Hi-MD or hard disc recorder?

[folax]

everyone on this site has given me great advice about the sony rh1 and i went to look at it today at B&H. while holding the little beauty in my hand, someone started talking to me about hard disc recorders. they brought me to the pro audio section and showed me these two models

M-Audio Microtrack 24/96

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Micr...k2496-main.html

Edirol R-09

http://www.rolandus.com/products/productde...mp;ParentId=114

they both sound good, but i'm not completely sold. i want to know if the sound quality from Hi-md is better and if anyone has tried these units at all. i really want to get something good for field recording but i don't want to spend an arm and a leg. and i want fast transfer to mac.

HELP PLEASE!!!

thank you

dave

[A440]

M-Audio Microtrack is M-Audio's first try at a flash recorder, and it has gotten very disappointed reviews, with relatively short battery life, complaints about controls and noisy mic inputs.

http://www.transom.org/tools/recording_int...microtrack.html

Edirol R09 is Edirol's second try (after the R01), and it has gotten more positive reviews.

http://createdigitalmusic.com/2006/01/27/n...e-usb-recorder/

But people are complaining about build quality, and if you want track marking--one of my favorite things about MD--it's still not there yet.

By the way, the minidisco deal on the RH1 (with coupon from this thread through Sept. 8:

http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=16894 )

is better than B&H--it comes out to about $318 shipped to NYC.

[heathenmagic]

I am biased, but I have been very impressed with my RH1. Its great for musicians, any type of recording. And as pointed out before, they are very durable. I thought about getting the Edirol, but the main thing against it I thought was having to use the installed microphone, whereas on the RH1 I can use various types and qualities. Recording features / sound quality

are superb.

[an0nym0usmuse]

One thing to consider is that it is much easier to do stealth recordings with the RH-1. The unit is relatively small and unobtrusive; I was able to capture a recent concert by hiding the unit behind me on the seat, with my microphone on my lap. Security never spotted it. And the recording quality on the RH-1 was excellent; set to auto recording level, I had no distortion, even though I was sitting on the front row, a few feet away from the speakers.

[folax]

yeah stealth recordings is a must. and sound quality is a big priority. i'm glad someone is biased. not that i'm looking for someone to make up my mind for me. its true that the 2 hard disc units i have mentioned are the 1st generation for their size. and although they do have a lot of bells and whistles it seems they are still young in the field when it comes to real quality.

whats the battery life for the rh1??? recording and playback??

dave

[an0nym0usmuse]

I was able to record Fiona Apple and her opening act for 2+ hours at Hi-SP, and I barely made a dent in the battery level. My playback time is probably close to the rated 10 to 15 hours. Battery recording time should be quite adequate for most situations. Plus, the battery is user-replaceable--a major plus in my view.

whats the battery life for the rh1??? recording and playback??

dave

[ZosoIV]

While there is no doubt that flash-based recorders will someday become the norm, they are in their infancy right now and fraught with issues. On the other hand, MiniDisc is a very mature and time-tested format. I'd go with the RH1 until newer (and better) flash recorders hit the market.