Olympus LS-10 Linear PCM Recorder

• Uncompressed 24 bit/96kHz Linear PCM recording capability, to capture the rich sound quality of music performances.
• Can record 14 hours on two AA batteries.
• The LS-10 can play back the high-quality audio it records and play it back on its built-in stereo speakers with vibrancy and clarity.
• WAV, MP3 and WMA recording and playback
• The LS-10 has two gigabytes of internal flash memory to capture lengthy recordings.
• It also features an SD/SDHC removable media card slot to further expand its capacity. WAV, MP3 and WMA recording and playback

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.

Buy Olympus LS-10 Linear PCM Recorder Now

The Olympus LS-10 is one beautiful little piece of equipment and is a worthy competitor to the wonderful SONY PCM-D50.

The LS-10 has a heavy duty feel to it, similar to the PCM-D50

but of course much, much smaller.

It has a superb MENU system, with options to adjust REC MODE, REC LEVEL, ZOOM MIC, REC MONITOR, PLUG IN POWER, six adjustment options for PLAY MODE, along with REVERB and something called EUPHONY for atmospherics.

Other options include BACKLIGHT, CONTRAST, and LED ON/OFF.

Brief testing yielded very good recordings, with the MIC SENS switch a critical aspect. However, there is a RECORD thumbwheel control, similar to the SONY, and you can adjust for MANUAL or AUTO in the MENU options. Note that the capsule MICS do not move, as on the SONY D-50, so if this is a consideration for you, check out the SONY.

Assuming there is no limit on SDHC capacity, one could easily stick 32 GB in there with no problem (I currently use a 16 gb in my Zoom H2 with no difficulty)

Two additional observations:

-Hand movement noise is a problem, with the twin MICS picking it up, similar to the Zoom H2 and SONY, so I would recommend using a tripod or handle -there is a tripod dock on the bottom of the LS-10

-At first, I was not pleased with the placement of the SD door, which seemed far too close to the left hand VOLUME control thumbwheel. However, I now realize it's not that bad -the SD cover is of the rubber type (obviously they didn't want to have these things breaking off by making them out of hard plastic) and it works well.

I played a number of files on this through a very good speaker system and am impressed again. I believe Olympus has produced a piece of equipment here that will be compete extremely well at this price point ($348 advance from Sound Professionals) with the SONY PCM-D50.

Read Best Reviews of Olympus LS-10 Linear PCM Recorder Here

I just received one of these. As mentioned by others, the build quality is excellent and the ergonomics are very good. The menu arrangement seems well thought out, and there is an option to set a function button with a frequently used menu item. I like the ability to use SD cards, which can be changed out if you're away from a computer.

The playback volume for the internal speakers is VERY low even with the playback volume all the way up and the record level set properly. I see others have made this same comment, so I don't know whether mine is a defective unit or not. (I wish I had another unit to compare it to.) The playback volume is definitely better using headphones.

With the mic sensitivity set to low, the record level is indeed VERY low. I'm not sure when I would use this setting unless I'm doing dictation with the unit an inch away from my mouth. (I didn't buy this product for dictation.) I also find the record level to be VERY low when set to auto, so I find myself always using manual recording. I'm still experimenting with the LS-10, so I'm hoping that I can figure out a way to get better record levels with reduced noise for quieter sounds.

I see some people have referred to possible firmware upgrades. Can this unit be upgraded by the user? I didn't see this mentioned in the manual. I have an Olympus dictation recorder that requires a trip to Olympus to upgrade the firmware even though it has USB connectivity.

All in all, I'm somewhat on the fence about this product but perhaps my opinion will improve as I continue to use it.

Want Olympus LS-10 Linear PCM Recorder Discount?

In particular, I am impressed by the ease of use and sound quality.

I am one of those lazy people who don't like to read the manual. To cut to the chase, I was making great recordings right after I inserted the batteries. The menu system is very straightforward and easy to understand. The controls are intuitive and thus easy to manipulate.

I play flamenco guitar, and I recorded myself playing in my living room. The sound was great, better even than my minidisc recorder, and frankly, easier to use. I put on the (included) windscreens and walked around downtown. Once again, the sound quality was great, even at the mp3 level. I recorded some sound in the office, and once again the sound was great. And all of these recording were made using the automatic volume level control.

One thing I noticed is that this recorder captures the "presence" -when you record in a room, you sense the dynamics of the room. When you record outdoors you get the feeling that you are outdoors. And all of this comes with the built-in microphones.

The unit itself is very compact and easy to carry. It feels good in the hand. I wouldn't want to risk having it fall out of a shirt pocket, but it travels well in a pants pocket.

Without reading the manual I was able to transfer audio files to and from my Mac laptop.

Well, since then I have actually read the manual, and the manual is easy to read and filled in a few gaps.

One small word of caution: the Olympus press release talks about a remote that will work with the LS-10. Apparently this remote is not now available, nor was I able to discover when it will be. An email to Olympus provided no insight, the response saying only that "Unfortunately, the remote is not available." Oh, thanks dude, but I already knew that. But when will it be available? Olympus was silent. Call me picky, but if you're going to advertise a remote, at least say when it will be available.

That said, the bottom line is that this recorder has blown me away.

I can't say enough great things about this unit. I've recorded commercially for years; a lot of stuff in the field like orchestras and choirs. Over the decades I've gone from lugging DAT machines and small mixers, taping down hundreds of feet of mic cables and finding a place to set up all the recording gear, to the 'luxury' of wireless mics that eliminated the need for cables. But this little unit changes everything! It's a self-contained masterpiece of engineering.

I was a little skeptical of the quality of the mics and converters, but I've been nothing but pleased. Put it on a mic stand, set the controls and go! Using 24 bit mode, you can set a conservative level to be safe, and still have plenty of resolution to work with even at low volumes. I generally clean up all my recordings in Sound Forge using Waves plug-ins, and I've found this compact setup gives me just as much to work with as separate mics captured to the hard disk recorder or the DAT machine.

One odd feature (true of all these small recorders) is that they are ready to be mounted on a camera tripod, not a mic stand! Strange. Anyway, I made an adapter out of a mic clip, a 1/4" stove bolt and some epoxy, and it works like a charm.

This unit also doubles as an MP3 player, with a seamless computer interface via USB. The headphone/speaker outputs are extremely quiet. The line input is suitable for recording from external devices (e.g. digitizing vinyl records) and is also very clean and quiet. What a great find!