julianr

Yes, I noticed the same "Pro/Musician" grouping for all three. Also noticed a couple of mistakes here and there, but I think I have managed to work out what's correct. I'm surprised that the 950 can't display in English, but since the 813 is available from Hong Kong on UK eBay as an 'English IC recorder' I presume that the menus can be switched to English. Not that it would really matter for me though. Still wavering between the 813 and the PCM-M10 though. Since I don't have the real machines to look at, I'm comparing with things I have sitting around me - the PCM-M10 is almost exactly the same size and weight as my very old iPod, and the 813 is a bit longer and narrower than my almost as old Nokia phone.

The main difference between the 712 and 713 is the size of the memory (2GB instead of 4MB), other than which they seem to be the same. The main differences between the 713 and the 813 relates to playback - Full Digital Amplifier and Noise Cancelling function, as well as a pair of noise cancelling headphones, which would be nice. The price of the 813 in Japan is about JPY14,500 (£117), roughly the same as the 712 in the UK. The 713 is only slightly cheaper (JPY 13,500 / £109) in Japan. This wouldn't be of any relevance except that my wife is off to Japan for a couple of months to see her family (she's Japanese) and so if I can wait until she gets back in April then I could get an 813 for the price of a 712, and for two thirds of the price of a PCM-10M (£168 including P&P). Will have a think about this.

The SX813 is very tempting, and there doesn't really seem to be a huge difference in the quality I can expect from that or the PCM-M10. I do nevertheless like the idea that I could record up to 40kHz were I to have a microphone that could provide such a range, which of course I don't (I could buy a car for the same price as a 40kHz microphone). The SX813 isn't actually available in Europe, so would have to come from Hong Kong or elsewhere. If the customs people decide to charge VAT on arrival (at 20%), as they should, the price will end up being more than the PCM-M10, in which case I might as well buy the PCM-M10 in the first place. I'm in no great rush so will continue to chew the cud over this for a while.

Thanks A440 for your comments and for your suggestion of the taperssection site. I hadn't seen that one so have been interested to read the comments posted there. All in all, seems as though the Sony PCM-M10 is the recommendation of most users. I'm used to using an external mike with my current old MD recorder, so would have no problem using one with the PCM-M10 if the recording quality is slightly better, as seems to be the case. Thanks.

I am slightly wary of mentioning other makes, but would appreciate any comments regarding the relative strengths and weaknesses of the following three machines: Sony PCM-M10 Olympus LS-11 Tascam DR-2d From reading around on other sites it seems that these three are roughly equivalent in specification and price but each have their own particular quirks and features, and I would be interested to hear from anyone who has experience of using any or all of them. Thanks.

Thanks again for your speedy reply and for all the useful information. I've just had a quick look at the PCM-M10 on the Sony website and the spec certainly looks impressive. Available in the UK for £187, less than I'd have to pay for a second hand MZ-RH1. I'll do some more digging around and let you know how I get on. Thanks.

Hi sfbp Thanks for your rapid reply. The Sony.net site has something called "x-Application Launcher" in English, which seems to suggest that it would do what I require, but obviously I haven't tried it yet. I personally wouldn't have any problem with a Japanese version as I speak Japanese, but would probably stick with the English version if there is one. Given that it would probably cost me at least £200 for a MZ-RH1 I think I'll first follow your final bit of advice and look at what's available as a flash based recorder. Do you have any recommendations, or is there perhaps a forum here somewhere that discusses those? Thanks very much.

Hi I have been using an MZ N920 for several years to record my own performances (I am a classical singer). I always record in SP mode in order to obtain the highest recorded quality, and then transfer them to my iMac via an analogue connection. Although the quality is generally adequate for my purposes I have always wished I could transfer directly without DA-AD conversion. 1) Having read a number of the threads on this forum I have gained the impression that although any Hi-MD player can play normal MD recordings, the only machine that I could use to transfer SP recordings to a computer is the MZ-RH1. Is this correct, or can I actually transfer SP mode recordings using any other Hi-MD players (ie something cheaper)? 2) I have also read that Sony do not provide any software that is compatible with recent Mac OS's (I have an iMac with Snow Leopard (10.6.8) and a MacBook Pro with Lion (10.7.2)). I however believe that some of the gurus on this forum have developed some alternative software that might work. Is this correct, and if so, where can I find this software? 3) I am intending to install Windows 7 on my MacBook Pro and run it via Bootcamp (for various reasons). I have however read somewhere that the PC versions of x-Application might not work on a dual-boot machine. Does anyone know if this is correct? I do have access to a PC as well, so all is not lost if I can't do the transfer directly to a Mac. 4) Am I correct in assuming that the recording quality using a Hi-MD recorder (MZ-RH1 or something else suitable) would be better that that using SP mode on my old MZ N920, or would it be just as good to record in SP mode using my MZ N920 and just use the Hi-MD machine to transfer the recording to a computer? Thanks for any advice.