Yesterday, I received Sony's new PCM-M10 recorder for evaluation. Here are my
first impressions.
The mic preamp of the M10 is about as quiet as the preamp found in the Edirol
R-09HR. In my tests, the Olympus LS-10 produces somewhat quieter recordings
than either the M10 or the R-09HR. The test recordings were made with low mic
sensitivity setting, and preamp gain set to maximum. A Rode NT-1A mic and
battery box provided the input signal.
This means that Sony's PCM-D50 ($450) is a better choice if you're looking for
a quiet recorder that can fit in your pocket.
The built-in mics of the M10 produced recordings that were somewhat less noisy
and more "realistic" than the built-in mics of either the LS-10 or the R-09HR.
The battery life of the M10 is phenomenal. I've used it for at least 16 hours,
and the battery indicator still shows "full." I don't have a way to test
Sony's claim of 27 hours of recording time. But the M10 has better battery
life than any small recorder I've used. (The Olympus LS-11 is supposed to have
improved its battery performance, too.)
I'll have comments about other aspects of the recorder in a day or two.
--oryoki
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