Olympus VP-10 Voice Recorder with 4GB, PCM/WMA/MP3, USB, Voice Activated Recording, Black

Lightweight and overall very good . I use this to record notes while I'm driving. The pull-to-record button is a bit awkward to use, but the scheme makes sense (you need something you won't toggle accidentally), and I've figured out a way to hold the recorder such that I keep both hands on the steering wheel and use my thumb to turn recording on/off. My biggest gripes are the plastic construction (which doesn't feel very sturdy at all) and the use of what must be the world's smallest 5-way control button (OMG).Pro tip: the Hermitshell Travel EVA Case (ASIN B01KC8O6T0) fits this recorder perfectly, with a space that also perefctly fits a short USB-A to USB-C adapter cable. (AmazonBasics USB Type-C to USB 3.1 Gen1 Female Adapter Cable, ASIN B01GGKYXVE). The case is almost like a hard case in terms of stiffness, and the combination is very small and lightweight.

First let me say that I've only just set this up and will add more about performance once I've used it for a while. Setup was SO easy, with good directions and everything working as expected (unusual these days). I wonder if the chap who had difficulty with setup had a defective unit; I'm not nimble with electronics, but this setup was a breeze. I was delighted that this VP-10 came with a charged Ni-MH battery, so I was up and running in 10 minutes. I bought this primarily to carry around and record notes about family history for my grandbaby on the spur of the moment, so the form factor and features are perfect for this purpose. I shopped for days until I found the perfect recorder for my needs; I think this is it. As I said, I'll add more later, but I expect good reliability. I used Olympus recorders in the past, including using them for recording hundreds of hours of telephone interviews for my dissertation. I needed to trust the recorder, and Olympus never failed me. More to follow. . .

Giving it 4 stars ("I like it"). As the 2nd reviewer, I had a much different experience than the previous reviewer ("Can't get to setup menu. Manual is an abomination. Worst pocket recorder I've ever seen. By JeffFarmer on July 24, 2015").I haven't delved into the manual as I like to fiddle w/ stuff like this on my own for a bit prior to RTFM (reading the fcking manual). I found the menu to be pretty easy & intuitive. The manual doesn't seem as abominable as the previous reviewer described but YMMV. Will try to post pics of the English portion of the manual.One of the reasons why the previous/1st reviewer may have had difficulty is because he is probably a dude w/ man hands. If I handed this over to my average male friend, most of them would find the buttons next to impossible to use.MY EXPERIENCE THUS FAR: I just opened this up ~20minutes ago. I stuck the included rechargeable battery in was happily surprised to find that it was already charged. I immediately began setting the time/date, accidentally exited that menu prematurely & intuitively pressed the right buttons to get back in & resume setting the time/date. Then I proceeded to play around a little w/ the menu, scrolled randomly to the "Rec. Menu" & changed the anti-rustle level from off to low. The 3rd thing I did was press the record button. The radio (Philips DCM250 Table Stereo Clock) was playing (distance of 15-20ft away, moderate volume). I recorded 30 sec of talking (RadioLab, story featuring Oliver Sacks). I played it back. My low expectations of how it would sound on the built-in "speaker" were justified (it's tiny, but then again so is the whole recorder). I transferred it to my laptop & the playback was as expected (somewhat distant but distinguishable).So far so good. What you are paying for is a reliable recorder that is small & discreet as well as uses a normal, replaceable, non-proprietary AAA battery. You are paying for *small size*. Keep that in mind if you find the playback sound quality is low or the small buttons too difficult to use. If you want better replay quality, you can plug headphones in &/or transfer to computer attached to good speakers. If you have sausage fingers, try using a stylus.Haven't decided if it's a keeper as I have hopes of comparing it with other recorders (the cheap-o no-name made in China ones, Sony ICS-UX523, perhaps Olympus WS-823 which has a "zoom mic")

I use this at work to record conversations. It sits nicely in my pocket and doesn’t accidentally shut off. Easy to download to laptop for long term storage. Battery life is good. I check it before each day to ensure it will work. I download weekly and haven’t runt out of memory in a week. The interactive usb is nice. No wires to mess with. Just don’t drop it. I broke one and had to reorder.

This is a fine voice recorder! Most of the features are common sense to use. The manual is very easy to read and understand. If you have never used an Olympus recorder it might be a little harder to get use to the recorder. I use an array of recorders for my job from pro HD recorders with price ranges from $300.00 to $400.00 all the way down to this recorder. If I am recording voice in a meeting I usually use the Olympus VP-10, because of its one click to record switch. Also, the Balance feature and noise suppression features are handy as well! For the price you can not go wrong!