Noticed BestBuy had the 128MB version for $59 or $69. That's 8 hours stereo recording time plopped into an mp3 format transferred via USB to Mac or PC. Or easy drag and drop from iTunes to the iriver.
I know a guy on the Big Island who runs a recording studio. He owns on of these devices, and loves it! He uses it to record live performances, and has done some really nice work with it. Even $69 is a great price. They are basically a portable hard drive. Aloha, -Konabob
Jim Cramer uses one to record his Hawaiian Music Institute classes. We just got one for Lynn to use at the gym, but I haven't tried recording with it yet.
Yep I love mine. Like Fran said I use it at Patricks class and it has been a big help. I record the 2 hours or so of class dump it on my computer and then edit it with the "amazing slowdowner". Break each section of the song down into seperate tracks (slow it down if I need to) then burn it to CD. Takes me about 15 minutes.
It does a pretty good job of recording with a stereo mic I got from Soundpro (about $49). It's what I'm going to record on for the Taropatch CD.
My only complaint, tiny buttons and multilayerd menus but how else are they going to get all that stuff in something the size of a lipstick tube
I'll cast another vote for the iFP-700 and 800 series. Their only downsides are that the internal mic preamp can be noisy if you're using a low-sensitivity mic and they have no level meters while recording (or built-in compression or peak limiting). If you're using an external mic you can monitor the sound while you're recording through headphones but you can't adjust it...you can only adjust prior to recording.
Having said that, I wouldn't trade mine for anything else. It's the best combination of sound quality, size, and price currently on the market for those who want to do portable recording without spending $400 or more.
Order this with the high-sensitivity "61" mic elements. Also indicate that you'll be using it with an iRiver and request the low profile plug. Windscreens can be bought at Radio Shack.