Quest for a mobile recorder: summary (so far)

["Rainer Thelonius Balthasar Straschill" <rs@moinlabs.de>]

Thanks for your inputs so far. Summarizing, it seems to look like this:

1. The Zoom Stuff:
A lot of people are using the Zoom H2 and H4 (cole mentioned a Zoom H3, 
but I can't seem to find it on their website - are you sure you aren't 
referring to either the H2 or H4?)

The way it looks, neither the H2 nor the H4 can do what I want it to do 
(basically, recording four tracks at one, two of them from external line 
inputs). What Andy suggested - jury-rigging a H2 - may be possible - 
anybody wants to open his H2 up and check whether there's an ASSP which 
combines micpres and converters (in which case you would need to connect 
the rerouted line input to a micpre with a pad in line - something I'd 
like to avoid).

Btw, did anybody do (or know) a comparison of the H2 and H4 
sound-quality-wise (esp. pres, internal mics)?

2. Other Solutions:
It seems that this is a product area with not that much competition. Even 
looking at some of those digital ministudios by e.g. Boss, Fostex, 
Tascam/Teac etc., most of them (and all of them in the sub-€1000 price 
range) can only record two tracks at once.
The only exception here seems to be the Edirol R-44 (thanks, Norm, for 
mentioning that one). With that, you get four combo XLR-1/4'' inputs, 
built-in stereo mic and even a SPDIF input and can record from any stereo 
combination of these to up to two stereo tracks at once. It's only 
downside is the price tag, which is roughly three and a half Zoom H2.

Norm, could you please go into your experiences regarding the sound 
quality (again, mostly pres and internal mics)?

        Rainer