Perfect for my use case
By Frank
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2025-12-15
I just received my FR-AV4 and BT2 adaptor and so far, I am very impressed! Keep in mind the AV4 may not be a perfect fit for everyone depending on what you are doing, but it’s a great fit for me.
What I like about it:
The mic pres (like the FR-AV2 which I also own) are super warm and yet clean sounding. I hooked up an Electrovoice RE-20 (not my typical mic for what I do, but it’s in my mic locker) and I was very impressed with the fact that the pres had plenty of gain to drive the mic. I did not try it with the Shure SM-7B, but I know that both mics usually require a Cloudlifter and with the FR-AV4, I absolutely did not need any external gain boost. Obviously, when I plugged in my “more typical” Sennheiser 416’s, I had plenty of gain (using phantom from the unit). A quick note here about battery life…normally, I just buss power units like this, but the AV4 does have some pretty darn good battery life (not typical for this type of unit as we all know). With two phantom powered mics and one LAV, I was able to get over 3 hours of recording time with standard alkaline batteries. This may be a moot point for some people, but it’s good to know that I CAN battery power the unit if I need to, and it’s a simpler/cleaner set up if I don’t have to bring a power brick/cables.
I really like the fact that I can connect the AV4 to my camera via the HDMI out (Canon R5) and I can set it up so that the AV4 goes in and out of record along with the camera. I can also get TIME CODE via the HDMI stream, eliminating the need for an external time code generator. Plus, it saves time since I don’t have to jam sync each unit. Keep in mind that 90% of what I am doing is single camera shooting. In that scenario, I can’t imagine an easier workflow, but I also recognize that some people will be using multiple cameras.
I love the fact that when I am using it along with my FR-AV2, I can have both the FR-AV2 AND the FR-AV4 go into record/out of record via the CAMERA, or by using the free Tascam app. You need the optional BT2 for this (more on that later).
The build quality is great. It’s substantial, but not too heavy, and all of the connectors are first quality. The touch screen is very responsive, and I was getting around on the unit in seconds. I like the fact that each input has it’s own “select” button which gives you quick access to that channel, and the fact that it has a “Fn” (function) button that is user selectable for quick access to a single function.
As far as cons, for me personally, there really aren’t any other than it may have been nice to have 6 individual tracks instead of 4 tracks and a stereo track, but honestly, I don’t usually use more than 4 for my main unit, and if need more I can add the FR-AV2 that I have to the mix.
Having to buy the optional BT2 rather than having it built-in is a bit of a gripe, but I get why they did it that way (not everyone needs it and it would drive the price up).
It doesn’t have the “auto mix” feature yet, but my salesperson at B&H told me that it’s coming in January and that it will be a free upgrade (unlike some products where you have to pay extra).
I know that I can wirelessly monitor from the FR-AV4, but in my use case (having it directly below the camera) it’s kind of a moot point. I do use that feature when I use the FR-AV2, and I guess I could see this being a nice feature if you had a director on set that wanted his/her own set of earbuds or wireless headphones to monitor the shoot.
Over-all, I’m very happy with it and I look forward to using it for years to come. I did want to mention the great phone support I received from B&H when setting up my camera to output the correct information to allow the FR-AV4 and the R5 to work together.
Great Product
By Richard
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2025-12-01
Great Unit - Great Build Quality.
So Far, I Am Loving This Recorder. Very Tough Build, Great Sounding Microphone Pre-amps, Very Easy Workflow By Using The HDMI Output Of My Camera To The Input Of The FR-AV4 Which Allows Start/stop As Well As Time Code. No More Need For A TC-1 And If I Do Need To Jam Sync Anything, I Can Use The Dedicated Time Code Out On The FR-AV4. I Am Intrigued By The Ability To Link Two Units Together For A Total Of 8 Tracks, As Well As The Ability For Both Audio And Video To “pass Through” Via The HDMI Cable To An Atomos External Recorder.
I Am Still Learning About All Of The Cool Things This Unit Can Do, But Very Happy So Far. Fast Shipping From B&H (shipped Same Day).