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Teac VR-20 Portable Recorder - $45.92 Delivered

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Teac VR-20 Portable Recorder - $45.92 DeliveredAffiliate
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barnetas on 27/10/2012 - 12:11 amazon.com (1021 clicks)
Last edited 28/10/2012 - 15:32
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Amazon currently have a killer price on the TEAC VR-20. This is similar to the Tascam DR-08, however only does 48kHz/24-bit compared to the Tascam's 96kHz/24-bit. The Tascam DR-08 gets sold around the $200 mark from Australian retailers (or roughly $150 on ebay) so a good saving if you don't need the extra fidelity. I'm hoping to use it to improve upon the inbuilt microphone quality in my DSLR, and I'm sure I'll get a whole range of other uses out of it.

If you like this deal feel free to use my affiliate link if you're considering purchasing it: http://goo.gl/0Lf01 (affiliate link)

EXPIRED: Has gone up to US $49.29. Still an alright price though.

Price History at C CamelCamelCamel.
Electrical & Electronics Dictaphone TEAC

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closed Comments

  • Lenneth on 27/10/2012 - 12:48
    +3

    For anyone wondering, Teac owns Tascam and these are exactly the same product.

    • monkymind on 27/10/2012 - 15:02
      +2

      Close but not exact. Tascam records WAV: 44.1/48/96 kHz while the Teac records at 44.1 or 48 kHz.

      Even without the 96kHz it looks like a bargain at $45.92 Delivered - so I grabbed one too! :)

      Edit: Ooops looks like MSIQ had already spotted the difference.

      • Richardlwf89 on 27/10/2012 - 15:27

        Is there much difference between 48 kHz and 96 kHz?

        • monkymind on 27/10/2012 - 16:22

          I'm pretty sure you'll find 48kHz more than adequate for most situations. For use with your DSLR you might have to resort to velco etc. as this has no provision for mounting or attaching to a stand.

          If I was planning on spending more than $46 I'd probably be looking at a Zoom, or similar.

  • Richardlwf89 on 27/10/2012 - 13:03
    +1

    Been looking for something like this to record my own lectures at uni and to use with my DSLR. Cheers! Awesome price

  • POWERevolution on 27/10/2012 - 13:07

    wondering any good portable video recorder to go with this?

  • CarnivalMonkey on 27/10/2012 - 13:47
    +1

    grabbed one for myself and one for my father for his birthday, great find OP

    • barnetas on 27/10/2012 - 14:00
      +1

      Glad to have helped!

  • Jabba the Hutt on 27/10/2012 - 14:11
    +1

    Excellent deal. Finally tempted to replace the little Sanyo I got in an Officeworks bargain bin five years ago.

  • MSIQ on 27/10/2012 - 14:30
    +2

    IMO this is NOT equivalent to Tascam DR-08 (USD$96 on Amazon). The Teac one records 24-bit/48kHz, while the Tascam records 24-bit/96kHZ.

    • barnetas on 27/10/2012 - 14:41

      oh good pick up :) I'll edit the description!

  • skatoz on 27/10/2012 - 15:38

    I'm thinking of using it to record meetings. Reviews report it has a short battery life, like 1-2hrs, but they are mostly written from the music-recording perspective. I would be happy with 4-8hrs so is there a way to tweak recording settings to make it less power hungry?

  • Foma2 on 27/10/2012 - 21:58

    Excellent find. It won't be popular on ozbargain due to the nature of the product but if you need a reasonably good and not expensive audio recorder for your DSLR, get this one.
    I just did.
    48kHz should give ~24kHz (or a bit lower) sound quality, which is more than adequite for most if not all ozbargainers.

  • PlasticSpaceman on 29/10/2012 - 17:12
    +1

    FYI Currently $43.70 (plus shipping) for the white version…. (http://www.amazon.com/TASCAM-VR-20W-Portable-Digital-Recorde…)

  • barnetas on 08/11/2012 - 20:44
    +3

    Just received mine today and had a fiddle around hacking the firmware. If anyone is interested I have managed to port the Tascam DR-08 firmware over so I now have to option of recording at 96khz. Will do some tests to see if this is ACTUAL 96khz. If you are interested PM me and I'll send you the hacked file. Just remember it is at your own risk :)

    • PlasticSpaceman on 09/11/2012 - 11:18

      Mine arrived as well…. hacking it is tempting, but frankly 48k is probably good enough for me. Let us know if it does actually do 96khz, though!

      • barnetas on 09/11/2012 - 12:20
        +1

        Yep I imported the files into my computer, and Itunes shows that they are indeed 96khz. I also think that the newer tascam firmware allows better noise reduction (or maybe i'm just hearing things haha).

        • CarnivalMonkey on 09/11/2012 - 14:16

          got mine, also looking at firmware. this was a damn steal for this price.

        • barnetas on 09/11/2012 - 14:58
          +2

          This weekend I'll set up a quick blog on how to create and install the hacked firmware. Keep checking back :)

        • skatoz on 09/11/2012 - 18:25

          A great idea!

          I would also be interested in hearing various tips on:
          - extending battery life (optimal settings and use)
          - protective cases (I use my sunglasses case, ATM)
          - attaching it to a camera or tripod (velcro?)
          - minimising noise when hand-held
          - windscreens (DIY or buy)

        • monkymind on 09/11/2012 - 20:40

          I've only really had a chance to look at mine today …. but I did look up a few things last week:

          1) extending battery life (optimal settings and use)

          • I'm planning on mainly using it powered by a USB AC adaptor.

          2) protective cases (I use my sunglasses case, ATM)

          3) attaching it to a camera or tripod (velcro?)

          4) minimising noise when hand-held

          • ???? Gloves

          5) windscreens (DIY or buy)

        • barnetas on 10/11/2012 - 15:15
          +3

          OK guys the site is up: tehack.blogspot.com

          Unfortunately I won't be uploading the hacked file to the site as this will infringe upon tascam/teacs terms of use (and I don't want to get myself in hot water!)

          However I've included instructions on the site on how to make the hacked firmware on your own. It's a simple procedure and i've included lots of pretty pictures to hopefully make it easy, but if your having any difficulty understanding it please let me know!

          I'll also make a new page on the blog to include your tips and tricks (thanks skatoz and monkymind for the ideas!)

          Good luck :)

        • CarnivalMonkey on 10/11/2012 - 18:37
          +1

          awesome work, thanks.

        • barnetas on 10/11/2012 - 18:44

          No problem opasx. Please let me know if it works for you :)

        • CarnivalMonkey on 10/11/2012 - 19:16
          +1

          worked a treat. took all of 1 minute to do. too easy not to do it.

        • skatoz on 11/11/2012 - 01:49

          About the battery life - I usually carry a pair of AAA alkaline batteries as a back-up. They should fit in the sunglasses case as well.

          My primary batteries are Low-Self-Discharge rechargeable Ni-MH batteries, such as Eneloop or Turnigy. They don't last as long as alkalines but they are rechargeable.

          Don't forget that you can also use your laptop to power the VR-20 through the USB, if the situation allows it.

        • Jabba the Hutt on 11/11/2012 - 15:38
          +1

          Few nights ago I did a battery life test with a pair of Eneloops that'd been fully charged but sitting on the shelf for a few months. Played around with the device for a little while (so backlight had been on a bit), started the record and went to bed. It lasted 3 hours 30 mins.

          Last night I did another test with freshly charged Eneloops and 'stealth mode' enabled. This time it lasted 5 hours 48 mins. So for starters, I'd suggest enabling stealth mode, which disables the power-wasting record LED (although unfortunately it also disables the backlight).

          These tests were with the battery type set to NiMH and recording quality set to 192Kbps MP3.

  • barnetas on 10/11/2012 - 22:05
    +2

    I've put a video on youtube showing the Tascam firmware working on my Teac, if anyone is interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx59GyjDH8c&feature=youtu.be

    • Jabba the Hutt on 11/11/2012 - 15:44
      +1

      Damn, not only do you post excellent bargains - you can also hack firmware and write great tutorials.

    • skatoz on 11/11/2012 - 19:28
      +1

      I've managed to flash mine as well and it works flawlessly! Thanks.

      • barnetas on 11/11/2012 - 20:02

        thats great news :) enjoy!

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