A couple weeks ago we reviewed the Tascam FR-AV4 (which we're recording with right now, along with the JZ Microphones V11 condenser mic). This video answers the most common questions from the comments on that review. Full disclosure, Tascam sent the FR-AV4 to me on loan and hasn't told me what to say.

Should you buy the FR-AV4, a Zoom F6, a Sound Devices MixPre, or a Zoom F8n Pro? It really comes down to features — all of them produce excellent audio quality with only extraordinarily small preamp differences between them (I've uploaded 32-bit float samples from all three to Google Drive, linked below, so you can compare for yourself).

The FR-AV4's standout feature is a full-size HDMI 2.1 input and output, letting you combine your camera's video feed with the FR-AV4's high-quality audio directly onto an Atomos or Blackmagic Video Assist recorder, up to 8K at 30fps (not 60fps — if you need 8K60, this isn't the recorder for that workflow). It's also the only one with wireless Bluetooth headphone monitoring built in. If you want more inputs, an NP-F style battery, and don't mind the cramped physical controls, the Zoom F6 is a great choice. If you want auto-mix, USB backup copies, or noise assist (real-time noise reduction, different from a simple noise gate), plus manufacturer repair service, look at the Sound Devices MixPre. The Zoom F8n Pro adds dual SD card slots and balanced outputs for $200 more but lacks HDMI, wireless monitoring, and a 3.5mm mic input, and Zoom doesn't offer a repair service once out of warranty.

Whether the FR-AV4's roughly $999 price is justified is subjective — if HDMI audio/video combining and wireless monitoring matter to your workflow, I think it's worth it; if not, the $300-cheaper Zoom F6 might suit you better. On features: the FR-AV4 doesn't currently support auto-mix, but Tascam confirmed a firmware update adding it is coming sometime in 2026 (the MixPre's equivalent is a paid add-on plugin, making it the priciest option for that feature). It does support poly wave files as well as separate mono or stereo files. I demonstrated the noise gate on the Tascam and the noise assist plugin on the MixPre at various attenuation levels — note the MixPre's noise assist plugin costs $300 per instance ($600 for stereo), while the Tascam's built-in noise gate is included with the recorder. The FR-AV4 also has built-in per-channel EQ, demonstrated with cuts and boosts at various frequencies.

On file management: none of these have dual SD card slots except the Zoom F8n Pro; the MixPre has a USB-A port for automatic backup copies to a thumb drive after each recording (not the same redundancy as dual cards). Files can be named by date or custom text, organized up to two subfolders deep, with a max of 1,000 files/folders per card — unlikely to be a real-world limitation.

On Bluetooth monitoring latency with the AK-BT2 module: I measured at least 30ms latency, which isn't an issue when monitoring someone else's voice, but would feel disorienting monitoring your own voice live. Range testing across three quality settings (Prime, Standard, Stable): Prime got about 15 meters before dropout with excellent audio quality; Stable sacrificed some audio quality (less bass) but held a connection through my entire two-story house, about 30 meters, with zero dropouts.

On ultrasonic noise (a past issue with Tascam's original Portacapture recorders): testing at 192kHz/32-bit float with a dummy XLR load resistor on the preamp, the spectrogram looked clean, so no evidence of that issue here. On headphone amp power: it won't drive high-impedance (300+ ohm) audiophile headphones well without hiss at max volume, but performs fine with 60-ohm-or-lower headphones like the Beyerdynamic DT700 Pro X, likely a deliberate battery-conservation tradeoff for a field recorder. Get out there and make some great sound, and we'll talk to you again soon.