Customer Reviews

Olympus DM-20 Digital Voice Recorder and Music Player

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just purchased a DM-20 for around $200... and that might have been a mistake. If only I had done my research by looking at Olympus's own web site more closely rather than spending all my time on user reviews. The specs are all there on Olympus America's site! Battery life, sound quality (in terms of frequency response, bitrates, and sampling rates), how much memory they have, and whether they record in WMA or DSS format. Who would have thought. So I'm writing this review so that others know better.

The DM-20 is a good voice recorder. It's definitely useful, because it records in WMA format with pretty good quality, it's not too big to keep in your pocket, and it has 128 MB of memory (8 hours 45 minutes if you're recording on mono high quality). Since I got it I use all the time to record lectures, keep a voice diary, and record health-related stuff I am tracking such as how long I spent on the treadmill. (Only problem with going nuts with it is that you have to sort through these recordings later.)

But instead of the DM-10 or DM-20, I should have waited and taken a look at the WS-300M, WS-310M, or WS-320M when they are released (around 10/18/2005). These new models will retail around $150, $180, and $230, and they will have 256 mb, 512 mb, and 1 gb of memory, respectively, as compared to the 128 mb in the DM-20 or the 64 mb in the DM-10.

The frequency response at the highest quality is only 300-8,000 Hz on the DM-10 and DM-20, whereas it's 100-15,000Hz on the new WS models, although the highest bitrates on both the DM-10/20 and the WS-300/310/320M are the same -- 64 kbps at stereo high quality. (That's below CD quality.) This probably makes the new WS-300/310/320M models more suitable to recording music than the DS-10/20 models. (As for whether the DM-10/20 models are better at recording voice, since by throwing out the low bass and high treble they might allow more space in the WMA file for the mid-range (voice) frequencies... I'm not sure... probably not...)

The DS-2 is another model I should have looked at. From the specs on their web site, when recording in stereo high quality (but not mono), the DS-2 seems to have the best sound quality of all the Olympus voice recorders, with a 100-17,000 Hz frequency response and 128 kpbs bitrate. (I believe it's the only Olympus voice recorder that records at that rate). However, it has 64 MB of memory, so at this quality, it only records for an hour! It has good battery life (18 hours as compared to around 13 for the DM-20). If you could figure out a way to put more memory in it, the DS-2 would probably be an awesome recorder to have. But it has one more problem, according to the online review by David Battino (Google him to find it): the DS-2 is a little too big to want to keep in your pocket all the time.

Another model worth considering is the WS-200S. Its frequency response is as wide as the (not yet released) WS-300M, WS-310M, and WS-320M, and it has 128 MB of memory. But according to David Battino's review, the WS-200S is too sensitive to noise from touching the recorder while it records (more than the DS-2). We'll have to wait and see whether the WS-300/310/320M models suffer from this problem.

Note that the highest sampling rate on these Olympus voice recorders is 44.1 khz, which is good, but the sampling rate does not have to be more than twice the highest frequency recorded; so if the voice recorder only records up to 17,000 Hz, then sampling rates above 34,000 Hz add no extra sound quality. (At least that's my understanding.)

Except for the DS-2 I mentioned above, I believe that no other Olympus voice recorder records at bitrates above 64 kbps stereo (32 kbps mono), which is clearly below CD quality. In general, when listening to music, you can hear a clear drop from CD quality for stereo WMA files recorded at less than 128 kbps (and mp3s at less than 160 kbps). Also, the frequency response on a CD goes up to about 22,000 Hz. So if you're looking for higher bitrate recordings than 128 kbps and higher frequency response than 17,000 Hz, you probably need a MiniDisc recorder (plus a mic), or one of the items that David Battino mentions: "dedicated field recorders like the Marantz PMD660, Edirol R-1, M-Audio MicroTrack, or a Hi-MD MiniDisc".

Note that you can calculate the maximum recording bitrate if it's not included in the specs. You just figure out the number of kilobits (not kilobytes) of memory, the number of seconds of recording time, and divide, like this:
(# of megabytes of memory) x 1024 x 8
divided by
(# of minutes of recording time at the highest quality) * 60

I believe the effect of the low 64 kbps bitrate on the new WS-300/310/320M and the WS-200S models (which otherwise have a pretty OK frequency response) is that you might be able to record music well as long as the music isn't complex -- like a solo vocalist or instrumentalist. I'm not sure.

These voice recorders (DM-10/20 and WS-300/310/320M) will, of course, *play* mp3s and WMAs that were recorded elsewhere at higher bitrates. But considering the DM-20's low battery life, I'm not sure how good an mp3 player it makes. If you buy the DM-20, you should also get a 4-pack of rechargeable AAA batteries (the DM-20 uses 2 AAA batteries) and a charger. Together they're around $20. If possible, try to get rechargeable batteries with a higher mAh number.

The headphones jack of the DM-20 doubles as a mic-in jack, so the device attempts to detect whether you've plugged in a mic or headphones into this jack. Although it would play music through my headphones, it (at first) would not play music through my home or car speaker system; it thought I was plugging a mic into the jack when I was really plugging some speakers or my car audio cassette adapter into it. However, it finally played music through my speaker system when I plugged my speaker system not directly into the DM-20, but into the "remote control" accessory that comes with and plugs into the DM-20.

The DM-20 recorder records pretty good quality with the built-in mic (good enough to record class lectures), and good quality with an external mic. There is some background hiss, especially when the mic is in high sensitivity (conference) mode. The (after-the-fact) noise reduction feature on the device and software causes a tinny "alien" effect, so it's just okay. I also don't use the VCVA feature (where it stops recording whenever it detects silence) for recording lectures, because even after increasing the VCVA sensitivity level inevitably the teacher will say something too softly, and the voice recorder won't record it.

The DM-10/20 record in WMA at the higher quality mode and DSS format at the lower quality modes and come with some DSS software, whereas the WS-300M/310M/320M models record in WMA in all modes and I'm not sure whether they come with similar software.

Olympus told me the DM-20's software is useful for transcription, but I read that the DM-20 is somewhat inconvenient for use with Dragon NaturallySpeaking.

But I find the DM-20's software to be useful for reviewing lectures, partly because the software (similar to the recorder) allows you to slow down or speed up the playback, from 50% to 200% of normal speed. If the new WS models didn't come with software with this feature, perhaps you could find some freeware or shareware to do it.

Copying the DM-20's files onto the computer is a snap, because you can set the DM-20's software so that whenever you put the recorder into its cradle, the software immediately downloads all files onto your computer.

Don't forget to get software updates off the Olympus web site.

Remember that you can always call up Olympus or any company and talk to a tech support person if you have questions about their models and can't find the details online. (Although you may know more than they do.)

If you're wondering whether having a voice recorder is useful for learning more in college: If you're working on homework related to a lecture from 2 weeks ago and you can't understand your notes (because they're not detailed enough), then it's undoubtedly useful to have a recording of that lecture (especially if you jot down the recorder's current time now and then while taking notes). And having a recorder takes some of the pressure off of your note-taking and allows you to focus a little more on just listening to the lecture -- although, it can just as easily make you feel that you can zone out during lecture, since you'll tell yourself that you'll listen to the whole lecture later, when the truth is, you often will not have the time. Without at least some written notes, a recording of a lecture can be hard to follow. And make sure you ask each professor whether it's all right to record his lectures (most of them will say yes).

I use the recorder in college to record lectures and classes, and I have been extremely satisfied with the quality and ability of the DM 20. I have classes in rooms as large as 40' x 20' and record on HQ mode. My Prof's range from the screamer to the mumbler and even at 30' the recorder picks up the mumbler clearly, (after I turn the noise reduction feature to high). I was going to buy the DM 10, but 8 hours of high quality recording won the day over the price difference. I would strongly recommend the DM series to everyone.

The reason I didn't give five stars is simple: the batteries. Regular batteries last about a week for me; I use the recorder about five hours a day everyday. So it's new batteries every week or rechargeable batteries. I bought rechargeable batteries and a charger but that adds $35 to the price of the unit. If the DM cradle recharged the batteries, it would be a big plus and I would have given 5 stars.

The battery problem is more a minor nuisance than a real annoyance. Overall, the recorder is amazing at picking up voices at distance and capturing it into a high quality recording. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

I recently ordered olympus digital voice recorder DM20 from amazon.com. it was the cheapest price after compairing it to tons of stores. it was shipped the same day i placed the order and with Free shipping i receieved it in 6days. overall i was very satisfied with Amazon's service. DM20 itself is really good, very light and compact. the recording was clear and i was able to download a 2hr recorded file in less than 5sec. I had some trouble with the software in the begining, i was not able to download the files but after calling Olympus tech support, i was able to resolve that issue very quickly. i read one review where there was a complain about the pause time allowed during recording. while recording if you need to pause for somereason, the recorder has a 10min pause, after that it will release the pause. it was a concern for me since i record lectures and most of the time professor either goes off topic, or takes a break and it would be a waste of time to keep recording in situations like these. i was able to get around that by pausing the recording for 8 min and then releasing it for 2 sec and then again pausing it, this increased the time for pause to more than 10 min. i have found the recorder to be very helpful but at a close range to the speaker, i have not yet tried it from a longer distance. the cradle cannot be used to recharge the battery, in my opinion the recorder would be perfect if it included this feature.

I'm a professional journalist and I purchased the DM-20 to record interviews (I do about two-three interviews a week on average). While I had excellent results using my DM-20 for the first two months, recording about 60 interviews 10 - 30 minutes in length, I had the misfortune of a 60-minute file becoming "lost." While recording the interview, the time counter and level meter functioned properly, but the moment that I hit the stop button the file "disappeared," and the file counter and remaining time display went back to the settings that were there before the interview.

Fortunately, I was able to send the unit to a data recovery specialist in the UK (US-based specialists either refused to work on the unit or they estimated nearly $1000 for the work) who retrieved the file at a cost that exceeded that of the unit itself. I was told that my unit had a bad sector on a NAND memory chip and that I should get the unit replaced. The recovery specialist also warned that all NAND memory chips go bad eventually, which makes me question the useful lifespan of the DM-20. My previous cassette recorder lasted over 10 years (and cost only $35), but I seriously doubt the DM-20 will last this long. I am sending the unit in for repair or (hopefully) replacement under warranty tomorrow. If I encounter further problems I will post about them here.

It's a shame that the DM-20 NAND technology can be unreliable as I am extremely pleased with the DM-20's sound quality and noise-free clarity, the performance of its stock external microphone/remote control, its compact size and light weight and its generous total recording time. The unit is also very easy to operate. With the exception of the lost file, I have been very pleased with the unit and would highly recommend it for professional use. However, the hassles, stress and considerable expense I endured due to the temporarily lost file makes me reticent to recommend this to anyone other than casual users who aren't making irreplaceable recordings.

Being a Mac user, I'm also pleased that the Olympus software is both Mac- and PC-compatible (especially since I sometimes work offsite on PCs). While I was used to working with a foot-controlled transcriber to play back cassettes, I found the Olympus DSS software very easy to use for transcription purposes by simply toggling back and forth between the DSS Player and Word.

Beyond the issues concerning the NAND chips, I'm also critical of how easy it is to accidentally engage the unit's buttons. I hit the record and play buttons by accident several times and even engaged the erase button once (fortunately you have to press the erase button a second time to verify this function). If you want to carry the unit in your pocket, you need to place it in the included carrying case to avoid inadvertently recording or erasing files. While the carrying case is small, it nearly triples the total bulk.

Most users should find the overall recording time of the DM-10 sufficient for most applications. I've been using SP mode (20 hours 55 minutes total recording time) and the sound quality of voice-only recordings is excellent. Now that I know my habits using the recorder, I would probably opt for the DM-10 over the more expensive DM-20 as it's easy and convenient to transfer files to a computer and store them there long before I reach even half of the DM-20's capacity. The only justification for the expanded recording time and expense is if you spend long periods of time in the field away from a computer.

I will probably continue using the DM-20 because it provides excellent sound quality and convenience, but for very important, irreplaceable interviews I will bring a cassette recorder as a secondary backup in case one of the NAND sectors goes bad again.

I've been using my Olympus DM-20 for two months and am completely satisfied with its design and operation.

I do linguistic fieldwork in rural areas, and have never been satisfied with cassette recorders. I wanted to switch to an all-digital recorder, but usually felt those recorders weren't up to the task, due to limitations of memory or of supported file formats. The DM-20 meets all of my needs.

I'm getting more than 8 hours of record time when configured for high quality mono. The battery life is excellent, and the LCD menu layout and keys were easy to learn to use. I find that the microphone shipped with the recorder works quite well at picking up the voice of my interviewees while minimizing modest background noise, and the recorder supports higher levels of noise cancellation than I am using.

The included software makes it easy to upload the audio files to my PC in WMA format and play them back. I especially like the "Playback Controls" feature, which provides a small, "always on top" window with just the stop-play-fastforward-rewind controls. I use this to control audio playback on the computer while transcribing the audio into a Word Documente (nobody offers word-recognition software for the languages I work with).

My only suggestion for improvement is relatively small: I do find the playback software to be slightly unstable on my PC running Windows XP. The program occasionally terminates unexpectedly. I should point out, though, that this has never damaged any files or caused any operating problems with my PC or any other programs running on it. It is possible that Olympus has a fix for that minor issue, but I haven't checked for it yet because of limitations of internet connections in the area in which I'm now working.

This product has made my work much easier and effective.

This device couldn't be more intuitive. Without having to look at the technical manual, I was able to get the thing set up, record multiple tracks, and download the tracks to my computer. All this within about five minutes of taking it out of the box.

I've been using this for recording interviews, as well as music tracks from my mariachi band so I can learn the songs. The sound quality is GREAT, and I have no problems hearing dialogue and chords clearly the first time through. And, the thing is ridiculously portable. If there's something better out there, that would simply be overkill...

I just recently bought the dm-20 and absolutely love it!!! I use it for lectures and the sound comes out crisp and clear on sp mode. I like it even more because I can index all of the portions of the lecture that i want to go back to. The dm-20 body design is very sturdy and convenient for its size. You can even reduce background noise so that it is easier to hear the professor talking. I sit in a class of 60 students in the middle row and am able to get the lecture really well with the external microphone connected. I've tried the mp3 player and it sounds as good as a cd player...you can adjust it to your own settings. The only problem i had was that the software that was enclosed would not let me download the windows media player 9. It was okay because I just downloaded it from the windows media player website and everything worked out like a charm. I like the carrying case that comes with the dm-20 also. It has space for everything needed: the dm-20, the external mic, the headphones, and extra batteries!! I've tried the sony brands, but nothing can compare to this olympus. Sony can be good for cd players and stuff, but olympus is the BEST for voice recording. I had an olympus microcassette voice recorder and that one was great, but this dm-20 digital voice recorder is even better because of all the features that is included. This product is similar to the dm-10, except it has double the space. I paid around $200.00 for this product, which I thought was pretty high, but it came out to be worth buying. I gave this product five stars because of its durability, size, sound quality, and amount of saving space.

If you want to use a good external microphone (USUALLY STEREO) or record from external source using the micro jack as LINE IN, and don't want the automatic SHQ setting, just use a 3.5 stereo to mono adapter (both channels are merged) and VOILA, a lot of selectable good quality (HQ or SP) recording time.
About the recorder. . . sorry for my other ones (SONY) but ever since I got the DM-20, only use it. The difference (quality of recordings) is awesome. Bye Sony, welcome Olympus.
Ahhh. . . and as a Macintosh user... bye Sony, welcome Olympus (again). Tired and frustrated of trying unsuccessfuly to use Digital Voice Editor via Virtual PC. Thanks Olympus on behalf the rest of Us.

I've been using this recorder for about a month, buying it after reading a few reviews about its great sound quality. At first when I recorded my voice and then played it back in what I thought was HQ, I was somewhat dissapointed since it sounded okay, but not anything special. Then I realized it wasn't set at HQ, but at SP. So I tried again on HQ and was blown away. It didn't even sound like a recording, it sounded crystal clear and lifelike. A very compact and small device, operating it is extremely simple as there's five folders to have recordings in, all you do is press the folder button to switch between folders then hit record. Also the case is robust, actual metal that makes the recorder seem indestructible. The battery life depends on what you do with it. Just recording doesn't drain the battery much, however having the internal speaker running or listening to recordings on headphones drains the battery in just a few hours. For me having rechargeables was a must. Overall being able to record lectures in such great quality(with HQ) makes this purchase worth it, not to mention that for dictation purposes voice is crystal clear.

Also a comment to the reviewer who talked about the newer WS models, I was interested in this and sought out to read some reviews of these recorders to see if they actually were a better buy. However the reviews I read weren't too great, as one said that despite having a lot more memory, the WS had dissapointing sound quality. I don't know about the DS-2, but just make sure to read up before deciding.

I really love my little Olympus DM-20 Digital Voice Recorder. The price can cause one to take a step back, but it really is worth it.

I am a qualitative researcher in sociology and it sucks to have completed an interview and then to play back the recording and find out you can't understand a word that was said. I am impressed with the quality of sound provided by the DM-20. I can clearly understand even amidst background noise (especially since my interviews are usually in public places).

It is very easy to upload your recordings to your computer. Transcription should be much easier and efficient since the sound quality is so good and since everything is an audio file.

There is an issue with the software and Windows XP or Internet Explorer in particular. My IE has not been working well, since I started using the software. It is still worth it though because it makes your work more efficient.

This really is the best. Don't even waste time buying an audiocasette recorder. I did that and had so much trouble with recording and playback that I would have saved money just going ahead and going for this top of the line, but high quality DM-20 voice recorder.

I highly recommend it!