Shootout: Stereo Digital Voice Recorders
Related link: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/digitalmedia/2005/05/18/ds2.html
I’ve been getting lots of mail about my enthusiastic review of the Olympus DS-2 stereo voice recorder. Several readers wondered what I thought of the WS-200S, a smaller, higher-capacity model that came out shortly after I finished the review.
Well, because I really liked the DS-2 but found it a tad too big for my (admittedly overcrowded) pocket, I took a chance and bought a WS online after returning the DS-2. Here’s what I discovered.
Left to right: Olympus WS-200S, DS-2, and V-90, the ancient model that got me hooked on voice recorders. The WS-200S image is pasted on, but accurately sized.
As you can see in the photo, the WS is significantly smaller than the DS-2, which made it the perfect size for me. What you can’t see is that the silver and black halves slide apart, revealing a USB plug, which was a feature I really wanted in a voice recorder. (The DS-2 requires a mini-USB cable or docking station to initiate computer file transfers.) There have already been several times when the WS saved the day by acting as a pocket flash drive. It also has double the memory of the DS-2, 128MB.
MUSICAL SURPRISE
One thing I hadn’t thought to try with the DS-2 was playing back prerecorded music files. (Its 64MB of memory would hold only an hour of music at a listenable resolution.) But the WS’s extra memory inspired me to try, so I dragged a WMA music file into the “E” folder. It worked! I could listen to the music through the stereo headphone output as well as the WS’s 16mm mono speaker. Unfortunately, the DS-2 and WS don’t play MP3s. Encrypted WMAs and WMAs with very high bitrates didn’t work either. (And as far as I know, there’s currently no way to make a WMA file on a Mac short of running Virtual PC. Let me know.)
Unlike the DS-2, the WS has both an on/off switch and a “hold” switch, which disables the other buttons so you won’t press them accidentally. When the WS is switched completely off, it takes about five seconds to boot up, which is annoying. However, leaving it on and in Hold mode doesn’t seem to drain the batteries, so that’s what I do; the battery gauge hasn’t budged in three weeks. Both models take only a second to boot up when switched on from Hold mode.
I also found the DS-2 slightly easier to navigate, thanks to its larger, better-labeled buttons and larger display.
Another thing you can’t tell from the spec lists is that the WS picks up more handling noise than the DS-2. (O’Reilly blogger Giles Turnbull also noted this shortcoming in his quick review of the WS, though it wasn’t clear if he had the mics in high-sensitivity mode.) I’m now careful not to slide my fingers on the case when recording, and to wait a second after the sound I’m recording has stopped before I click the Stop button. That lets me chop off the inevitable thump later in my audio editor.
Speaking of which, the WS doesn't come with Olympus’s DSS Player software, so to edit recordings, Mac users will have to convert the Olympus WMA files to another format. (Several WMA editors exist on the Windows side.) The shareware program EasyWMA works well for that. I still had the DSS Player software on my computer and was happy to see that it worked with the WS as well.
For transcription, Mac users can try my free AppleScripts, described in “Turn Your Mac into an Audio Transcriber.” A couple of those scripts started misbehaving in QuickTime 7, so I’m currently rewriting them.
FIRE AWAY!
Can’t have a shootout without bullet points, can we? Here’s a list of the benefits each recorder brings to this showdown. (Read my full DS-2 review for more background.)
WS-200S Benefits
- Significantly smaller
- Integrated USB plug
- Twice the memory
- Speaker is on the front
- Uses single AAA battery (DS-2 requires two)
- Slick-looking dual LEDs
- Less expensive (currently $103 on Amazon vs. $119 for the DS-2)
DS-2 Benefits
- Multisegment recording level meters
- Backlight
- Less handling noise
- Bigger buttons and screen
- File naming
- Folder naming
- Alarm
- Timer recording
- Two noise reduction settings
- More Fast Forward and Slow playback speeds, with better sound quality
- Looping
- Bigger, better-sounding speaker (23mm vs. 16mm)
- Docking station
- Carrying case
- Works as USB speaker and microphone
- Comes with DSS software for editing, converting, and playing back files
You might think that getting all that for just $16 more would make choosing the DS-2 a no-brainer, and for most people, I’d agree. For me, though, the WS’s smaller size and integrated USB plug made it the better choice. Because uploading recordings to a computer is so easy, I haven’t come close to filling up the memory with recordings, though I did max it out when using the WS as a thumb drive.
For around $200, you can get a version of the DS-2 with double the memory; it’s called the DS-20.
I also heard from a reporter for Fortune who opted for an Olympus DM-20, also about $200. This model looks very similar to the DS-20, but with a full metal case and the ability to play MP3s. Although it supports optional external stereo mics, its built-in mic is mono and has a frequency response that tops out at just 8kHz.
Here are some links for further comparison.
DS-20 product page (not yet listed at Olympus, so this link goes to RadioShack)
MY RECOMMENDATIONS
If size and integrated USB plug are important, get the WS-200S. If tons of features and enhanced usability are important, get the DS-2 or DS20. (The backlight and alarm are pretty handy, and so is file naming.) If you want to carry an occasional MP3 and don’t need built-in stereo mics, go with the DM-20.
Happy recording! What gadgets shall I tackle next?
Update, 2007-02-08: I just noticed Olympus has a new line of voice recorders, the DS-30 and 40, with 128kbps WMA recording.
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Wonderful review!
I was wondering, though:
Since I am planning to buy a digital voice recorder, I've been looking about on the Olympus site and they say that the Olympus WS-200S is not compatible with Windows Vista. Do you know if this is true?
Where can I get an Owners Manual for Olympus DVR WS-100?
Thank You!
It is hard to get what I want when I don't know what I want. It sure help to have your knowledge. Thank you for sharing. T
@T:
I need something tee shirt pocket size, discreet, voice activated.
In the interest of discretion, I deleted your email address. The DM-20 and DS-2 are too big for a T-shirt pocket, but you could use them (or other voice recorders) with an external mic, and that would be much more discreet. Start by looking at battery life specs. I'd also suggest looking at the newer models with more memory; to get eight hours of recording out of older ones, you have to reduce the sound quality.
Recording without the other person's knowledge is legally murky, of course.
I was employed by the state, got fired, and now reinstated. Can you feel the love? I KNOW I am returning to a hostile boss. I have a G4 Mac running OS X 10.4.10. I need something tee shirt pocket size, discreet, voice activated. Something I can turn on in the morning and turn off when I leave work. By Tuesday. Other than the DM 20 or the DS 2, might there be a better choice?
@Student: I get far too many inquiries to make individual buying recommendations, but have compiled a list of tips in my blog "Your Top Voice Recorder Questions."
I am looking for a digital voice recorder to record my graduate classes & to record reminder messages. It needs to be MAC & PC compatible, & have USB. I would like to have folders & 256 to 512 MB of memory. It needs to be easy to use & transfer items to my MAC book. Are there any with chargers? What would you recommend for less than $100? I have searched the web & I am considering an Olympus WS-300M, WS-311M or Panasonic US-470. The problem I am finding with panasonic is that they are out of stock/back ordered on the items I am interested in. Thank you.
@Vicki: Try Googling "A-B repeat."
I need a digital voice recorder that has looping (allows you to play back over and over short sections of what you have recorded. Can you give me some brand names and model numbers that have this feature, other than the Olympus DS-2? Thank you!
@Anne: Thanks! There's an update for Intel-based Macs on the DS-2 software page. The DS-2 (and several other Olympus recorders) have stereo mics built in, though I've found that external mics can produce richer sound.
Your reviews have been so helpful! I just have two questions:
I'm a singer (classical), and would like decent stereo sound to record my lessons & practices. Obviously, accurate voice and piano playback is essential. I also have a Mac, so the DS-2 sounds perfect (size & USB doesn't matter).
So: Will the DS-2 software work with the new Macbooks? And do I need an external mike for the stereo setting? You might have already answered these, but I'm having trouble understanding some of these posts with the limited audio knowledge I have :)
I need some help.
All I need is a simple digital voice recorder. I need it for studying. I want to record something from memory and immediately play that recording back to check for accuracy. No folders!!!! I have a voice-t vt-300 which does this but it is out of commission and the 800 number is a dial porn site now.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thank you
Chris S: I haven’t tried the 300-series yet, but it appears to be the 200 with MP3 support and more memory. A few reviews on Amazon griped that the battery door is no longer attached. And someone claimed that it’s now possible to do punch-in recording. (The 200 creates a new file each time you hit Record.)
David, thanks for this writeup. I was wondering if you or any of the other commenters had any opinion on the WS-200S versus the WS-300/310/320 series?
In case you're wondering ... I did buy a voice recorder. I went to Best Buy only to find they had no display models (and no DS-2s). I wasn't sure what to do. By chance, I went to Office Depot. They had both models and more besides (but none with more than 256 MB). I liked the quality of the DS-2 overall but liked the size and extra capacity of the WS-300M. I couldn't decide and am not one to flip coins.
So I thought further last night. I was leaning towards to WS-300M. This morning, I stopped at Office Depot on the way to work. They were closed. A sign said they were experiencing a power failure. Was this an omen saying wait?
Anyway, they were open when I stopped by after work. I looked at both models again and bought the WS-300M. I like it. The buttons controls are easy enough to use. The sound quality is great (though I can't compare with the DS-2). The screen is readable. The USB connection is sooooo nifty. What an excellent idea! I wish the recorder came with a case for protection. If larger capacity models were available, I'd probably have gone with the 512 MB model, though I can certainly "manage" with what I have. I'm now set for 2 full days of seminars next week.
Thanks again for the valuable information you provided. It really helped me make my decision.
Jack: Thanks for the compliment! Be sure to check out the DS-20 as well. It has double the memory of the DS-2. If size is not a problem and you want a lot of recording time, a Hi-MD MiniDisc recorder or a flash unit like the M-Audio MicroTrack could also be a good choice.
Nikos: Good questions.
since it does not record in stereo withot external mic how can it have specifications for stereo?
Perhaps those numbers reflect the best possible performance with an external mic. (That is, they're based on the anaolg-to-digital converter circuitry.) Or perhaps they're just typos. As I've noted elsewhere, the specs on the Olympus site aren't consistent.
It hardly seems worth it if it will be limited to 8,000 Hz? after all, this was your main critisism of the DM series, correct?
Well, I use my voice recorder to record sound effects and (occasionally) live music, so stereo recording and the higher frequency response were important to me. For straight voice recording, you wouldn't necessarily notice a difference, because the strongest voice frequencies are below 4kHz.
And what would be the benefits of the external mic in general?
The biggest in this application is that using one reduces handling noise. (The WS-200S's built-in mics pick up the smallest finger movements on its case.) A clip-on mic may be more convenient and unobtrusive. And the sound quality may be better.
I've spent the evening searching for a voice recorder. Your articles are the most relevant I've found. I've got a Creative Labs MuVo Micro N200 and agree that with you that it's much to cumbersome to start a recording. I'd like something I can use instantly without looking at buttons or a small screen (e.g., while driving). Also something which can record a day's worth of presenters at a conference to assist my notetaking. Finally, I want audiofiles than can be used with Dragon NaturallySpeaking (Nuance/Scansoft-certified recorders are too expensive).
I was leaning towards the Olympus WS300M based on specs (memory, recording time, battery usage). It's $200 in Canada at bestbuy.ca) vs $170 for the DS-2. I've now concluded that DS-2 is superior. I'll visit a Best Buy tomorrow to compare the two. After the MuVo, I no longer believe that smaller is better (the MuVo display is too small to read). I normally wear a suit and may find the size of the DS-2 is a reasonable compromise for a larger screen, better sound and larger buttons.
I'm so glad I stumbled across this site (mentioned in some reviews at amazon.com). Thanks for taking the time do do such thorough analysis and then share the results here.
Hi, I just purchased a DM-10 for a very reasonable prise, and was considering buying a stereo mic for it, but when I look at the specificasion of DM-10 it says:
Overall Frequency Response
SHQ mode: 300 to 8,000 Hz
Now since it does not record in stereo withot external mic how can it have specifications for stereo?
The mic I am interested in is the ME-51S stereo microphone
Its specification say the following:
Frequency Response: 100 - 15,000 Hz
So what will it be? 8,000 Hz or 15,000 Hz?
It hardly seems worth it if it will be limited to 8,000 Hz? after all, this was your main critisism of the DM series, correct?
And what would be the benefits of the external mic in general?
Thanks very much,
Nikos
Arlene: I haven’t used the VN, but it only records in mono, which can make it harder to pick out voices in a group recording. It also has a lower frequency response, which means recordings may sound duller and less intelligible.
The DS-2 (or DS-20) may be your best choice; both have bigger buttons and a better display than the WS-series, which make them easier to use.
Hi,
I am not terribly technically inclined, and am trying to decide which Olympus voice recorder to purchase to record meetings, lectures, workshop discussions, and the like. I am looking at the WS 300M, the WS 200S or the VN 960PC. I am not looking at the WS 310 or 320 due to the cost.....the WS 300M is about the top of what I want to spend.
Any advice you might have would be very helpful.
Thanks so much!
Arlene
Carmen: One dependable way to get recordings off a MiniDisc player and into a computer is through the player’s analog output. Plug a stereo 1/8-inch cable into the player’s line output jack (or headphone jack if that’s all it has) and then plug the other end of the cable into the computer’s line input jack. (Or mic input, if that’s all it has.)
Cue up the track you want to transfer and begin recording on the computer using a program like Audacity (free). Adjust the input and output levels so the Audacity meters are close to maximum but not in the red. Once you have what you want, you can use Audacity to trim the level-setting experiments from the beginning of the file.
For more MiniDisc tips, see MiniDisc.org.
Hi,
I'm a researcher, and I'm currently shopping for a new digital recorder. This site is great. Thanks! I've had a minidisc recorder for the past 5 years, and I haven't figured out a way to get the recordings OFF of the minidisc and onto my computer. (probably haven't found the right websites.) I have a Sony MZ-R700. I've tried sending the files to tape, to help me in transcription, but the analogue line will not recognize the digital output. If anyone could give me advice about how to get my files off of the minidisc, I'd be really grateful.
Thanks, Carmen
Bit depth...and data compression
This is interesting: A reader just pointed out that the DS-2 records at 128kbps in high-quality mode, whereas the WS-series records at only 64kbps. The specs on the Olympus site are formatted inconsistently between models, so the only way to deduce that is to note that the WS, with twice the memory of the DS-2, actually gets quadruple the recording time. I just compared the files I’ve recorded with both devices and confirmed that bit rate differential. Still, I don’t think it makes double the difference in sound quality; the WS is handling my voice-recorder needs ably. —David Battino
Microphone for the WS-200s
Great tip! Thanks. I’ve been experimenting with using noise-reduction software on my WS recordings. The rumble filter in Ray Gun Pro (http://www.arboretum.com) helped a lot on a recording of shy 3rd-graders. I’m still tweaking the high frequency cleaning, though. —David
Microphone for the WS-200s
Looking for an inexpensive, podcast-worthy recorder, I wound up purchasing the WS-200s. The onboard microphones give a tinny sound because they're, well, onboard. So I bought the Olympus ME-50s stereo microphone - another $60 (2/3 the price of the recorder) - but it resolved all my concerns. And yes, when recording only your voice, put the microphone sensitivity setting on lo. It doesn't affect the quality of the recording, and significantly reduces background sounds. On the other hand, with the external microphone and hi-sensitivity setting, you can pick up sounds you can't hear with your unaided ear!
Bit depth
Holy Cow, Dave, this is all solid gold. You. Rock. So. Much.
Bit depth
The official specs (http://tinyurl.com/76slk) don’t specify bit depth, but Windows Media Player reports that the DS-2’s Stereo High Quality (SHQ) files are 128kbps, 44kHz, stereo, Windows Media Audio V8. So because the DS-2’s 64MB of memory holds 65 minutes of audio in SHQ format, I’d deduce that it records at 16-bit resolution.
The hiss may be due to the automatic gain control circuit—or the mics; I haven’t tried external mics yet. The biggest challenge I have is keeping the recorder from overloading and distorting, because there’s no input-level control beyond a two-position mic sensitivity switch. (Though at least the DS-2 has level meters.)
By the way, some of the new Hi-MD MiniDisc recorders have USB output, so you can record audio as uncompressed WAVs and upload it to your PC or Mac faster than real time. Although I’m not in the market, I always enjoy browsing Minidisco.com, the MiniDisc store. Looks like the M-Audio MicroTrack is shipping, too: http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=microtrack
—David
Bit depth
Dave,
What is the bit depth of these recorders? The sound is tempting, and I agree with all your reasoning for using the device...but that background hiss on your audio examples sounds suspiciously like a very shallow puddle of bits.
BTW:
I haven't read the blog about your search for a good pocket recorder, but I assume it's not unlike my search for same, and for the same reasons.
Through all my searching, I have remained Mr. Mini Disc. Small, cheap, great sound. It's just those real-time transfers that drive me nuts, and I always tangle my mic cords. I expect that, until that M-Audio 24-bit prototype becomes a reality, I will stay with the Mini Disc and continue the search...
levels
I don’t know of any voice recorders that let you set levels manually. (Out of curiosity, how far below 0dB do you set your levels?)
Continuing with the “use the best tool for the job” theme, I’d recommend you stick with dedicated field recorders like the Marantz PMD660, Edirol R-1, M-Audio MicroTrack, or a Hi-MD MiniDisc. (See my DS-2 review for links.) Voice recorders are like cell-phone cameras — the results aren’t pristine, but you capture lots of unique material because the device is small enough to keep with you at all times.
I doubt that MiniDiscs are being phased out soon; Sony just introduced some new models last month and is extending the format to cameras. (See http://www.sony.net/Products/Hi-MD/photo.html.) And at $7 per gigabyte, the discs are a far better storage value than flash RAM. —David
levels
My MD player finally konked out after six years and I need a replacement BAD.I'm thinking of buying a digital recorder eg: Olympus WS200S, Sony ICD SX45, but don't know whether the recording levels can be adjusted.This was possible for my previous MD player.It is a crucial factor because I produce radio features and can't afford to have the levels 'riding in the red'.Suggestions?Is it advisable to abstain from MD players cos I heard they are being phased out...
Voice Recording with iPod
1. Better audio quality (the iPod records in dull-sounding 8kHz mono unless you run Podzilla).
2. Significantly smaller size.
3. Dedicated buttons.
4. Faster response (you can start recording within two seconds of turning on the Olympii.)
5. Files are smaller.
I believe the battery life is better, too. Really, it’s all about using a dedicated tool for the task. —David
Voice recording with iPod
I have used Griffin's iTalk with iPod to record voice. It works well in class rooms, meetings, etc. So, what major advantage does any of these models give? If you have an iPod, the iTalk can be had for about $40.