Review 001: Tascam DR-1 Digital Recorder - IN STEREO!

Before you listen to this episode, I have no choice but to amend my glowing review of the Tascam DR-1 by pointing out that the DR-1 I purchased in July 2008 more or less died in late February 2009. That's about 8 months of use (less than a year) before a $400 product became unusable. The problem began with a horrendous static whenever a cable was plugged into the Mic2 jack. Within days, it became far more serious, to the point of generating a horrific "short circuit" sounds that threaten to blow any headphone or speaker attached, regardless of the input that is used.

I seriously neglected to mention one important thing in my review--Tascam's warranty, which does not inspire confidence in their products (3 months for parts & labor, 12 months for parts). This warranty implies that Tascam is not confident that their $400 product will last more than 3 months. I am currently seeking to get this repaired, as the podcast is on indefinite hold without a recorder. However, I expect the labor charges to make it more prudent to purchase a competitor's digital recorder brand new (one with a warranty that inspires confidence).

I apologize for neglecting this crucially important factor in my original review. However, in my defense, I don't believe I've ever had a piece of electronic equipment that costs this much money break down and die within a matter of months, so I have never put much emphasis on warranties before.

To summarize then, the Tascam DR-1 is a brilliant idea, but in practice the unit has proven to be a catastrophic and extremely expensive failure. I'm afraid I can NOT recommend that you purchase a Tascam digital recorder. However, I do hope you'll still listen to this review (and Special Edition 002 on Handheld Digital Recorders in general), as these episodes may help you find a competing product that will function reliably, without breaking your bank in repair costs, or threatening your business with downtime.

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(68 mins). Paul's Academy goes STEREO for this in-depth review of the new device I'll use as a master recorder for future episodes, the Tascam DR-1. This episode features quite a few audio samples, originally recorded at 16-bit/44.1KHz and 24-bit/48KHz. You'll find direct links to a couple of the original files (before mp3 compression) below. NOTE: You'll need an audio player that can handle 24-bit/48KHz for two of these samples. Or you can download Audacity (below)--it loads 24-bit files, and it's FREE.

Please take just a moment to for this show at Podcast Alley. Thank you in advance!

Read my essay, How To Record and Distribute High-Quality Digital Audio

Download Audacity (Free audio editor) from Sourceforge.net

Tascam's DR-1 site

Tascam DR-1 Review, Review of Tascam DR-1