Trey,

This web site (despite the name of the domain, which suggests 
photography) describes the Zoom H-4 solid state audio recorder, and 
compares it with 2 of it's closest competitors, the Edirol R-9 and 
the M-Audio Microtrack 24/96.

http://www.photoethnography.com/blog/archives/2006/10/info_new_samson.html

They seem to be leading the field in pocket-sized recorders for under 
$500. Two of them record at 24/96. They all have line input, while 2 
of them have good built-in mics. I have the Edirol R-9.

Alec McLane

At 02:10 PM 2/22/2007, you wrote:
>It looks like I may be able to convince the powers that be where I
>work that I need to get a flash recorder.  The archives wants to start
>recording lectures and presentations to preserve them and to make them
>available on our website.  (Their initial test, which they conducted
>before consulting me, was to stick a handheld consumer brand MP3
>recorder on the lecturer's podium.  "It sounds just fine to me!" one
>person said.  Sure, and while we're at it, let's take some pictures on
>a camera phone to accompany this high quality web content...  Hi, I'm
>in snark mode...)  I think I've made them see that in order to make
>things suitable for web delivery, we need to start with the highest
>quality possible since the quality will inevitably suffer once it's
>compressed down to streaming content or MP3 or the like.
>
>Anyway, I've never bought a flash recorder and was hoping for
>recommendations, particularly brands and models to look for and to
>avoid.  (Ditto for dealers of the equipment, too.)  What we get
>doesn't have to be top of the line, and right now we're only at the
>stage where my supervisor is asking me to find quotes, preferably
>cheap ones.  But I'm well aware that you get what you pay for, so I
>don't want to get something worthless.  I'd also like this recorder to
>be able to interface with the archives auditorium's existing PA
>system, assuming that there are the right ins and outs on both, so to
>speak.
>
>Comments and questions welcome here or off-list.  Thanks!
>
>
>
>Trey Bunn
>Folklife Archivist
>Alabama Department of Archives and History
>Montgomery, AL

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alec McLane
Scores & Recordings/
  World Music Archives       Phone: (860) 685-3899
Olin Library                       Fax: (860) 685-2661
Wesleyan University          mailto:[log in to unmask]
Middletown, CT  06459       http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/srhome/srdir.htm