MR16HD vs. Zoom HD16CD vs. Tascam 2488mkII

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YeshuasFan

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Has anyone A-B-C tested these units to see how they compare?
I'm looking to upgrade my project area from a Fostex VF80 and want to know which will give the best results. I know the Fostex is the least expensive, but the others have more features.
While I could conceivably throw in the Yamaha AW1600, the Boss 16-track and Korg, I thought I would like to keep the comparisons in the under $800 price range.
 
YeshuasFan said:
Has anyone A-B-C tested these units to see how they compare?
I'm looking to upgrade my project area from a Fostex VF80 and want to know which will give the best results. I know the Fostex is the least expensive, but the others have more features.
While I could conceivably throw in the Yamaha AW1600, the Boss 16-track and Korg, I thought I would like to keep the comparisons in the under $800 price range.
Click to expand...

I love my VF160, but if I had to switch to another brand, (because the MR16HD just doesn't equal the standard I'm used to), I would consider the Korg D3200. I know it's more $, but it feels like it's in another league, and Korg support has always been excellent when I needed it -- plus their manuals are great in comparson to Fostex.

The Zoom has a good feel, but their support isn't so hot (why not call them and see....).

Another possibility is to look on Ebay for a lightly used VF160EX. I have one, and it's great. To me, much preferred over the MR series...
 
Billisa,
Thanks for the response. I've come to really appreciate your input in the years I've been visiting this forum.

All the units have pros and cons. I've a friend with a Zoom who has had some excellent results with his unit. The main drawback I've encountered with the VF80 is that it isn't really an 8-track unit. And I hope Fostex takes some major rep hits for discontinuing the VF line.
 
YeshuasFan said:
Billisa,
Thanks for the response. I've come to really appreciate your input in the years I've been visiting this forum.

All the units have pros and cons. I've a friend with a Zoom who has had some excellent results with his unit. The main drawback I've encountered with the VF80 is that it isn't really an 8-track unit. And I hope Fostex takes some major rep hits for discontinuing the VF line.
Click to expand...

Hey, Thanks! Truthfully, the Zoom gear seems to be well built and feature laden. It's sad, because unless things change, my current VF160EX will likely be my last... The MR's are probably capable of fine results, but the VF's are simply a step-up. I loved my VF80, but you're right, it's really not a full 8-track.

Honestly, consider a used VF160/EX. If you snag a good one (for $350-$450) you'll be good to go for another 5 years...
 
Billisa,
I looked at the Korg 3200. It's impressive--but the $1300 street price tag is over my head as a hobbyist. And unfortunately, Moore's law doesn't seem to be having much of an impact on Korg's equipment. Too bad Korg discontinued their 1200 model.
As it is, I have to keep in a certain price range and my friend is also seeking to upgrade from his Zoom MRS802CD which is about as old as my VF80.
So we are probably looking at purchasing identical units so we can swap projects without having to go through an intermediary such as a PC.
 
Zoom HD-16

Just a thought....

I wanted to upgrade my old trusty Fostex MR-8 to something that would record 8 tracks simultaneously. In the end, I went with the Zoom HD-16.

I could give a crap about having a drum machine and cd burner and all that jazz, but I must say flipping it to control mode is wonderful. I use mine basically just to track, and then mix/edit everything on the computer. I couldn't be happier with it.
 
starbuck26,
thanks for the input.
I'm not sure I'll be transferring files to my PC for mixdown/mastering. My songwriting partner across town has the older MRS802CD in his project studio and has produced some outstanding work tracking through mastering and burning CDs [never mind the fact that is at least 10 times better at songwriting than I am and 20 times better at playing guitar--but that's another story] so I think the HD16 will be great as a one size fits all multitasker for tracking/mixing/mastering/burning. The basic thing is that we want to purchase identical units for our respective project studio upgrades so when we swap projects we don't have a compatibility problem.
 
I owned the older Zoom 1600 series and it was a decent mixer. I do admit that Im not crazy about the drum machine. The new Foxtex 16HD is not, in my opinion, the greatest recorder and I sent mine back. When they discontinued the VF160 and replaced it with the 16HD I think that was a mistake. I recently purchase a Tascam 2488MKII and am really impressed with its ability. Tascam, like Fostex has been around along time and know what they're doing. When I did my reviews I noticed some negitive stuff written for all kinds of different recorders. But I look at it from this point, there may be 25 reviews written about a recorder and some of the stuff may be bad, but there have been literally thousands of these recorders sold and for the most part if these stand alone recorders were that bad, everyone would be writing bad stuff about them. Sure every company will have some bad machines released but hey I bought a brand new $25,000 car one time and drove it off the lot, nine miles down the road the computer crashed on the car and it died. So anything can go bad.
 
Danny B said:
The new Foxtex 16HD is not, in my opinion, the greatest recorder and I sent mine back. When they discontinued the VF160 and replaced it with the 16HD I think that was a mistake. I recently purchase a Tascam 2488MKII and am really impressed with its ability. Tascam, like Fostex has been around along time and know what they're doing.
Click to expand...

I agree. I would consider purchasing a used VF160EX. These machines are SOLID, extremely well thought out, with HardDrives easily replaced. I sold a VF160 that I blew a preamp on (my mistake). Now I'm using a 2nd hand VF160EX that I got for $400. This is a real bargain. If I was going to $1K, I'd go to $1,200 and get the Korg D3200.
Less than a grand, and using a PC for editing/burning -- the Korg D888.

Obviously your needs enter into this equation in a big way...
 
The biggest downside to switching to something different than Fostex--not having the people in this forum available so I can pick their brains for ideas/suggestions.
Even when people disagree--at least in this forum--there seems to be more civility than in some of the others.

The reason I posted this in this forum and the Tascam forum (too bad there isn't a Zoom forum) is over the years of visiting and posting, I've found a little more perspective and honesty regarding the relative merits/demerits of a given unit than what one finds in the "1,000 words or less" reviews in the various retailer websites. Plus, here is where I can see what problems have been encountered in field use and how people have dealt with those problems.

Actually, if money was not an object, I'd probably be looking at a Mackie 24-track standalone hard drive recorder and outboard mixer (probably a Yamaha digital)--similar to the setup Phil Keaggy uses in his home studio--but since I don't have his royalty checks, talent, and ability to write off the costs on my taxes, I'll have to limit the size of my purchase.:D
 
If you are serious about wanting a Zoom forum try:-

2090.org/zoom/bbs/index.php

PS i'm not allowed to post the full address until I am a big boy in long trousers!
 
Danny B said:
I recently purchase a Tascam 2488MKII and am really impressed with its ability. Tascam, like Fostex has been around along time and know what they're doing. When I did my reviews I noticed some negitive stuff written for all kinds of different recorders. But I look at it from this point, there may be 25 reviews written about a recorder and some of the stuff may be bad, but there have been literally thousands of these recorders sold and for the most part if these stand alone recorders were that bad, everyone would be writing bad stuff about them. Sure every company will have some bad machines released but hey I bought a brand new $25,000 car one time and drove it off the lot, nine miles down the road the computer crashed on the car and it died. So anything can go bad.
Click to expand...

Danny B,
I think the problems with many reviews on the dealers' websites and some of the sites like musicgearreview reflect a tendency of some people to review an item while either (1) in the "honeymoon" period where they notice no flaws or are attempting to justify the purchase so they overstate the good points and gloss over any negative points, or (2) they may have made the purchase with unrealistic expectations and when the equipment failed to live up to those expectations dumped on it. And as much as I hate to admit it, I've committed both of those "sins.":eek:
 
YeshuasFan

I agree with you totally on the review statement. I have only written three reviews in the past and those were written after atleast one year of use. Alot of people think something should be top notch right out of the box and when it don't give them the "perfect" sound they thought it would, its automatically a piece of junk. I've been a musician for over 40 years and I used to think that if my Marshall Amp, boss effects, and my 59 Les Paul wasn't being used, then I couldn't perform a live show. Boy have I learned alot in the past 20 years. That's why I don't post alot of replies to these forums everyone has their own opinion and that's fine. I just started getting into recording about 5 years ago and I have alot yet to learn. But I look to guys like Billsa and others for some pretty decent answers to common questions before I buy equipment.
 
Danny B,
I couldn't say it better than that!
I've been playing at guitar and songwriting for over 35 years. Still learning something new every day.

Thanks for the input.
 
I want to thank everyone for their responses and input. After studying the owner's manuals for the three different units, going to every possible review website I could locate through google, and lengthy discussions with my studio partner, we decided to go with Zoom units. So I will be bowing out from future participation in this forum--but leaving with lots of good memories of the exchanges I've read over the years, good advice I've cadged from others here and grateful for the grace and tolerance shown to me for any bad advice I may have issued.
 
Boy, do I feel foolish!
Got the Zoom today. Took it out of the box. Hooked it up, plugged it in, turned the power switch to "on" and-- nothing happened.
It's going back to the dealer as soon as I get a return authorization. I hope the dealer lives up to their self-proclaimed reputation of having the best customer service available.

And what really--really hurts the most--I already shipped my old equipment to my brother-in-law to get him started on the depraved path to DIY songwriting and multitrack recording.

As Charlie Brown would say, "Good grief!"
 
I won a D-160 on ebay only to have the seller sell it out from under me. Anywho, bastard aside, I ended up settling for a VF-160EX. Having been a FD-8 user and a VM200 owner it didn't take me long to get familiar with the VF-160EX. It's a solid machine with a lot of bang for the buck. The primary reason I went with the VF-160EX over other brands is the ADAT i/o.

I briefly looked at the MR16HD/CD and it seemed like a toy. WTF? Fostex had been doing well since introducing the DMT8 and evolving to the VF line.
 
It does seem like a disappointment--while other players in the market like Zoom and Tascam seem to be looking at upgrading their product lines, Fostex is retreating. The MR series seems to be a regression to the analog days of the old 4-track cassette recording/mixer units--only the tape has been replaced with a hard-drive and a CD burner--no FX to speak of and minimal EQ.
 
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