I've used the the original R-09 for over 3 1/2 years, and been in love with it from the day I bought it. I use it to record church services and make CD's from the recordings, to record meetings instead of taking notes, to record doctor visits, or to just record improvisations on the keyboard. The sound quality is excellent, whether recording as .WAV or .MP3, and the pickup sensitivity is amazing. It is still going strong, but when I decided to get a second one and leave the first at church, I went for the newer R-09HR.
The R-09HR improves on the R-09 in many respects, most notably from my experience:
+ The slippery hard plastic case of the R-09 has been replaced with a non-skid solid rubbery case - no more worrying about it sliding off a music stand.
+ The rubber inserts that surrounded the side controls on the R-09, and were stretching and falling out, have been eliminated.
+ There is now a separate 'Menu' button, so the 'Finder' doesn't have to do double-duty.
+ The sound quality seems even better than the R-09.
+ The R-09HR comes with a remote control. I have yet to try it, but I can see it could be useful.
Some other notable differences:
+ It is slightly bigger than the R-09. I liked the more compact size of the R-09, but am willing to trade it for the better case of the R-09HR. The R-09HR still fits (a little more snugly) in the leather Targus camera case that I use as a carrying case.
+ The power button and the back sliders have moved position (no problem unless you are used to them elsewhere!).
+ The batteries now go in a separate compartment, rather than sharing with the SD/USB compartment door. Call me weird, but I don't share the opinions of others who disliked the R-09 battery door. It may have felt flimsy, but I had no problems in 3 1/2 years, and the disadvantage of the new R-09HR arrangment is that the battery door comes off completely, so it can get separated. I think this may also be part of the reason the R-09HR is slightly bulkier.
On the slight downside:
+ The addition of a small speaker doesn't seem worth the added real estate. The output volume is low and the playback quality is, well, pathetic. Maybe some will find it useful just for checking recording pickup, but I'd have been happy without it (especially if the case size could have been reduced).
+ I don't feel like the battery meter is as accurate as on the R-09, nor am I certain if the battery life is as good as on the R-09. I had one case where I was using the R-09HR and it showed just 1 battery step down from full (and yes, I had the battery type correct), and it died within 1/2 hour. I'm now careful to make sure I put fresh batteries in if I have any doubt. This is not an objective measure, as I haven't actually compared the R-09 and R-09HR under the exact same conditions, but I definitely do not trust the battery life indicator on the R-09HR the way I did on the R-09. On the flip side, I listened to playback on a set of batteries for over 4 hours, so it may be either the recording side is more power-consumptive, or truly is just the battery life indicator.
+ The R-09HR overall looks/feels a little more utilitarian than the R-09, which had a nicer esthetic look/feel (but at the same time this contributed to it being more slippery).
+ I wish both the R-09 and R-09HR came with an option to make the Record a one-touch function. I'm always morbidly afraid of not getting an important recording because I've failed to push the Record twice (this happened to me a couple times when I first got the R-09).
To sum up, though, the R-09HR is a fantastic recorder with excellent sound quality and pickup. You can take the recordings directly into editing software and with a little volume adjustment burn perfectly usable CD's that are just like you were there when the recording was made.
Get more detail about Edirol R-09HR High-Resolution WAVE/MP3 Recorder.
No comments:
Post a Comment