A few months back Tascam released the DR-05 which seemed to be a direct competitor to the Zoom h1 field recorder,  I compared the two units side by side and it did seem like the over all build quality of the DR-05 was better then the Zoom h1, though the H1 wins in the size category. Now it seems Tascam has it’s sights set on the Zoom h4n with the release of the Tascam DR-40.  At around $80 less you end up with a 4 track field recorder with adjustable built in mic’s, XLR/1/4 inch combo inputs and a button interface very close to that of the DR-05. One major thing that’s missing is an 1/8 inch stereo input, the only way to record 4 tracks is the use a combination of the built in microphone with the XLR/1/4 inch inputs which limits a lot of what makes the 4 track recording handy when using the Zoom H4n.

Another thing to consider is that the Tascam DR-100, which falls into ruffly the same price category as the Zoom h4n, looks like a much beefier build while also featuring dedicated volume controls. The Tascam DR-40 also seems to be missing the option to act as a USB audio interface for you computer, which is something I use almost weekly with my Zoom h4n.

It does have Neutrik Combo jacks which accommodate both XLR and 1/4 inch inputs and a mysterious 1/8 inch plug labeled “remote”  at the base. Maybe this is a 1/8 inch stereo input after all, or maybe Tascam plans to offer a remote control like the one that is available for the Zoom H4n. Either way I will find out soon and let you know. I should have the Tascam DR-40 in for review next week and a video with a back to back comparison of both the Tascam and Zoom h4n to follow. Special Thanks to RED for point this out to me this morning.

One side note is that the Refurbished Zoom H4n field recorders are down to $249 on amazon right now, which puts the price to feature gap a lot closer to the DR-40.


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