Olympus DS-40 Digital Voice Recorder

Manufacturer: Olympus
Customer Rating:

, based on 56 reviews

Lowest Price: $142.99
By Supplier: gpsfreeway

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

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Editorial Review:

Professional-grade digital voice recorder with high-sensitivity microphone
Up to 136 hours of recording time; 30-hour battery life
Connect to PC to transfer files or download podcasts
Store and listen to favorite music anytime, anywhere
Timer recording, alarm playback, slow/fast

Up to 134 hours recording time / 512MB Internal Flash Memory / High-sensitivity Microphone / Voice guidance / DSS Player v7.0 Podcatcher Software This Podcatcher can transfer new content to the recorder simply by connecting it to a computer by registering favorite Podcast programs in DSS Player Stores highly compressed WMA (Windows Media Audio) format voice messages Playback and store WMA and MP3 music files Five voice folders can save up to 200 messages per folder. Music, Podcast, and Audible folder are also available New, brighter high-contrast monochrome LCD panel with backlight Built-in Variable Control Voice Actuator (VCVA) function Timer Recording and Alarm features enable automatic recording and playing at a set time Index mark and temp mark features allow you to quickly find desired locations Noise Cancel Function and Voice Filter Function cut noise and enable clear audio playback Up to 32 hours of continuous operation with two AAA batteries Recording Time - ST XQ mode 8 hours 40 minutes, ST HQ mode 17 hours 20 minutes, HQ mode 34 hours 45 minutes, SP mode 68 hours 30 minutes, LP mode 136 hours 15 minutes Input Level - -70 dBv Practical Maximum Output - 250 mW Microphone Jack - 3.5 mm mini-jack, impedance 680 ohms Earphone Jack - 3.5 mm mini-jack, impedance 8 ohms or more Power Supply Rated Voltage - 3V DC Optional AC Adapter External Power Supply System Requirements - Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, XP Professional, Home Edition, CPU Intel Pentium II class 333 MHz processor or more, RAM 128 MB or more (256MB or more is recommended), Sound Board Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 or 100% compatible sound card, Video Card and Display 800 x 600 pixels or more, 256 colors or more, Removable Drive 2x or faster, One Free USB Port, Audio Output Speaker or earphone output Dimensions - 4.37 x 1.48 x 0.63 inch (111 x 37.5 x 16 mm)

Customer Reviews:

Great all in one recorder

This recorder is great for those who need to take voice notes and also want to record music at a decent quality. My only complaint is that there are only three microphone sensitivity levels, which is the only thing that makes this thing not all that ideal for music.

2008-08-16

Does Everything We Need

The Planning Office needed a reliable, quality unit to tape public meetings and hearings. The DS-40 replaced one that recorded well, but had tiny, multi-function, hard-to-operate buttons. The DS-40 has been a terrific unit. It records well, whether it is a small group meeting or a larger public hearing. Its operation is intuitive, which is a blessing when we're using temporary employees. It arrived at 4 p.m. in the afternoon, and it operated flawlessly for recording a meeting at 6:30 p.m. that same evening. For doing minutes, download the file and listen from the computer as it is easier to do the forward and reverse. I would recommend this unit to anyone who has to record meetings.

2008-08-11

Easy to get great recordings at my church

I bought DS-40 to record the sunday sermons on my church. It's a small church, so I figured a digital voice recorder will be enough and let me tell you that it is enough. Pastor wears the Olympus ME-15 Microphone (purchased separately) around his chest, then delievers the message as usual through another microphone which is connected directly to an amp.

After the service I get the recorder from the pastor, then copy the file to my computer, use Switch(ver 1.33) to convert the wma sermon file to mp3, and edit the file using Audacity to trim away any unwanted noise/beginning/end, adjust the volume. After that, my wife records the reading of the passages on the bible and the title of the sermon and I combine the two files and it's ready!

Recorded voice quality is very good!

2008-07-29

Olympus DS-40

Benefit to me: great productivity booster.

Salient features that deliver this benefit:

- Excellent microphone sensitivity makes it great for recording conferences and lectures. No more constant replaying, straining to hear what the speaker said.

- User-defined repeat playback loops and index ("go to")points speed transcription.

- Records about seven hours at high quality. Claims 5X that recording length on lowest quality but I've never tried it.

- Tiny drawback, not particularly important: the "record" button is high on the right side of the device. That's just where my thumb would be whether I want to record or not. Result: accidental recording. I'd like to see the double-button record feature used on Olympus microcasette recorders.

- This DVR replaced an Olympus microcassette recorder. Storing the analog contents of the recorder on my computer required replay through digitizing software (Audacity). With a DVR, just download.

Definitely recommend.

2008-07-20

Olympus ds-40

This is an excellent voice recorder, but don't get it if you wish to record live music or your practice sessions with a guitar or piano. I tried it and the resulting sound was just plain awful--just one mushy sound. I returned it to Amazon and bought the LS-10 which just arrived today. I've already tried it out and it's a hundred times better than the DS-40 for the purpose of recording live music.

2008-05-29

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