Microphone recommendation for recording 2 channel demos

@OP +1 to Moonwatcher's post above. The Tascam has 48V phantom power so you can use external condensers with it. However, as above, you will be limited with the quality of the mic pres. Good recommendation on the Schoeps Mk4. If you were going into that territory but wanted to spend less, a pair of AKC C414XLS's are pretty neutral as well - about a third less price wise than the Schoeps. That's with due respect to the fact that I think it would be overkill for the chosen application.

@moonwatcher great suggestions. Honestly the recordings I did at home with my blue yeti in stereo mode were pretty solid for what I want and if I could just mimic this in a portable setup I would be happy. I thought the tascam built in stereo mics would mimic that quality but its a step down from the blue yeti imo.

Do you think the rode m5 or nt5 would be a step above the built in xy tascam mics ?

@smodtactical you’d have to check but both Amazon and B&H offer a good 30-day return policy I think, so you could order the Rode M5 matched pair for $200 and give them a shot compared to the onboard mics (and the Yeti). Get some cheap but decent microphone shock mounts too and a "stereo T-bar", so bass doesn’t get transmitted to the mics via your stand and cause "muddy" sound or even picking up nearby footfalls on the floor.

You could send them back if you thought they weren’t a significant step up over the onboard mics.

I know a girl who used the $200 Rode M5 mics in a set up and would stream audio and video via her phone of shows done by the band Spafford on Soundcloud. Even with the digital compression going on to mp3 files or whatever they used, it sounded OK to listen to. The NT-5 mics are $429, so not sure at this point if you want to spend the additional $$$. Be careful. Recording is a rabbit hole that will draw you in and never let you go.

The Sony PCM-D10 is an awesome portable recorder with excellent built-in microphones.  Also great for digitizing vinyl up to 24/192.  Built like a tank. And right within your budget.  I use mine to record live concerts and recitals, sometimes using external microphones for large ensembles.

Thanks for the recommendation...looks like a nice compact piece.

OP, you might consider renting a pair from a Guitar Center or the like, and they might make a recommendation of what may work for your efforts....
....or do the Amazon 30 day tap dance.... ;)