Well, the Shure FP-24 (re-branded Sound Devices MIx Pre) works on AA cells,
whereas the ATI ML200 requires a peculiar 22 - 30 VDC power source. This is
obviously non-standard power for field use. You would need a custom
rechargeable
battery pack and charging unit that could easily cost as much as the ML200
itself. Or you could just use 18 AA cells in series. ;>] Not a very good
situation in either case and don't forget about the extra weight of the
batteries.
As for the noise floor of the ML200, the specs say -124 dBm for Ein. That is a
measure for a signal into a 600 ohm termination, such as line level balanced
inputs of pro consoles, that equates to 0.64 microvolts. When you do the
conversion to dBu, it becomes -122 dBu. This is equivalent to the noise floor
of
a Sony PCM-M10, which is obviously not the quietest recorder for low-noise
field
use. The Fostex FR2-LE is rated at -129 dBu Ein, so the use of the ML200
degrades the noise floor by about 7 dB relative to that of the Fostex.
It's fairly obvious given this data that the ML200 was designed for studio use
for recording music and other sources of higher level than that in the bush,
given its peculiar power needs (it comes with a special wall wart) and its
noise
floor. So whether or not the AT-4022 can take a lower phantom voltage is, IMHO,
immaterial to the consideration of using an ML200 in the field.
BTW, the AT-4022 spec sheet states that the phantom voltage must be 48 volts. I
haven't tried it with less, but it may work with less voltage at perhaps the
expense of dynamic range and sensitivity. But why bother?
One thing that I've found out is that as soon as one begins to approach the
theoretical limit of low noise, very high quality recording one must pay out
more money almost exponentially. So decide what your limit is and then go for
it. There is no short cut that is inexpensive to get quality! It's all a
question of degrees.
So keep your Tascam and get an FP-24/Mix Pre (used, both models are now
discontinued) or sell the Tascam and buy an FR2-LE (or a Sound Devices unit!).
I
have both an FR2-LE and a Tascam DR-680 and I am quite pleased with both. But
sometimes I use my M10 or R-04. It depends on the situation.
Take care & have fun,
Greg
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