Olympus VN-702PC Voice Recorder

Bought a different model and found it would not upload to PC without wires and a voodoo curse. Returned it and bought this model. It works well and the recording quality is great. I need to learn the features better, however that is a note on my own invested time. I have used the recorder for in-person and phone interviews. Both recordings were clear and easy to understand. The micro SD slot allowed me to save and transfer the file to my PC easily. Great for qualitative research interviews.

This is the second mini voice recorder I have bought - the first was a Sony. This Olympus recorder is excellent quality, and I would recommend it any day over the previous model I owned. The sound quality on the recordings is very good, even from across the room, and the ability to sort through recordings and find ones from a certain date is invaluable. The display is large and easy to read, and the functions are easy to use. I was skeptical about the record-when-speaking function, that pauses during silence and only records during noise, but I've found it to be highly accurate. It doesn't miss the beginning of words, and recording seems to begin and end immediately. I use it often to save recording space and battery, and the completed recordings sound like well-edited tapes. It comes with a headphone jack, useful for reviewing recordings while in a waiting room, etc. The recorder itself is lightweight and comes with a handy protective case that can be slipped into a pocket or a handbag easily. The case is open on one end, which I would prefer to be sealed with a flap to prevent dust, but is protective nonetheless and can easily be replaced with something more sturdy if you prefer. Battery life is quite long, and although I carry a spare set with me I rarely have to change them. I use this device mostly for recording music as I compose, and occasional meetings/voice-dominated recordings. I've found the sound quality to be consistent with both. Very happy with this purchase. Would recommend.

I have not yet tested all the features of this recorder. At this point I can say that the voice recording quality is fantastic. Even in a somewhat noisy room AND at a distance, you will still be able to understand speech on playback. Playback on the self-contained speaker is good but not great. This can be overcome by listening with headphones or exporting it to your computer for listening with any other means. The built in memory allows an incredible amount of record time. You could potentially archive and catalog every conversation you will ever have in your life, in conjunction with your computer. The memory is expandable. Battery life is good. This is a must-have for proof of verbal agreements, meetings, doctor visits. I only wish it were a little shorter in length. For good voice recording, this one is hard to beat. UPDATE: One big gripe I have is a lack of READYNESS. I would prefer a one-touch record. With this, you have to slide the power switch and hold until you see the screen info appear. Then it has to boot up. Only after the boot up is finished can you activate record with a red button. If you try to keep it in a standby mode, it will automatically power off after a short time. Push record and you will miss a session if the power is off. I have missed several recordings this way. Also, a rechargeable would be better, rather than replacing batteries. So, the Olympus VN-702PC could be made near perfect by: Reducing size, a non-failing readyness mode or instant one-touch record, and rechageable.

I am a journalist and I often do phone interviews, so I needed a simple yet reliable digital recorder to replace my old Olympus micro cassette recorders. I have to say, I was a bit nervous about trusting important interviews to a digital recorder (which is stupid since I'm also a photographer and went completely digital with photography when the first digital cameras came around), but this recorder is a real blessing. I no longer have to buy tapes and I don't have to worry that a tape will jam in a machine (or that I'll run out of tape during a long interview). The instructions are kind of complex for this machine, so I more or less abandoned them and just started playing with the "record" and play buttons and eventually everything became clear--or, at least, most things. It took me a while to realize that the recorder saves (until you delete them) all of your recordings, so I have like a dozen separate recordings of me saying "test, test, test, is this thing working?" (And yes, it was.) I haven't tried very many features on the recorder, but I figured out how to record, play back and transfer them to my computer. Transferring files to my Mac is a piece of cake: SO EASY! You just plug the recorder into a USB port and then an icon of the drive appears on your desktop. Simply open that folder and you can navigate to the newest folder, at which point I rename it something that makes sense (and include the date) and then swipe it onto the hard drive. The files show up in my iTunes program and the files transfer very quickly. I then duplicate them (I'm paranoid) and put copies on several drives. Easy. The great thing is that the recorder has a pretty huge memory, so I can leave my interviews and notes on the recorder, as well as in my computer (again, paranoia rears its ugly head) until I've transcribed the interview. And oh, the batteries, seem to last forever. I do miss have a foot-controlled transcription machine, I miss that a lot. I don't think there is one for digital recorders. A great little recorder, the controls are a bit complex and the screen is a jumble of little icons--but if you keep things simple, you'll d fine.

Very versatile,can be used in many situations. I use with small lapel mike (also from Amazon)and have recorded walking tour talks. Good idea to buy extra memory if are going to be away for some time (also from Amazon). I also use it to supplement voice and notes for filming with my camcorder.

Work perfectly, receved it promptly.

I give this a 4 out of 5 cause cause nothing is perfect. I would recommend to friends and family.

works well

Not a good product. Didn't work as per specification. It is a basic model with a higher cos t