Portable Digital Recorder Comparison

Is there a definitive field recorder we think you should buy? No. Do we have opinions about all the choices that are out there? You bet. See a summary of our humble opinions in the chart below.

Current Recommendations - fall of 2009 (approximate street price):
Budget entry-level recorder: Tascam DR-07 ($200)
Compact, convenient, take-everywhere recorder: Olympus LS10 ($375)
Sonic clarity in a small package: Sony PCM-D50 ($450)
Reporter's workhorse: Marantz PMD 661 ($600)
Music/Ambience recording: Zoom H2 ($200)
Simultaneous interview/ambience recording: Zoom H4n
Ultimate sound quality: Sound Devices 702/722 ($1,800/$2,400)

Recommended External Microphones:

• Omnidirectional, Condenser: Audio Technica AT 8010 ($160)
  
• Short Shotgun, Condenser: Rode NTG2 ($270)
  
• Sennheiser K6 powering module ($250 ) + Sennheiser ME66 short shotgun capsule ($210). Additional capsules can be purchased (Omni, Cardioid, Lavalier, etc) to work with the K6. This can be more economical and compact than purchasing and carrying several different microphones.
• note: we cannot recommend dynamic microphones such as the Electrovoice RE-50 or Beyer M-58 for use with most of these flash recorders. The Sony PCM-D50, Marantz PMD 661, Tascam HD-P2 and Sound Devices recorders may provide adequate clean gain with dynamic mics, but the rest of these models require higher-output microphones in order to make clean recordings when using the external mic inputs. Using dynamic mics with these recorders with quiet sources, such as the spoken voice, will, in most cases, result in hissy, low-level recordings.

Click on the name of each recorder for the full Transom Tools review.

	Model	Pros	Cons
	Zoom H4n	Simultaneous 4-track recording from internal mics and external inputs, very good quality built-in mics, XLR inputs and phantom power for external mics, additional minijack mic input, useful Automatic Gain Control, long record times on standard AA batteries, AC power adapter included.	Weak gain with external dynamic microphones, some background hiss with external mics, menu navigation more complex than other recorders.
	Tascam DR-07	Inexpensive, small, easy to use, good built-in stereo mics, good audio quality with external condenser microphones, uses easy-to-find AA batteries, simple menu structure.	Weak gain with external dynamic microphones, slight background hiss, cannot record mono files, 1/8" mic input, power cord not included.
	Tascam DR-1	Easy to use, good built-in stereo mics, good audio quality with external condenser microphones, simple menu structure.	Weak gain with external dynamic microphones, slight background hiss, cannot record mono files, 1/8" or 1/4" mic input, rechargeable battery only, power cord not included.
	Tascam DR-100	XLR mic inputs with standard phantom power, hardware switches for inputs and other controls, dual power sources (both AA and rechargeable batteries), easy to use, good built-in stereo mics, good audio quality with external condenser microphones, simple menu structure, protective soft sleeve included.	Weak gain with external dynamic microphones, slight background hiss, cannot record mono files, too big for a pocket, power cord not included.
	Marantz PMD 661	XLR mic inputs with standard phantom power, very good sound quality with a wide range of external microphones, large bright display, slanted LED meter readable from several positions, shoulder strap allows hands-free operation, gapless track division, recording configurations can be stored as presets, true mono file recording, up to 24-bit 96khz recording, S/PDIF digital input..	Larger and heavier than the new pocket-sized recorders, mediocre built-in microphones, changing configurations requires clicking through many menus, time info and level info shown on separate pages of display.
	HHb FlashMic DRM-85	Excellent sound quality, easy operation, integrated mic and recorder, effective Automatic Gain Control, professional appearance, good battery life, records mono files.	Expensive, mic is large and heavy, no memory card slot, only one gig of built-in memory, only one microphone pick-up pattern (omni or cardioid,) basic model has no line-input.
	Olympus LS10	Very small, good sound quality with external mics, input gain knob, 2 gigs of built-in memory, good battery life, USB2 file transfer.	Built in mics are over-bright and wind-sensitive, cannot record mono files, 1/8" mic input, no digital in, no power cord supplied.
	Sony PCM-D50	Good sound quality with external mics, adjustable built-in mics, sturdy construction, large input gain knob, 4 gigs of internal memory, good battery life, hardware switches for many functions, gapless track division.	Built-in mics are very wind sensitive, windscreen is expensive, cannot record mono files, 1/8" mic input, a little too large to be pocket-sized, only uses Sony memory cards,
	Marantz PMD 620	Good sound quality with external mics, small, light, one-button record, config presets, mono recording, gapless track division.	audio delay in headphones(fixed), poor placement of headphone jack, audible button clicks, no digital input, 1/8" mic input
	Marantz PMD 660	XLR inputs, good meters, recording config presets, mono recording, gapless track division.	Hissy with some dynamic mics, input distorts with some condenser mics, comparatively large and heavy, no digital input.
	Zoom H2	4-channel surround recording, good built-in mics, very small, inexpensive, easy to use, quick start-up.	Loud hiss on external mic inputs, clipping on line-input, no digital in, no phantom power, mini jack only external mic input.
	Zoom H4	Easy to use, good built-in mics, XLR mic inputs, phantom power.	Fine input volume control is buried in a menu, built-in mics very wind-sensitive, case transmits handling noise, single channel recording complicated to set-up, unintuituve menu navigation, no digital input.
	Edirol R-09	Ease of use, small, hardware switches or buttons for major functions.	Noticable hiss on all inputs, no digital in, no phantom power, mini jack only external mic input.
	M-Audio Microtrack 24/96	Balanced mic inputs, digital input, clean sound, mono recording.	Built-in rechargable battery not field-swappable, non-standard phantom power voltage (fixed on Microtrack Mark II), TRS mic inputs not as convenient as XLR.
Tascam HD-P2		XLR inputs with phantom power, excellent sound quality, optional padded case, good meters, large display, gapless track division, configuration presets, time code for sync to video or film.	Larger and heavier than other recorders, plastic case, expensive, menus can be hard to navigate, low gain for dynamic mics, speaker is on by default if no headphones connected.
Sound Devices 702/722		XLR Inputs with phantom power, Excellent sound quality, metal construction, flexible recording options, reliable meters, long recordng times possible to 722's hard drive, gapless track division.	Expensive, heavy, larger than the pocket recorders, batteries hard to recharge in the field.