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Date: Mon Feb 6, 2012 5:22 pm ((PST))
Rich, there are various ways of looking at this. On the one hand you may as=
well get the recorder with the best pre-amps you can for the money you are=
going to spend, taking into account any features you think are indispensab=
le.
On the other hand, there's no point getting a super-quiet pre-amp if your m=
ics are noisy. Unless you have a mic with less than 16dB (A) noise floor yo=
u needn't worry much. (Check out Rob Danielson's site for more on this and =
handy charts). This is likely the root of comments like "a few dB of differ=
ence is really not a big deal". In any case technique means a whole lot mor=
e. Get a mic a little closer to your source and it can make a significant i=
mprovement in signal strength compared to the noise floor.
Not to mention that other sounds from the environment are likely going to b=
e louder and more irritating.
I wouldn't wait for the latest greatest model of recorder. It is unlikely t=
o have specs that beat (or even match) the existing units. All consumer gra=
de electronics depends on integrated circuitry and a very few Chinese manuf=
acturers. Until the next chip generation that's engineered for lower noise =
(not a priority for these manufacturers) things are going to stay much the =
same.
Bottom line is you can't really go wrong with the PCM-M10 for the money. Th=
e next step up is a shoulder-sized recorder with phantom and significantly =
better EIN (something like the Fostex FR-2LE). But you do need quiet extern=
al mics for that to matter.
-- Robin Parmar
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