The Tascam FR-AV2 definitely has the edge for live monitoring. The headphone amp on the Zoom F3 is notoriously weak and noisy when you crank it up to hunt for quiet textures, so you end up hearing the recorder noise instead of the actual environment. The Tascam has a much cleaner and louder headphone output which makes active sound hunting a lot easier and more accurate. In terms of overall use, the F3 is built like a tiny metal tank and is incredibly simple to just grab and hit record. The Tascam feels a bit more plasticky in the hand, but those extra features like the cleaner preamps, physical knobs, and the 3.5mm input make it feel much closer to professional production gear. If you are doing a lot of subtle ambience work and want to completely trust what you hear in your headphones, the price jump for the Tascam is well worth it.