Donald Bell,
Senior Editor
August 1, 2008
Have you ever wanted to capture a sound? Maybe it was a great concert, baby's first words, bird calls, or a field recording for radio, movie, or television production. While capturing sound in our daily lives is not as common as capturing images with photography, both require an investment if you want to do it right.
More than a few MP3 players include basic voice and line recording features, but none of them are capable of recording at or above CD quality. If you're looking for a serious portable audio recorder capable of recording in multiple formats at pro-audio resolution, the following list showcases the best tools available.
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| Price | $449.00 to $499.95 | Check Prices | $159.95 to $189.99 | $238.88 to $349.99 | $219.00 to $301.99 |
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| Review date | March 24, 2008 | April 01, 2008 | April 11, 2008 | July 31, 2008 | |
| The Bottom Line | If you're looking to make great mobile recordings without lugging around a cumbersome laptop recording rig, the Sony PCM-D50 offers an unbeatable combination of design, recording quality, battery life, and features at a justifiable price. | The Edirol R-09 isn't perfect, but what it lacks in features, it makes up in its small size and rich recording detail. | The Zoom H2 is a fun, practical, and affordable tool for capturing interviews, lectures, and music rehearsals. Cheap construction and lackluster recording performance, however, make the H2 less than ideal for demanding professional recording applications. | The Yamaha Pocketrak 2G's design is ideal for stealth recordings, but its high price and scarce features make it hard to recommend over the competition. | |
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| Features | |||||
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
1.3 in x 0.5 in x 4.7 in |
Info unavailable |
| Software type | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
Drivers & Utilities |
| Equalizer factory presets | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
Bass Normal Rock Jazz Pop |
Info unavailable |
| Sound output mode | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
Stereo |
Stereo |
| PC interface(s) supported | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
USB |
USB |
| Flash memory form factor | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
Integrated |
Info unavailable |
| Flash memory installed | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
2 GB |
Info unavailable |
| Battery technology | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
Lithium ion |
| Product type | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
Digital player |
Digital voice recorder |
| Weight | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
1.7 oz |
Info unavailable |
| Height | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
4.7 in |
Info unavailable |
| Depth | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
0.5 in |
Info unavailable |
| Digital player (recorder) | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
WMA WAV PCM Protected WMA (DRM 10) MP3 |
WAV MP3 |
| Width | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
1.3 in |
Info unavailable |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
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