See Customer Reviews & Lowest Price on the Olympus DS-2 Digital Voice Recorder

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 (112 Customer Reviews)

Product Description

The advantages of digital voice recorders are numerous: superior sound, long recording times, and the convenience of built-in memory (much handier than hauling around several microcassettes). Enter the high-performance Olympus DS-2, which makes professional interviewing and dictation easy and efficient. With 64 MB of internal memory delivering up to 22 hours of total recording time in Long Play mode, the device is great for archiving long meetings or lectures, or for researching huge projects that require dozens of interviews. Users also have the choice of recording at several other speeds, including extreme high-quality modes that offer far less recording time (as little as one hour and five minutes) but much better audio resolution. The latter modes are more suitable for recording soft voices or when taking down complex song ideas--a process that's further assisted by the built-in stereo microphone designed to pick up all sides of a conversation with equal clarity.

The DS-2 is a breeze to use thanks to its straightforward front panel, from which users can quickly access or move files (the recorder comes with five folders, each capable of holding 199 files), set the alarm, or change the recording mode. Multitasking users will also delight in the voice activation function, which enables hands-free recording--a must when you're busy taking notes. Voice activation also saves battery life by powering off when no sound is detected. And when you just don't have time to attend to the details on the spot, you can set the DS-2 to record automatically over a fixed span. Simply enter the start and end times and the timer function is ready to go.

And though the DS-2 is primarily a recorder, the package comes with DSS Player software for editing and archiving files. The software offers a nice way to delete long silences, eliminate small talk, or combine two small but related passages into one large statement. Users can then transfer the files (they record in high-compression DSS and WMA formats) to a PC or Mac via the included USB docking station and cable. Once transferred, you can save them in perpetuity while freeing up the internal memory to record other interviews or meetings.

Additional features include a backlit LCD screen that shows the date, time, battery life, and more; 3.5 mm headphone and microphone jacks for added flexibility; and several basic and advanced playback options, including slow, fast, skip, and repeat. And best of all, the variety of functions come packed in a chassis that fits conveniently in your hand or pocket--quite unlike the bulky tape recorders of yesteryear. The DS-2, which also comes with a pair of earphones and a carrying case, runs for 18 hours on a single pair of AAA batteries (included) and carries a one-year warranty.

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See What Customers are Saying:

By  L. Sanchez
    
"I have had this recorder for about 2 months now. I use it to record my lecture hall class and it has worked very well for me. I record it at the highest quality so the file size is about 30 MB for an hour lecture. It can only record about 2 hours at the highest quality but that works for me since I download it as soon as I get home and erase for the next class. It records a WMV file but I can convert it to MP3 and play it on my IPod as I walk around campus. The recorder does a very good job of picking up the teacher's voice. I even try to stay quiet because I can hear myself whispering to my neighbor on the recording. I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't want to drop $300 on a recorder but still wants quality recordings. The battery life is pretty good but make sure to carry some extra triple A's with you. That saved me once when the batteries died as soon as I turned it on in class. I would also recommend when you get the recorder to not install the software that comes with it. It has some DSS player in its software. If you have XP then it will recognize the recorder as soon as you plug it in and you just need to open the folder to view the files. Then just drag it over to whatever folder you want and convert it if you need an MP3. You can find free MP3 converters over at snapfiles dot com. That's about all the info I have and I hope this helps anyone interested in buying this product."

By  Jesse L. Bellinger "Bubby" (Santa Barbara)

"While I haven't had a chance to use all quality settings, the best setting picks up an amazing amount of quality conversation regardless of background buses, chainsaws, or espresso grinders.

The DS-2 also doubles as a portable USB drive, although that requires the extension cord to plug it into the computer--not as swift or sleek as the little pen drives. If you use it as a portable drive, such as transporting a Word file, it converts to that format, and you can't then record any audio. You must first reformat (which purges all files) in order to use it again as a voice recorder. Not a big deal, but the first time you realize you can't carry your transcribed notes in Word and record a new interview is a little annoying.

Downloading the sound files into the accompanying DSS program is seamless. The audio can then be played in slow motion, paused, fast forwarded, whatever.

The extra editing element is just about useless. For instance, when you add an "index" to a sound file, for later transcription, it doesn't save the index mark. It's like nothing happened when you go back into the file. I didn't check the manual, because it doesn't really matter. So far I've only used the DS-2 for interviews, leading to straight transcriptions of the file. The DS-2 is small, elegant, simple, and has more capability than you'll probably ever use.

Otherwise, especially for techies, this little baby gets a lot of interest from people who like small, shiny, silver things. It's a fun little tool."

By  Beth Bruskin "news hound" (USA)

"I bought it because it's Mac compatible, but I didn't know how darned good it would be. I use it on its highest quality setting, and it picks up everything I want it to, i.e. it makes excellent recordings of all the speeches in a big noisy room, but you don't hear too much of the air conditioner. I find it's also very easy on batteries. An added benefit: when it's in the cradle, plugged into your USB port, I think it draws on the computer's power and it SEEMS like it gives those AAA batteries a little boost. Maybe this is technically impossible. I'm just telling you what I notice.

I usually discard the dorky cases that come with gadgets, but this one is quite good. You can fully operate the recorder while it's in the protective black case, except that you have to take it off to put it in the cradle. The case also has a velcro loop on it, so you can attach the recorder to a strap in your satchel or purse -- handy, because the thing is so tiny you might lose it in a big bag. In short, I love it. Worth every penny. I can't imagine why people are still using microcassette recorders."

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