Customer Reviews

Yamaha Corp. Digital Audio Recorder 40 hrs

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I auditioned this unit in comparison to the $100 less expensive Yamaha 2G which is very similar but with lower quality mics built in. Both function very similarly. I found the sound quality for spoken word to be great, and for acoustic jamming, also quite fine. For recording a live band in a practice space (my intended use) I found the cheaper 2G to be a tad compressed and "washed out" sounding with a not very extended high end. The CX sounded clearer but with a reedy high end and poor bass response. Both models sounded FAR better when using a plug-in external stereo mic like a ATM-822. Lastly, the 2G plugs directly into your USB port without a cord. Convenient, but the design makes the USB port support the device, and it feels like it is putting strain on the port floating out of the side of your laptop 6". The CX uses a micro-USB cable to plug-in.

At $400, I'm not sure this product is a great deal. I'd expect the mics to be better for the money, otherwise, you can just use the cheaper 2G model with a external mic and get better sound than the CX.

I have owned this for a month now and it keeps amazing me. I use it for Voice recording not musical recording.

The quality is superb and has a ton of features so it takes a few days to really get acquainted with it. The battery life, and recording times are off the chart good, plus the mic is super sensitive. It picks up everything. I would think for music use its equally as good.

Pros:
1. Long battery life and uses only 1 AA(comes with rechargeable Ni-Mh)
2. recharges directly through the unit
3. records to microSD and includes 2GB card and usb cable
4. Wav playback if needed.
5. Superb frequency response and mic sensitivity
6. lots of recording quality settings
7. Markable playback and sweet FF Rew options
8. PCM modes(uncompressed WAV) expandable to 12 hours with 8GB card
9 Amazing recording time on 2 GB card, has a low power processor
10. good editing software
11. actually a decent MP3 and WMA player for a VR
12. real 5-band Equalizer functionality
13. Can Edit and Divide files
the list goes on and on!

Cons:
NONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You really can't go wrong for the $300 price or even below, it's by far the best $ for $. Plus you will save money on batteries. non-proprietary battery and media. I mean WOW it's close to perfect.

I just got the Pocketrax CX. The first thing that I noticed about it is how reasonable Yamaha is. Unlike a number of other portable audio devices, the CX has a standard AA removable NiMH battery, a standard MicroSD memory port, and looks like a memory device when plugged into a USB port. No proprietary memory, hidden built-in battery, or computer-slogging software needed to access it!

I really like this little guy, but it does have a few limitations.
The CX has very good audio quality using the internal microphones, and supports external mic's through a standard stereo 1/8" (3.5mm) jack that supplies electret mic bias voltage out. I have seen that larger digital recorders support XLR inputs with HV phantom power but you won't get that in this little palm-sized recorder.

I did find that, with the MIC SENS on high, and the gain setting cranked all the way up, that a bit of digital noise gets in. I popped a Sony mini-stereo mic into the input and the noise went away. It may be an artifact of the mic circuitry layout or internal mic power. Once again, this is with every part of the input stage maxed out - definitely not what most folks would do.
Speaking of setting the mic gain, while recording, pressing the >> and << buttons turns the mic gain up and down. This does NOT work with Automatic Level Control (ALC) ON or when the input is set to LINE. The first part makes sense, sort of, in that ALC will supposedly take care of the mic gain, but the LINE input mode being a fixed level... What?! That makes no sense at all.

A couple of online reviews mention how the CX is hyper-sensitive to wind and movement. Putting the supplied windscreen on helps a lot, as does turning on the High-Pass Filter function. What tipped me off to the cause was looking at a recording in Audacity - There was the usual waveforms of the sounds that I recorded, but it also showed that it was recording motion related input way down in the sub-audible range! In fact, it looks like it can record down to about 4Hz. Wow!
Ok, so that is sort of a pain in the butt for folks who gesture or dance while recording stuff, but I like the idea that the CX goes almost to DC as its bottom end. It's insane, and could yield some very cool recordings!
So, the HPF negates most of the weirdness associated with handheld or conducted vibration and the windscreen works great (but looks funny). I checked again with Audacity and the High Pass Filter eliminated all traces of motion noise.

The CX claims to have amazing battery life - >20 hours/per charge with the included Eneloop (NiMH) battery, and that's in straight-up PCM (44.1KHz/16bit) mode. Higher compression and lower rates are supposed to last even longer.

I would say that it's pretty great for the street price of $199-ish as well!

Here are some other reviews, if they'll let me post them.

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Bought this in Guitar Center for $199. This gem is awesome and everything you will need for live or recording from an line output. Superb quality, great looks and love the monitor for quick review

well, i bought this item one year ago, and it is perfectly working and well performing, fast operating and energy saver. micros are really difficult to set and a bit disappointing, i expected some far better micros from yamaha. not so easy to record music! perfect for interviews