Olympus Digital Recorders
Olympus Digital Recorders: A Review of the Olympus WS-500M Digital Voice Recorder
If you’re in search of a voice recorder, Olympus digital recorders are the best ones that you can find. To give you a more specific choice, there’s the Olympus WS-500M Digital Voice Recorder. It has a lot of great features and very good sound quality, and for a very reasonable price. Here is a complete review of the product.
Design
The device is very simple and compact with handy dimensions of 3.7" x 1.5" x 0.4". It’s very small and you’ll definitely not have any problems carrying it around, keeping it in a bag or in a purse, or even simply holding it. It weighs a mere 1.6 ounces which is very light, almost unnoticeable, and completely comfortable to carry. It even comes in three different colors – silver, pink, and navy blue – for you to choose whichever one fits your preference.
The buttons of the device are very easy to read and use so navigating through it and manipulating the recorder is very simple to do. Even first-time users won’t have any trouble with it. The device operates on a single alkaline or rechargeable AAA battery and lasts for 21 hours using alkaline on LP mode.
Display
The 1.23 inch LCD display is very clear and big enough to display all the vital information for you to better work with the device. It can display almost all information while you’re navigating and operating the recorder so you won’t find it difficult to know when you’ve reached a certain period of time or a certain audio file that you need to access.
Audio and Recording Features
Like other Olympus digital recorders, this model has a lot to offer. The device has a lot of excellent features that you can use for optimal voice recording. It has an internal memory of 2 GB which is very big and can save a lot of files, even very long audio recording sessions. It even has a built-in stereo microphone which eliminates the need for an extra mic, although it does have a microphone jack.
The recording length of the device varies from the input and sound quality. For stereo XQ which is the highest quality recording that the device can produce, the longest time of record is 34 hours and 50 minutes. For stereo HQ, it can record up to 69 hours and 40 minutes. For stereo SP, it can save up to 139 hours and 25 minutes of recording length, the same length that HQ mode can record. SP mode can save up to 274 hours 10 minutes of recording and the LP mode is the lowest quality but longest recording capacity which can store up to 544 hours and 55 minutes of audio file. Although LP is the lowest quality, the recording produced is still clear and completely audible, and the overall quality of the recording is still good. You can also save different files in 5 different folders which can store up to 200 files each. This lets you keep your recordings organized and easier to navigate and search.
The built-in 16mm round dynamic speaker produces a maximum output of 70 mW. Although the device has no headphone output jack, its speaker can definitely provide the audio quality that you need to be able to transcribe the audio files.
Other Features
The device supports both WMA and MP3 file formats, although you need to get the software for MP3 compatibility. It’s very easy to save audio files from the device to a PC using a USB 2.0 cable. There’s even a voice activation function which allows you to activate the device by using your voice alone. You don’t need to move a single finger. There are also three different languages which the device can use for optimal accessibility. The device also works as a music player and you can listen to your favorite tracks on it when you’re not working. Also, the battery can be charged by simply connecting the device to your PC. This makes using the recorder a lot easier and much more beneficial.
Conclusion
Olympus digital recorders are excellent for use whether for personal, professional, or recreational purposes. The excellent features of the Olympus WS-500M Digital Voice Recorder make it one of the best choices in this product line, and for a very affordable price as well. I can only say that I highly recommend the product and I’m sure that no one will ever be disappointed in using such a remarkable product.