Somebody finally got it right. This recorder sounds great, with very low self-noise and wide frequency range from the internal mics. It is easy to setup, and super-easy to use.Other reviews cover general features. Here are some remarks about stereo recording in particular:
Stereo recording:
The two built-in omnidirectional condenser mics give you nice stereo separation when the recorder is in the midst of a sound field. I was a little surprised, as you wouldn't expect to get decent stereo imaging from omnis so close together, it's why stereo recorders/mics typically use two cardioid pattern mics. The downside of cardioids is less sensitivity for low frequencies, whereas an omni will capture those lows. Sony has a neat trick here: the omnis are set into the body of the recorder, shielded from each other, so each effectively sees its own half of the room (plus reflections of the other half). You get a nice stereo separation (though not the kind of imaging that lets you pinpoint sound sources). And you get the wide, flat frequency response of omni microphones. If anything, the bass can be a little boomy when you're too close to a sound source -and the recorder has a low-frequency cutoff you can switch on if you want to lose some of that low-end rumble. They are nice-sounding mics.
Using your own mics:
If you want to use your own microphones, you will need a female XLR to mini stereo cable (Hosa 2' Right Angle Mini Stereo Male to 2 XLR Female Breakout Y-Cable) to plug them into the recorder. The recorder is advertised as having plug-in-power (eg, phantom power) for external mics. But that's the 2V variety of phantom power for little electret condensers, not the 48V you need for your nice condenser mics. You'll have to power them separately, either using a phantom power box like Rolls PB223 Dual Mic Phantom Power 48 Volt Power Supply or an external pre-amp. The recorder will accept both line-level and mic-level inputs.
A case!
The recorder does not come with any sort of protective case. It's an odd size, but I've found that a PSP Go Soft Carrying Case works beautifully, will also fit the official Sony windscreen, and has an extra pocket for the remote control.
Unfortunately, there is no way to name tracks from the recorder's menu---there is a disk supplied with Sound Forge Audio Studio, but it is PC only----no good for us MAC owners. The recorder assigns a name or rather a date stamp to each track, such as 100302_3 for the fifth track recorded on 3/2/10. Not very useful. If you are recording in the field, various birds for instance, or bells in Tuscany, or "songs" by a music group, you'll need to make written notes as you go along for later editing in your computer----a PITA. My little ZOOM H2 had the ability to name the tracks with its onboard editor, something Sony should have included! A wireless remote would be a better solution that the plug-in one, for stealthy use.
The onboard mikes are nice, sound is quite realistic---at least for the spoken and sung voices I recorded of the Vashon Chorale singing Mozart's Requiem. They are recessed into the topsides of the unit, making it somewhat clumsy to attach a windscreen, but there will probably be plenty of after-market products coming along. The "dead-cat" type work better than the foam, so a trip to a fabric store for some fuzzy fake fur will be in the offing for me---no $49 Sony OEM product, thanks. The mikes are (on the "hi" setting)---extremely sensitive. Your own breath sound is quite audible from 3 feet away! I think this will be the gold standard unit for nature sounds. I used in-ear binaural mikes to make some outdoor bird recordings, the soundfield is astonishingly realistic.
Using $300 Shure earbuds for playback, there is no preamp or mike noise audible (but then, my ears have 67 years on them....YMMMV). The little onboard speaker is useless for anything except making sure you actually got a signal of what you were attempting to record---I got this unit for less than $300, including shipping. Considering the way above average build quality and exemplary sound quality, a steal!! Unhesitatingly recommended. My "cons" are pretty minor, except for lack of onboard track editing, but I'd still rate it 5 stars due to the terriffic audio and build quality. The manual is pretty good, index could be more complete but it's logically written by a tech writer whose first language is English!The Zoom H4 is the benchmark portable digital recorder, and Sony's M10 blows it away.
The M10 is a very small recorder, roughly the same shape as an iPhone but as thick as a deck of playing cards. The buttons are firm, and the recording level wheel stays where you leave it. You get LEDs for -12db and overload for each of the two microphones.
Sound quality is noticeably better than the H4. There is very little handling noise, unless the recording gain is cranked way up. If you do need to turn up the gain, just use the included wired remote to start and stop the recorder. The noise floor is present when you are recording quiet sounds with the gain up, but it seems easier to avoid than with the Zoom.
A tripod socket is built in to the bottom of the M10, just above the twin AA battery bay. You can record to the built-in memory, or to an M2 or MicroSDHC card. The screen is large and easy to read. The menus are just as easy to navigate.
You don't get a wind screen, and you will wish you had one as soon as you encounter the slightest wind. There is no option for digital input, and both the line and microphone port are 1/8".
In addition to a wind screen, you should also pick up a Gorillapod mini-tripod.I bought this to replace a Zoom H2. So far so good. Compared to the Zoom, this unit starts faster, is easier to use and has better sensitivity.
The automatic recording level control is usable, and it's a good thing to have in cases where you can't pay attention to the recorder (e.g. if you're recording yourself live). Otherwise, manual level will probably get you better results. Switching between manual and auto level is easy, and the manual level control is easy to manipulate. A green led lights up when your input is at -12dB and a red led lights up when you reach 0dB. Your goal is to keep the green light on and the red light off. :-)
Another useful feature is the ability to switch the output from headphone to line-out level. Line-out will drive an external amplifier much better than headphone level. It would be nice to have 2 separated dedicated outputs, but of course it's a compromise between size and usability, and the change is only about half a dozen keystrokes away when you need it.
Connection to a Windows 7 PC via USB cable was straightforward and didn't require drivers. The unit's internal memory and the memory card (if you have one) show up as separate "disks" in Windows Explorer. Moving files between the unit and the PC is straightforward, although the folder structure in the unit is unnecessarily complex.
The unit comes with 4GB of internal memory, which is enough for about 6 hours worth of CD-quality recording, i.e., more than enough. But if you decide to use a memory card, do what the manual says, and format the card in the recorder (not in your computer). I'm using a SanDisk 8GB micro-SDHC, and the card started performing much better (the M10 was able to boot much faster) after I re-formatted the card in the unit. I would have preferred a standard SD, since the micro SD card is so tiny and easy to misplace, but thumbs up to Sony for supporting a standard, and not only their own brand of memory sticks. The manual lists the makes of cards that have been tested: Toshiba, Panasonic and SanDisk, up to 16GB. Be sure to read the manual about positioning/orienting the memory card. I had to insert mine a few times before i got it to work, which i blame on the flimsiness of the micro-SDHC card as much as on my clumsiness. Once i got it in right, it worked reliably well.I spent more than 2 months searching for the most suitable recorder. I was comparing between price and models I looked at were: the Zoom H2, Zoom H4, Olympus LS-10 & 11, Marantz etc. I did an extensive research and finally I selected the Sony PCM-10.
I am absolutely satisfied with the choice I made. The sound quality is superb and feels sturdy to use. I like the dual micro/sd slots. I also bought two 16Gb cards for saving my recordings into. (I use one of the cards for music files so I can also use the recorder as a Player & the other one for my instrument recordings). I use the recorder for woodwinds and piano. It comes with a remote control which is very handy as in this way you eliminate handling noise. One small minus is that the device does not come with a windscreen and they are a bit costly. One big plus is that the batteries seem to last forever. The only disadvantage this powerful little recorder has is that the MENU is not so easy to navigate through (I still have the manual next to me when I use it, just in case) and that you can not rename the tracks. Everything else is wonderful. It has a superb sound quality, great feel to it and I am very satisfied with my choice. I could not have chosen a better hand-held digital recorder in this price range and for this purpose. I do not include all the specs and stats here as you can see them on the product review page. I wanted to upload my comments because reading what other users posted for their own recorders when I was searching mine helped me tremendously.
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