On this page: Introduction to Comparison of PDAudio, PMD670, PMD671, 722, FR-2 and R-1 Summary Dimensions Weight Case Material and Ruggedness Sample Rates and Word Widths File Formats Display Size & Type, Controls Storage Options Battery Type Battery Operating Time Analog Inputs Analog Outputs Digital Inputs and Outputs Phantom Power Noise and Sensitivity Frequency Response Maximum Continuous Recording Time Monitoring Metering Other Features Price User Comments Back to Core Sound's Home Page

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Introduction

• Core Sound's PDAudio
• Marantz's PMD670
• Marantz's PMD671
• Fostex's FR-2
• Edirol's R-1
  

All of these recorders are starting to get popular for concert and general high-resolution audio field recording.

Sound Devices has announced two portable high-resolution audio recorders, both considerably more expensive than the four recorders compared here.

In addition to these four recorders, there are other recorders that also use removable solid state and hard disk storage media, but since those recorders are primarily targeted at the broadcast/electronic news gathering world and are not high-resolution audio recorders, we won't include them in this comparison.

We solicit and appreciate corrections to this document. Please send your comments to:

Summary

If you want to record at 88.2, 96, 176.4 or 192 KS/s using a recorder that's not a laptop computer, there are currently only two choices: Core Sound's PDAudio and Fostex's FR-2. (Marantz's PMD670 is a 16-bit recorder and its maximum sample rate is only 48 KS/s. Edirol R-1 has a maximum sample rate of 44.1 KS/s.)

If you want a hand-held recorder, there are only two choices: PDAudio and R-1; both are easily held in one hand. In contrast the FR-2 is the size of a thick hardbound book and weighs within a few ounces of the Manhattan phone book. The PMD670 is almost as large and heavy.

If you want a recorder that can record continuously at 24/96 for more than two hours, there's only one choice: PDAudio. PDAudio can record continuously with essentially no time limit at 24/96 and 24/48. The FR-2 is limited to 2 hours at 24/96. The R-1 can't record at 96. (The PMD670 can't record with 24-bit word widths or above 48 KS/s.)

For the two 24/96-capable recorders, a full featured version of PDAudio costs approximately $324 less than the FR-2. A digital-only version of PDAudio costs $824 less than the FR-2.

PDAudio has a full color display including fast-response stereo metering, fail-safe touch screen controls and a very quiet mic pre-amp and A-to-D converter. The FR-2 has a much smaller monochrome display, hardware buttons and a noisier mic pre-amp and A-to-D converter. The R-1 has a monochrome display and slow-response mono metering.

If you want a rugged recorder that can survive in the field, only PDAudio has a metal case. All the rest have plastic cases, with the R-1 having a particularly lightweight plastic case.

If you want more details, please keep reading...

Physical Dimensions

Discussion

PDAudio and R-1 can easily be held in one hand.

In contrast, both the Marantz and the Fostex are much larger, roughly the size of a hardbound book, and are not easily hand-held.

The Fostex is higher and deeper than the Marantz but not quite as wide. Both sit more comfortably on a lap or on a flat surface than in your hand.

Weight

Discussion

The FR-2 weighs half again as much (or more) as the PMD670.

PDAudio's and R-1's weight is easily held in the hand while the other two are too heavy to hand hold for very long. The PMD670 and FR-2 sit more comfortably on a lap or flat surface.

Case Material/Ruggedness

Discussion

Of all the recorders, only PDAudio has all metal cases. PMD670 and FR-2 have reasonably thick plastic cases, while the R-1 has a thin plastic case.

The R-1 also has a poorly designed battery door and CF card cover.

Sample Rates and Word Widths

Discussion

At the upper limits the PMD670 is limited to 16/48 and so is not really a high-resolution recorder. It does not record with 24-bit word widths and can not record at 88.2 or 96 KS/s.

The FR-2 supports 16-bit word widths for sample rates up to 48 KS/s and 24-bit word widths for sample rates from 44.1 up to 192 KS/s. It does not record from or play to the digital interfaces at rates above 96 KS/s.

The R-1 supports recording at 16-bit and 24-bit word widths at 44.1 KS/s. It will play files recorded with 8 to 24-bit word widths and sample rates from between 8 and 48 KS/s.

File Formats

Discussion

Other PDAudio software (Pocco's Wichita and Resco's Audio Recorder) also support MP3, OGG, WAV, SPX, RAF and GSM6.10 formats.

The PMD670 supports compressed files using MP2 and MP3 formats and linear PCM using WAV and BWF formats.

The FR-2 only supports the Broadcast Wave File (BWF) format, primarily used in the broadcast industry but not commonly used in the pro or hobbyist audio world. Some of the common PC and Mac DAW software applications do not read BWF files.

The R-1 supports uncompressed linear PCM using the industry -standard WAV format. It also supports compressed files using the MP3 format.

Display Size & Type, Controls

Discussion

PDAudio displays its controls as soft buttons on a touchscreen and also uses the PDAs hardware buttons. Since the on-scree controls are generated by the software, there is essentially no limit to how many functions can be controlled. If desired, the PDAudio software also allows specific functions (e.g., Record, Stop, Pause, Screen Off/Screen On, Screen On/Off) to be assigned to the PDA's hardware buttons.

The PMD670, FR-2 and R-1 have fixed-function hardware controls.

PDAudio has the familiar Windows/Mac graphic user interface with color graphics, control tabs, drop down menus, pop-up warnings, and text messaging. The PMD670, FR-2 and R-1 use a system of nested menus displayed on a small monochrome screen.

PDAudio's Live2496 software provides a fail-safe dual control lock to prevent accidental recording, erasure or stoppage. The PMD670's Record switch has a "slide" feature to help prevent accidental recordings and/or stoppage. The FR-2 does not have any safeguards to prevent stoppage or accidental recordings. The R-1 has a "hold" switch to prevent accidental recordings and/or stoppage.

Storage Options

Discussion

The most compact PDAudio system uses the HP h2210/h2215 iPAQ or DellAxim X50v PDA. Both of those PDAs have two slots: a CF slot that holds the PDAudio-CF card and an SD slot for a mass storage (flash memory) or wired/wireless network card. Using the network card (or a PDA with a built-in wired or wireless network interface), PDAudio can record files directly to a network drive rather than storing them locally.

Using the Toshiba e800/e805 and e750/e755 PDAs, PDAudio can record to a USB device, either a USB hard drive as large as a 100 GB or a USB flash card. The Toshibas have a wireless network function built-in so they can record to wireless network drives.

Using an HP h5150/h5155 or h5550/h5555 and an HP Dual PCMCIA Expansion Pack, PDAudio can record to an internal SD card, PCMCIA hard drives (e.g., Toshiba 5 GB PCMCIA drive) or external hard drives as large as 100 GB (e.g., the Addonics Pocket ExDrive). The h5550/h5555 have a wireless Wi-Fi network function built-in so they can record to wireless network drives.

PDAudio can also do "media chaining". If you fill up your storage card, you can set Live2496 to record temporarily to another storage device (e.g., internal memory or another memory card) while you swap out the primary card. In this way you can record continuously at 24/96 essentially forever using low-cost, low-density cards.

The PMD670 has a single CF card slot. It can accommodate flash memory and hard drives. It can accept SD cards via an adapter.

The FR-2 has two slots: a PCMCIA/ATA slot and a CF card slot. Only one may be selected as active at any one time. It can probably accept SD cards in the CF card slot via an adapter.

The R-1 has a single CF card slot.

Neither the PMD670, the FR-2 nor the R-1 can record to network drives or external hard drives.

To record reliably at 24/96 the FR-2 requires expensive high-speed versions of the flash memory cards. For example, Fostex specifies the SanDisk Ultra II CF card. PDAudio can use the much less expensive standard SanDisk CF cards.

Battery Type

Discussion

Battery Operating Time (Recording)

Discussion

To record continuously for more than 2 or 2.5 hours, the FR-2 requires an external battery pack. This adds size and weight to the field package.

To record continuously for more than 2 or 2.5 hours, the R-1 requires an external battery pack. This adds size and weight to the field package.

PDAudio uses two batteries: one for the PDA and one for Mic2496.

Use of external packs increases the size and weight of the field package but can enable essentially continuous recording for more than 12 hours.

If you can stop recording for a few minutes, all of the recorders can have their exhausted internal packs swapped out for fresh ones.

Analog Inputs

Discussion

The R-1 does not accept XLR (balanced) inputs.

Analog Outputs

Discussion

Digital Inputs and Outputs

Discussion

PDAudio can output either a digital optical or coaxial signal from Mic2496 to another device during recording. The signal can be used for feeding a second recorder or a daisychain. It does not output a digital signal when playing back.

The PMD670 can accept coaxial S/PDIF digital audio on a standard RCA jack. It has no capability to accept optical signals.

The PMD670 can output S/PDIF coaxial digital audio via a standard RCA jack. It has no capability to output optical signals. It does not provide a digital signal during recording, so it can't feed another recorder or daisychain. Its digital output is active only during playback.

The FR-2 can accept coaxial S/PDIF and AES/EBU digital audio via a balanced XLR jack. It has no capability to accept optical signals. The FR-2 does not accept digital input signals at 176.4 and 192 KS/s.

The FR-2 can output S/PDIF or AES/EBU format (selectable) coaxial digital audio (selectable via menu) via a standard XLR jack. It has no capability to output optical signals. Its digital output is limited to sample rates of 96 KS/s or less; it does not provide digital output at 176.4 or 192 KS/s. It provides a digital signal during recording and so can be used for feeding a second recorder or a daisychain.

The R-1 does not have any digital inputs. It can output an S/PDIF optical digital audio signal via its 1/8-inch/3.5 mm headphone jack. Headphones can't be used while using the digital output.

Phantom Power

Discussion

PDAudio's Mic2496 also provides power for Core Sound's High End Binaural (HEB) microphone set (using DPA 4060 or 4061 capsules). When used with the Mic2496, no HEB battery box is required. The combination of PDAudio and HEB microphone set is the world's smallest, complete high-resolution handheld digital audio recorder.

The R-1 provides two Volts of "Plug-in Power" for low cost condensor mics. This low voltage does not allow microphones to handle very loud sound sources.

Noise and Sensitivity (at minimum gain)

Frequency Response At 96 KS/s

Maximum Continuous Recording Time

Discussion

PDAudio's Live2496 recording software has the ability to do "media chaining". When you fill up a flash card, you can temporarily record to another card or internal memory while you swap in a new card. This lets you record at 24/96 continuously with no limit.

PDAudio's Live2496 recording software also has the ability to seamlessly record to a chain of up to five 4 GB files on the same storage device. So when using PDAudio with an external hard drive (or when streaming to a network drive) you can record continuously for up to 10 hours at 24/96, 20 hours at 24/48 or more than 30 hours at 16/44.1 without swapping media.

The PMD670 can record up to a maximum file size of 4 GB. At 16/48 that allows six hours of continuous recording on a 4 GB compact flash memory card. (The PMD670 can't record at 24-bit word widths and is limited to 48 KS/s maximum sampling rate.)

The FR-2 originally had a maximum file size of 2 GB; a recent update extended that to 4 GB. Using a 4 GB compact flash memory card it can now record continuously for a maximum of 2 hours at 24/96 or 4 hours at 24/48.

The R-1's maximum CF memory card capacity is 4 GB, but maximum file size is 2 GB. This limits continuous recording time to 2 hours at 24/44.1 or 3 hours at 16/44.1. It does not allow for recording at higher sample rates.

Neither the PMD670, the FR-2 nor the R-1 offer media chaining (media hot swapping), file chaining, accept external hard drives or allow recording to a network drive.

Monitoring

Discussion

PDAudio's Audio Recorder (from Resco) offers monitoring and playback functions.

All four recorders can play back audio files over headphones; three have internal speakers (only the R-1 does not).

PDAudio can also play back any file available to it on its wired or wireless network.

Metering

Discussion

PDAudio, using Gidluck Mastering's Live2496 software, has a very large, stereo, calibrated averaging meter displayed in three colors.

The PMD670 and FR-2 metering characteristics are unknown.

The R-1 has only a mono (one channel) monochrome meter that is very slow to respond. This is the least useful metering.

Other Features

PDAudio is easily upgraded by installing new software as it becomes available. And as new PDAs become available with faster CPUs and other new features, PDAudio grows with them.

PDAudio, using Gidluck Mastering's Movie2496 software, can provide cue lists, essential for on-location recording supporting film and video shoots, and electronic news gathering (ENG).

PDAudio, PMD670 and the FR-2 can record in Mono. PDAudio can record in Mono using Gidluck Mastering's Movie2496 and Live2496 software . R-1 can record in Mono but creates a Stereo file (twice the size of a Mono file).

Both PDAudio and the PMD670 provide a built-in mono microphone. The R-1 provides a built-in stereo microphone useful for quiet recordings.

The PMD670, FR-2 and R-1 provide a Limiter function. The PMD670 also provides an automatic level control (ALC).

To transfer files, in addition to physically removing the memory card and inserting it into a card reader, all four recorders allow you to transfer audio files to a PC running Windows via a USB cable. PDAudio uses the Windows ActiveSync utility that comes with your PDA. The latest version of the FR-2 (running version 1.03 software or later) allows USB operation with an Apple Mac running OS 10.2 or later. The R-1 allows USB operation with an Apple Mac running OS 9.2 or 10.2 & later. (Using a card reader on your PC or Mac is typically much faster than USB transfers.)

PDAudio time/date stamps its audio files. It's unknown if the PMD670 and FR-2 time/date stamp their files. The R-1 does not time/date stamp its audio files.

PDAudio running Live2496 can record at scheduled times for pre-determined intervals, unattended. None of the other recorders off this feature.

The FR-2 provides a built-in High Pass (bass roll-off) Filter (100 Hz @ 12 dB/octave).

The FR-2 provides a slot for an optional (not yet released) Time Code card.

PDAudio can format and defragment memory cards in a variety of optimum formats and cluster sizes using SoftWinter's "Storage Tools" utility. This allows you to successfully use a much wider variety of low-cost memory cards for high-resolution recording. The FR-2 allows you to format and defragment a memory card in one specific format and cluster size.

The R-1 offers a variety of effects including EQ, Reverb, Tuner, half-speed playback and Metronome. The effects are not available during recording.

Price

Discussion

PDAudio is the least costly of the high-resolution (24/96 or better) recorders. Without a mic pre-amp/A-to-D, PDAudio costs less than $500; with the Mic2496 pre-amp/A-to-D it costs less than $1000.

The PMD670 is limited to 16/48 recording and is not a high-resolution recorder.

At $1299 to $1599 the FR-2 is the most expensive unit.

The R-1 is the least costly of all the recorders but is limited to 24/44.1, does not have digital inputs, has mic pre-amps of unknown quality and is limited to 2 GB memory cards.

Note: All prices do not include the cost of memory cards.

User Comments

Edirol R-1

R.B., in the UK, wrote:

I also found the R-1 to have very poor build quality - the battery and card doors in particular are poorly designed - and a terrible LCD. All in all, if I'd not paid 320GBP for it I'd have said it was worth about 100. A botched product, as far as I can see.

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