The M-Audio MicroTrack's LCD display and menus are controlled by a jog-switch on the right.

It's easy to set up a recording via the large, toggle switches on its front, and you can either use the small, dual-mic 'T' plug-in supplied with it or plug two microphones of your choice into separate 0.25in jack sockets.

We were disappointed with the quality of recordings: they all showed noticeable hiss. When listening to third-party MicroTrack II samples from the web, though, we couldn't hear the hiss – so perhaps ours is a rogue sample.

Even so, we reckon that the MicroTrack II is a bit pricey, and we're putting a question mark over its performance.

Zoom currently offers two products of this nature, the other being the H4 (£225) which has a different set of features.

We picked the H2 to review for two reasons: first, it is the cheapest such product currently available, and second, it offers surround sound capability thanks to the inclusion of four internal microphones.

Even if you don't want surround, the ability to choose between the front mics, angled 90 degrees apart, and the rear ones, angled 120 degrees, is useful.

Questionable build quality

It's hard to deny that the price shows in the build quality - it's a bit plasticky. Even worse is the display, which is tiny and slow to respond, while the operating buttons are also minute and have very little tactile feedback. Combine those features with the lack of a 'stop' button and you have the recipe for an occasionally frustrating experience. It does all work, though, and is still a versatile little machine which can give satisfying results.

The microphones were a little coloured-sounding on test. The mic amps are quiet, but still good. Performance via the line input is on a par with most rivals, but the headphone output is not keen on high playback levels and gets a bit harsh when listening loud.

We probably wouldn't want to use this recorder very frequently - among other things its USB connection seems to be grindingly slow - but it is cheap, does the job, and is clearly fine for the very occasional recordist's adventures.

The Tascam DR-1 is a little larger than the others in its class, but still fits most pockets and, at least, the additional space has allowed for a slightly larger display and more room for big fingers to operate controls.

All the same, we found operation a little awkward at times, not least because the layout of buttons and the division of tasks between menus both seem illogical in places.

Rechargeable recorder

A neat feature is the ability to angle the microphones so that they face the sound source, whether the unit is standing or lying down.

Power is suppled by a Li-ion battery, which by default is charged from a USB outlet (the mains charger is an optional extra) and we'd be happier with AA cells like everyone else uses (in an emergency you can buy them from any corner store). A recording time of just under eight hours is on par with most of the competition.

We felt sound quality overall to be good, but found the built-in microphones quite coloured. Noise from them or the mic input is a little high, but the biggest drawback is the ease with which inputs can be overloaded, without obvious warning signs.

Distortion is excellent, both in and out, matching much full-size kit. This is a perfectly usable piece of equipment capable of good results, but we feel one should ideally be very familiar with its quirks before embarking on any important recordings.

Alongside the familiar home electronics, Marantz does a nifty line of professional and semi-pro recording and replay kit, including several solid-state recorders, of which this is the smallest.

It's a very smart unit and although the button layout may at first look a bit illogical, it has clearly been carefully thought, through, with a view to easy, regular use.

High-quality recordings

The usual range of features is available, but we were a little taken aback by the way in which many of them are accessed and set up: it's necessary to use presets, which has some logic, but takes a bit of getting used to. The unit is supplied with a holder which has a screw thread for mounting to a tripod.

Although noise is not quite as low as with some rivals, this proved to be a device capable of producing high-quality recordings, and subjectively its built-in microphones seem to us the most neutral.

The mic and line in sockets both give excellent results in terms of distortion of all kinds and sound is correspondingly very clean and detailed. Marantz is to be congratulated on giving the PMD620 excellent overload headroom and 4.5V maximum input level, which is not bad from a 2.5V (two batteries) power supply.

It drives headphones loudly and cleanly, maintaining distortion, analogue in to analogue out, below 0.01% even with low-impedance headphones attached. An fine device only let down, slightly, by odd ergonomics, slow USB up/download and noise performance a notch behind the current best.

A year or so ago, we reviewed Edirol's R-09, one of the first of these semi-pro, solid-state recorders.

We liked it a lot, finding its combination of quality and convenience extremely handy: subsequently (having used one long term) we became aware that the built-in mic amps aren't the quietest, but it's done good service via line in, with external mics and amps.

Compact recording

Just recently, Edirol brought out the 'HR' version, which adds 96 and 88.2kHz sampling, a few minor changes and additions and the 'Isolated Adaptive Recording Circuit'. Oh, and an infra-red remote control! The overall size is similar, just a few millimetres longer.

Having been favourably impressed by the original '09, we were frankly stunned by the HR. It maintains the high performance via line in, with noise a trifle lower, but using the internal mics or the mic input gives an astonishingly low noise floor; a full 6dB better than any other similar device we've tried.

The mics aren't entirely free of coloration, but they give remarkably good sound even so, with pretty decent stereo imaging if the device is carefully positioned. Operation is similar to the R-09, very straightforward and aided by the intelligently designed display (usefully a little larger than the older model).

Battery life is not the best, but we obtained at least seven hours of recording time from two 700mAh rechargeables - more if power-saving features are enabled. Up and download rates are decent, about 12x and 24x speed (for 16-bit/44kHz audio), build quality seems robust and the case has a useful anti-slip design.

Not many of the digital audio players on the market record, and most that do have pretty limited quality and/or require an add-on adapter.

This nifty gadget is principally a recorder (it does also play, of course) and will appeal to audiophiles who like handling a microphone now and then, as it will store uncompressed 24-bit, 44.1 or 48kHz-sampled audio, as well as in MP3 form.

Using interchangeable SD cards gives a capacity of over six hours from the single 4GB variety. And, with battery life good for over nine hours of recording (from high-capacity Ni-MH cells in our own tests), and good quality microphones built in, it's both a supergrade dictation recorder and the handiest bootlegging device we've ever seen (we didn't say that). Unlike MD, it's mechanically silent and the display and controls are far nicer than any MD recorder we've used.

The surprise, though, is the audio quality: via line in, performance is most commendable, with distortion and jitter hardly worse than in professional A-D converters and noise perfectly acceptable. The mic input is hardly less impressive and the output is also very clean, making this both a serious recorder and an exceptionally upmarket digital audio player.

We took it to a couple of professional sessions and were frankly blown away that such a tiny device came so close to equalling our regular bulky kit in sound terms.

The only features we might ideally add would be digital input and some way of automatically dividing tracks on record. Basically, though, we lurve it.

Options for high quality portable sound recording devices that offer flexible recording formats and quick editing are relatively few, but here's one option - the Edirol R-09. Edirol is a big name in computer music and the soundcard market and, like M-Audio with its MicroTrack recorder, has started to roll out smaller more affordable devices for the home user.

The E-09 is a small form factor, light recorder with great clarity and a useful set of recording features. The price might turn some people off but you pay for what you get, and this is far more than a mic that docks into an iPod.

Measuring just a few inches high and wide, and weighing less than six ounces (with batteries), the Edirol R-09 fits comfortably in a shirt pocket. Its straightforward recording and playback controls also serve the purpose of navigating through the R-09's easy-to-set options.

By pressing the Menu button, you can rename, delete and get information on the audio files. By holding the same button down, you access the R-09's Setup menu where you can set the audio format, format the SD card, adjust the brightness of the display, and other options.

The white-on-black display is easy on the eyes, and you get all the feedback you need. Particularly nice is the responsive, animated level meter. It's crucial to have snappy visual meters so you know that there's no distortion. The useful 30-step input level control enables you to use the R-09 for recording a quiet conversation or a deafening rock concert.

Control me

On the back of the Edirol R-09 are four smart features. The first, Ext Mic Type, is a switch to set Mono or Stereo recording, depending on the microphone you're plugging into its 1/8-inch microphone jack - recording from a single channel mic sends the signal to only one side of the stereo field. The Mono setting records the mono microphone signal to both sides of the stereo field so it sounds dead-centre. Thank you, Roland.

The second switch is AGC, or Automatic Gain Control, which, when turned on, automatically adjusts the volume level of the audio during recording so that the level is fairly consistent. This is helpful for recording group meetings, where voices at different distances from the unit's microphone would normally be heard at different volumes. Thanks again, Roland.

The third switch, Mic Gain, can be turned to Low or High. Most recordings can be made at High, but the Low setting is a must for loud environments. While we couldn't get this unit into a venue to record a metal concert, we were able to record in a vehicle with a ridiculously loud car stereo system. The result was surprisingly clear and undistorted. It's in these challenging environments that true quality starts to tell.

The last switch on the back is one called Low Cut. This is the kind of feature that is especially useful in indoor, air-conditioned environments. In our tests, the Low Cut switch eliminated the rumble of an office building's environmental system, resulting in a very clean recording. Thank you very much, Roland.

The audio quality of the Edirol R-09 is excellent. The 24-bit, 48kHz WAV format ensures high fidelity audio for when you absolutely need it. You can fit almost an hour of stereo audio on a 1GB SD card. When you need longer recording times and not-so-high fidelity, you can record as MP3 files.

On a 1GB card, you can fit about 980 minutes of 128kbps MP3 stereo audio. If, for some reason, you need to record longer times, you can use up to a 2GB SD card and knock the MP3 bit rate down to 64kbps. Crazy, but you can do it.

The Edirol R-09 is one of those great products that just might be too expensive for casual use, yet not suitable for the professional sound designer. It's a quality portable recorder for capturing events, meetings, interviews, and podcasts. Andrew Tokuda

It's not always convenient to type ideas or notes on your laptop. Recording thoughts into a Dictaphone has long been the preferred solution. Sanyo's ICR-1000 (£229 inc. VAT) is a digital Dictaphone, giving you the ability to manipulate recordings, and send them via email at the touch of a button.

Recordings are stored on an SD card, so even if you record large amounts without a laptop nearby, it's simply a case of adding another card for more space. You'll find 256MB of memory supplied, which is enough for 35 hours of recording.

The ICR-1000 is a small device, weighing in at 85g. Sliding buttons allow recording and playback to be done with one hand. The unit saves recordings chronologically, making them easier to find at a later date. It's also possible to place recordings into different folders. An LCD screen displays their status, and enables you to fi nd fi les.

Recordings are transferred to laptop using USB. Labelled buttons make the MemoScriber software intuitive. Once you've moved recordings to your laptop, you can email the files, or save them to specific folders.

Playback is enhanced by the ability to change the speed of recordings, so it's easier to transcribe. You can add and delete sections of recordings, and overlay files on top of each other.

Other software flourishes include an automatic playback function. If you're interrupted and stop typing, playback stops automatically. Once you press a key, it begins again. We found it useful when putting our recordings into text, as it reduces the amount of time you need to spend rewinding files. While other ICR models are compatible with speech recognition software, the ICR-1000 is not.

Although not cheap, the ICR-1000 is a useful tool for those who constantly take notes. It's a lot quicker than typing, and the ability to send recordings via email may also prove invaluable.