I was about to buy either a tascam pro digital recorder or one of the competing models - both in the $800 - $1200 price range when Olympus demo'ed me this item just in time to stop my purchase!
UPDATE 9/2010 - this review was from 2008 and one of my first portable recorders. 2 years later all pocketable recorders are using sd cards and compact flash is left to rackmount touring case equipment. I added 2 recorders to audio kits I take on the road - I wanted the quad channel abilities of the zoom h4n which I later found out had its own hidden vices, but it did give me 1/4 TRS and XLR inputs which I needed plus 4 channel recording. I also bought what is perhaps my favorite sounding recorder, a marantz PMD-661, which has a wide variety of inputs including XLR line or XLR mic, selectable, plus digital and 3.5mm TRS, (zoom lacks digital in and just attenuates line down to mic with a 1%-100% attenuator on the frontend instead of a line switch). For high quality mics those recorders come out, but for verbal notes or telephone calls I still use my LS-10. I feel people seeing this review in 2010 should explore what I feel are quality options, the zoom h4n and the bit more pricey marantz PMD-661 before making the buying decision based on mics, price, size, and any factor important to you. Both the zoom and marantz, for example, feature optional remote controls.
In the past 2 years I learned there is not one "BEST" recorder for everything. The olympus is very compact, the zoom can do 4 channels at the same time, and the marantz has a great display & metering, plus a power saving mode like zoom to run close to 20 hours on 2700 mah nimh cells. Everyone standardized on SD memory along the way which is convenient if you own more than one recorder (I'm in the business so it's a big deal for me - maybe not for someone who just wants to take notes in class. In 2010 there is a wider choice of recorders to choose from. I've reviewed the zoom h4n and the Marantz PMD-661 on strengths and weaknesses. Also keep in mind from the LS-10 to the 661 is almost triple the price, so set your budget before you go buying.
(original review from 2008)
A digital recorder is simply a musical fidelity, 2 channel recording device that can record uncompressed digital or compressed (MP3,WMA) formats. The professional models give you a high quality VU meter for adjusting levels, compression options to prevent digital clipping, usually XLR jacks with 48V phantom power (which this lacks, but that's not a big deal as it does have line in), and the ability to insert additional memory cards. Limited editing can be done on the unit, but it includes PC software for real editing later (see below)
For half the price of the cheapest tascam unit, Olympus has the same audio specifications, includes high quality stereo microphones built into the unit, makes a unit that is 1/8 the size of the tascam and literally fits in your pocket, and basically the only 2 things you "give up" are
1 - it is modernized to SD memory while older units are on compact flash
2 - it lacks XLR inputs but has a line level input plus 2 built in mic's
Other than those two limitations, at half the price, it's a killer deal for recording in the studio where you have a line out on your mixing board or on the road with the built in microphones. Since XLR->Line adapters are cheap and I have SD memory (it includes 2GB built in flash which will record for over 3 hours uncompressed digital, w/ USB 2.0 out) I'm not disappointed. Yes, it would be nice to take a high quality sennheiser XLR microphone and plug it right in, but the compact size (just slightly larger than a dictation recorder including microphones) makes this just too optimal to pass up. The extra $400 savings will buy some very nice microphones to go with it!
If you are thinking about migrating from a CD-ROM to a digital recorder to put on your mixing board or a portable digital recorder to capture music / speech / etc, this literally can drop in your shirt pocket and be ready instantly. I've recorded several hours with it now and am perfectly satisfied with the CDs I burned on my laptop. I'm sure any musician will be as well!
Misc:
Other features - it can act as a USB disk drive, includes a CD rom software package of Steinberg Cubase LE4 for compilations, and has both mic and line in jacks for input, as well as 3.5 mm stereo headphone outputs.
Summary:
I had my heart set on the $800 Tascam "lugable" digital recorder when I was given a chance to demo this recorder and at half the price the only real difference to me is I loose the 2 XLR jacks and get 2 quality microphones built into the unit - I loose the weight and get a 2xAA 12 hour runtime, and with the built in 2GB I get over 3 hours of linear PCM recording or 60+ hours of WMA audio. The built in backlit LCDs are comparable between recorders. It's complicated my buying decision, but at half price with all the same "recording" capabilities I'm now searching for a simple XLR -> Line mic preamp to compare an equivalent configuration. I would have liked the XLR+48VDC phantom feature but Olympus chose to put in 2 good mic's instead. I've returned my demo unit and am researching the XLR input issue now but I plan to go this route instead of the comparatively huge tascam recorder. Olympus LS-10 Linear PCM Recorder - Digital Voice Recorder - Music - Mp3 Player - Professional'
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