If you're looking for a pair of good near-field monitors then put these on your shortlist.
Fostex have been around for donkey's years and are renowned for their R&D and quality, so what makes these monitors special?
Well, it's apparent as soon as your monitors arrive. Mine came in a sturdy outer box, inside which was the Fostex box; which contained 2 further boxes containing the monitors. Each monitor was placed within a
polystyrene frame, having first been lovingly wrapped in tissue paper, polystyrene sheeting and placed in what felt like an anti-static bag !
And then of course there's the weight ! The total package came in at over 35 pounds (16 kg) - so being sensible I got the wife to move it !
Once out of their boxes the monitors simply shout quality. The build is exemplary and the shiny gloss front is inspirational, making other makes look boring! Inset perfectly into the front is a 20mm soft dome tweeter and a 130mm low frequency driver supported by 2 bass reflex ports which are clearly tuned as they can be seen to curve downwards inside the cab. These front facing ports are perfect for the smaller studio where monitors are likely to be placed nearer walls - (with such placement, rear-ported monitors would severely colour the sound and should be avoided.) The ports certainly work and provide a deep rich controlled bass which belies the compact size - clearly the cabinet density and solid construction assist in this respect. If anything the bass is excessive (for me !) but a judicious tweak at 80Hz via the console levelled things out.
The specification gives a low frequency response down to 50Hz (which is the accepted point at which the bass rolls off at -3dB), with a low frequency cut off of 40Hz. However, I obtained a useful sound down to 30Hz, which is exceptional for the size of cab and driver, and a testament to Fostex's investment in R&D.
The overall sound is clean and punchy and the top end is handled well, producing a smooth and detailed sound, good sound placement and a well defined and controlled 'sweet spot' with no noticeable colouration. Acoustic material is handled particularly well and instruments are clearly defined , natural,with amazing clarity and superb dynamics.
Each driver is fed by it's own 35 Watt amplifier which is more than adequate for nearfield monitoring and is clearly top quality. The input gain control allows adjustment for optimum signal to noise ratio, but ideally this should be set at the mid-range point (or less) to allow headroom for the amplifier to handle the
dynamics of the music - which it does with ease.
The large heatsink on the back works well and soon warms up, requiring an unrestricted air flow. There is a clever single multi-connection input socket that caters for XLR and TRS plugs and is electronically balanced to
handle both balanced and unbalanced sources. There are no RCA (phono) sockets. As always, it pays to use top quality audio cables and plugs throughout the signal chain - anything less would be an insult to these monitors.
So, if size and budget are restricted, you'd be hard pressed to get a better sounding pair of monitors. Of course all room acoustics are different, so you'd need to live with these ( as with any new speakers) for a few days before deciding whether they are right for you and your tunes and your monitoring environment -
but I don't think you'll be disappointed. I certainly wont be sending mine back!

Mike
Manchester

Excellent sound quality at normal and loud levels. I used to suffer ear fatigue after a small amount of time, but since using these, i can mix for hours comfortably. The low frequency sub serves itself well revealing all the muddiness previously unheard with other monitors, my mixes now sound bright full bodied and my mixes translate much better to other playback mediums, such as cars, hi-fi and loudspeaker situations.

Excellent value for money:

Only one issue: the cones are unprotected so if you are moving location often it would be advised to keep the large boxes for transport.

I writing this review on the basis of looking for cheap monitors that give a realistic and true sound.

As a music student doing a course in music technology I required monitors that would give me accurate sound so that I could complete assignments at home away from my college's studios. I've had them for a good few months now.

Fostex's PM.04 are very affordable and the quality is some thing that I really did not expect from such cheap and small monitors. When viewing the sound from the centre of these two speakers in the 'sweet spot' the output is clean and crisp and truly a joy to listen to. The bass is really defined and the two holes above the bass cone really pump out some air when turned up. The volume can reach good levels and I've never needed to turn these any where near full as they would be way loud. The high end could be a little better as it lacks some clarity but it still sounds decent. Hi hats sound great and so do other hi frequency noises but cymbal crashes don't seem to sound as clear.

I compare my mix-downs on these to that of the monitors in the studios at college which some use Tannoy monitors and another uses a Blue Sky 2.1 system. I usually require little tweaking to get my mixes sounding exactly how I imagined. These monitors however great for the price are never going to sound as good as systems that cost well over £1000 of course!

I considered the Edirol M-15's but after listening to a friends pair I was unsure about them. Having listened to both pairs in a store I was certain that the quality of sound coming from the Fostex's is superior to the Edirol's. I see that the Edirol's are a lot more popular than the Fostex's but I can't see why because they are both around £100. Its possibly just the brand name coming from Roland but I highly recommend that people look past the name and get these monitors.

Lastly these are very durable and aren't going to get damaged easily from knocks and bumps. They also look great and have a really nice finish to them. Although this can attract finger marks but these are easily wiped away.

Overall a great product for its price. I would recommend them. If they where damaged or broken I would definitely replace them if I was on the same budget. Its really enjoyable sitting right between them and listening to my work!

I've been using the MR16 for about a month now, recording mainly acoustic instruments and vocals.
I think it's perhaps easier to deal with it's faults first and get them out of he way.

1: The small LCD screen recessed into the top panal. This is dificult to view unless you'r sitting directly over the unit. I found I was having to prop it up at the back with a few books to tilt it forward.

2: Input EQ consists of choosing from about 30 or so presets. It would have liked, say a 7 band graphic equlizer to
play with.

3: The unit has a 40 gig hard drive but it's surprising how fast it fills up. Unfortunately the only way to free up space is to format the whole drive. Deleting tracks or songs only turns them into hidden files and does not free dard drive space.
You therefore need to back up everything onto a PC.

What about it's good points.

A well laid out control panal, sliders, rotary controls all feel good, with most having a single function. The menu system is straight forward and the whole recording process quite easy.
Takes about half an hour to learn how to use it

Sound quality: (this is what really matters) Superb, it's difficult to find any fault with this. Friends have described it as “Too clear man, it needs dirtying up, I can hear all your mistakes”.
Using decent mics, if you can't get a good sound out of it you'r doing something wrong.

Marks out of 10: overall 9.
For sound quality alone 10.

If I dropped it and broke it, would I buy it again? Absolutely yes.

Paul Sumner.

Well after unpacking my new Fostex FR-2 recorder with the Time code option, my first impression was it was a nice small size, but not too small, and it was really light. It was made of plastic, but that has its advantages. It will probably run a bit cooler, and is a bit lighter than other materials, that’s a good thing. As far as sturdy, it should be fine.

I did order an optional Porta-Brace bag for this nifty little unit, it fits perfectly and is made extremely well.

Once nestled inside it’s new home (the bag) the recorder should be safe from anything a production can throw at it. Shock, vibration, dust dirt and some moisture should be no problem at all. I then went out and purchased a Pig-tail 4 pin to small DC plug to power the unit from any of my favorite 12-volt power sources…. I prefer a couple of 12-volt belt batteries, and a small pelican battery capable of running the FR-2 for 15 hours straight! I also bought a set of (8) 2600 nimh AA batteries and an 8 hour slow charger for those quick, run and gun situations. Those AAs should give me 2 to 2 ½ hours of use time. That’s plenty for any quick "run and gun" applications.

After the accessories were rounded up I decided on 2 Sandisk Ultra II 2GB Compact Flash Cards. Although these cards were on the official list of compatible cards for this FR-2, Others will work as well. I was told that the shear number of cards on the market makes it difficult for Fostex to test them all. I chose 2- 2GB cards rather than the 4GB card due to the amount of time I need to record on for my purposes.I figured that 2 2GB cards are better to have with an optional 4GB standing by.... I will probably buy one more as time goes on. I do recommend a proper aluminum cardholder case to keep the cards safe and clean.

I choose the CF cards rather than the 1.8 inch HD because of just plain wanting and liking the no moving part thing. I also liked the reduced heat from the CF cards and a quieter overall operation, although the drive makes very little noise.

Battery consumption was also reduced a bit with the CF cards from what I understand. The cost of the little HD was also an issue…

Now to the nitty gritty. I first read all the data, manuals and comments posted by all the users I could get my hands on before I ever took the unit out of the box, so I was well prepared to operate the unit. I was surprised though that that was probably not a necessity. The recorder is that easy to operate, right out of the box with only a little practice knowledge of file based recording. Easy, easy, easy. Everything that is pertinent to recording is right there in front of you clearly marked on all of the switches and dials. That I really like. Everything else is in menu form, which is really a pleasure to operate. The menu functions are quick and to the point. The Time code functions are also very quick to use with no wasted movements… Once set up, most of the functions will remain the same until you change them, making the whole system very fast to get going at a moments notice. The “home” button on the face of the deck is helpful to immediately get you right back to the main screen, I liked that. Changing the file name data was also a breeze.I have found, just to note, that naming the gig or show and then letting the takes increment from 1 to lets say 149. Reason being, Constantly re-naming a file in battle can be problematic, you might not get the scene and take untill after your rolling, then correcting the file name is a hassle, as with ANY file based machine. So, again, let the take number just go on one after another, make sure you note the take number next to the actual scene and take on your report and your sitting pretty, almost like on a DAT! Don't worry about Post, they use the Time code anyhow to sync the material. If they need to go back and get data, they can look at the report to see what scene and take....So easy..

I recorded some tracks, and was very happy with the overall sound of the mic preamps…. I used a Scheops CMC-6 mic. with a MK-41 capsule for my test recording and again, was very pleased with the warm sound. I really liked the option to quickly flip the small and very sturdy toggle switch to go from stereo 2 track, to mono left track only recording. The mono option allows twice the recording time given the same Compact flash card….When recording wild lines, or sound effects, sometimes that’s all you need… I prefer most of the time to reduce the input of one of the two channels and increase the headroom to record a poor mans safety track just in case something loud or unexpected happens. This way you have a back up.

The Trim pots on the top of the recorder are also a nice touch. Again, simple controls, simple use, quality tracks…

I then pushed the button, which unmounts the Compact flash card from the system, then released the card by pushing the release button on the right side of the unit. I then plugged it into a CF card reader hooked up to my Mac, and the files quickly showed up on my desktop. I then dragged the files to a folder marked simply “test” to copy them and store them. For a job, mark the folder with the job name and day# or date. I then opened the program Toast, clicked the DATA button (important, use data not audio) you want the data just as it was recorded… My next quick step was to drag the folder ” test “ to the Toast window and hit the record button. My computer said insert disc, which I did and the burn began…. Allow like 20- 25 minutes or so to burn 2 hours or so of BWF files, including the verification process. I do this when I am loading out and packing up. When the process was done, the disc loaded into my Mac, and everything was there and sounded great. I prefer to load the files first into a file or folder I can keep on my dedicated HD until the show clears post. Then I burn from there. That way, if there is ever a problem, I can use a FTP site the Post house has set up to send files directly to them or simply burn another disc.If you need to just send a file or two, you can simply e-mail it! By not keeping a copy for you, this option would not be possible.

In theory you could transfer the data to a folder on the computer of the Production Manager by way of a thumb drive and let them hold the back up. Then, if ever needed they could burn a back up themselves or send it FTP.


The only cons about this recorder were really pointless. I did have some reservations about the plastic construction until I thought about it a bit. Once inside it’s little bag all fears quickly disappeared. The only other gripes I could muster were one concerning the style of DC input plug used. My Pigtail, with a little help from some soft-sided Velcro, bulletproofed that little situation in a flash. I now never have to use anything but my 4 pin. I also loved the combo main input pot..... for mono recording. I did not however like it for stereo recording in a situation requiring a lot of constant input adjustment. You can’t have it both ways, once I got used to it, again, no problem.

After using the Fostex FR-2, I can say that for many reasons I again made the right choice by choosing the Fostex company and this product the FR-2. The product is well thought out, and it works great. It is un- complicated and actually fun to use. The price is more than fair when compared to other products available, that is a bonus, and one I like. Are there more expensive recorders out there? Yes. Are there fancier recorders out there with fancy flashing lights, yes? Are there recorders out there with more tracks and features…? Yes. BUT when all is said and done this FR-2 is EXACTLY what is needed in a format that is well laid out and one that works in a beautifully simple way. And in the end sounds awesome. I am keeping and loving my latest piece of gear. I like Fostex Equipment.

The Fostex MR-8HD does everything that home musicians could possibly want, and still has some features that will surprise you like the professional- quality clic-track feature. For sheer versatility it is a winner.

Ideal for building up a track at a time where you play everything yourself (we've all been there), or for a band/small group wanting to capture a live performance or create a demo.

With so many features and professional-type effects built-in and easily accessed you need look no further when it comes to choosing a digital recorder.

With a keyboard or synth plugged in you can build up layers of effects and ambient moods a track at a time so easily that you have to be disciplined no to over-do it. Overdubbing of guitar/ vocals/ harmony etc. then follows leading to a professional-sounding result.

Edit or re-do anything if you make a mistake, even removing a single wrong note or wrong word is possible. Only a short time for a session? no problem, the 'work in progress' can be saved to the MR-8's hard disk and returned to any time later.

Getting the track onto your PC is simple, as is the final stage of burning to CD. I use Nero software to add final mastering touches and burn CDs, it is highly compatible.

The tactile faders and knobs are a welcome feature as they feel 'real' giving a hands-on, almost retro feeling during recording, for perfect fades and cues for dubbing musical phrases/choruses onto the final mix.

One feature I particularly like is the the MR8 works with all the gear you probably already have, guitar Fx units included and it can be played as a sound source through the mic. input of your home audio system as a alternative to earphones.