I purchased this unit because Nuance, the publishers of Dragon Naturally Speaking 9 gave it higher marks than the Olympus DS-2 I already own. My review of Dragon Naturally Speaking 9 appears elsewhwere. Suffice it to say that the software is superb with nearly 100% accurate voice recognition. My dream has been to be able transcribe dictation from a recorder to a finished document.The Olympus DS-2 is an excellent recorder at a very reasonable price. It's performance with Dragon Naturally Speaking 8, the previous version, left a lot to be desired. With the new version 9, performance is better, but still far from perfect.
Thus I was brought to decide on testing the Sony ICD-MX20, a unit that costs more than twice as much as the Olympus DS-2. My primary interest in the unit is in being able to dictate and then transcribe automatically. I will not be using it to record lectures and meetings or the like, although I did a couple of experiments to see how the unit would work in such environments.
The ICD-MX20 is shorter and slimmer than the DS-2, but slightly heavier. The finish of the ICD-MX20 is very slick; slick in the sense of being smooth and slippery. I am seriously concerned with my ability to hold the unit securely. The surface is so slick that it may be difficult.
The ICD-MX20 controls are well laid out. The mini-joystick works surprisingly well after a few minutes of practice. Swirtching between functions, such as setting the microphone sensitivity, is cumbersome howevr. All of the switches on the sides can be manipulated with one hand and a flip of the unit is required to maneuver the Hold switch on the back. The LCD display is clear and doesn't present too much information at one time.
The unit uses 2 AA batteries and my first impression is that battery life is poor. Sony says " 8 hours" at highest quality recording and it appears they mean simply 8 hours if the unit is powered on. That's not a lot: better use that Hold switch.
Finally to sound quality, the one thing that motivated me to buy such an expensive unit. It's superb. The MX-20 microphones can be set to mono or stereo. I used only the mono mode since my primary interest is dictation. The microphones are very sensitive. Hold the mic too close to your mouth and even a low voice will result in pops. But once you load your voice file onto the computer, Dragon Naturally Speaking 9 --without training --does a credible job of accurate transcription. The sound quality is excellent, clearly superior to that of the Olympus DS-2.
Using a headset, as recommended by Dragon, the sound quality is absolutely outstanding. This unit could be used in professional settings for reporting or creating podcasts. Put on a headset while you're driving (being aware of local laws, of course) and you can transform drive time into dictation time --and simply transcribe the files automatically in Dragon. Very cool.
As a conference recorder, the ICD-MX20 shows promise. I used it to record the audio of a television talk show as I walked further and further away from the set. The Voice Up function of the unit, which amplifies distant voices, really works.
The Sony documentation accompanying the unit is poor. The English translation is awful, showing all the earmarks of being translated from Japanese by someone who doesn't speak English well. All the information you will need is there, but it is a struggle to wrestle the meaning from the mangled syntax, grammar and occasionally strange use of language. Sony also persists in printing the documentation as a single broadside sheet which is very difficult to handle. The documentation for the included utility software is worse. It is very sparse in terms of detail, but fortunately the user interface of the software is very intuitive.
Overall, the ICD-MX20 is impressive. Sound quality absolutely deserves a 5. Design and construction overall merit a 4, the toggle and its functions being a bit too cumbersome. But the slick and smooth texture of the unit which makes handling a bit anxiety-provoking brings my overall rating down to a 3. Documentation is a 2. In all, I'd give the unit a 4. But for its prime purpose in my case, of recording audio that Dragon Naturall y Speaking 9 can automatically transcribe, my rating is a solid 5.
Jerry
Things I don't like:
-Proprietary codec. Not universal format (like say mp3)
-Not (standard) UMS
-No Macintosh version of the companion software (but Virtual-PC OK)
-The included pouch is awful
BUT. . . I do like:
-Unlimited recording size. The recorder uses a built in 32 MB FLASH as well as removable MEMORY STICKS(up to 1 GB). The stick format however is PRO-DUO.
-Excellent recording quality, comparable to the one found in $500 to $1000 recorders.
-The built in speaker sounds well, and (with Voice Up activated) distortionless and very loud.
-Three high quality microphones
-USB connectivity.
-Stereo Long Playing mode
-Excellent software (and WMP plug-in available) can convert Sony formats to wav (but the mix of compression and conversion can result in unpredictable quality files). Conversely, the recorder plays mp3 and wav (by first converting automatically to Sony format via software).
-Line-in (Mic), and stereo out (Ear) separate jacks (2)
-Voice Up feature is amazing.
-3 Volts AC/DC adapter input jack (adapter not included) .
BOTTOM LINE: I got one and use it successfully for very important live recordings. By far the best in this area.
However for direct encoding high quality music, I use my iAudio i5 (2 GB). DITTO.
If the price is not an issue and you need PRO quality recordings . . . buy it.
Buy Sony ICD-MX20 Memory Stick Pro Duo Digital Voice Recorder Now
This device is lightweight and sensitive.I bought it for recording memos to myself while driving, and for recording meetings & lectures. Amazing recording quality from such a small device even when in my pocket.
It does take a little reading and tinkering to get used to the various recording modes trade off highest quality stereo for longer record times, and for choosing the additional memory chips (optional) instead of the onboard memory.
While this does record in a proprietary format, the management software is easy to configure and can automatically save every audio file to your PC in a universal format like wav or mp3.
The management software can do a lot more, like changing sampling rates and merging or separating files. The software does more than I expected and more than I have use for (so far.)
It also comes with plug-ins (also available at Sony website) so you can play the proprietary format audio files using Windows Media Player. I'm not a fan of the proprietary format, but it is a huge space saver over other formats.
I have even taken to using it as an mp3 player since I usually have it with me.
Others complained about no voice-recognition software. There are 2 different models of this device; only one ships with the software. The model with software costs more but less than if you bought the software separately. I bought, but have not tried the Naturally Speaking setup.
Someone else said the pouch was no good okay, it's only minimally useful to prevent the recorder getting scratched. I've adopted a good cellphone belt carrier. I carry extra batteries and any additional memory I might want in there, too. I don't think the pouch has anything to do with the function of the device but yeah, it is pretty useless.
so my pros:
lightweight
expandable
excellent recording quality
auto-save feature whenever I plug into my PC
cons: I have 3 issues that would otherwise make this a 5 star + device. (Batterylife, proprietary memory, tiny interface)
this thing eats batteries, and like a Palm it never really shuts all the way off.
(get the AC adapter and a good set of high MAh rechargeable AAA batteries.) I have gone through top-of-the-line alkaline and super lines in 3 hours of recording and 5 days on stand-by. Rechargeables are used up in less time. Rechargeables with less than 850 MAh aren't strong enough the device just says "change batteries" even when fresh.
requires proprietary SONY or compatible memory sticks for expansion. Make sure you get the exact "memory stick pro" or "pro duo" sticks, or something compatible. ( Only up to 2GB the 4GB is not on the compatibility list.)
also, the tiny interface is a necessary compromise. The device is very small, so the menus and choices aren't always intuitive. It's not hard, after you spend some time reading and tinkering but don't expect to use it as soon as you unbox it.
( I don't consider the pouch a con it is too insignificant in the overall price and use.)
I definitely recommend buying this if you want easy digital recording and archiving.
Read Best Reviews of Sony ICD-MX20 Memory Stick Pro Duo Digital Voice Recorder Here
Having used voice recorders daily for 20 years, I always find Olympus brands to be more sturdy, ergonomic, reliable and have better warranty policies and service. The reason to buy this Sony was better voice recognition with Dragon Naturally Speaking and ease of transfer files to computer.Controls in this unit are not very intuitively placed although not so bad that they are difficult to use. Accidentally pressing the record button is very easy and so is inadvertently deleting all files, instead of one file, in a folder on the recorder. After making that mistake once, now I do all deletions on the computer because there is no way to recover a deleted file from the recorder. Editing a file, say inserting or deleting something, on Sony recorders is very cumbersome, if not impossible.
Voice recognition is good and that is really the only bright spot about this recorder. Manual is so awful that it is almost unusable. There is no software for Mac and the software for Windows is very slow, buggy and freezes a lot. Then, of course, Sony uses their proprietary memory Stick instead of more prevalent SD card.
My previous Sony Digital voice recorder (MS515) lasted less than a year the microphone stopped working. Sony won't send a replacement unit within the warranty period unless I produced the original receipt; otherwise they wanted $166 for a refurbished unit to replace $239 original recorder!
Contrast this with Olympus. I sent them an out of warranty micro-cassette recorder ($300) for repair whose micro-cassettes were getting tangled. And for $80, they replaced it with a brand new unit! I was flabbergasted and my next 2 digital recorders were Olympus which were very sturdy. The only problem with them, compared to Sony, was the requirement of their proprietary software to transfer files to computer.
My experience with Sony VAIO Laptop was somewhat similar. In my experience Sony electronic items are not very reliable and durable and using their warranty is a big hassle. As a general policy, I do not buy Sony products unless there is an overwhelming reason, which for this recorder, was 6 stars voice recognition rating by Dragon. You may want to look at the Nuance web site for updated voice recognition ratings of different recorders with Dragon Naturally Speaking. But Sony recorders shine when it comes to voice recognition. Next come the Phillips and Olympus recorders.
Want Sony ICD-MX20 Memory Stick Pro Duo Digital Voice Recorder Discount?
The Sony ICD-MX20 is an amazing little stereo recorder. It is well worth the money if you understand recording devises and can handle more complex type devices. The sound quality is very good, 60 to 17,500 Hz.FILE STRUCTURE: The proprietary file compression process Sony has is nothing short of fantastic. It is hard to understand how they can squeeze so much into such a small file size. The Sony files can be converted into Wav files with very little effort. Yes, you need a secondary program to convert into mp3 files, but anyone serious about high quality recorders would already have this low cost software.
NAMING FOLDERS: I have read other reviews saying you can not name the folders. This is true if you try from the recorder; however, it is very easy to name them, using the Sony software that comes with the unit. They display on the recorder with the same name.
BATTERIES: As far as eating batteries, if you make use of the "Hold" switch on the back of the recorder, batteries will last a fair amount of time. You can also turn off the record LED, and the display back lighting if you wish, to conserve battery life. I consistently get at least 11 and sometimes up to 12.5 hours of recorded time per set of standard alkaline AAA batteries. If you plan not to use the recorder for an extended amount of time, remove the batteries.
MEMORY: You do NOT have to use Sony proprietary memory sticks. I have two of SanDisk 256 MB memory stick PRO Duo that work fine in this recorder. One of these 256 MB memory sticks is good for more then 11 hours of record time at the highest quality sound.
SUMMERY: If you think you might want to buy this recorder I can understand how some people would be disappointed, if they just picked it up and tried to use it. I believe that reading the manual on this recorder is a must. It has a large number of options on how it records. If you pick the wrong options, you are almost guaranteed to have poor results. If you read through the manual and set things for the type of recording you really want, this little machine will do a fantastic job. It will deliver near CD quality sound, with no recorder motor noise, no microphone background hiss, or pops, just clear clean sound.
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