sadtomato

Thanks everyone. I e-mailed the Sound Professionals and will post their reply. Unfortunately, my set up stinks w/out the pre-amp, because I can't hear *anything* -- even loud recordings. Kristin

Last year I bought a Sharp MD-MT190, SoundProfessionals filter (the SP-SPSB-1) with pre-amp, adjustable bass roll-off and volume ctrl options and Core Sound mics. The sound is pretty good for a $500 set up, but it is really sensitive. I took it to record in Eastern Europe this summer and the sound cracked really easily with brass instruments, drums or high singing. Aside from lowering the recording volume (which gets a bit hissy, even with Line In), what can I do? Is one of these more sensitive to that stuff than the others? Would a $200 DAT be better, or is that just too little to pay for a passable DAT? Advice appreciated! Kristin