Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder (Black)

I purchased the Sony ICD-PX820 to record meetings. My first use was in a conference room about 20x35 ft. Eight people around a large table. The recorder was placed at one end. Ninety (90) minutes of recording on HQ, noise reduction, high sensitivity. Sound quality was amazing. At the meeting I had trouble hearing some softer voices. Sound quality was reasonably good from the built-in speaker. Playback on my laptop was crystal clear. Headphones sound great too. Softer voices came in clearly. 90 Minutes at HQ created a 80mb mp3 file.

Why I bought this recorder and think it is excellent:

1. Device records in MP3 format.

2. Connects to PC via USB.

3. Drag and Drop files directly to PC in Windows explorer.

4. 4 Quality Levels SHQ, HQ, SP, LP.

5. Record time SHQ 22+ hrs, HQ 33+ hrs, SP 89+ hrs, LP 535+ hrs.

5. Voice Activated Recording (Starts recording when there is sound, stops when there is no sound)

6. Noise reduction setting eliminates background noise like rustling papers.

7. High sensitivity for meetings, Low sensitivity for dictation.

8. Adjustable speed playback.

9. Sturdy Build quality.

Basic use is very easy. The buttons and interface are easy to use and understand. I was comfortable using the recorder after I played around with it for about 5 minutes. It took another few minutes to get familiar with the menu navigation. I would recommend testing the settings before you need to use them.

I have not tried the included voice editing software.

I am very pleased with my purchase. This is an excellent value.

I purchased this for my wife who is a technophobe and who wanted something easy to use. She was able to figure out how to record memos on this with zero prompting from me.

So I'm rating this 5 stars simply for the following reasons:

-No nonsense controls/interface

-When plugged into the PC (or Mac!), shows up as a generic Flash drive

-Files are MP3 format

-Generous capacity

It really could not be any easier to use and I've seen a lot of terrible gadgets in my day. I really appreciate the fact that no software installation is necessary to get files off of it and the files are a very portable format (MP3). And since it's a generic Flash drive, you can use it like a regular Flash drive for file transport. I put a text file on it with basic contact info in case it ever gets lost.

I can't really vouch for the quality of the recordings since we haven't used it in a wide variety of circumstances yet, but the one use so far was of a seminar in a large auditorium and, given the conditions, it did a fine job of it (at the highest quality setting).

Buy Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder (Black) Now

If you are looking for a reasonably priced voice recorder that records in a high quality MP3 format, look no further. (Official release date of February/2010) Sony's new SHQ mode (Super High Quality) can record an MP3 file at 192 kbps, with a frequency range of 75Hz 20,000Hz, and at a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. And for a voice recorder, those are EXCELLENT audio specs! According to the manual, the 2 GB of memory in this unit will hold approximately 22-hours of recording time in this SHQ mode, with a rated 30-hours of battery life in this same SHQ recording mode.

As a self-proclaimed "audiophile", 192 kbps has forever been my MP3 sweet-spot for music (even back when 128 kbps songs were all the rage). To me, 192 kbps has always been the perfect compromise between small file size & high quality audio, so I am VERY pleased to see that there is finally an affordable voice recorder with this high quality recording option. And by the way, these recorded files are just like any other MP3 file, which means they can be dropped right into an iPod's Playlist Folder.

My 2nd favorite feature is its built-in "recording buffer". When you set the unit to record in VOR (Voice Operated Recording) and there is no sound for a few seconds, it will automatically "pause" the recording, and then automatically resume the recording when it detects another sound (or spoken word). What the recording buffer does, is that whenever the recording resumes (in a lecture for example), it will record "almost all" of the first syllable of the first spoken word. In comparison, my previous Olympus voice recorder would usually MISS the WHOLE first word after a recording pause. As a result, every sentence after a recording pause usually began with a missing word, which I always found a bit irritating. This Sony recorder will not do that.

Though I am not as big of a Sony fan as I used to be in years past, you really can't go wrong with this voice recorder, and I highly recommend it.

PROS:

* Has a SHQ (Super High Quality) recording option which records at 192 kbps with a wide frequency range.

* The VOR (Voice Operated Recording) mode records every word spoken, which is particularly helpful when recording important lectures with lots of "pauses". It's not 100% perfect, but it's pretty darn close.

* Has a DPC (Digital Pitch Control) mode which allows playback of a the speaker's voice at any speed without changing the "pitch" of their original voice. This is good for slowly writing down notes from a recorded lecture.

* Has a very user-friendly button interface which could not have been designed better, (an area in which Sony has always excelled at). It's the perfect compromise between full functionality & user-friendly simplicity.

* The optional software is not buggy on my XP computer, and has a nice interface. It's a simple screen that allows easy access to all of the unit's features.

CONS:

* For a compact recorder, this unit is not "all" that small. In other words, I would not label this as a "slim line" voice recorder. The total width on the bottom half of this unit is actually 3/4" thick. The reason is because the item's battery pack (which holds 2 AAA's) tapers "out" on the bottom half. So on a front-angled picture you don't see it's overall true thickness. Not a big deal, but it's worth mentioning if your looking for something super thin.

UPDATE: If you are looking for a "super-thin" voice recorder, look at the new "Sony ICDTX50 Digital Flash Voice Recorder", which I also wrote an extensive review on. http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ICDTX50-Digital-Flash-Recorder/dp/B007BD0H1G/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header

Read Best Reviews of Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder (Black) Here

I've had this for about a week now and use it at work. It works exactly like a flash-drive and I have had absolutely no problems loading the Sony editing software into my Windows 7-64 bit computer. The sound is great and the software seems to work as advertised. I don't even need the software if I want to simply burn a disk. The recorder records in MP-3 and the software allows it to be converted to a number of other formats. The only thing I wish it had was the ability to rename the folders that are in the recorder itself, and a direct USB connection to an MP-3 player so I didn't have to go through the computer to put stuff onto the player. Otherwise, I love it. I'll make additional comments as I use it more.

Two weeks later: This is an update from Jack. I still really like this recorder. If I had the internal USB jack I wouldn't have the speaker, and I like the speaker. So far I would not change a thing.

Want Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder (Black) Discount?

The Sony ICD-PX820 does most of what I want, and even more of what I wish it didn't. The menu is cluttered with unnecessary or indecipherable options, including an alarm clock feature, overdubbing, audio appending. But most annoying is the fact that when used with an external mono microphone, it creates a stereo mp3 file. This means that audio is only on the left track... This can be fixed in post production, but it is just mind-blowing that someone thought that stereo recording was a good idea for this device.