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Mic-In vs Line-In

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PDOG58

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Can someone please explain to me the technical differance between the Line-IN jack and the Mic-In jack on the new Hi-MD? Some people were having a fuss over the fact that their was an early report that only Mic-In recordings would be uploadable to PCs (this rumor has since been defunct). But what is the differance? Is their a sound quality issue?

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There can be a sound quality issue. Microphones output very low level signals which need to be amplified before passing to the rest of the system. The MD unit's internal mic amplifiers may be of low quality. In general, they will not be capable of recording a very wide dynamic range because they have very little power to work with.

If you use the Line-In, you must use an external mic amp. Going this route, you can use the best quality amp you can afford, you're not stuck with whatever is in the MD unit. An external amp will have its own power supply, probably much more powerful than the MD unit's. So it will be able to handle very wide dynamic range without distortion.

Personally I've never had any problem with the audio quality of mic recordings I've made on my MZR50 or MZN10. I also don't go to rock concerts though, and I've never needed to record anything that was ear-splittingly loud. I play fiddle, I go to see acoustic performances, etc., and I don't see much need for more power here.

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