I bought this as a backup to my other Olympus recorder (which I frequently lend out).My other recorder is an Olympus WS-100 which I bought 4 years ago.It was one of the first digital voice recorders ever made.It has served me well.
This unit contains a number of improvements over the WS-100 and the WS-400.
When I bought this, I was afraid I would have to carry around a USB cable with me.However, this unit has a little slide button on the side which extends a built-in USB connector.Plugging this into a USB port is a snap.
This unit is a little more compact than the WS-100.It also seems to solve the record delay which was a time vampire on the WS-400.This unit starts to record immediately on pressing the record button.
I would give this unit five stars except except the menu is almost indecipherable without spending an entire day memorizing and studying it.This means that you pretty much have to have the manual available for the first months you use this, or memorize the manual, or, you will not be able to use most of the features. (Unfortunately, this seems normal for most digital personal devices nowadays (except for some Apple products)).
The arcane menu arrangement does not lend itself to quick and easy use of the unit if there are constant changes to your recording requirements. For example, as far as I can figure out from the arcane manual you must press two separate buttons, a total of five times in order to something really simple like erase a recording.I erase more recordings than I keep and this is a real time vampire.
Other than that the plusses are that it supports Vista 64 bit, and, contains all of the features of the WS-400.The unit is easy to snap record conversations and other items.One feature I really like is that it comes with its own, easily replaceable, NiMH battery.If you keep this unit plugged into your USB port, it will repeatedly charge the battery.(It is a REAL advantage that it doesn't need its own docking station to charge, or, new batteries every few hours of use).
It is a good buy at the price and easier to use, with all of the features, even with its drawbacks, than any of the other small personal recorders I've looked at over the years by other manufacturers.
Specifications:
Recording Format:WMA
Input level: -70dBv
Maximum working output: 60mW (8 ohm speaker)
NAND FLASH memory 2GB - this unit works excellently as a flash drive with VISTA 64 or 32.
MIC Jack:3.5mm mini-jack; impedance 2k ohms
EAR jack:3.5mm mini-jack; impedance 8 ohms or more
RECORDING TIMES:
STXQ mode 34 h 30 min.
STHQ mode 69 h 40 min.
STSP mode 139 h 25 min.
HQ mode 139 h 25 min.
SP mode 247 h 10 min.
LP mode 544 h. 55 min.
Click Here to see more reviews about:
Olympus WS-500 Digital Voice Recorder (Silver)Product Description: Stay organized on the move with this high-class storage device and powerful music player. Transfer meetings or notes and even large documents to your PC with the easy-to-use USB input. The WS-500M is designed to be plugged directly into your computer for fast file transfer. With 2GB of internal memory, store up to 500 songs and listen to them in impressive stereo sound with track and artist name clearly displayed on the LCD.
Buy cheap Olympus WS-500 Digital Voice Recorder (Silver) now Get 31% OFF
Be careful when wearing the headphones.This recorder can pickup everything that can be heard by the human ear and many things that cannot.If you have the volume turned up and you are using the headphones to monitor...even the slightest movement will sound deafening!
