Electronics : Olympus DS-40 Digital Voice Recorder

Rating: - Very useful recorder!
Outstanding sound quality in stereo. The mono is OK too, but at its lowest quality levels, it produces an annoying metallic echo. I really like the DSS Software Player Plus program (I had to pay $10 to upgrade). It is easy to use. I can split and join files, easily control noise reduction, rename file folders (even templates that appear in the device), and control the recorder's menu. The menu feature is especially great because in the device, the menu display is somewhat cramped---given that there are a ton of options available in the menu. Also, I use Windows Media Player to play files and burn to CD's. I use a hard glasses case to store the recorder in, as it appears delicate. Some are saying it is made of metal---it seems too lightweight to be metal, maybe aluminum??

The timer feature is oustanding. It has settings for daily, weekly and you can set the record quality. And, there are 3 separate timers!

So far, I've recorded a few hours and the battery meter is still on full power with the generic batteries out of the box.

Without the software, the computer recognizes the recorder as "remote storage" and you can easily drag and drop files to other programs, or load them onto free WMA editor software available online.

The audio files are not as easy to e-mail as I thought. A 20 min recording in high quality stereo is about 8 MB, and when I try and attach it to an e-mail, it takes maybe 20 min to load it on there. But I was able to do it.

I looked long and hard for voice recorders before buying this one. And I am well pleased at the quality and sound control features, as well as file management.

Chris (Duluth, MN)

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Rating: - Works Great!

Works excellent, both sides of conversation are clear using the peripheral TP-7 mic cable. The DS-40 is worth the extra expense for the ability to connect the USB seamlessly to drag and drop the 'non-proprietary file format' WMA files to a PC.

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Rating: - Not Disappointed At All
I got this digital recorder due to new regulations in my business that require certain phone calls to be recorded. After using this for several days now it has worked flawlessly. I also purchased the TP7 accessory that you simply plug into the DS-40 mic input and put the earbud into your ear while you talk on the phone. The DS-40 does a great job of recording these calls. I'll also find many more uses such as recording lectures and using it as a daily log for ideas. I don't know how many times I've been driving down the road or somewhere where I've thought of an idea that I want to remember and I haven't had a way to capture it. Now, with the size and quality of the DS-40, I'll just take it with me and when I have a thought like that I'll record it to reference later. I also am a semi-professional songwriter and musician so it'll come in quite handy for capture song ideas on the fly as well. The bottom line is this is a great little recorder that seems to do its job very well. There are only a couple things that I think could be improved. 1) The backlighting seems kind of dim and there is no way to increase it. The settings are either "on" or "off." I suppose this is to conserve power but it seems like this could have been better. 2) I would like to be able to re-name the folders and files to my preference. The folders are lettered A-E (for recording). There is a list of pre-sets that you can choose from to rename the file but you don't have the ability to define a name yourself. The names available could be useful but may not be exactly what you want. The files can't be renamed so if you want to change a file name to identify it by its content, you won't be able to do that. In fairness you can attach comments to a file after you load it into your computer and you could use those comments to help identify its content. Overall, I'm very happy with the DS-40 and would recommend it. It's sound is crystal clear and for the price (especially here at Amazon) you really can't go wrong.

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Rating: - Does the job
I use it to record my lectures at college (with the professor's permission). It catches every word, and is easy to turn on and off in a hurry. I wish it were rechargeable and smaller, but I'm happy to have it.

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Rating: - Great recorder, but have to pay extra for Player Plus 7
I have to write minutes and don't take shorthand so a good recorder is a must. So far, Olympus recorders have proven to be the best. I purchased this recorder for its ability to export wav files playable in
Windows Media Player. My boss and I are able to share the meeting recording with my colleagues and the recorder has been able to capture the voices around the room. I use it on lecture and the highest quality because the women often have a habit of speaking softly in meetings so it can be difficult to capture their voices. The size of the rooms for our meetings vary, but most of them seat around 15-25 people along long tables and some seating on the sides.

I like the option to make podcasts. I agree with the criticism about the speaker on the back, however most of the time I am using ear phones to listen to the recording as I type minutes so this is not such a big issue and the speakers don't give you the best sound for listening anyway. Plus if you record anything in stereo you don't want to use the built in speaker.

The included DDS Player 7 software is supposed to be compatible with IBM Via Voice and Dragon Naturally Speaking, neither of which I have tried yet. My only gripe so far is that you have to pay $10 extra to upgrade to DSS Player Plus 7 to access some additional features such as file splitting and binding and seamless connection to Via Voice 10 and Dragon 8.

Overall I am satisfied with the quality of the recording and features, but a star off for making customers pay an extra $10 just to access a few extra features.