Review: Korg MR-1 Hi-Def Portable Recorder
Pages: 1, 2, 3, 4

Conclusion

After using the MR-1 for a couple of weeks, I am very impressed. Nevertheless, I do have a couple of doubts. Yes, it is extremely easy to use and it sounds amazing. In fact, I have a feeling it is capable of far better audio quality than can be captured by any of the mics and preamps I have at my disposal.

However, with only about 2½ hours of useful life, the internal battery is potentially troubling. I also fail to understand why Korg could not find a better way to set recording levels. Even though the unit feels solid, I would be nervous about taking any portable device with an internal hard drive deep into the bush.

Korg MR-1 Hi-Def Portable Recorder

MSRP: $899

Pros

  • Sounds great
  • Easy to use
  • Mic is good value
  • Amazing technology for the price

Cons

  • Relatively short battery life
  • Setting levels is a chore
  • No clip indicators at input

Should you buy one? That depends. Unless you add a battery pack, it may too limited for serious field use. In addition, the honking big AC adaptor is so last-century. Nonetheless, enterprising recordists will find ways around these limitations. (See the MR Juice sidebar.)

Want a 1-bit mixdown deck for your studio for under $700 street? Wire up a couple of cables and Velcro an MR-1 to your console. The AudioGate software is terrific and offers a real-world method for making multiple copies of your mixes at different resolutions. But, if I were in the market for a pro-level recorder, I'd have no trouble justifying the extra cash for the MR-1000. That bigger model has numerous professional features and offers higher resolution for archiving, albeit at almost twice the price.

Admittedly the MR-1 is overkill if you just need to record voice for podcasts or make casual field recordings of live music. Sure, you can record direct to MP3 and at a variety of PCM sample rates and bit depths, but then you can find plenty of recorders that do so at half the price. I do give it high marks for the coolness factor, and the included mic and its nifty stand are solid values.

Ultimately, if you want the best-sounding vest-pocket recorder you've ever heard, look no further. Heck, buy two and double the battery life.

Audio Examples

Because it's unlikely many readers will have the technology to play back 1-bit audio, I've converted all of these examples to MP3. You'll have to take my word for it that they sounded terrific.

MR-1 Specifications

Dimensions
 2.52" (W) x 4.72" (D) x 0.94" (H)
Number of Tracks
 2 tracks, 2-track recording/playback simultaneously
1-bit audio formats
 DSDIFF, DSF, WSD: 2.8224MHz @ 1-bit
PCM audio formats
 WAV, BWF: 44.1kHz @ 16/24-bit, 48kHz @ 16/24-bit, 88.2kHz @ 24-bit, 96kHz @ 24-bit, 176.4kHz @ 24-bit, 192kHz @ 24-bit
MP3 format
 Recording: 44.1kHz/192kbps
Playback
44.1kHz/32kbps–320kbps
Internal Hard Disk Drive
 20 GB
Recording Time
 Max Approx. 30 Hours (44.1kHz @ 16-bit, 2-track
Markers
 100 points per song (no marker names)
Song Editing
 Rename, Delete, Protect
Display
 160 x 104-dot LCD with backlight
Frequency Response
 10Hz–20kHz ±1dB @ Fs 44.1/48kHz
10Hz–40kHz ±1dB @ Fs 88.2kHz/96kHz
10Hz–80kHz ±1dB @ Fs 176.4kHz/192kHz
10Hz–100kHz (1-bit)
Signal to Noise Ratio
 90 dB (typical) @ IHF-A input-output
THD+N
0.0018% (typical) 20Hz–20kHz
A/D D/A Conversion
2.8224MHz (1-bit), 24-bit (PCM)
INPUT 1-2
Mini Phone Jack (balanced)
Nominal Level
LINE -6dBV, MIC -39dBV
Maximum Level
LINE +6dBV, MIC -27dBV
OUTPUT (analog)
 Stereo Mini Phone Jack
Nominal Level: –6 dBV
Maximum Level: +6 dBV
Phones
Stereo Mini Phone Jack
USB
USB 2.0 High-Speed device, USB mass storage class
Type B (mini) connector
Included Items
 AC adaptor (also operates as charger), Owner's Manual, Protective case, Stereo mic (CM-2M), Mic clip stand, "AudioGate" audio file conversion application on CD-ROM
AudioGate Software
Supported OS: Windows XP Home Edition/Professional Edition Service Pack 1 or later/Vista, Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later (Intel-based Mac supported).
Supported Computers: [Windows] Intel Pentium III 1 GHz or faster [Macintosh] Apple G4 800 MHz or faster (Intel-based Mac supported)
CM-2M Mic Specifications
Element: electret condenser
Polar Pattern: stereo, directional
Frequency Response: 100Hz–12kHz
Sensitivity: 58dB ±3dB, 1kHz at 1 Pa
Cable Length: 3.28 feet

Supported Audio Formats

The MR-1 records 1-bit audio at a sampling frequency of 2.8224MHz in three different formats. DFF (or DSDIFF, for Direct Stream Digital Interchange File Format) is the standard for SACD (Super Audio CD). DSF is a file format used in some Sony VAIO personal computers. WSD (Wideband Single-bit Data) is a file format defined by the "1-bit Audio Consortium," a group founded in 2001.

Supported WAV resolutions include 44.1 and 48kHz at 16 bits, and 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, and 192kHz at 24 bits. The only supported MP3 resolution is 192kbps. Recording time varies depending on the format and resolution; for 1-bit recording, the 20-gig internal drive should yield about 7 hours.

Which One's for You?

See how this recorder stacks up in our
portable recorder comparison chart.