First, the main reasons I chose the FR-2LE:
* I want to squeeze the full potential from my Telinga parabolic
microphone. I don't want any lossy compression (e.g., minidisc,
mp3/wma recorder), and I want enough dynamic range that I can avoid a
noise floor significantly higher than the microphone's, without
risking clipping.
* The pre-rec buffer could really come in handy. It's a drag to have
to record long periods of silence just so I can get the interesting parts.
* Long battery life, and the ability to quickly change batteries in
the field (no screwdrivers needed).
* I'm a hobbyist, and while the Telinga was a choice I felt I
couldn't compromise on, I can't justify a much higher cost for a
recorder (I mean damn, the FR-2LE is expensive enough).
Now, my first impressions of the FR-2LE:
* It's big. And heavy. Somehow I missed this when reading the dimensions.
* I can't test it with my Telinga yet. My SP-XLRM-MINI-2 should
arrive in the mail April 23. (I shouldn't have put off finding and
ordering this adapter.) Testing with the internal microphone at Low
sensitivity, the dynamic range seems quite good, but the acid test
will have to take place in a very quiet setting.
* The sample rate / bit depth / MP3 setting really sucks, big time.
You have you *format* a card to change the recording format. You
cannot record two formats on the same card! What possessed them to
design it this way?! For me, this verges on defeating the whole
advantage of having multiple formats. I was planning on using 96 kHz
for hummingbirds and tree crickets, but I guess I'll have to reserve
a card just for that purpose. I was also planning on using MP3 for
long unattended recordings, but I guess that'll also need a dedicated
card. Also note that the card MUST be formatted with FAT32; the
FR-2LE does not support FAT16.
* Doing "QUICK SET" requires that you hold two buttons at once, which
makes it a bit less quick than it should be. On the other hand, it
does remember what setting you last adjusted, which is nice. It gives
access to four settings: ALC (auto level control, i.e. dynamic
compression), HPF (high pass filter), P48 (phantom power), and SRC
(source - external input, internal mic at low sensitivity, internal
mic at high). I really wish recording format was in here, but of
course, you need to format or switch cards to do that. The only two
settings that I'd really want to change in a jiffy are "source" and
"format", and only the former is available.
* REWIND serves as a "go back" function in menus, and I've found
myself pressing F FWD many times expecting it intuitively to do the
opposite and act like ENTER. But in a menu it does nothing.
* F FWD during playback is a joy to use; it actually pitches-up the
sound so you can hear where you're going. REWIND does the same thing,
also reversing the audio. (I have to say it: It would be really nice
to be able to play backwards at normal speed. Yep, give me an inch
and I'll want a mile.)
* Once you slide the "on switch" lever, it takes 5 seconds for the
unit to turn on. In the meantime you get no feedback whatsoever,
except for a faint suggestion of a click on the headphones and a
light on the remote-control (if you have it plugged in). I can get
used to this, but it doesn't seem very professional.
* When you plug in headphones, for moment it sounds like the unit is
breathing. Seriously! (Perhaps it's adjusting to the impedance or something=
?)
* The pre-rec buffer is indeed exactly 2 seconds. I'm expecting to
need a hair-trigger reaction time to take advantage of it, because
usually it takes me a few seconds to realize that something I'm
hearing is special. Also, turning on the pre-rec automatically turns
on a post-rec as well. I'd rather they be independent options, as
they really have nothing to do with each other! Relying on post-rec
could cultivate bad habits.
* The remote-control is nice. It has three buttons: MARK, REC, and
STBY; and it has a LED. Pressing STBY stops recording; if you're not
recording, it toggles monitoring of the input. The LED is on if
you're monitoring input or recording. I wish it had two lights; if it
did, I'd be able to stow the FR-2LE in a case and still be able to
know at any moment if I'm recording or not. (Note: Actually, the
light seems to be yellow in standby and red in record, but I'm color
deficient and this doesn't help me! Especially with competing sunlight.)
* I can't give an overall rating to the FR2-LE yet... for that I need
to wait for the adapter to arrive so I can use it with my Telinga. I
hope that carrying this along with my video camera doesn't bog me
down too much... it may turn out that the FR2-LE is simply too big
for me. The other problems, I think I can get used to (and heck, some
of them could potentially be fixed with a firmware update).
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