Hi, I have owned MiniDisc for a number of years. Last year, as my birthday present to myself, I got the Edirol R09. I'd drooled over the R01, but I not into the Compact Flash as I use SD for my camera. The Edirol is fast and easy to use. The red light when recording or in pause is a little bright, as is the screen. I have seen the Zoom, H4 which looks excellent. A friend owns one and I may ask for a demo sometime.

The R09 does everything asked for of it, just as Susan A-R wants. The microphones are sensitive, with two settings, low and high sensitivity. I've recorded sessions, workshops, meetings (for minutes) and actual performances off-stage (with permission) to learn lyrics from. All in all, it's wonderful and easy to use.