Olympus DS-30 Digital Voice Recorder by Olympus
|
List Price: Our Price: $139.99 You Save: $59.01 (30%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more digital camera details and other models |
|---|
Digital camera reviews of Olympus DS-30 Digital Voice Recorder
Digital camera Review: Good Product
Summary: 4 Stars
I haven't really used it yet, but the times I used it, it worked pretty good.Digital camera Review: Good Voice Recorder
Summary: 4 Stars
The recorded voice quality is very good, but the record format is WMA. I prefer MP3 or wav formats and rechargeable batteries in it and the stand which other olympus digital voice recorders have. Anyway, the quality is pretty good!Digital camera Review: Good one for learning music or language
Summary: 4 Stars
It is a best product in the DS- series of Olympics. The product is value for money and its completely stuffed with features. Though, the audio quality is not excellent, it can be good device for a audio based learner to have.
Hav fun
Shreedhar
Digital camera Review: Good sound quality, but does not support MP3 recording and is a little bulky
Summary: 2 Stars
This product is more bulky than some of Olympus' older recorders and it still doesn't support MP3 for recording. For me as a Linux and Mac user, going through the Windows file format is always a slight pain. I returned the product to Amazon.Digital camera Review: Good sound quality, mediocre software
Summary: 4 Stars
I use the device to record all-day conferences. My previous Olympus recorder, the DS1, didn't provide very good sound quality, which led me to believe that digital recorders simply weren't very good. I purchased the DS30 in hopes of obtaining a minor improvement. Instead, I obtained a massive improvement in sound quality. The sound is as good--maybe better--than I obtained with audiotape, and no external mic is required to obtain such good quality recordings.
I use it in mono mode for hours on end, so I also purchased the AC adapter for it. The thing is light and tiny but has more features packed into it than one would ever think possible, including settings to reduce noises from fans and air conditioners and the like.
One glitch, though, is that it records only a proprietary format, so only Windows programs or those licensed to use the Windows wma CODEC (if my terminology is correct) can play the files. After a few minutes of research online I learned that Itunes can be configured to automatically convert these files into MP3s, a more universal format, so that problem was easily solved. Being able to convert the files was important to me because I sometimes need to edit the recordings with Audacity, a free sound editing program.
Another problem, one I'm not so happy about, is that the memory card is built into the device and cannot be upgraded or removed and inserted into a card reader. Instead, you must use a special USB cable that comes with the recorder and no other. Olympus doesn't explain why they've designed it for that USB cable and no other or what is different about that USB cable. Still, in high quality mono mode, it provides 17 hours and 9.5 minutes of recording time, longer than any conference I plan to attend.
All in all, I'd say this recorder is an excellent choice for anyone who needs a recorder for dictation and conferences.