The D1600 has 4 powered XLRs and another 4 TRS. I chose the D1600 as the best buy for me when I was looking to spend 1600 USD on a recorder about a year ago.

I since then discovered I didn't need that many simultaneous inputs cos I was recording me and only doing over dubs. I also wanted USB as I had started getting into computer recording. SO I sold the D1600 and got me a second hand D1200 from Mr eBay. and with the profit, got a Gibson Studio LP.

I think that whatever you get, for vox at the least, you will eventually want a nice preamp and a reasonable condenser mic however, which one (as with the recorder) will depend solely on A) application and B) your own preference. Everyone sounds slightly different and suits certain bits of kit. I sound dreadful through an SM58 and at least halfway decent through an SM57.

There are issues with the D1600 Pres however they also depend on your own learning curve and supporting kit. What Im saying is there is no point getting a Avalon pre if you are feeding it with a $5 computer mic. I have heard some belting recordings done with a D1600 and no extra outboard kit.

At the end of the day, Id think about what you want to do, assign a budget, audition bits of kit and get the ones you like the best. I would also think about upgradeability as in about a year, with perseverance, even a once complete novice will be looking for ways to get an extra 5%.

When I sold my old D1600 it had not become a rate limiting step, I had just changed the way I thought about recording i.e. I wanted to be able to edit multiple scrub tracks simultaneously and whilst Sonar was happy to do that, the D1600 wasn’t.