Alright, I admit it up front. I am a sucker for old school, heavy duty, classic items that simply work. We discuss plenty of them here to include our old razors but this goes down the digital rabbit hole.
My wife and I want a good digital recorder for family histories and things of that nature. I posted about using one of the typical dictation recorders a couple of years ago and got great advise as to why that may not be a great idea. So off we go looking at Tascam and others and finding ourselves left really cold on them. Two big reasons. First up these things look like something from a 1960s scifi movie. LOADS of buttons, modes, etc. They most certainly work well for musicians and other pros who will get used to their plethora of functions. However, you can tell by looking at them there is a big learning curve. And to be frank, they are just plain ugly. I know, I know. We need function first and then form can follow. So I started looking at classic tape media recorders. The old reel to reel systems have great appeal. Especially whilst looking over the portable models from the 1960s. That fantasy dream quickly vanished when you realise there are none available and if you do find one it is likely not to work and honestly, you still have digital transfer issues.
So I looked at top quality cassette recorders. One model came up again and again as the best portable likely ever made; Sony TCD-5. The near industrial grade beasties were made from the 1970s to the late 90s but the earlier models are the best. Two issues again. Price. Whew. Most go for several hundred dollars and you really don't know if they work. And the pristine models have set for years and you can bet belts and other moving parts won't like the new exercise too much. But you have to love them. Rugged build, mic inputs, and those oh so cool dual Vu meters for recording levels. These are so tempting but forty years old?
TCD-5
So I went looking and found a model at the old reliable radio manufacturer Sangean. The DAR-101. This has a great many of the features we would like but lacks a few as well. First up, it only records in mp3 mode. No wav, no FLAC. And it only records up to 192Kbs, which may or may not be a big issue. It does have 1/4 inch mic jacks. Some of the TCD-5 models actually had XLR jacks. And it certainly does not have the wicked Vu meters. I believe it has a usb 2.0 port as well. Would any of you know about these? It does come with a number of I/O ports that make it interesting like a phone recording port and digital audio out. It records to SD cards which is a bonus. Is there anything like the TCD-5 out there in digital world? What do you think of the Sangean?
Sangean DAR 101
My wife and I want a good digital recorder for family histories and things of that nature. I posted about using one of the typical dictation recorders a couple of years ago and got great advise as to why that may not be a great idea. So off we go looking at Tascam and others and finding ourselves left really cold on them. Two big reasons. First up these things look like something from a 1960s scifi movie. LOADS of buttons, modes, etc. They most certainly work well for musicians and other pros who will get used to their plethora of functions. However, you can tell by looking at them there is a big learning curve. And to be frank, they are just plain ugly. I know, I know. We need function first and then form can follow. So I started looking at classic tape media recorders. The old reel to reel systems have great appeal. Especially whilst looking over the portable models from the 1960s. That fantasy dream quickly vanished when you realise there are none available and if you do find one it is likely not to work and honestly, you still have digital transfer issues.
So I looked at top quality cassette recorders. One model came up again and again as the best portable likely ever made; Sony TCD-5. The near industrial grade beasties were made from the 1970s to the late 90s but the earlier models are the best. Two issues again. Price. Whew. Most go for several hundred dollars and you really don't know if they work. And the pristine models have set for years and you can bet belts and other moving parts won't like the new exercise too much. But you have to love them. Rugged build, mic inputs, and those oh so cool dual Vu meters for recording levels. These are so tempting but forty years old?
TCD-5
So I went looking and found a model at the old reliable radio manufacturer Sangean. The DAR-101. This has a great many of the features we would like but lacks a few as well. First up, it only records in mp3 mode. No wav, no FLAC. And it only records up to 192Kbs, which may or may not be a big issue. It does have 1/4 inch mic jacks. Some of the TCD-5 models actually had XLR jacks. And it certainly does not have the wicked Vu meters. I believe it has a usb 2.0 port as well. Would any of you know about these? It does come with a number of I/O ports that make it interesting like a phone recording port and digital audio out. It records to SD cards which is a bonus. Is there anything like the TCD-5 out there in digital world? What do you think of the Sangean?
Sangean DAR 101
Last edited:
For me the phones are tedious to use. While they are set up to easily snap the ubiquitous selfie or YouTube debacle to embarrass your school mates, I have found them beyond tedious to use for much else. The soft button of the touch screens does not suit me most times. Also, I want something with a mic jack. I find most phone mics to be rather atrocious most times. With old folk and scratchy voices you need some clarity.
