hi all my main interest in md is recording live gigs so over a year ago i purchased my first md - a sony r90 which was a mistake! the Aiwa F80 is the one i should have got. especially since i use the mic input which on the r90 distorts far too easily(mics with a battery box which use the line-in would mean no distortion). i recently got an aiwa f80(i would have got it months ago but i was hoping aiwa would bring out a portable rec with mdlp which they have not yet done...lets hope!) which has to be *the* live recording machine(except for size and *perhaps* reliability and a couple of other minor things) [obviously the r90 is the only sony which distorts so easily. the other sony models are fine.] after having to fumble thru the r90's jog dial menu *everytime* recording is started it is an absolute godsend to use a machine which remembers all the last recording settings even when the f80 is turned off. the r90 reverts back to auto gain control(AGC) *everytime* recording is stopped and when you do then switch to manually adjusting the levels they have been reset also :( this is very annoying and difficult to do when trying to record without anyone else seeing [one question for r900 users: does it remember the mic sensitivity after stopping recording?] the other huge advantage of the f80 is the backlight function on the lcd display on the unit which allows easy viewing and adjusting of recording levels. the aiwa's operate more like the sharps which are both better live recording machines(because of on the fly adjustment of rec levels) than the sony's except for sony/aiwa's date/time stamp which i consider a must. and there are less skips/dropouts when recording on the f80 as opposed to the r90. the f80 isnt as sturdy as the r90. the 3 buttons(DISP, MODE, DSL) above the lcd on the unit are a bit difficult to press and cause the whole lid to bend! and i dont like how the eject and rec buttons are right next to each other and travel in the same direction. the sony is smaller and has a longer battery life. also the r90's eject/insert mechanism allows easier changing of md's mid gig. quick comparison of f80 v r90 for live recording only distortion using mic BIG win lose remember last recording settings BIG win lose on the fly rec level adjustment win lose backlight on unit BIG win lose skips during recording win lose battery life recording time lose win size lose win size of external battery pack(both 1AA) lose win eject&rec buttons too similar&too close lose win other comparisons remote size/look lose win reading remote lose win (sony's remote is easier to read) display of time from date/time stamp lose win so if you're thinking about getting a recorder primarily for live recording the f80 is the best there is(except for lack of lp), unless of course you want to buy my r90 :) ct _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------- To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
