Transcend T.Sonic -- great cheap recorder

For years, iRiver made a series of flash based mp3 players that had a line in jack. You can connect one to a cassette recorder, or perhaps a mixing console for recording of a live event -- and have a very good quality recording (356 kbs mp3). The iRiver recorders (model series IFP) also has a built in mike preamp, so you could use inexpensive dynamic microphones. Plus, they were nice mp3 players. However, they are no longer made, and most mp3 players that do have a line in jack limit recording to 192 kb/s -- not really good enough for my purposes.

I just bought a replacement for my iRiver IFP-990 -- which still works, but the 256 MB limit became a hassle -- with a Transcend T.Sonic 630. The 4 GB model cost $80.00. It records as .wav files using ADPCM compression at a high bitrate (356 kbs) -- quite reasonable. The display is a black and white OLED that is easy to read, and the controls and feel are almost iRiver like. The built in FM radio is not as good as the iRiver's, but that is not really what I bought it for. I am quite happy with it, makes a nice compliment to i-devices -- small, decent with a built in recorder (even has it's own built in microphone). Only a bit more than buying a recording add-on for the iPod, and much smaller and lighter.

--hal