Item : B0016MLUKU Customer Reviews Edirol R-09HR Review by .. Vik (San Jose) The purpose behind getting this device was to be able to create great field recordings of sounds for use within cinematic and gaming contexts. The RH-09HR is a great device for this purpose. The microphone is extremely sensitive and provides a great quality recording. There is an included AC adapter for long-term recordings where you don't want to worry about power. Unfortunately, this adapter does not charge the built-in batteries if rechargeable ones are used. An annoying problem with the device is that you have to manually select whether you are using rechargeable or alkaline batteries in the power management menu. This should really be automatic but its not a big deal. The controls are very intuitive and the display is readable even in bright light. The display is nice, showing a maximum limit for calibration of maximum gain. There is a jack for headphone on the front of the device which is somewhat inconvenient. Why isn't this on the back or side? the cord tends to dangle right in front of the microphones unless you use a "L" adapter and run the cord below the bottom. The device records in a variety of resolutions up to 96khz 24bit. Removing the card or using the built-in USB cable allows access to all recordings pretty easily as the device functions like a flash card reader. This capability works fine on both PCs and Macs. Case: The unit does not fit onto a tripod, you need to purchase the $50 case for that which is not too bad. The case does does not have compartment access to the settings on the bottom of the device, so you have to remove it before messing with those settings. The tripod that comes with the case is nice, but made of plastic. The locking mechanism to adjust the angle of the tripod is also made of plastic and can break if not carefully handled. The legs on the tripod have extendable metal portions. Overall, I am very happy with the Edirol R-09HR. The build quality is high and the unit has performed without issue. -Vik In praise of reviews and the Edirol R-09HR by .. Brian VanDam (Ann Arbor, MI) With an upcoming piano recital in my own home, which I liked to record, I checked out two machines I had heard about, the Zoom H4 and the Edirol R-09HR. In particular, I read all reviews on the web. Knowing the pros and cons I then selected the Edirol. It arrived 2 days before the concert. It turned out every bit as good as the reviews had taught me. It is very easy to use, gives a great-quality recording even with its own built-in mikes, and has just enough options for my kind of use. I thank all those contributors of product reviews and want to do my duty now, too. At first I was terribly disappointed and frustrated by the R-09HR. Its factory-set display was dim and turned dark in 5 seconds. I have low vision and always need the brightest setting. I thought: How can the manufacturer claim that this machine can be used outdoors?! The get-started instructions didn't help me out, so I had to read through the manual until I found that the brightness was adjustable. Once adjusted to the brightest level, and with the power-saving darkening delayed to 20 seconds, learning to use the machine was a breeze, similar to using a cell phone. So to anyone who is thinking of buying this unit: this is what you should do first after receiving it. 1) Insert 2 AA batteries (p.21) or plug the AC adaptor (p. 20) into the AC adapter jack (p. 12) and the other end into an AC outlet . 2) Hold down the power button (p. 12) to switch the power on (p.20). 3) Push "Menu" once or twice to get the Menu Screen (NOT the Main Screen with playback/reording/time info). 4) Follow the instructions "Adjusting the display brightness" on p. 94 to increase the brightness to the level you need. Use the up and down buttons to navigate the menu, and the left and right buttons to adjust the brightness level. 5) Go back to the Menu Screen. 6) Now follow the steps for "Setting the time until screen is darkened" on p.96 to set this time to the maximum, 20 seconds. Doing the above steps first will greatly ease the learning of all the other options of your R-09HR. I made a fine recording of the recital and love to play it back with the reverb type set to "Room". Two final observations: (A) I can confirm, as I expected from one review, that the unit indeed is amazingly stable when laid flat on a table. It almost appears glued to it. Very fine choice of material! (B) The remote is really useful for starting and stopping recording without touching the unit, hence without creating unwanted sounds. I was too concentrated on the playing to use the "split" button between selections, so as to create separate file segments for the pieces played - next time I'll instruct someone else to do this. Warmly recommended! Edirol 9-09hr by .. Gary B. Lindell () I use this primarily for my voice lessons. It is very sensitive and practical, easy to use. I have recorded concerts at small venues and also church services. I am very satisfied with the performance, function, and versatility of this product. Also, it was shipped in a very timely manner. No complaints. Delivers on its Promises by .. Stephen J. Easley (Arlington, Virginia) Others have written far more comprehensive reviews, including some very good professional reviews. I trusted them, and was rewarded. This little wonder did exactly as advertised. I used it for Day Party shows at SXSW 2009, and the quality was excellent. The only concern is that for concerts you really do need a directional mike, as opposed to the omni mike that is included. A small price to pay for a rugged and reliable performer. I particularly liked the small remote - it made marking songs SO much easier. Used for lectures by .. John Tanaka (Cove, OR USA) I was hosting a large conference and wanted to record audio. One of the challenges was that some sessions had a speaker at the podium with with a microphone and audience members asking questions or making comments from the floor. After researching numerous recorders, I decided to try the Edirol R-09H. It worked great for this application. I set the recorder on its tripod in front of the podium at the base. My intent was to pick up the speaker's voice from the conference room speakers and the audience from where they sat. We are able to clearly hear the all of the discussion that went on as well as the speakers. It was easy to download the audio files and edit into individual files. I would highly recommend this recorder for this type of application.