I have the first version of the Edirol R-09. It's a good unit, but not great. Sound can be harsh and the ergonomics are poor if you aren't holding the unit. For example, if I'm recording while performing, I need to be able to check the levels and adjust them easily, while having the mics in the ideal position. With the Edirol, to get the cardioid mics pointed how I want them, I frequently can't see the clip warning while playing/recording. Then there's the battery/card/mini-USB port with its flimsy, annoying door. (Note that the new version has supposedly corrected at least this latter problem, and I think it even has a remote, which is a great feature.)
When I feared I'd lost my trusty Edirol (despite its warts, it's a fantastic scratch pad) I went on a hunt for a replacement, knowing full well that I'd find the Edirol as soon as I bought a new recorder.
After much research, I settled on the Sony D50. Frankly, I couldn't be happier. Nearly all of the important functions have buttons, all of which are different not only in position, but in shape or size or color, making it very, very easy to operate the device without even looking at it. And when you do look at it, it's got a larger, more legible display than the Edirol (or any of the other mini-recorders, as I recall.) For example, it's really nice, while recording a long improvisation, or a longer stream of found sound, to hit the Sony's 'divide' button, which immediately and seamlessly starts a new file. This makes going through lots of recorded data easier. The Sony is larger than most of the recorders, but, for this purpose, I'd rather (to put it in Star Trek terms) have a tricorder than a tiny, fiddly communicator.
Finally, the Sony has a brilliant feature that I think no other mini recorder possesses: its built in limiter. This isn't a brick wall, it's a system whereby the Sony records the signal both at 0dB and at -20dB. If you go over 0dB, the clipped signal is replaced with the signal recorded at -20db. Particularly in field recordings, with huge and often unpredictable dynamic shifts, this feature is fantastic and does, indeed, work as advertised.
The D50 has an external miniUSB port and simply mounts on a computer as a drive. You can buy a tripod (which I highly recommend) and a corded remote (which I own, but haven't yet had the chance to use.)
The built in condensers are decent, and can be adjusted between 90deg XY, parallel for more directional recording, and 120deg for a broader stereo field. When I recorded a performance I did at a local restaurant, through my Mackie HR824s, it literally sounded as it would have were I sitting at a table listening to a performance, reproducing not just the music, but the ambient environment of the space and the people within it. That, to me, was as remarkable (and important) as the quality of musical reproduction.
Finally, it's made of metal, not plastic. It's a sturdy unit. It's definitely worth the extra ducats.
It would still be nice to have phantom powered XLR inputs, but, other than that, I have no complaints, and I've owned it for several months.
By the way -- the day after I purchased the Sony, I did, indeed, find the Edirol. Annoying and predictable, but it did allow me to comapre the two units side by side, without relying upon my memory, or recordings done at different times/place/positions.
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Zak Kramer
Crazyquilt Arts & Music
http://www.crazyquiltarts.com/
