearly 4 times the price as an R-09. Without really knowing much about the electronics, my understanding is that the better the components the better the quality of the digitisation. This is the one I'd pick if I had the money.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">So it really depends on your budget, what you want to do with your recordings and on how valuable do you consider your recordings to be.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Other things to consider, larger but better quality: Marantz PMD671 flash ram recorders. Sound Device Hard disk recorders.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Actually there's lot of things out there and the landscape is changing very quickly. Things are getting cheaper though (and in more ways than one).</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Good luck</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Joe Blythe</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On 14/03/2007, at 2:01 PM, Daryn McKenny wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">We paid $449 AU and $39 for a 2gb high speed SD Card</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Regards</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Daryn</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">-----Original Message-----</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">From: William J Poser [<A href="mailto:wjposer@ldc.upenn.edu">mailto:wjposer@ldc.upenn.edu</A>]<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Sent: Wednesday, 14 March 2007 1:46 PM</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">To: <A href="mailto:Resource-Network-Linguistic-Diversity@unimelb.edu.au">Resource-Network-Linguistic-Diversity@unimelb.edu.au</A>;</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="mailto:thien@unimelb.edu.au">thien@unimelb.edu.au</A></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Subject: Re: Zoom H4 Digital Recorder</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I assumed that anything that nice must be really expensive,</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">but the first site I checked lists it (with only a 128MB card)</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">for US$299!</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Bill</DIV> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>