iveljay
Well-known member
Just added a DR-100 Mk III to the stable. Less handling noise than I expected but the internal mics are independently shock mounted which must help.
I am mildly concerned at the total recording time available with the rechargeable battery, but I do have Tascam BP-6AA battery pack that holds 6 AA batteries that can be clamped onto its base, so what with that + the internal AA cells + the rechargeable, some experimentation is needed to understand the best way to use the alternates.
Otherwise it seems to be everything it should be. It doesn't come with a charger - so unless you want to hang it on a pc or another charger of similar capacity ther new PS-P520E charger is needed - the older PS-520 variants don't have a suitable set of connectors for this and won't fit.
One stupidity from me was doing a quick functional test on delivery I could not get anything like the recording level I would expect. Doing a quick re-check I realised that the recorder is delivered with the PAD switch set ON, I had somehow missed this, but it is hardly catastrophic!
The big lcd screen is good, and I am pleased to say that the recorder is boringly easy to operate which is good news.
The carousel of buttons for menu etc on the DR-05 and DR-40 have been replaced by individual buttons that are clearly labelled and much easier to use in low light and with gloves.
The phantom power switches are a bit on the small side, but they aren't normally changed unless you are planning to use a mix of mics on location for some reason.
The directional internal mics are fixed in the A-B configuration - despite the housings pointing straight forward and I have yet to heart of any shortcomings with phantom power - the DR-40 wasn't happy with a few mics.
It takes all the Tascam accessories I own, remote - control (wired only) , power supplies etc.
About the only advantage the DR-40 has over the DR-100 is the ability to switch to X-Y stereo configuration with the internal mics. The omni mics will probably never be used by me, but you never know. Stereo configuration is rarely a consideration for birds anyway and if you are using external mics you can point them wherever you want!
In most other respects the DR-100 is much nicer to use than many other recorders (I like chunky and straightforward), which taken with quieter pre-amps should make for improved recordings.
Most of my recorders are also used for music so other features not mentioned will be important.
N.B. In a quick comparison with the slightly cheaper Olympus LS-100 I prefer the DR-100 in many ways. The main possible advantage of the LS-100 is that you can bring a number of pre-charged rechargeable batteries and swap them as required, the DR-100 battery is not field replaceable. However, the DR-100 is in its third iteration and it shows.
Anyway my trusty Sony PCM M10 (now discontinued) will continue to be my favourite pocket sized recorder, its main 'shortcoming' is the lack of xlr connectors, but that is what makes it pocketable.
I am mildly concerned at the total recording time available with the rechargeable battery, but I do have Tascam BP-6AA battery pack that holds 6 AA batteries that can be clamped onto its base, so what with that + the internal AA cells + the rechargeable, some experimentation is needed to understand the best way to use the alternates.
Otherwise it seems to be everything it should be. It doesn't come with a charger - so unless you want to hang it on a pc or another charger of similar capacity ther new PS-P520E charger is needed - the older PS-520 variants don't have a suitable set of connectors for this and won't fit.
One stupidity from me was doing a quick functional test on delivery I could not get anything like the recording level I would expect. Doing a quick re-check I realised that the recorder is delivered with the PAD switch set ON, I had somehow missed this, but it is hardly catastrophic!
The big lcd screen is good, and I am pleased to say that the recorder is boringly easy to operate which is good news.
The carousel of buttons for menu etc on the DR-05 and DR-40 have been replaced by individual buttons that are clearly labelled and much easier to use in low light and with gloves.
The phantom power switches are a bit on the small side, but they aren't normally changed unless you are planning to use a mix of mics on location for some reason.
The directional internal mics are fixed in the A-B configuration - despite the housings pointing straight forward and I have yet to heart of any shortcomings with phantom power - the DR-40 wasn't happy with a few mics.
It takes all the Tascam accessories I own, remote - control (wired only) , power supplies etc.
About the only advantage the DR-40 has over the DR-100 is the ability to switch to X-Y stereo configuration with the internal mics. The omni mics will probably never be used by me, but you never know. Stereo configuration is rarely a consideration for birds anyway and if you are using external mics you can point them wherever you want!
In most other respects the DR-100 is much nicer to use than many other recorders (I like chunky and straightforward), which taken with quieter pre-amps should make for improved recordings.
Most of my recorders are also used for music so other features not mentioned will be important.
N.B. In a quick comparison with the slightly cheaper Olympus LS-100 I prefer the DR-100 in many ways. The main possible advantage of the LS-100 is that you can bring a number of pre-charged rechargeable batteries and swap them as required, the DR-100 battery is not field replaceable. However, the DR-100 is in its third iteration and it shows.
Anyway my trusty Sony PCM M10 (now discontinued) will continue to be my favourite pocket sized recorder, its main 'shortcoming' is the lack of xlr connectors, but that is what makes it pocketable.
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