As far as I am concerned the Holy Grail of recording is already here... the=
LS-10/11/5. Why do people expect anything better at this low price? Most o=
f us must remember the Sony Pro Walkman, the horrible DAT technology, and s=
o on. What we have now is so much better in terms of overall sound quality,=
portability, and usability that it's a constant amazement to me.
(If we want better we can spend more and suffer a larger recorder.)
Yes, it's a shame the LS-14 hasn't made incremental improvements, but I am =
far from surprised. With each new iteration, companies learn to compromise =
and use cheaper parts and wider tolerances. Certainly Olympus demonstrates =
this. For example, the PEN E-P1 was an excellent little camera with a novel=
lens mount and cute look. Then they issued a constant stream of new models=
(ten?) with only incremental improvements, until the OMD line several year=
s later -- finally a real difference. I now expect to see another ten model=
s that exist only due to the marketing department.
They are doing the same with their recorders. It's a matter of one step for=
ward and two back. I am happy for the step forward and suffer the rest as a=
symptom of late capitalism.
-- Robin Parmar
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