I really enjoyed my Portastudio, the xlr inputs were nice and it sounded great at double speed. With the dbx on those things, you just switch it to "on" the whole time. Dolby c is pretty bad, it just takes all the high end out. Anyway I can't believe I'm still talking about it. I mean , it's old technology and everything.How much are you spending? You can probably find a used fd-4 somewhere for under three-hundred bucks or so. I just sold mine for three-hundred with a zip drive and five discs. Yes, it is a colder sound. But aren't we use to that? considering everything is digital now. I miss analog warmth, but I'll never go back with my gear. It's quieter,no tape hiss, making it cleaner and clearer. Most of all it can make editing very easy , and faster. Undo is awesome! Anyway, back to the studio!........