As a guitarist, I often like to record myself to see how something is coming along. (I always do test recordings of a piece before breaking out my A-List gear for a more polished recording.) I have a pair of XLR mics set up over my music stand. Until recently, I've run them into an SSL 2. It's served me well. But this means I always needed my laptop computer at hand. That isn't always convenient. So I wanted to replace the SSL 2 with a stand-alone recorder. Noting that tiny portable field recorders are becoming all the rage, I pulled the trigger on the Tascam FR-AV2.

I'll be clear about my intended use for this device. As a musician, I care only about two things: sound quality and ease of use. I don't give a fig about Atomos, Bluetooth, TC sync, time code generator, or wireless audio monitoring. I just want to record myself playing guitar with two XLR mics, without needing a computer in the chain. And to be fair, the FR-AV2 isn't really aimed at musicians. Looking at Tascam's website for this device, its intended uses are videography, podcasting, and ambient sound recording. Of course, Tascam will be delighted if the FR-AV2 grabs market share among musicians. But we're not the target users.

With this caveat in mind, I'll front-load this review by laying out the negatives I encountered with the FR-AV2.

As is increasingly common among consumer audio gear, you won't be able to use the FR-AV2 right out of the box. It comes with no power supply, no batteries, no USB cable, no memory chip, and no operating manual. The manual must be obtained online, and the accessories must be bought separately. Indeed, calling them "accessories" is an outright falsehood, since some of them are needed to operate the FR-AV2. Without a memory chip and power, the FR-AV2 is an expensive paperweight. (Tascam isn't alone in this. Zoom does the same with its comparable F3.) This clearly is a ploy to keep the apparent selling price low. So welcome to the brave new world of marketing, where necessary parts aren't included in the initial sale. (Perhaps it won't be long before auto makers start quoting cars prices that don't include tires.)

Small devices chocked with multiple features don't have room for single purpose buttons dedicated to each function. Rather, they rely on a labyrinth of menus. The FR-AV2 menu system isn't especially cumbersome, but it can be bewildering to the novice. There's a learning curve, not helped by its unintuitively written 75 page user manual. And being such a small device, the buttons can be hard to manipulate for the more ham-fisted among us. One might wonder at what point does small become too small. Part of the FR-AV2's allure, however, is that it can be attached to a video camera—for that purpose smaller is better.

But there are trade-offs when squeezing so much into a small form factor. One is that, with so many features, things can potentially go wrong. The law of unintended consequences is a real thing. For example, on my new unit right out of the box, the mid/side decoding function was activated. Since I hadn't done this, I was stumped when my initial test recordings were unusable. (Only after describing my problem on the Gearspace online forum did someone alert me to the cause.) Further, I'm told by other FR-AV2 owners that it automatically saves whatever settings you last used. Well, maybe it does, and maybe it doesn't. I've actually witnessed my unit deactivate phantom power while I was adjusting another setting. (Can't recall what setting I was adjusting, but it wasn't phantom power.)

This highlights another common problem with complex multi-featured devices. With so much to describe, the user manual often glosses over or omits important information. For example, nowhere in the FR-AV2 manual does it say whether settings are saved when powering off the device. Wouldn't this be a good thing for a user to know? Further, the manual says up to three presets can be saved. But it offers not a word on how to retrieve or select among multiple presets.

Durability wise, the FR-AV2 doesn't inspire confidence. Tascam is careful to say it's made of fiberglass, doubtless less off-putting than calling it plastic. (A distinction without a difference, as fiberglass is a type of plastic.) Be that as it may, I wouldn't feel comfortable knocking it about. That would seem a demerit against a device marketed as a portable field recorder.

For cave dwellers who still transfer files via a card reader, be aware that the FR-AV2 uses a micro memory card. Trust me, this teeny and delicate plastic sliver isn't something you'll want to be swapping in and out of your device. Fortunately the FR-AV2 itself is so small that removing the memory card to transfer files seems pointless. Also, be aware the FR-AV2 is finicky about which memory card it accepts. So check into this before buying a memory card.

After all my kvetching, let's get to the crux. How does the FR-AV2 sound? Actually, it's pretty darned good. I tested my FR-AV2 with a pair of Line Audio CM4 mics against a gear chain costing ten times more. The FR-AV2 and CM4s fared unnervingly well. Yes there's a difference. But it isn't huge. With good mics and expert handling, the FR-AV2 can yield surprisingly excellent audio. If you're making online videos or podcasts, it's hard to justify using more expensive gear. Some who've compared it to the Sound Devices Mix-Pre 3 claim that, while the FR-AV2 doesn't knock the Mix-Pre off its lofty perch, it holds its own. And you'll pay a stiff premium to enjoy the Mix-Pre's perhaps debatable sonic superiority.

For my specific needs, the FR-AV2 is a keeper. Yes, it's a bit geeky with its maze of menus. But I was able to learn my way around without much angst. And the sound (my prime concern) is better than I expected. For other musicians, however, I wouldn't say the FR-AV2 outclasses a simple audio interface like the SSL-2. So your choice may boil down to how small you need your recording chain to be.

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