Feature:
No accessories although I wish the case came with the unit.

Quality:
It is made of plastic and I did drop it once causing the right side to almost come off. That worries me!

Value:
The price could be a bit lower for what it's worth.

Desirability:
I use this to tape rehearsals and what ever I decide to tape out in the field and, although it could use some improvement I like mine! i have used it to make some recordings and it works pretty good.

Sound:
I rated it an 8 out of 10 simply because when you Ware a set of binaural mics, you have to be careful because when you touch the display and if the cable is not shielded you get a 60 Hz hum that will come through on your recordings.

Ease of Use:
The menus don't rap and that's a good thing for those of us who are visually impaired. there is not learning curve although you do have to have someone write down the menus for you n a text file, but all in all, great product!

Support:
No I have not delt with roland but i did deal with where I did buy it from and they were understanding. I'm hoping roland will take in to consideration the hum thing and will design a better or improved product.

Overall:
I like the easy of use. i don't like the fact that one drop sent the right side of the thing almost off the unit.

• User: a customer from gmail.com
• Submitted: 11/12/2007
• Style of Music: classical, and a bit of folk.
• Location: Las Vegas, Nv

Feature:
This unit doesn't come with any extra covers to protect it but since it's made of plastic it is pretty tough. Some reviewers have complained that the unit is made out of plastic but I'm glad it is because plastic is far more durable than metal. This is a well thought out recorder. No complaints.

Quality:
I like the quality of this unit. No complaints. I am going to buy the protective cover/tripod for this though.

Value:
Good value for the money.

Desirability:
Of all the units out there (M-Audio, Zoom, Marantz, etc.)this is the one that has been designed with the "Sex Appeal". It just looks good.

Sound:
I find the sound of this unit very good. I also think the reverbs presets are good I only wish I could record with them instead of just playback. The included microphone is very good and I have had no problems with hiss or distortion, however the mics are sensitive and pick up everything.

Ease of Use:
Very easy to use. Even the battery replacement is no big deal. You just have to be careful when you change the batteries. Its easy once you get the hang of it. The manual is easy to use but you don't really even need to read it because this unit very user friendly.

Support:
Good support from Roland but haven't had to contact them.

Overall:
The only thing I will buy for this unit is the case/tripod and maybe the external microphone. I plan on using this unit for years to come.

• User: a customer from gmail.com
• Submitted: 11/2/2007
• Style of Music: Jazz, comercial
• Location: New York, NY

Feature:
I would love a volume rotator knob rather than a button you have to punch to change levels but that's probably just me.

Quality:
The "flimsy" and "light" comments baffle me. It's SMALL, it's not a studio recorder that sits in a rack. Rate it for what it is.

Value:
Tried a couple of others and sent them back.

Desirability:
Again, not sure what number rank to assign to "I want it" when I already own it.

Ease of Use:
Someone said easy as a cell phone. It's quite a bit easier than that if you use all the features of both.

Support:
not sure how to put a number on this since I have not needed support.

Overall:
Might be the best electronic investment I've ever made. Wonderful for the money.

• User: a customer from tarheelblue.com
• Submitted: 10/19/2007
• Style of Music: classical, jazz, pop, Christian
• Location: Virginia

Feature:
Overall features are good as the unit is very easy to use. We tend more to notice what we think would be helpful: - A STANDARD LINE OUT - EASIER USB ACCESS without to have to remove the unit from the protection leather case (I use it) and open the trap. - A SPLIT FILE POSSIBILITY. Edirol has just issued a split function in V1.30, but it only works a record time. Stop/record was doing the same thing before. Splitting at playback time would be very helpful to get rid of any useless recorded material in case we are short of memory. Would also be easier to find the recordings. - A MARKING POSSIBILITY. As it is impossible to start the scanning from the end of the file, it can be very painful in case of long recording to scan the all thing to find what we are looking for. - A TITLE PRESET POSSIBILITY. All recordings start by R09... Makes sense, but useless really! Would be nice (as on the R4) to be able to choose the first letters.

Quality:
Looks flimsy, but is not in reality. I am very cautious with it, but I am worried about how the jack plugs will last. I read someone who has had problems with them.

Value:
Very good value, because it is a very versatile recorder. Could as well be used to play MP3 songs, used as a standard recorder, with internal or external mics for live recordings. All that in a small packaging. I love the fact is uses standard AA batteries you can find everywhere.

Sound:
Very good sound. Very decent internal mics, but of course they pick up all the noise. Very convenient in the field though. Very good quality also in MP3 mode. MAJOR PROBLEM; The hiss on the headphone. Seems very related to the impedance of what is connected. I tried to plug Sennheiser wireless phones. Almost impossible to listen to... I thought it came from HF comming from the wireless unit but I tried different things but nothing worked. Low impedance headphones seems to work better,

Ease of Use:
Nothing to say. No manual is needed.

Support:
Never used.

Overall:
Very good recorder. Has everything needed. I looked at other simila products before buying it. Still think I made the best choice and I would buy the same.

• User: a customer from free.fr
• Submitted: 9/7/2007
• Style of Music: Jazz, Classical
• Location: France, US VT

Feature:
This thing is versitile I will say that!!

Quality:
Its delicate, but light. Expect to take the same care of this as you would a expensive mic.

Value:
Awsome for what it is...

Desirability:
Great device

Sound:
Hmmm this depends on what you are recording and what you are using it for. I use the R-09 for many things. For interviews with bands as a portable recording unit it is pretty handy. The AGC has sound altering qualities but if you use the manual volume control you get a pretty decent sound. It really depends on your source; the best sound I have used the R-09 with is to mix down audio into an MPS or wav from a mixing program. You get a really good sound. The mics are OK on it comparable to a RODE NT5.

Ease of Use:
Its about as easy to use as a cell phone, if you can't get that then you shouldn't be buying recording equipment.

Support:
Never needed

Overall:
It good, check out our practice recordings, we got an alright sound for us to work with. www.thelifeforms.com

• User: a customer from thelifeforms.com
• Submitted: 4/27/2007
• Style of Music: The Rock
• Location: Chicago IL - USA

Feature:
It comes with a power supply and cords for the computer. The playback has a feature that adds a bit of reverb so you can get the sounds of large, small hall etc. I dont like to add distortion so I never use it other than to experiment for a moment. I do like that it does not add the reverb to the recording, it only adds it to playback. I also like that you can plug it into your stereo through the headphone jack. Follow the directions there is a sequence to this!

Quality:
Its a bit plastic but seems aturdy. I looked at the zoom and didnt like it. First the mics make it look like a stun gun or something.It was also bulky. The edriol fits neatly in your pocket. The only weak spot is the battery cover, you must be very gentile. I do not plan to open it too often. You can download the recording and erase the SD card with the unit so you dont have to be recoving the card very often.

Value:
It is a little pricey. But it does record well

Desirability:
Looks great, looks inoccus. I dont want to record an event and have people looking at me as if I have a weapon ( zoom) the only thing I hate is the red record lamp, I recorded my daughters recietal and she could tell where I was just by the red beacon! Well, maybe not a beacon but still bright enough to stand out.

Sound:
I didnt expect much but in no time I have become a beliver in the recording capabilities of this unit. First, you must read the instructions. People who complain about chipping and low volume do not have it adjusted correctly. The internal mics can be set for high sens ( recording a person speaking or at a meeting) and low ( for loud events concerts etc.) You must also adjust the input volume as well keeping the bars below the red distortion level. If you keep the mic sens on high you also record abbarent sounds like your breathing etc, especially true if you are holding the unit. The sound is remarkably clear. I recorded a few big band shows and the sound stage was wonderful. No its not as good as a professional multitrack recorder but for $399 you cant expect that. However, you will be happy with the sound. Even the stereo seperation is good

Ease of Use:
I read the insturctions and boom was ready to enjoy the unit. I am terrible with gadgets (ipod etc). Not this , i had it going in no time the screen is very easy to use and see. I dont know what the people were talking about with the small screen. It lights up and is quite easy to read.

Support:
NA

Overall:
hopefully this will be it, if it lasts I will buy the same thing with likely better features ie no red lamp and a good battery door

• User: a customer from aol.com
• Submitted: 4/24/2007
• Style of Music: sinatra
• Location: NY NY

Feature:
AGC and incremental gain control are the best features. I wish the unit has the ability to break up long files like Dm-10 (or indexing)

Quality:
I won't complain about the plastic, to keep weight and cost down. The design looks very good. However, individual control, (the control pad) is kind of loose, slightly rattles.

Value:
for $399, it is 3 times more expensive than Olympus DM-10 which I also used. Peak control for me is very important (which dm10 doesn't have) so it's hard to compare value. but I still think this unit is somewhat overpriced.

Sound:
see below. I wish there is more clarity. Maybe due to omni mics used. hope they would consider putting in X-y (like zoom h4)

Ease of Use:
very intuitive.

Support:
have not used any.

Overall:
my use is to record our non-pro choral rehearsals and our own concerts. The sound quality is quite good and obviously better than that of DM-10 that I had been using, but not WAY better. choral recordings sound kind of muffled and the reverberation (not the add-on playback effect) sounds stronger than reality. Could be the effect of the omni mics, which pick up signals from all directions in our stone gothic church. Maybe I was expecting too much (r-9 costs 3 times as much),Compared with DM-10, the sound quality is definitely not the "night and day" difference I had hoped for. The mics are not as sensitive as I wish. For our 40-people rehearsals I am setting the gain at 20 on high gain at about 25' away. I could imagine if it is a really quiet concert (which is quite frequent for choral music) I might have to push the gain all the way to 30 max and still not be able to pick up the soft angelic soprano hum. Of course, with DM-10 I can't even control the gain and prevent clipping with AGC. This alone makes this a keeper. Overall, because of the AGC and incremental gain control, I am glad I purchased the unit.

• User: a customer from sbcglobal.net
• Submitted: 11/21/2006
• Style of Music: choral music
• Location: SF, CA

Sound:
I'm very impressed with this little recorder. I'm a classical singer, and wanted something to record recitals and concerts with. Right out of the box, I was making recordings with ease. I'm a professional musicial, not a sound engineer, but I really, really like this piece of equipment! I can't imagine being without it, now ...

• User: a customer from ns.sympatico.ca
• Submitted: 11/6/2006
• Style of Music: Classical -- Opera
• Location: Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada

Quality:
Feels like it will explode to a million pieces if it is dropped. Battery door is useless and will probably break at some point.

Value:
Pretty good at a prosumer level but not so much for professional use.

Sound:
I am a little dissapointed as the hiss on the mic input is pretty bad. Stereo mic included is a good idea but also has some his. Might be better if you could send it a line level signal, but I havent tried that.

Ease of Use:
User friendly.

• Submitted: 10/24/2006

Quality:
Quality is great. The people who are complaining about the sliding battery cover are being ridiculous. The cover is sturdy enough. The thing is made of plastic, not steel. There is a weird thing it does, however. When recording in a car, or in a small room, I was getting some unexplained noise, which at first I thought was electromagnetic interference, but it turned out to be that the built-in microphones are sensitive to sudden changes in room air pressure. If you are trying to record in a moving car, or in a small room with the door being opened and closed, you might want to try an external microphone.

Value:
It is a great recorder. It is well worth the money.

Sound:
I use it for recording speech, nature sounds, and sound effects. It is an excellent recorder. In certain conditions, with the built-in microphones, there is a little bit of hiss. With an external microphone, the quality is great.

• User: a customer from msn.com
• Submitted: 8/9/2006
• Location: Simi Valley, CA ,USA

Overall:
I have spent the past month working with the M-Audio MicroTrack and exchanged it last week for the R-09. I run an audio mastering suite (i.e. Pro Tools, Waves Plugs etc.) and needed something portable for my son (an up and coming jazz musician) as my current

• Submitted: 7/30/2006
• Style of Music: Jazz
• Location: San Antonio

Feature:
everything about the unit is great except the above mentioned lacking feature. it would be nice to have at least one uncompressed format recording. The "ultra" batteries only last for about 4 hours in this thing - it really sucks the power. thankfully they included an AC adapter with the pkg.

Quality:
Not all that thrilled about the battery compartment door design. that could have been rethought....

Sound:
Reall great device, outstanding recording. HOWEVER, I **REALLY** hope they update the OS to include an express-fast forward feature. When you have an hour or more of recording, it takes FOREVER to get to the end of the piece. If your finger gets tired of holding down the fast forward button for minutes at a time, you have to start all over again. This is really a serious defect in the operation of the machine but doesn't affect the quality of the recording. Doesn't Roland have usability testing procedures like most consumer products companies? If they did, they would have realized that they needed to add one more timer and skip feature to the software....

Ease of Use:
Very easy to use.

Support:
called tech support this AM on another issue unrelated to the R-09 and it was great.

• User: a customer from bushwacker.net
• Submitted: 7/17/2006
• Style of Music: Jazz, Blues
• Location: Santa Rosa, CA