[majid]

Since your mother is not recording music, just spoken voice, go for a dedicated voice recorder rather than a music player with a voice recorder fitted as an afterthought. They are more likely to feature hig/low sensitivity switches, recording activation based on sound level (VCVA) and so on.

The Olympus WS series is very compact, can hold several hours of recording even at the highest quality setting, and lasts seemingly forever on a single AAA battery (or rechargeable). You just unhook the battery module to expose a USB plug that goes straight into the PC. I have the mono WS-110, but I recommend spending a little more for one with stereo capability (you don't have to use it if you'd rather save disk space) and microphone level meters on the screen.

 

[jonathane40]

I agree with majid. I have an olympus ws-210s (stereo) which works with both mac and pc. I bought it to record interviews and it works great. You can play stuff in a slow mode so it is easy to take notes from it. The mic has different sensitivities that you could choose from and it is extremely compact. It takes AAA batteries and you can record about 130 hours.

One thing though, it saves the files in wma format.

Hope this helps,
jon

 

[athenaesword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by juniperlater /img/forum/go_quote.gif I used it until last May - when I finished my thesis. I will be using it again for another project soon though. By the way, it holds 37 hours of sound.

thanks for the information. i'll be considering it but i believe there are newer models out right now.
Quote:

Originally Posted by majid /img/forum/go_quote.gif Since your mother is not recording music, just spoken voice, go for a dedicated voice recorder rather than a music player with a voice recorder fitted as an afterthought. They are more likely to feature hig/low sensitivity switches, recording activation based on sound level (VCVA) and so on. The Olympus WS series is very compact, can hold several hours of recording even at the highest quality setting, and lasts seemingly forever on a single AAA battery (or rechargeable). You just unhook the battery module to expose a USB plug that goes straight into the PC. I have the mono WS-110, but I recommend spending a little more for one with stereo capability (you don't have to use it if you'd rather save disk space) and microphone level meters on the screen.

yes i agree, which is why i've been taking a look at some olympus models since they seem to be the only brand that's really into making digital audio recorders for that purpose only.

i'm abit confused by the difference between stereo recording and mono recording. is the difference big in say a classroom environment? what's the difference actually?

i saw a couple of the WS models online, but someone else pm'ed me regarding the ds40/ dsd50 models. how do these match up against the WS models?


Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathane40 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree with majid. I have an olympus ws-210s (stereo) which works with both mac and pc. I bought it to record interviews and it works great. You can play stuff in a slow mode so it is easy to take notes from it. The mic has different sensitivities that you could choose from and it is extremely compact. It takes AAA batteries and you can record about 130 hours. One thing though, it saves the files in wma format. Hope this helps, jon

what i read though was that the AAA batteries only last about 13- 20 hours? which means my mom might have to go through quite a few sets, which would not be ideal. if she has to bring spare batteries halfway through class i dont think it's very convenient. i'm not sure if this is playback battery life or recording battery life though can you confirm this?

and thanks for the help guys

 

[majid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by athenaesword /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks for the information. i'll be considering it but i believe there are newer models out right now.

Yes, including the new LS-10, which is a full-featured 24bit/96kHz recorder with broadcast-quality mics that records in WAV format, and has been turning quite a few heads.

Quote:

i'm abit confused by the difference between stereo recording and mono recording. is the difference big in say a classroom environment? what's the difference actually?

For recording class notes, not really. People used to do it with hissy microcassete recorders, the new flash memory recorders are much better sounding in any case.

Quote:

i saw a couple of the WS models online, but someone else pm'ed me regarding the ds40/ dsd50 models. how do these match up against the WS models?

They are higher end models with better sound quality for dictation purposes, but also much bulkier, more expensive and they usually have less memory. They don't have the convenient USB plug either. Once again, for class notes, overkill.

Quote:

what i read though was that the AAA batteries only last about 13- 20 hours? which means my mom might have to go through quite a few sets, which would not be ideal. if she has to bring spare batteries halfway through class i dont think it's very convenient. i'm not sure if this is playback battery life or recording battery life though can you confirm this?

The rating is for recording time. They can take NiMH rechargeables, and last 15 hours on a charge, so a single charge should last her all day. It's not as if AAA batteries are a terribly heavy burden to carry...

 

[athenaesword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majid /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, including the new LS-10, which is a full-featured 24bit/96kHz recorder with broadcast-quality mics that records in WAV format, and has been turning quite a few heads. For recording class notes, not really. People used to do it with hissy microcassete recorders, the new flash memory recorders are much better sounding in any case.

in that case i suppose a 512mb or 1gb model would suffice, and i could advise her to use the mono high quality setting then.

Quote:

Originally Posted by majid /img/forum/go_quote.gif They are higher end models with better sound quality for dictation purposes, but also much bulkier, more expensive and they usually have less memory. They don't have the convenient USB plug either. Once again, for class notes, overkill.

i see, looks like WS is more suitable for her use then. is there a big difference in the WS3 series and 2series? i'm asking because where i'm at, I can easily access a WS210S, but i'd have to go out on a limb to obtain a WS3 series model. while the latter is newer, i'm wondering how much better it actually is over the 2 series. not that i mind taking the extra effort to go look for a better recorder for my mom, but she kinda needs it by thursday and if isn't worth it then i might just end up getting the WS210S.

that said, do u have any experience with the WS210S? if you do, what dya think of it?

 

[novasol]

The 3 series can hold and play mp3's, the 2 series cannot. That is the only difference. Considering the WS 311M is the same price as the WS 210S I' d definitely get the 311. I guess you have to decide what is more important: getting it by Thursday or having an player with mp3 compatibility.

 

[IpaqMan]

I have tried out the ws-311m, the DS-40, and the WS-110 (mono version of WS-210s).

The DS-30/40 is the best of the consumer level Olympus voice recorders. The LS-10 is high end for musicians/audiophiles. The DS-30/40 has three sensitivity levels (dictation, conference, lecture). It can record distant sounds the clearest. It also supports Audible.com audiobooks if you have a subscription.

The WS-110 is $20 less than the WS-311m and has half the memory, no backlighting on the LCD screen, and a rear facing speaker.

The WS-311m or WS-321m is probably your best value. You get more memory, a small size, a built-in USB connector, a front facing speaker, and controls that are less prone to accidental operation. For a case, I wrap a sheet of clear vinyl around the WS-311m and press the buttons through the thick vinyl.

BTW, Sony has released the new ICD-UX60/70/80. They record directly to true MP3 (no conversion necessary) at bitrates up to 192K. They also play music. A 2GB version is $149 (soon to be at CircuitCity). I tried a 1GB version and found it only fair as a classroom recorder. There was a lot of hiss and not a high enound sensitivity for distant voice recording. The speaker was very low powered and was hard to hear. The older ICD-SX series has lower hiss levels and higher sensitivity but they record in a proprietary format.

BTW, the voice recorder of the Samsung T10 mp3 player is excellent compared to other players. It has a very low hiss level and records in mp3 format and is quite clear sounding. The T10 at $99 has 4GB, very good sound quality, FM radio, FM radio recording, voice recording, text viewer, video player, bluetooth support (broadcast to wireless headset), and very compact size.

 

[EsthetiX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by synaesthetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif I had one of the small Sandisk Sansa players (the 2gb one) that had recording and a built-in mic. It recorded speech well enough.

I recorded a lecture with my sansa clip. Super easy to use too

The recording quality is actually better than I'd expected for something so cheap and compact. It does the job.