Edirol R-09
Nothing to do with kit cars!

I needed a highly portable recording device to record the choirs I sing in. I have used a succession of technologies over the years including a Sony Professional Walkman, Sony MiniDisk and Edirol UA25. I wanted uncompressed recording at 44.1 / 16 in order to create CDs completely in the digital domain. The UA25 is great but can not be regarded as a portable solution.

After a lot of deliberation, I chose and Edirol R-09. The main reasons :

• AA battery power


• Uncompressed 48 / 24 WAV


• Uses SD cards up to 2GB


• USB 2

The only negative with the R-09 is there is no support for balanced mics. This is not really an issue for me as I intend to use an Audio Technica AT 822 mic, an unbalanced X/Y stereo condenser mic.

Another issue is one of ruggedness. The case is of lightweight plastic construction. The most delecate part is the battery door. This is fiddly to open and is very fragile. I would have paid a bit more to have a more rugged device. I'll just have to be careful!