The main purpose I am using this recorder for is for class lecture recording and audiobook playback (from Audible,) so this review is based on my experience using it against my old Sony ICD-PX720 for these reasons.The Olympus DM-620 is the first non-Sony recorder that I've purchased, so my experience with other Olympus models is non-existant. The unit itself is compact with a slight heft due to the metal vs plastic construction. I happen to find that more reassuring in a world where just about everything is cased in plastic and has a cheaper construction feel to it.
The screen has a light white/gray/blue (Payne's gray?) back-light which was a bit harder for my eyes to make out when compared to the bright orange-amber back-lights I have seen on other models of recorders. Readability was much greater after adjusting the contrast and brightness settings to a custom setting.
The first thing I noticed about the unit was that it was intuitive, which was something my old Sony recorders were not. Changing the folder on my Sony ICD-PX720 was like pulling teeth, and trying to remember how I did it a few days later was like a revisit to the proverbial dentist. I usually ended up having to dig out the manual to do anything more complicated than turn on, hit record, hit stop. The DM-620 is blissfully easy to navigate.
The DM-620 has small rubber feet on the bottom to keep the recorder from randomly sliding places. They are not sticky and will not prevent it from falling off a steep dash, but it will give a bit more friction when a book bumps into it when moving things around the desk during class. If I was really worried about it, I could get one of those sticky pads that keep things from sliding places, but so far it hasn't tried to escape me by sliding off the desk.
The recorder has two settings for batteries. The default is for the Ni-Cad rechargeables that come with it and the 2nd option being Alkaline batteries. I am presuming this is in case you are in the field and need to do a swap on the fly with either standard alkalines or rechargeables. I prefer this to having an internal (inaccessible) rechargeable battery or propitiatory batteries, so kudos for flexibility.
The recorder has a voice guidance (with a pleasant voice in my opinion anyway) for those of us who are blind even with our glasses on. My recordings are usually done with ample light, but I usually end up playing them back in dim lit areas or sitting by the glow of my monitor alone, so between back-light and voice guidance, things were less chaotic.
File support for 3 file types (PCM/WMA/MP3) is a nice switch from my old Sony which required using their PC software to convert the files. Good for plugging into a computer and quickly moving files off it to the HD without needing conversion software. I have both a PC and a MAC, and this little recorder supports both. My old Sony ICD-PX720 was strictly PC and required the Digital Voice Editor 3 software to pull files off the recorder and copy/convert to the PC hard drive.
Sound quality is quite good. I have recorded crickets chirping down the block, distant dogs, the gurgling of my classmate's stomach, and my professors in great detail. The sensitivity of the microphones can be adjusted (Low/Mid/High)as well as voice filtering factors. I have not played with these settings as much as it worked perfectly well for my needs right out of the box, but I could see if someone wanted to turn down sensitivity a little if they didn't want to hear someone sniffling in the back row of the classroom. There are other settings for "scene" that tell the unit to adjust recording to different conditions, but I have stayed with the normal fare so far with no need to go above or beyond.
Recorder comes with a wrist strap and a soft cushioned case with a loop for a lanyard clip attachment, which helps keep it protected when thrown in my book bag as it travels across campus with me.
A bonus feature I was not expecting but have totally fallen in love with was Audible audiobook compatibility, podcast support, and general music file (MP3/WMA)support. Being able to put a bit of music or books on the recorder just adds one more thing to like about it.
Recording time lets me record my classes all day without worrying about needing to dig for extra batteries and that includes the time I spend listening to whatever book/music I have stuffed on it.
The Mini-SD card support is also a good bonus feature for virtually unlimited capacity.
Quirks noticed:
Since the speaker is on the back of the unit, if you place the recorder someplace soft and fluffy (such as on your mattress or placed on a pillow) it will muffle the sound. I solve this by placing the recorder on its side or leaning it against another object when using the speaker instead of headphones.
Using the recorder in a dim light or darkened setting can be awkward until you train yourself to go for the right button to kick the back-light back on without stopping playback.
More complex settings like scene editing and manual mic adjusting require digging through the full manual which is buried as a file on the recorder or fetching it online.
Defaults to WMA 128 instead of the lossless PCM -easily changed, but not always noticed if you aren't looking to see what format you are recording in
Happy Thoughts:
Sound quality great!
standard USB mini-plug(on the unit end) instead of a non-standard plug
intuitive navigation for people like me who are deep-tree menu challenged
battery lid is attached, which is a blessing that some may not realize until get in a situation where they dug into various pockets for their spare batteries and can't remember where they auto-piloted and set the battery lid down at...
Overall, the DM-620 has been a wonderful little unit with plenty of features to satisfy workhorse needs such as lecture recording and entertainment (audiobooks and music file support.)
My only issue, is that you have to pay attention when using the reverse and fast forward because the buttons are very small. You have to hold down the reverse button, and if you accidentally let go and push it again before you hit play, you will go back to the beginning of your recording, and have to fast forward back to the original point. The digital display tells you where you are on the recording and how long the recording is in total, so look to see where you are before you begin to rewind. This is probably unavoidable due to the compact size of the device.
You can charge this with your computer usb port. I bought an adapter so I can charge it from a wall plug too.
You can vary the speed of playback ... and there are way too many features to describe.
-Bill
Buy Olympus 142665 DM-620 SLV Voice Recorder Now
I have been using the Olympus DM-620 for 3 weeks to record interviews of relatives for family history, phone calls and work meetings. The DM-620 is excellent!!!Pros:
Great audio recording quality
Excellent microphone sensitivity
Records in WAV, MP3 or MWA
Every little pre-amp hiss
Backlit screen
Metal not plastic body
Long battery life (comes with 2 AA rechargeable batteries)
Unit can recharge batteries via USB
Nylon carrying case fits well in shirt pocket
Option Olympus TP-7 Telephone Recording Device works very well
Cons:
An optional leather case with belt loop is not available
It would be nice to set recording setting per audio folder since changing recording settings can take 5 to 10 seconds
Read Best Reviews of Olympus 142665 DM-620 SLV Voice Recorder Here
Recorder received very timely. I use this for professional dictation. It defaults to windows media format which is NOT good for uploading for typing. The format is too large and is just not acceptable.MP3 format is the same in that the file continues to be a large one.However, if one is patient and downloads the manual AND uses the software that comes with it, there is option to change the format to a *dss file. That is the only format acceptable for uploading and downloading as the quality is high and it is compressed to a small file. Olympus charges another 10.00 dollars to get the premium software which is downloadable. The 10.00 fee is unnecessary and offensive.
I believe dss is unique to olympus. Be sure that your typist has the software for this format. Beware that if one stops, listens and then records onward, a new file is recorded. Pausing without rewinding or stopping eliminates extra files. This can be cumbersome. Higher end recorders do not do this like the ds2300. Hope this helps.
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I loved this recorder when I first heard the quality of the recordings. I am a court reporter so it's very important that I get every single word dictated onto this recorder clearly, which it achieves.Well, I make a lot of recordings throughout the day, week, month. This recorder saves the recordings under a name like "DSJ2000698" which has no real rhyme or reason. WHY? Why not have the date stamp like "032312" at least to start it out, and then if it needs to have an additional number at the end to note that it's the second recording of the day and what not, fine. I don't have time to go into each file and rename them to something that I can relate to a certain job when there are so many. But this is not a very serious flaw, I suppose. Maybe just for me.
SERIOUS FLAW ALERT: NO NOTIFICATION SOUND OF LOW OR DYING BATTERY. Yes, in the middle of a 3-hour long doctor deposition, my recorder battery must have died. I looked down and noticed it about 15 minutes into it being dead. It didn't make one single peep, and I lost that recording forever. In my field, this can cost you your whole career. I have heard of court reporters losing audio of transcripts, and guilty/innocent verdicts being overthrown because of it.
A simple "low battery beep" would have earned this recorder 5 stars. But I give it 2 simply because the audio quality is impeccable. I guess if it was hidden or you were secretly recording something would be the only reason you would ever appreciate not having that feature.
Disappointing.
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