Tascam DR-05x or DR-07x (1 Viewer)

I'm back again...

After last year pondering many options for recording I ended up getting the Zoom H4 with a shotgun mic which I then returned! While it was clearly a good set up I found that if I was out and about I wanted to have camera gear with me and the Zoom stayed in the bag. When I did get it out and use it I found that I would then be wanting to get the camera back out... Basically photos are my priority (not sound or video) so the set up I bought was overkill for my needs.

Now we are all stuck in lockdown I have started to think about trying night time sound recording to see what might be flying over (need to find something to do). I was looking at the DR-05x or the DR-07x as they look like they will do the job and also be pocketable when I can get back out birding. From what I can see the only difference between these two is the moveable mics on the DR-07x, is that an advantage worth paying the extra £20 for?

Or should I distract myself even further with the DR-40x which clearly is a more complex machine (and probably more than I will need/want). But does it have advantages?

When the microphones are crossed it is termed an X-Y configuration when pointing forwards or outwards an A -B. They both have advantages, however, they are described in inummerable places and this is probably one of the clearer explanations.


http://www.rode.com/blog/all/stereotechniques

In practice for your use, the chances are it won't be noticeable whichever you use, so why spend the money?

The DR-40 series has for many years been Tascams answer to the ZOOM H4 series. They are different in their menus, in my opinion the H4N being simpler to use for the non-specialist. They are similar in size and weight. For many years the Tascam had the edge in pre-amps, but with the introduction of the ZOOM H4N PRO this advantage was nullified as the Tascam is said to lag in this respect, because the upgrade to the X model stuck with the same pre-amps as before. The main improvement being the display.

The Zoom is slow on start up with big memory cards, the Tascam is aledged to be a bit iffy in supplying enough phantom power to some microphones.

So, in all probability, for a lightweight, functionally straightforward recorder, the DR-05X probably meets your needs.

At the current time I have an old DR-40 and a year old H4N Pro. The Tascam has things going for it like recording a second stereo track at reduced gain in case the source overloads the primary track, unlikely with birds and it can record with both its built in mics and an exterior pair simultaneously.

All in all I can't see the need for you to move to a DR-40x as it is fairly comparable recorder wth the Zoom H4N you tried.

Obviously this is a personal opinion based on my judgement of your needs. If I were recording music to a high standard I might be more concerned, but for the average bird at a distance it doesn't make a great deal of difference.

N.B. I record things other than just birds, so the X-Y vs A - B is more relevant to some of the things I get involved with.

I hope this helps.

Thank you for the info. I think I already knew that the DR-40x was overkill for my needs and that I should forget about it but when something appears to have a lot more features for not much more money it does get tempting. I am somewhat torn between the 05x and the 07x. Common sense says save money and buy the cheaper option as it will do what I need and if I get really into sound recording I would probably want more toys in the future. However the 07x seems to be available for only about £15 more so I am currently reading up on the difference between mic set ups to see if it is worth the little extra.

You are right that it will be used primarily for recording birds. I'll also probably use it to replace my old Olympus dictaphone for an interview project (but from what I can see any of them are fine for recording speech). I have the musical ability of a tone deaf badger so unless one of my kids gets hold of it recording music won't be an issue!

In many ways sound recording is a bit like learning to play a keyboard instrument, a few extra gizmos can add a bit of interest and may come in useful.

If you havn't found it there is a specification comparison table of the three about half way down on this link - just 6 gms difference in weight compared to about 100gms extra for the DR-40X.

https://www.tascam.eu/en/dr-07x.html#specs

I've ordered the DR-07x. In the end the difference in price worked out at only £7 so it seemed well worth that little extra. Hopefully it will arrive tomorrow and I will get the chance to have play with it over the weekend.