Zoom recorder vs. competitors

[ASRtalks]

I have a lot of friends that use the Zoom H2 and H4 devices to record their playing. Just curious if people are using other devices to record their playing. The Zoom is a wonderful device, but it is pricy. Any suggestions?
Aaron

[JHardisk]

I just did my homework on this subject. The best bang for my buck came with a Yamaha Pocketrak CX. I don't need the pre-amp of the H4, as the quality is better with a small mixing board.

The Yamaha is smaller, more portable, VERY user friendly, has better internal mics, utilizes mini-SD technology, contains an eneloop battery which lasts up to 55 hours on one charge (I have recorded hours and hours of stuff and haven't charged the battery yet.), comes with Cubase AI software, and records at various sample rates.

I literally put mine in my pocket and record EVERY practice session/most rehearsals at work. Lessons are a cinch to record, and transfer is cake.

WWBW had a great price on these, and I had it shipped next day with a little help from our good friend, Roger Lewis.

There are other options I looked into as well, and if you're curious I can post those options too.

Good luck!

[THE TUBA]

I have used an Edirol R-9 for the past three years and have been extremely pleased. The new version with a remote looks even more promising.

[rocksanddirt]

I use an H2 and really really like it. I've recorded rehearsals, and concerts; in largeish spaces and small, even outdoors and cannot fault the quality of recording.

for the $160 or so I paid, plus another $8 for a 4 gig SD card that gives me 6 hrs of CD recording, I'm really happy.

[gwwilk]

I just did my homework on this subject. The best bang for my buck came with a Yamaha Pocketrak CX. I don't need the pre-amp of the H4, as the quality is better with a small mixing board.

The Yamaha is smaller, more portable, VERY user friendly, has better internal mics, utilizes mini-SD technology, contains an eneloop battery which lasts up to 55 hours on one charge (I have recorded hours and hours of stuff and haven't charged the battery yet.), comes with Cubase AI software, and records at various sample rates.

I literally put mine in my pocket and record EVERY practice session/most rehearsals at work. Lessons are a cinch to record, and transfer is cake.

WWBW had a great price on these, and I had it shipped next day with a little help from our good friend, Roger Lewis.

There are other options I looked into as well, and if you're curious I can post those options too.

Good luck!

The best price on the Yamaha Pocketrak CX is at B&H Photo: http://tinyurl.com/c43rcn
Click 'Email me a better price' and you can get it for less than anywhere else.

[pgym]

I opted for the Tascam DR-07 over the Zoom H2, Edirol 09HR, and Yamaha Pocketrax CX, and couldn't be more pleased. I found the user interface significantly more intuitive and quicker to navigate than the Zoom, Edirol, and Yamaha offerings, and easier on batteries than the Zoom and Edirol and on par with the Yamaha when using alkalines and NiMH rechargables.

The Tascam Dr-07 does NOT come with earbuds or an A/C adapter. Not a big deal in my book since I already own a better pair of earphones than the ones supplied by Zoom and Yamaha, and an A/C adapter is worthless for my purposes, but it is something that's worth noting.

Pgym.

[JHardisk]

...and easier on batteries than the Zoom and Edirol and on par with the Yamaha when using alkalines and NiMH rechargables.


Pgym.

There is no way that this unit's battery usage can compete with Yamaha's use of eneloop technology. This was a big selling point for me. Check it out if you're curious.. http://www.eneloop.info/home.html" target="_blank

I also checked out the tascam, but it was a little too large, and recording quality wasn't quite on par with the other units.

For the OP, check out this site... http://forums.oreilly.com/content/Audio ... Recorders/" target="_blank

Some great reviews and info there.

[cambrook]

Not making any comment on the recorders here, but couldn't you buy a set of eneloop batteries and put them in your recorder of choice? After reading a few things on the www I'm keen to try them.

All the best,

Cam

[SinNawlins]

I won my Zoom H4 on eBay for $225 and have been pleased. I got some rechargeable NiMH AA's at Sam's and it does 3-4 hours per pair, which more than I ever need. I like the flexibility of the various inputs options as well as the H4's built-in mic's which are good. The multi-track recording seems pretty complicated. I tried it once and gave up for lack of time to study it. Everything else is easy.

[pgym]

...and easier on batteries than the Zoom and Edirol and on par with the Yamaha when using alkalines and NiMH rechargables.


Pgym.

There is no way that this unit's battery usage can compete with Yamaha's use of eneloop technology.

Didn't say it does. I said:

on par with the YAMAHA when USING ALKALINES AND NiMH rechargeables.

If I had tested the Tascam with eneloops, I expect the results would have been the same.

I also checked out the tascam, but it was a little too large, and recording quality wasn't quite on par with the other units.

Interesting. In my testing, the Yamaha Protrak CX and 2G consistently turned in the worst performance in terms of signal-to-noise ratio, clipping, and bass response (a rather important consideration for a tubist, one would think): the last being something observed by this reviewer as well.

For the OP, check out this site... http://forums.oreilly.com/content/Audio ... Recorders/" target="_blank" target="_blank

Some great reviews and info there.

Including the review linked above.

Pgym.

[ASRtalks]

Thank you all for the comments on this topic. Recently I have been looking into old Tape Deck recorders that also have a playback speaker included. I am really looking for something for solely educational purposes. Does anyone have experience using these older recording devices? If so, would I be wasting my time by purchasing one.
Aaron

[eupher61]

If you're talking quality of recording, reel-to-reel is the only way to go.

If you just want something to pick up sound and replay it, quality be damned, any cassette recorder will do.