Olympus DS-2300 Digital Voice Recorder

by Olympus

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 0.7 x 4.3 x 2 inches ; 3.5 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0009XTDHO
• Item model number: DS2300
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,385 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Olympus DS-2300 Digital Voice Recorder is a professional-grade digital voice recorder in a sleek and stylish package. Advanced features include removable flash memory (the DS-2300 comes with a 16 MB xD-Picture Card), and a backlit LCD to keep tabs on recording times, battery life status, and more.

Powered by two AAA batteries, the DS-2300 can provide up to 20 hours of recording time before needing fresh batteries. The built-in microphone records at an input Level of 70 dBv, and the DS-2300 comes with built-in speakers and a headphone jack for quick playback convenience. The DS-2300 can create up to five folders and can hold 199 messages per folder for a total recording time of up to five hours and thirty minutes in LP recording mode (two hours and thirty minutes in SP recording mode). With convenient USB connectivity, this digital voice recorder is compatible with Microsoft Windows Me, 2000, Professional, XP Professional, Home Edition, Mac OS X 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, and 10.4 operating systems.

Product Description

Supports 16MB to 512MB xD cardsUp to 5 hours 30 minutes recording with 16MB card in DSS formatInsert index marks to quickly retrieve specific sound bitesStore and organize files in 5 folders up to 199 files per folderVoice activation records sound as soon as built-in mic picks it up20 hours of recording/play on 2 AAA batteries (included)Includes USB cable and DSS Player CD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great machine; software buggy with Mac, December 14, 2005

By 

J. Brooker (Detroit, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Olympus DS-2300 Digital Voice Recorder (Office Product)

Received the DS-2300 yesterday. The machine is a keeper. However, if you are thinking of buying this because of it's Mac compatibility, read on.

The DSS Player software installs OK but the first time you connect the recorder with the supplied USB cord, an error pops up that the system extension was not properly installed, that it should be either reinstalled or a replacement obtained from the vendor.

Many of the software functions do not work because of the issue with the extension. Although you can see the device as a drive and the file import function works, none of the functions in the download area of the software are available. You cannot download a folder from that menu, you cannot change the user name, rename a folder on the machine, set the time from the computer, etc.

I paid to activate DSS Player Plus so I can use the software to either split or join files. I tried to split a file a couple of times. It doesn't work, the software crashes and in the process only one half of the split is completed.

I spoke with Olympus tech support on the phone about this hoping to find out there's a replacement driver. No. They confirmed the DSS Player does not run well with Mac OS X (10.4+). No information on when there may be an update.

An email 5 days later from Olympus Tech Support in answer to the same question basically claimed the problem is Apple's fault.

Next question. I can find nothing in the documentation that indicates whether the unit will work with the new M-type XD cards larger than 512MB. On the phone, tech support said I could run the firmware update that's on the OlympusAmerica website and that the unit would work with the 1GB XD card.

However, the email from tech support 5 days later says there is no firmware update for the DS-2300 (it's on their website as an EXE file - I could do the update with a PC), and that the M-type XD cards cannot be used with the DS-2300.

Today I noticed that the description for the firmware update on their website has been changed and now lists the 1GB M-XD card as one of those that can be used.

Sounds like a case of "your mileage may vary".

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Product, November 6, 2006

By 

vocman "markks5060" (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Olympus DS-2300 Digital Voice Recorder (Office Product)

If you are doing professional dictation this is the best machine for the job. Each time you stop to listen and possibly edit or continue, this machine does NOT create additional files/folders! Many recorders automatically create a folder which becomes a secretaries nightmare. The 2300 is easy to use and the dss file format is a high compression which means the files are much smaller than wma. Quality of sound is superb. I would highly recommend this recorder. Mark

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DS-2300 A lot of juice, October 30, 2006

By 

Ameer Ali Mohd Yusoff - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Olympus DS-2300 Digital Voice Recorder (Office Product)

I started with the DS-2300 a month ago. I have also been using the smaller WS-100 for some 10 months but let me confine my comments to only the DS-2300.

It is my habit to download instruction manuals and read them thoroughly before I buy them. The DS-2300 was no exception. At the risk of repeating what others have already written, let me be brief in my comments:

Pros - many:
Sound quality, clear display of various info on the LCD, features like Appending additional recording to the end of the current or an old file, Inserting recording anywhere in the middle of an existing file, Reviewing recording while recording, Overwriting existing recording, CUE function, the extremely useful VCVA (no sound, no recording) function and the unlimited storage facilities by the use of xD cards.

I am not qualified to comment on the additional functions that are said to be available by the use of optional software as I have not bought any.

Cons - only a few:
1. There is no choice of playing a file fast or slow in addition to normal playback. 2. One has to play the files one by one in a folder, but cannot play all the files in a folder continuously one after the other. This feature, available in the WS-100, would be useful to play songs.

3. The DSS-format is not suitable for sending recordings by email. It cannot be read by the universally available Windows Media Player. Although the recipients of the emails can download the free "mini-player" software from Olympus to open the emailed files, it is cumbersome. It would be ideal if WMA format is also made available in the DS-2300 or a firmware be made available to convert the DSS-format into .wma format.

I bought a one-GB xD picture card, type H. My DS-2300, which was among the later batches, recognized the card. However, the use of type H, which is very fast, is an overkill and waste of money. It is more suitable for DSLR cameras. I had originally thought that I could use it both in the DS-2300 and in my Evolt E-500 camera. I now find that it is not practicable to use the same card in both the equipments.

For the DS-2300, the M type card would be ideal if this recorder is also used to store songs and the recorder used like a music player. If only voice recordings are to be made, a standard type card with say 64 or 128 mb would more than suffice. Generally, it is advisable to download the recordings to the computer often.

Although, the DS-2300 is not meant to be a music player, I use it as one. I play a CD or a downloaded song on the computer, for example, and record it through the microphone jack of the DS-2300 connecting it to the computer. The DS-2300 records the music as if it were a voice recording in the DSS-format. I record several songs consecutively in each file. I enjoy the music anywhere I like. A one-GB card should accommodate a few hundred songs depending upon the sizes of the songs. I have already saved some 50 songs.

Incidentally, during my travels with my family, I used a cassette recorder to record the voices of my family members even some 25 years ago. I now replay some of the recordings, save them in the DS-2300, replay any particular file and add my comments where I want. It is not only fun but also recording of family history like photographs - except in this case voice recordings.

Unlike camera forums, I have not come across any forum dedicated to voice recorders. It would be useful to discuss issues in such forums.

Summing up:
The DS-2300 has many features. I tested all of them. Everything worked fine. Print the manual and study it thoroughly. You can then squeeze the entire juice out of it. I like this model.

ameer