 Easy to use yet powerful pocket-sized voice recorder |
| Review Date: December 27, 2008 |
| Reviewer: J. Sperrazza, Denver |
Summary:
The DS-2400 is one of Olympus' newest voice recorders optimized for dictation. It provides the ability to record conversations under a variety of conditions with excellent quality. Its intuitive controls make operation so simple that the 8 (2"x4") page Quick Start Guide is all you'll need to start recording and playing back conversations of all kinds. The included DSS Player software supports both Windows (2000, XP, and Vista - including Vista Ultimate 64-bit) and Macintosh (OS X 10.39 - 10.5.6).
Details:
I have owned a voice recorder once before, but it finally got lost, so it was time to do the research to find a replacement. A number of things impressed me, on paper, about the DS-2400
- Brand new model from Olympus (so a long life of support is expected)
- Compact model with all the features I wanted (built-in mono microphone and speaker; 3.5 mm min-jacks for connecting external mono or stereo mics and speakers) clear, easy to ready display and controls; save recordings as new files or append or insert recordings into existing files, multiple folders for storing files; long battery life [24 hours in QP mode, 30 hours in SP mode, 13 hours in playback mode]; settable recording quality; Voice activation; and dictation vs. conference modes)
- Uses removable storage (SD or SDHC cards, from 512 MB to 16 GB), and supports 77 hours of "Quality" (QP) recording in the included 1 GB card, or a whopping 157 hours 50 minutes of "Standard" (SP) recording
- Included DSS Player software supports the latest PCs and Macs
After purchase (and swift delivery from Amazon), I decided to give the DS-2400 a full test:
- Initial setup and use of the recorder was so easy I really didn't need to read the 8-page Quick Start Guide. The 62 page Instructions manual (with sections in English, French and Spanish) is really only needed as a reference.
- Voice quality is excellent. I am not using dictation transcribing software like Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred or MacSpeech Dictate, but do understand that both of these products (which use the same "Dragon" engine) can be used to transcribe these files.
- The software installed and operated flawlessly on my two toughest test machines: a laptop running Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit with Service Pack 2 (Public Preview v. 113), and a Mac Pro running Mac OS X Server v. 10.5.6 (developer beta release). The software is visually and functionally equivalent on both platforms, with differences reflective of the underlying system. For example:
+ a reboot is required when installing on the PC, but not the Mac,
+ the Mac version can convert recordings only to AIFF files (but there are lots of free utilities available to convert from this to other formats), while the PC version can convert to WAV and WMA formats (with a variety of bits per second and Hz supported in each format)
- The DS2 format files used natively by the DS-2400 provide an amazing amount of compression without noticeable loss of quality. Here are some comparisons of file sizes for a 25 minute 35 second-long real-world speakerphone conversation I recorded in QP mode using a stereo microphone (Olympus ME51S):
+ DS2 (DSD Pro native) format @ 28 kbps, 16 khz, mono: 5,311 KB or 5.19 MB
+ WAV (PCM format @ 22.05 kHz, 16 bit, mono: 66,112 KB or 64.56 MB
+ WMA format @ 22.05 kHz, 16 kbps, mono: 3,136 KB or 3.06 MB (compared to DS2, there is a theoretical loss of quality in this format, but I couldn't hear it - I'll be storing my files in this format, to save space)
+ AIFF format (no options provided): 47,972 KB or 48.84 MB
The recorder can be used without a PC. Stand-alone, you can:
- Choose the language of the displays on the recorder (English, French, Spanish, German, Italian or Russian)
- Set date, time, and date & time format (used to date/time stamp recording files)
- Change the various modes of the recorder (LED display & contrast, backlighting, conference or dictation mode, Voice activation on or off, etc.)
- Create new recording files
- Record over, insert recordings, or append recordings to these files
- File recordings in one of 5 (A through E) default folders
- Rewind or fast-forward through files
- Play files back at normal or increased speed
You'll need your PC for some more refined actions:
- Change the name of the default folders to something meaningful to you (e.g., Personal, Work, Vendors, ...)
- Change the name of the "recorder" (added to the files along with the date/time stamp to something other than "DS-2400" (e.g., JOESPERRAZZA)
- Convert files from DS2 format to another, for input into a speech to text conversion program or for sharing with others
Caveats:
- Don't buy this if you're expecting to play MP3s - it is not designed for that
- Don't expect to record music - the recorder itself and the DS2 format are optimized to record and playback human speech:
+ QP mode: 16 kHz sampling frequency, 200 - 7,000 Hz frequency response
+ SP mode: 12 kHz sampling frequency, 200 - 5,000 Hz frequency response
(I'll be recording everything in QP mode, due to the incredible amount of information you can store on just 1 GB SD chip)
- The pictures are correct, and the title of this product is incorrect - it is SILVER, not BLACK
Accessories:
- Olympus ME-51S Stereo Microphone - I use it to put in the middle of a conference table - having two active recording heads, perpendicular to the plane of the recorder, it records both sides of the table quite well. You can plug it directly into the top of the recorder, or connect it via an extension cable. It also includes a removable clip, but it is not "noise canceling", so don't plan to wear this on your lapel while recording. It works best if the recorder is in Conference mode when you use this mic.
- Olympus ME-52 Noise Cancellation Microphone - noise canceling, directional microphone. Includes removable clip, and designed for giving dictation while clipped to your lapel or collar while the recorder is in Dictation mode.
- Olympus TP-7 Telephone Recording Device telephone pickup - a very clever device that pugs into the recorder, then is inserted in your ear. The microphone is on the outside of the ear (but there's air spaces to allow the sound from the receiver to reach your ear). It works to record both sides of a conversation from either regular or mobile (cell) phones because both your voice and that of those on the other end of the conversation are transmitted through the earpiece of the phone as the standard way such phones work. If you can have all your phone conversations you want to record via speakerphone, you don't need this accessory. But if you want to record non-speakerphone telephone conversations without a specialized device or a degree in Electrical Engineering, then this accessory is for you. |
Case for DS-2400 recorder
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| Review Date: January 16, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Bruce Mackay, Missouri City, Texas USA |
| When I purchased the DS-2400 digital recorder, I also ordered the CS-111 leather case. Turns out the case doesn't fit the recorder, while a leather case that does fit is included in the package. On brief acquaintance, I'm very pleased with the recorder. It works flawlessly with the AS-2400 transcription kit on my MacBook. |
Perfect!
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| Review Date: February 7, 2010 |
| Reviewer: L. Cheifetz, Phoenix |
| Got this because the old one would not work on my Mac. I had all along wanted something to dictate my reports on that I could play back only partially if need be and easily send to my secretary for transcription. My old one could be up loaded to Yousendit but I could never play back just a little if I got interrupted and lost my place. This one does and I don't even need yousendit. It is pricy but my secretary loves it as well because I am now willing to do all of my reports this way and she rarely needs to come to my home office. She used to have to come here to pick up dictations that had to be done on a schedule. I only would use the other digital machine only in a pinch because it was difficult to use. Other wise i used tapes. I had been looking for a machine like this for years and all the others emphasized was good sound quality for music. I don't do music. If you dictate reports and want to be able to email them for transcription this is for you. I hope it holds up. |
Awesome Product
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| Review Date: February 22, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Leon Sims, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, US |
| Awesome product. Very fast shipping and packed well. Looking forward to doing business again. |
Good for dictations
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| Review Date: July 30, 2010 |
| Reviewer: TV Lover, Phoenix, AZ |
I purchased 2 of these to replace our aging DS-2300. I learned We use them for medical dictation and they are heavily used. It has been a good replacement so far. For starters, it has a common USB cable that is cheap to replace as opposed to the one-of-a-kind, very pricy one that the 2300 had (> $50, if you can find a used one). The recorder is overall better built with a sturdier battery compartment. The memory included is much larger too - way more than I can possibly use in a full day of dictations. The controls are easy to use and there is very minimal learning curve to start recording. Overall it is fairly reasonably priced recorder for dictations. It has features such as "insert" which allows you to insert into the recording without overwriting - something inexpensive dig recorders do not allow you to do. It also has reverse and forward review which is needed for dictations. The sound quality is very good as well. Battery life is decent. I recommend buying a couple of sets of rechargables if you do much recording.
Overall, a very good recorder for a decent price. I don't think that you will find a digital recorder that is useful for dictations at a better price - and believe me, I tried several before I got these and they were useless. I will likely buy several more for our offices as our other 2300's wear out.
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