Hi, my opinion is based on listening to the results from LS3, LS5, LS11, LS12,
LS100. ( I have not tried LS10 or LS14 )
The LS5 and LS11 are the quietest and in the same ball park as the Sony M-10
The LS3 ( also known as the LS7 in USA ) is considerably noisier and I
wouldn't want to use it out in the woods trying to capture the ambiance. Mine
was stolen from a pub ( my own fault - in a way ) and I won't be replacing it.
The LS12 is another significant step in the wrong direction again. When I took
it out for a trial with my binaural rig I was gutted by how bad it was. I
hadn't heard so much in-your-face noise since I was checking the possibilities
with some very naff old mics 3 or 4 years ago.
The LS100's PIP input is pretty awful too.
Surprisingly, I recently tried an Olympus 'dictation' machine, the DM-670, as a
replacement for the stolen LS3, for carrying around with me for candid captures
of the non nature variety. I can't directly compare it with the LS3 but it's
quieter, even very quiet for such an unlikely device. I think it will do nicely
for over-night recordings @ 48/16 format. As they are plentiful secondhand and
occasionally very cheap in the UK, I intend to get a few of them to give me a
bit more courage about when and where to risk leaving out a recorder. A
'sleeper' as they would say on the Gearslutz forum.
I've done no technical measurements of any recorders. It's all ears and feel.
norman.
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