Customer Reviews

Olympus J300 Microcassette Recorder

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I have bought this recorder 2 days ago. I have used it only twice and for some unknown reasons it does not work any more.
I have paid [quite a lot]. Thus, if you do not want to have trouble do not buy it ! Add few euros and buy yourself something better.

I have had this recorder for a couple years and have sent it back 5 times because it just decides to not work. Customer service is horrible and the new recorders they send me are just as bad and stop working (without explanation) again. A waste of time and money.

I have owned three of these "machines" and each time, they stop working after lessthatn a week for no reason. I wish I could post no stars.

Don't But it.

Never buy it.

You're beter off throwing your money out the window.

I don't understand the three one-star reviews on this product. I remember purchasing this recorder in probably Sep, Oct, or Nov, 2001 and have been pretty happy with it. I've played around with it a few times here and there, and overall it's not too bad. The microcassette tapes are pretty inexpensive; like $4.99 I believe for 3 microcassettes. The speaker is loud enough to hear the playback most of the time, and the microphone is at a convenient spot on the top of the recorder.

THe VCVA Voice Activated recording works almost every time. You just set it to that setting, And it'll record when it starts to hear voice. As for the options you get on this thing, you get 1.2x speed and 2.4x. The 1.2x is the regular speed in which you get a fair amount of time on the tape, and 2.4x is just twice as fast which takes up twice as much tape. The three modes are: F. Play (Fast Play; makes the play probably 1.25x faster), OFF, and VCVA. Right next to that is the 3V DC port. I've never had to use it because I think after nearly three years I've never replaced the battery but once.

You also get a red LED light when recording which is somewhat bright. There's also a pause button, which may come in handy for playback. The only drawbacks I have is that the MIC/EAR (microphone/headphone) jack is for some reason too small for the 1/8" jacks. So I've never been able to use that feature, which doesn't really put a downer on my spirits because the internal microphone is perfectly fine. The other drawback is that about a year ago the cover for the microcassette tape fell off--but I put it back in place and it stays on all right, however it falls off at certain angles.

I haven't had any experience with customer support, because I never needed it. This recorder is fine as a toy, but for a serious business person they would want something like the Olympus VN-3600 Digital Voice Recorder. It's one of the more fancy voice recorders, having 6 hours available to record, but in my opinion looks worth its price tag. The best part about digital is that it isn't analog, so you can put it onto the computer via USB.

Price Paid:
39.99 $USD

Recommended:
As a play-around toy, but not as a serious business recording tool.

I am pleased with the dictaphone that I purchased. The one button feature for recording, rewinding, etc. is very helpful in that you don't have to keep moving your fingers to locate additional buttons to do the job quickly and efficiently.

If you drop this dont worry because the other reviews stating that these break when they drop are outright fabrications. I got this for Christmas about two years ago and have used it endlessly. I dropped it three feet [approx] and tested it. Worked fine if not better.It is also perfect for ease of use due to the fact that its buttons and switches are large, and switches are also very usable. If i had to pick another one, or keep this one, i'd call it keeps for this one. All in all, don't bother with the other reviews because although pricey, its a great value.

I bought this machine in 2007 or 2008 as my dated Sony model had been dying on me, and current Sony micro tape units seem to be "poor in quality" compared to units produced before digital became the norm. My only gripe about this machine is the mic/ear port which requires a special adapter one has to buy on the Olympus website to use headphones. The recording quality is very good, however my main reason for purchasing this unit was the compatibility with my 50 or more micro tapes I have created since 2004. For the majority of my recording uses these days I use a Olympus WS-100 digital voice recorder which captures excellent sound and uses a normal 3.5mm ear and headphone port.

I purchased this recorder in 2003 and barely used it. I dropped it once and it completely fell apart making it useless. I would expect a hand held device to be able to absorb normal impact and wear and tear but this recorder was rendered useless after a minor accident - it slipped from my hand and landed on my desk.

The only reason I am re-visiting this page is to make certain of the product name and model so I do not buy it (or any other cassette recorder in this series) again.

A truly poor product.

A nice recorder, but you might want the J500 instead. This recorder is a stripped down version of the Pearlcorder J500. It lacks the Index Marker, the three light battery condition indicator, and the record, play, etc. buttons don't have the gold metal overlay. It's still a nice recorder and a good one if you don't want the other features. I gather the J500 and J300 were sort of meant to replace the old L200 and L400 Pearlcorders, but both of these recorders fail to provide the same features in an analog microcassette recorder that those older recorders did. A real shame.

I had the recorder exactly 31 days before it stopped working entirely... I would NEVER have bought this item had I read these reviews first. SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!