Features:

  • High quality recording
  • USB Direct connection
  • MP3 recording format
  • 4gb internal memory
  • Micro SD card slot
Olympus has improved on what was already a nice, simple design

I broke my 5-year old Olympus VN-702PC on about day 10 of a recent 23-day long bike tour. Since I was the primary route finder and en-route note taker, I really missed having a voice recorder while rolling along on my bike. As soon as I got home, I bought the latest similar Olympus model and it arrived within a couple of days. Olympus has improved on what was already a nice, simple design. This new model has all of the same features as my old one and with more storage than I will ever need. Improvements include: a better LCD display, built-in USB plug for file transfer to a PC, a strap to keep from losing the battery compartment lid (which happened with the old model a lot!), and a simplified on/off switch. Regarding the power switch, my old VN-702PC had on/off and on/hold power settings. The recorder start-up from from hold-to-on and off-to-on was effectively the same so I could never identify when to do a "hold" vs a power off. Fortunately, they seem to have eliminated the hold which simplified the power settings.

fancy whip cream

This lil guy is awesome! Records super clear !!!!! Doesnt recognize a 64 gig micro sd but does recognize a 32 gig micro sd. that 32 gig can record a little over 554 hours of sound. records in mp3 and highest bitrate is 128 but the sound is super crisp and super clear! Battery life is supposed to last 110 hours. Plenty for ghost hunting!!!! :) Internal hard drive is 4 gigs and i recorded an hour and 21 minutes and the file size was 74 megs so you may not need to buy a micro sd card. I plan on storing all my recordings for backup on the sd card so i bought one.

Love it

I have a very old version of this kind of recorder, though a different brand. Handy and it worked, but couldn't transfer files to my PC, and it used a non-standard recording format. Times have definitely changed. The Olympus uses the standard MP3 format and a standard USB plug to connect to PC -- trivial to transfer files. Records 60+ hours on internal memory, but takes an external card if you're talkative. There are lots of settings that I'll never use. I found the default recording setting fine for meetings up to 15 people, although there are settings for group size, etc. Voice quality is excellent, a reflection of improved voice processing technology. I now take this recorder everywhere. The old one sits in my car, though, for those occasions when I have the best idea in the world and don't want to forget it; easier to grab for a short note than fiddling with my smartphone.

... Olympus DVR that I used for ten years was great. Then it was stolen

My Olympus DVR that I used for ten years was great. Then it was stolen. This newer model works even better. The audio quality is impressive. The user interface is simple and easy. Battery life seems very good. I have almost 17 hours of recording on the first pair of AAA's and they still show full charge. I highly recommend the soft carrying case if you wear the recorder. It greatly reduces clothing noise because it keeps your clothing from scraping directly on the microphones. I have seen complaints here about the slow boot-up time. It's true. It takes about 3 seconds to wake up. This doesn't affect me at all but would be a problem for someone who uses a DVR for taking quick notes all day long. I used to do that long ago in the micro-cassette era. However, battery consumption of this device is so low, if I was a note-taker, I'd just leave it powered up all day.

WOULD BUY AGAIN!

Very pleased with this recorder. Have used it for over 30 hours of recording so far and it works fine. The only complaint is not about the recorder itself, but with the increasingly common practice of companies such as Olympus that do not include a complete manual with the item. In this situation, I had to print off the 80 pages manual from the Olympus website. Only after going through the manual was I able to figure out how the maximize the use of this recorder. Would recommend the clip-on microphone and the hard shell carrying case accessories. They make it so much easier to use this recorder.

Best equipment I've had for investigation!

I bought this for a 6 hr paranormal investigation tour to capture EVP (electronic voice phenomenal) and this was the most solid concrete evidence we had in order to hear voices rather than claiming we heard something. Sure enough we caught some spooky voices and it came in clear enough to make out what it says. If this picks up paranormal sounds just fine, you know you'll be able to hear people talk clear enough to understand what they're saying!

10/10 would recommend

I used this recorder every day in my lecture classes and I loved it. I would recommend asking your professor if you could keep the recorder closer to where they are lecturing, as I found if I kept it at my seat while I could hear the professor perfectly fine, I also heard my laptop keys in the background as well as the sounds of my classmates shifting or talking to each other. I also bought the "frequently bought together" mini microphone, but it made it even more sensitive instead and I could hear my classmates as well as my own breathing and notetaking on top of the professor's voice. The device itself is very easy to operate and the included USB is SO handy! I have amassed a ridiculous amount of USB cords to various tech items, so I love that I don't have another one to add to the pile. Creating and managing your recordings is super easy, and you even have "folders" to separate the recordings into, which is very helpful if you are taking several classes in a day or are sitting in on various meetings/conferences and you would like that extra organization. So whichever folder you began recording in is the same folder that it is kept in when you upload the recordings onto your computer. The recorder also has a small retractable prop sort of thing that allows you to prop the recorder off of the desk/table at a slight angle. AND if you aren't interested in keeping your recordings for very long, there is an aux input so you can relisten to the recordings as well as a speaker. Erasing old recordings is simple as well, as it allows you to decide to delete a specific recording or all of the recordings within a specific "folder"

Works great

Not many people are writing on here for paranormal related uses but that's actually what this was purchased for! I found it's super easy to use and definitely holds a ton of hours worth of audio recordings. My boyfriend actually left this on overnight in his apartment and it lasted perfectly so I'm assuming this would be great to use in a lecture setting. Another great feature is the usb that comes right out of the recorder. Really easy to upload to a laptop or computer.

Fantastic Little Recorder

I've used Olympus voice recorders since the days of micro-cassettes. I've had other brands, but Olympus always seems to provide the best quality at a reasonable price. This new digital recorder, WS-842, is the best of the best. First, it is capable of holding 4 gigs of recordings (you can get the next model up if you need twice that). Second, it has a built-in USB connection that stays safely covered until you push the release lever - and you don't even need a cable. The mic is stereo, placed at 90 degree angles so you get great sound whether you're recording yourself, an interview, or an entire room. Playing back, you can hear distant conversation and once its downloaded into your computer (in space-saving mp3 format) it's even better. I work with my collaborator over Skype every day so I set the recorder directly on the computer - it has a small fold-out stand that helps you avoid vibration. We tried normal conversation, a reading we needed to record for our radio show, and having our cats speak to each other. Everything recorded beautifully. Later, I had my husband talk to me from twenty feet away while he was in the kitchen with the water running and the air conditioner in the living room was on full tilt. Playing back, I understood every word he said. (There is an Auto Mode, which allows the mic to adjust itself to the sound level automatically. It's worth its weight in gold!) One of the things I like most about this intuitive little machine is that I can simply set it on Simple Mode and not have to worry about figuring out everything it can do. This is fantastic for the car. I'm a writer and am usually hit by ideas when I'm driving and it's simply too hard to fumble with my phone to record them. With this recorder, I can feel the keys without looking and simply hit the record button and stop button as needed. Or set it to record at the sound of my voice. Finally, this recorder is easy on batteries. You can record for about 100 hours and store 1000 hours of recordings on one set of batteries. If you need a voice recorder, you can't go wrong with this Olympus!

Exactly as expected

This product was brand new, packaged well, and worked exactly as described. Seller did a good job explaining the product and the price point was competitive. If/when in the market, I will buy from this seller again. I use this in the courtroom for conference-type conversations. It picks up voices 20-30 feet away and I am very pleased with it. Will definitely buy from this seller again.

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