C Crane CWTPL CC Witness Plus Digital MP3 Recorder Player with Built-in AM FM Radio

• Voice recording in MP3 Format
• Built-in AM FM Radio
• Built-in Speaker or use included earphones
• Clock with Timer and Alarm
• Mini USB connector

I purchased the CC Witness+ as a replacement to the Pogo RadioYourWay AM/FM MP3 recorder, which I had owned for several years. I used the Pogo radio to record programming (both AM and FM) and then archive the audio I want to save onto my computer. From day one the RadioYourWay unit had a annoying glitch in recording FM and thereafter downloading the file onto the computer: The resulting audio file had 'artifacts' of random 'squawks' (it did sound like stepping on a rubber duck) that I had to repeatedly clip out of the file in order to make the end result listenable, sometimes as many as five or six artifacts per minute of audio. The AM recorded files had no such issues so I don't know whether it was a problem with the hardware or software with the Pogo unit.

The CC Witness+ that I purchased has no such issues. Both AM and FM recording files download clean into the computer.

I have, however, encountered an issue with compatibility in downloading MP3 files to a computer. When attempting to download from the CC Witness+ to a laptop with Windows 7 Pro, the download takes as long as 30 minutes for a 2 hour MP3 64k clip. Using a laptop with Windows XP Pro, the same download takes less than four minutes. (The RadioYourWay unit I have didn't have that problem either with XP Pro or Win 7 Pro.) With my experience there seems to be a compatability issue with using the CC Witness+ with Windows 7 Pro. Since I do my audio editing with my older laptop I can live with it but users with Windows 7 Pro might want to know that this could be a problem; if anyone has found a way to speed up downloads on Win 7 Pro I'm open to it. It is due to this problem that I only give it four stars instead of five.

In editing the resultant MP3 files downloaded to my computer from the CC Witness+, the audio does seem to record 'louder' (at or near 100% modulation) compared to the older RadioYourWay unit, yet I've not detected any meaningful, annoying distortion in voice recording. At that level I did notice some minor distortion in recording music off the air but I don't know if it was a reception issue or an auto-record level issue. As to reception, it seems that the FM radio in the CC Witness+ does a better job of receiving FM signals than the RadioYourWay and about the same with AM reception, which I thought was remarkably good for such a small unit. If a person wants to attempt capturing AM DX signals it may be well to consider using the CC Witness+ with one of the external antenna units that CC Crane offers.

So far the battery life doesn't seem to be quite as long with the CC Witness+ as with the RadioYourWay but for what I use it for the battery life is still adequate.

If you have used the old Pogo unit, the controls on the CC Witness+ are easy to use. Finding and identifying recorded files is much, much easier with the CC Witness+.

The CC Witness+ as packaged does not come with an AC adapter but does come with the USB patch cord that plugs into your computer so you can connect it to the computer to charge it. The AC adapter that came with the RadioYourWay is 100% compatible with the CC Witness+.

Yes, it has mini-speakers built in but you will get much better audio quality in using earbuds or headphones with the CC Witness+ than using the speakers.

For voice recording (talk shows, broadcasted lectures, etc.) or music where CD quality is not demanded, the CC Witness+ works just fine; for those purposes I would recommended it.

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I waited a couple years to buy this expecting someone (Sony, Apple, whoever) to build something like this a little more reasonably priced. My kids' iPods are on par with the cost of this thing and do 10 times more things. If iPods had an AM tuner I'm sure there would be an app that would render the Witness+ obsolete. Sorry, had to get that little whine off my chest...

I've had this a couple days now so here are my first impressions. The Witness+ is smaller than I thought, about the size of a deck of cards. The user interface is well thought out, it was very easy to program stations into memory and schedule recordings. I have no problems pulling in every station I listen to in my location (about 25 miles from downtown Detroit) on this radio's tuner. It even pulls in smaller stations I didn't know existed. The instructions are very well written. Recording quality is variable, easily changed, and at higher quality levels sounds exactly like live radio.

Hooking the Witness+ up to my computer went without incident, Windows XP recognized the unit immediately. When I first charged the unit and turned it on, I did notice that the AM radio tuner was not working right off the bat, just got screeching noises. I powered it down, flipped it to FM and back to AM and it cleared up after that (not sure the exact steps I took but it works fine now).

I'll update this review if I have anything significant to add or change, but as of now I'm pleased with the quality of the Witness+.

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We've all been hooked on the DVR. This is a DVR for radio that works great. I like to use it for programs that are on only after midnight or Public Radio broadcasts that I often miss. You can set 20 timers to record blocks of any length. One other neat feature is the ability to change the speed of the playback from .5 of normal to 1.7 of normal, and you can easily define a playback loop. The unit actually turns on during the time it's recording--I found I could either leave the ear buds plugged in or I could lower the volume to zero. Like any new electronic device, there is some quirkiness to the interface but I found it mostly intuitive. I haven't tried the USB interface yet but I fully expect it to function well.

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This little radio/recorder is everything advertised. Don't expect to set this radio down next to you and listen, it is not designed to be a table top unit. The instructions were in clear English, easy to understand; I'm happy.

I had known about the CC Witness Plus for a while, but had put off getting one as I was using my cell-phone for radio and music playing.

The problem with using my cell was the constant freezing of apps or delays caused by the phone looking for signals while on the move.

The CC Witness is not only able to pull in very clear signals everywhere I go, but the added bonus of being able to record my favorite radio shows and play them back later is pretty cool.

The unit is lightweight, about the same size as my cell and has great sound capability. The controls are intuitive and setting it up for my preferences was very easy.

My only little complaint would be that while listening to the radio and then switching to the menu to change a setting, the radio cuts out and doesn't come back until you select a band. Oh well no biggie.

I haven't tried to record a meeting yet, but that will be coming up shortly; I will let you know how that works.