Sony has a another fantastic offering in the mid to high-end handheld recorder arena, a beautiful replacement to aging DAT or MiniDisc recorders. The Sony PCM-D1 Linear Recorder is a portable handheld recorder that is both equally impressive and costly.

It features top-mounted electret condenser mics, can record for up to 13hrs to 4GB internal flash memory (at the lowest quality setting), captures at sample rates up to 96 kHz/24 bits (2hrs capacity at that setting), offers USB 2.0 for quick audio transfers to a PC, and runs five hours on the included rechargable NMH AA batteries (but only two hours on standard alkaline AA’s).

Audio transfers to a computer are pretty painless…device connects via USB2 cable and simply shows up as a storage device in Windows Explorer or on the Mac Desktop. Recorded WAV files and folders can be transferred by drag and drop.

The D1’s built in microphones are located in an XY pattern at the top of the device. They have been getting excellent reviews, which is somewhat suprising for a built-in mic setup. Though the word on the street is that when used handheld, the mics tend to pickup handling noises. But set the recorder down or mount it on a stand via the threads on the bottom of the device, and the pickup quality really shines.

The recorder sports retro-looking analog-style VU meters on the front for monitoring recording and playback, a 1/8 stereo mini jack input, and a 1/8 headphone out. Operation of the device is reportedly very intuitive, with buttons spaced far enough apart so as not to cause mistakes with fumbling fingers. For additional recording capacity, you can also utilize Sony Memory Stick media, (which currently come in capacities up to 4GB).

The PCM-D1 records at the following sample rates and resolutions:
16bit/22.05kHz
16bit/44.1kHz
24bit/44.1kHz
16bit/48kHz
24bit/48kHz
16bit/96kHz
24bit/96kHz

MSRP on the Sony PCM-D1 Linear Recorder is just under $2000.00

What I like:
*Form factor. This recorder was laid out thoughtfully, and gives you plenty of controls and options. The side-mounted knobs are particularly well designed.
*Recording options. Tons. Pick one and the PCM-D1 does it. It includes most of the options you’ll likely need, and a few you won’t.
*Capacity. With 4GB of built-in flash storage, you’ve got fantastic capabilities right out of the box (and rightly so, it’s $2K!!!). The inclusion of a MemoryStick expansion slot was a thoughtful addition.

What I don’t like:
*No balanced input or output. I am somewhat suprised that a device at this price point doesn’t include XLR options, my guess is that it was a size consideration. Though with care, a good audio hand can deliver pristine results via the mini stereo jacks. You may just have to carry a few more adapters in your bag.
*Battery run time. 5hrs recording time is acceptable, though it is unfortunate that the runtime is only 2hrs on alkaline batts. Can’t have it all.
*Price. This device hits the wallet pretty hard at nearly 2000 USD. The price for quality I suppose. Again, you can’t have it all.