All user reviews of 5/5 for the Tascam DR-40

The DR-40 is a standard recorder in the videography world. Especially for DSLR cameras and camcorders without XLR mic inputs.

It is simple and easy to use. With a 16 Gb memory card it will record days of audio. I am not sure about the noise floor as I am doing location recordings of shows which are never absolutely quiet. I record in 24-bit mode at a lower gain and then boost and compress in audacity which works for me. I can hear the audio purists gasp

I have recorded both phantom powered mics and unbalanced line level mixer outputs and both work well. As to batteries, I work around that problem by using an external USB battery pack. You need to remember to connect it and set it as an external power source before you start recording.

I am very happy with my DR-40 and at less than $100US for a used unit, a very good value.

Purchased in late 2012 to replace a Swissonic MDR-2 (which was used to record REPES) ...
I wanted 2 XLR inputs with phantom and a better quality recording. I'm not disappointed at all, it is simple to implement and the S / N ratio is good, except when necessary to push the gain: it blows a little while, without it being unusable.
The phantom is correct and feeds my most consumers easily microphones. I like the XLR, this was the purpose of the purchase, and they are combo XLR-Jack. Possibility to record four channels: two internal and two external.
A very nice feature is the immediate start recording (pre-rec), which does not "miss" the beginning of a decision: it takes 2 seconds BEFORE starting ... formidable!
In short, a very decent quality recorder, ergonomic, full!