I purchased the Sony ICD-PX820 to record meetings. My first use was in a conference room about 20x35 ft. Eight people around a large table. The recorder was placed at one end. Ninety (90) minutes of recording on HQ, noise reduction, high sensitivity. Sound quality was amazing. At the meeting I had trouble hearing some softer voices. Sound quality was reasonably good from the built-in speaker. Playback on my laptop was crystal clear. Headphones sound great too. Softer voices came in clearly. 90 Minutes at HQ created a 80mb mp3 file.
Why I bought this recorder and think it is excellent:
1. Device records in MP3 format.
2. Connects to PC via USB.
3. Drag and Drop files directly to PC in Windows explorer.
4. 4 Quality Levels SHQ, HQ, SP, LP.
5. Record time SHQ 22+ hrs, HQ 33+ hrs, SP 89+ hrs, LP 535+ hrs.
5. Voice Activated Recording (Starts recording when there is sound, stops when there is no sound)
6. Noise reduction setting eliminates background noise like rustling papers.
7. High sensitivity for meetings, Low sensitivity for dictation.
8. Adjustable speed playback.
9. Sturdy Build quality.
Basic use is very easy. The buttons and interface are easy to use and understand. I was comfortable using the recorder after I played around with it for about 5 minutes. It took another few minutes to get familiar with the menu navigation. I would recommend testing the settings before you need to use them.
I have not tried the included voice editing software.
I am very pleased with my purchase. This is an excellent value. Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder (Black)
I purchased this for my wife who is a technophobe and who wanted something easy to use. She was able to figure out how to record memos on this with zero prompting from me.
So I'm rating this 5 stars simply for the following reasons:
-No nonsense controls/interface
-When plugged into the PC (or Mac!), shows up as a generic Flash drive
-Files are MP3 format
-Generous capacity
It really could not be any easier to use and I've seen a lot of terrible gadgets in my day. I really appreciate the fact that no software installation is necessary to get files off of it and the files are a very portable format (MP3). And since it's a generic Flash drive, you can use it like a regular Flash drive for file transport. I put a text file on it with basic contact info in case it ever gets lost.
I can't really vouch for the quality of the recordings since we haven't used it in a wide variety of circumstances yet, but the one use so far was of a seminar in a large auditorium and, given the conditions, it did a fine job of it (at the highest quality setting).
If you are looking for a reasonably priced voice recorder that records in a high quality MP3 format, look no further. (Official release date of February/2010) Sony's new SHQ mode (Super High Quality) can record an MP3 file at 192 kbps, with a frequency range of 75Hz - 20,000Hz, and at a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. And for a voice recorder, those are EXCELLENT audio specs! According to the manual, the 2 GB of memory in this unit will hold approximately 22-hours of recording time in this SHQ mode, with a rated 30-hours of battery life in this same SHQ recording mode.
As a self-proclaimed "audiophile", 192 kbps has forever been my MP3 sweet-spot for music (even back when 128 kbps songs were all the rage). To me, 192 kbps has always been the perfect compromise between small file size & high quality audio, so I am VERY pleased to see that there is finally an affordable voice recorder with this high quality recording option. And by the way, these recorded files are just like any other MP3 file, which means they can be dropped right into an iPod's Playlist Folder.
My 2nd favorite feature is its built-in "recording buffer". When you set the unit to record in VOR (Voice Operated Recording) and there is no sound for a few seconds, it will automatically "pause" the recording, and then automatically resume the recording when it detects another sound (or spoken word). What the recording buffer does, is that whenever the recording resumes (in a lecture for example), it will record "almost all" of the first syllable of the first spoken word. In comparison, my previous Olympus voice recorder would usually MISS the WHOLE first word after a recording pause. As a result, every sentence after a recording pause usually began with a missing word, which I always found a bit irritating. This Sony recorder will not do that.
Though I am not as big of a Sony fan as I used to be in years past, you really can't go wrong with this voice recorder, and I highly recommend it. Simply put, this is a high quality voice recorder that will last you for many years, and is one that you will not need to upgrade with newer models.
PROS:
* Has a SHQ (Super High Quality) recording option which records at 192 kbps with a wide frequency range.
* The VOR (Voice Operated Recording) mode records every word spoken, which is particularly helpful when recording important lectures with lots of "pauses".
* Has a DPC (Digital Pitch Control) mode which allows playback of a the speaker's voice at any speed without changing the "pitch" of their original voice. This is good for slowly writing down notes from a recorded lecture.
* Has a very user-friendly button interface which could not have been designed better, (an area in which Sony has always excelled at). It's the perfect compromise between full functionality & user-friendly simplicity.
* The optional software is not buggy on my XP computer, and has a nice interface. It's a simple screen that allows easy access to all of the unit's features.
CONS:
* Requiring 2 AAA batteries (instead of just 1) may indeed increase the unit's recording time, but it makes this recorder a bit on the bulky side. In other words, I would not label this as a "slim line" voice recorder. As odd as this may sound, the above front/angled picture (the only picture at the time of this review) makes this recorder appear a lot slimmer than it actually is. The total width is actually 3/4" thick. The reason for the picture being deceptive is because the item's extended battery pack tapers inward (towards the back), so on a front-angled picture you don't see the true thickness. Not really a big deal, but it's worth mentioning.
UPDATE: The original "angled" photo is now gone from this site, and has now been replaced with 2 straight-forward front & back photos. A reviewer posted the helpful "back" photo of the recorder. Thanks "Delta"! This photo helps show the added thickness that I "attempted" to explain in my review. The battery pack first tapers inward, then extends outward to add a "bump" of thickness. Again, not a big deal. - Voice Recorder - Digital Voice Recorders - Mac Compatible - Sony'
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