Sony PCM A10 - Review
A Little Piece Of Gear
The Sony PCM A-10 is a tiny machine ! This recorder is no longer sold new on the market and, like its big brother the Sony PCM D100, can be found at a high second-hand price.So compact, it’s easy to carry everywhere, in a backpack or even in a pocket ! In addition to the built-in microphones, it lets you connect external microphones via mini jack, like a pair of Lom mikroUsi for example.
The one I have was bought in Japan for a fair price, but everything is written in Japanese only.
The idea here is to share my experience and feeling about this little machine.
Design And Construction
The Sony PCM A10 looks like a sturdy little toy ! The Usb A connector gives this recorder the look of a first-generation mp3 player. Even though this option is a little surprising, it can come handy for fast data transfer. The microphone position is adjustable, as on most recorders in this range. Its compact, lightweight design makes it pleasant to hold, but doesn’t make it a professional machine – that’s not the point.
Audio Quality And Connectivity
The internal Mics of the PCM A10 are too noisy to be a main recorder on a field recording trip in my opinion. It can be useful in a noisy environment, but for recording in a quiet atmosphere, the selfnoise of the the microphones come noticeable. With a recorder of this size, we couldn’t expect the best quality. The compromise was made on the size of the device.
But the interest, in addition to its small size, is the stereo mini-jack mic/line inputs, allowing for the connection of mini external microphones. The recorder can be easily dissimulated anywhere for drop rig recordings, with a pair of microphones hidden in their environment.
The audio quality achieved in this way is comparable to that of the Sony PCM-D100, enabling to record clean, high-quality soundscapes in a very compact format.
Power And Advanced Features
The Sony PCM-A10 is powered by a non-removable internal battery. It can record for around 15 hours at 96 kHz/24-bit LPCM, which may be enough for an overnight recording session. Unfortunately, as we all know, batteries tend to run down over time. The good thing is that an external battery can be connected to this device, making it capable of recording continuously for more than a day !
In terms of storage, the device boasts 16 GB of internal memory, with a microSD card slot for further expansion. As we all know, the microSD format proves difficult and dangerous to handle, so you’ll need to be very careful when backing up. Or you can also simply do it with the usb plug.
Ease Of Use And Interface
The Sony PCM-A10 doesn’t have a physical gain knob like its big brother, instead we can adjust microphone sensitivity by clicking buttons, and this can only be done while recording, which is not very intuitive. The gain adjustment range is also rather limited, which can be disturbing when compared with other recorders.
The backlit LCD display provides clear information on recording levels, settings and battery status.
Should You Buy It ?
If you are not yet equipped and are looking for a portable recorder for field recording, I would not necessarily recommend the Sony PCM-A10 because the internal microphones are too noisy. It will be quite useful as a dictaphone, however, for field recordings, it will not be fully satisfying.
It will be very practical as a secondary recorder. Allowing you to have an even smaller backup recorder while maintaining suitable sound quality.
Its quality will be highlighted with a few additional accessories. Indeed, with an external battery, a small bag, a pair of microphones, the Sony PCM-A10 will transform into a superb recorder to conceal anywhere, and for hours if necessary, ideal for use in a drop rig, for example, all for an affordable price.
Just like its big brother, the Sony PCM-D100, the PCM-A10 has become somewhat a collector’s item, and it’s now hard to find at the right price.
But the Sony PCM-A10 is in a way the point-and-shoot of sound recorders, practical and discreet.
Sony PCM A10 with a pair of external mics, the LOM mikroUsi