Zoom MRS802b vs MRS1608... is it a no-brainer?

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chriscolbert

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to spend the extra $200 for the 1608? i'm getting ready to pull the trigger but i didn't know if anyone here has used either and had insight as to whether it's worth it for the extra tracks, etc. this will be my first ever home recording purchase just so you know.
 
Hey Chris - I've never used either so I can't comment on the quality, but looking at thier specs I think it depends on what you need to do with them.... more important than the extra 8 tracks (you can always bounce and use virtual tracks to get around track limitations if necessary, although extra tracks is never a bad thing) is the fact that the 802B only has 2 inputs, so if you wanted to record drums with more than 2 mic's, or a full band at once, you couldn't do it without pre-mixing the signal with an external mixer to stereo first. The 1608 has 8 inputs, so to me that alone is worth the extra $200 - but again, depends on what you'll want to do with it. Either way, if this is your first multitracke I'm sure you'll have a blast!
 
thanks for the reply... i initially wanted something for working on solo stuff and laying down ideas, but i am in a band and we've had bad luck getting a decent sounding demo and the 1608 would crush anything we've used in the past, so i figured it made sense. it's just that whenever i get ready to lay down $800 on something i need a litte reassurance...lol
 
Cool - ya, it's a lot of money in one go but I think if this is something you're going to want to hang onto for a while, you'll kick yourself for not getting those extra inputs... good luck with it!
 
I have owned both the MRS1206 and the MRS1608. Personally if I were you I wouldnt purchase either the 802 or the 1608. The sound is cheap and the effects are not that great. I read an article on Sound on Sound website that said the 1608 was a great unit. Well I didn't find anything greater about the 1608 than I did about my 1206. I sent back the 1608 and purchased a KORG D1200MKII. It smokes that zoom unit. I have demos from both units and the KORG sound is way better than the Zoom. The Korg has 24bit recording and in my opinion the sound difference is there between the 16bit and the 24bit. I have a friend who owns a studio here and he told me for two years to buy a Korg and I didn't listen and spent alot of needless cash on cheap junk. Since I bought the Korg I have had nothing but decent sounding demos. Like I said Chris, think hard about it before purchasing it./

Carvin Man
 
thanks for the info carvin man, and i had actually read some of your posts praising the korg unit earlier. i don't doubt anyone's opinion because everyone is different, but i sorta haphazardly looked into the zoom products and researched them to no end and was pleasantly surprised when i saw that they stacked up favorably to units with a supposed better reputation. i considered the korg among a few others and if i get the 1608 i have 45 days to decide if i'm happy with it or if i want to go another route. thanks again and i may hit you up on some more detailed questions later.
 
Carvin - good on you to give the scoop about the 1608 - like I say, I've never used them so I was purely going on spec.
Chris - yes definitely shop around to see what else is out there... just always think ahead about things like inputs, recording resolution, etc that you can't physically modify... you can always add your own preamps, a standalone (or PC) CD burner, etc, but you can't record 8 descrete channels on something with 2 inputs :)
Also, be weary of going on just the spec sheet... both the 1608 and the 1206 that Carvin suggested have 24 bit D/A converters, but not all converters are created equal - as Carvin says, the Korg sounds better even though "spec wise" they're the same (could be the pre-amps, could be anything, but you see the point - specs aren't the whole story).
Good luck to you man, hope you get something you're happy with!
 
I have to disagree with Carvin Man......
I owned a MRS-802Bcd (Sold it cause I needed money).

I found nothing cheap about the sound of the recorder, Clean and uncompressed.

The effects are fine if you dont rely on the factory presets, I would recomend if you buy the MRS-1608 that you learn how to edit effects presets because the processor is fine but the factory pre's are for show realy.

I have heard great recordings done on the MRS series they are very fine machines at a very nice price. People seem to have a bad opinion of Zoom because of the older stuff they made. But then again every manufacter has made a bomb or two........

I would say the onlything that I dislike about the MRS's(or any stand alone recorder for that matter) is that the Pre-amps could be a little nicer.

But I think you will love the 1608.

-Blaze
 
well it's official... i placed the order a little earlier and will hopefully get it within a week. once again i appreciate all the input and will let you guys know how it's coming along once i get my feet wet a little.
 
Hi Chris,
I read your 2006 post about the Zoom MRS 1608, and am curious how you're getting along with the unit because I'm thinking of buying it (well, the MRS 1608 CD actually) or the Boss BR1600 CD.

I was going to buy an 802 CD or the Boss equivalent 8 track, but I need more than two tracks of simultaneous recording. I also need a drum machine in the unit.

Unfortunately, it sounds like portability can go out the window as a consideration with these 16 tracks, as opposed to the 8 tracks, but that's something I'll have to put up with.

I'm simultaneously sending you a private message, but am posting this here in case you're still subscribed.

I'd be interested in all of your thoughts about the unit.

Thanks,

GVDV
 
Suprisingly the 16 trackers are pretty simular in size to the 8 tracks.....
I would avoid the boss ones if you plan to use Monitor speakers both my BR's had issues with grounding and a whirling noise when hooked up to monitors...

-Blaze
 
Hi blaze,
Thanks for your reply.

You're right that most of the 16 trackers are similar in weight to the 8 trackers, but for some reason the Zooms are unusually heavy (both the 16 and 8 trackers).

Thanks for your tip about the boss. I also read a S.O.S. (Sound On Sound) review online from a few years back which put me off the Boss BR1600, but am still considering the 8 track BR900 CD, although it has a couple of disadvantages in terms of what I want to do.

I think that the most likely candidate right now for me is the Zoom MRS1608 CD 16 track, or its replacement, the HD16CD (not sure if I've got that quite right): the new unit is 24 bit instead of 16 bit, I think.

Thanks once again,
GVDV
 
I have the MRS 1266cd and I have had it for about 3-4 years. At first, my recordings were a bit mushy and other times it was to distant and shallow. It had nothing to do with the machine, it was telling me to dig deeper into its capability. Years later, I am still a proud owner of the 1266 and my recordings have improved 100%..........I was dicouraged by many when I was in the purchasing stage, but you won't know if it will work for you unless you try it! The thing is, like many machines/software, once you are comfortable with it, pushing the necessary buttons and accessing particular components for a certain sound become 2nd nature!
And as mentioned way above, the ability to bounce and not lose sound quality plays a part when looking at the track availability. But pay attention to the simultaneous recording capability in the event bigger projects interests you! :)

Good day I say!
 
Hi Guys (and Gals),
I just wanted to let you all know that I finally bought the Zoom 1608 CD about a month ago, had a lot of fun with it but returned it for a full refund because I firmly decided to get a Mac Pro with RME FireFace 400 audio interface.

If I had had more cash I would have kept the 1608 CD because it was a lot of fun, but in truth its job will be duplicated by the Mac Pro.

Thanks for all your help here.

GVDV
 
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