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I’ve had the Sony PCM A10 handheld recorder for a little over a year and I even got a second one before my recent trip to Borneo. Does this make it an excellent device, worth spending your money on? Probably not, but read on to find out what it excels at.

In my original handheld review and comparison last year, I was a bit disappointed with the A10. I was hoping it would be the long-awaited M10 replacement but Sony seems to have other plans for it. It’s smaller than expected and it feels more like a voice recorder than a device you can rely on in the field.

As mentioned in the original review, initial tests were mostly underwhelming. The A10’s on-board mics are quite noisy and not as transparent as the ones on the M10 or D100, which is arguably the most important aspect to consider when picking a handheld recorder. You can download sample recordings for the A10 and 4 other handhelds at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/k8733cflg0k6nz0/AAA4ZYRdK0JaElYnOmha131Ua?dl=0.

Due to its diminutive size, it’s not too difficult to find room for it in luggage so I brought mine along on field recording trips to the Amazon, Ethiopia and Borneo. This way I got to experiment with it without having high expectations.

Let’s start with the good things. The PCM A10 takes power via USB and is very efficient in this regard (I’d like to see this in an updated D100). As a consequence it can record for long periods at a time. On my trip to Borneo I was able to make 20 hour recordings (with external mics plugged in) while using around 5000 mAh worth of power. This makes it perfect for drop rig applications, as detailed in the video above.

While the on-board mics offer modest audio performance, you can vastly improve this by using external mics such as Lom MikroUsis or Clippy EM172s. The audio quality that can be achieved this way is on par with the M10 or D100, enabling the user to record good clean soundscapes with a very small package.

Field recording with the Sony PCM A10 in Borneo

Although it feels like a toy, the Sony PCM A10 is pretty sturdy. I generally take good care of my gear but I’m not afraid of putting it to serious tests and so far the A10 has not disappointed in this regard. It’s been in plenty of hot and humid places and it was even bitten by a monkey in Borneo. I’ve also used it to record Erta Ale volcano in Ethiopia (recording below).

Lastly, it’s not as expensive as a used Sony PCM M10, which has become somewhat of a collector’s item nowadays. I was lucky enough to get a New Old Stock M10 on Ebay for three times its regular price, and used ones go for at least $300 from what I’ve seen. It’s also cheaper than the D100 which is still the king of handhelds in my opinion, but not necessarily on the affordable side.

This may make the A10 sound like a great device, but unfortunately it has plenty of flaws too. Let’s start with the plasticky build. While it’s not as flimsy as it may seem at a first glance, it does feel like a toy. On a subconscious level this may keep you from trusting it or using it to its full potential.

The Sony PCM A10 has an unremovable battery that will last for about 13 hours of continuous recording when you buy it. This is more than enough if you want to use it as a general purpose handheld recorder, but not as good for use in drop rigs. In this latter case you’ll need to get a powerbank which will more than double the size and weight of your rig. It’s also damaging to the environment as users may just discard the recorder when the on-board battery doesn’t keep charge anymore.

The A10 excels when used in unattended drop rigs, like on this Amazon rainforest expedition

It’s clear that Sony wanted to make this a low-cost (relatively speaking, of course) prosumer device. This is most evident in the mediocre workmanship. For example, the microSD cover on the first A10 I got is slightly larger than it should be and therefore very difficult to shut. The screen is a step down from the other devices they make and can become unreadable in low temperatures. Boot time is longer than any other handheld I’ve owned.

Taking all the pluses and minuses into account, I see two clear uses for the PCM A10. The first one is, similarly to the Sony PCM D10, mini drop rigs. Even when adding a powerbank and external mics, this is still smaller and lighter than using a D10 or D100, let alone field recorders like the Sound Devices Mixpre or Zoom F series. Audio quality is perfectly fine (with external mics) and all this doesn’t add up to more than $350 in price. Most importantly, you can pair it with a camouflage dry bag and you can easily make it inconspicuous.

The screen on the A10 is mediocre at best

A second use would be as everyday recorder, with some caveats. It’s small enough to be taken anywhere but audio quality isn’t great so you should be fairly close to the sound source (so that your signal to noise ratio is high) if you want to make decent recordings. There’s the option of having a pair of external mics with it but that kind of defeats the purpose of a small device that you can easily record with.

Are you looking for a great handheld recorder that you can use as your main device for years? I suggest getting a D100 or D50 if you can find one. Do you want to get a second recorder that you can always have with you and possibly use in drop rigs? In this case the A10 is going to tick most boxes and is worth getting. Don’t forget the external mics and wind protection!

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