Customer Reviews

Olympus V-90 Digital Voice Recorder

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This recorder is my second digital recorder and is twice as good as the previous one at half the price. This unit records exceptionally well in the shorter 33 minute mode, though I have to use headphones to understand the 90 minute mode. A 60 minute mode would have been a good compromise.

The voice activiation is so good that a series of comments when played back sound like an uninterrupted sentence. In the high sensitivity mode I can record someone talking in a quiet room from over 12 feet away. It is so small that one can put it in a shirt pocket and record a coversation. The unit does not have a carrying case, so I use a knife sheath that attaches to my belt. This way I always have it when needed. The V90 has the ability to record a message with a playback alarm that goes off at a certain time of the day. It cannot record a bunch of messages with varying playback times. That would be a useful feature. Expect to see the price of these units drop as technology improves. As far as improvements, I would like to see a unit that records on command such as "V90..record" and it would say "Recording" and then you would record until you say "end recording". Then you could also command it to "set playback for May 21 at 10 PM"

Maybe someday.

Having read the previous comment on poor sound quality I must write in - I have found the sound quality on the v-90 more than adequate. I frequently use the v-90 for recording a class and every voice in the discussion is understandable. And my most common use for it, taking personal notes, I speak directly into the microphone and for that the sound quality is excellent. I find it hard to believe that someone could not understand what they were saying into a v-90.
Also, I must say that the voice operated recording is quite good, unlike many voice operated recorders the first part of a recording is not cut out due to a delay in starting to record. I keep my v-90 atttached to my pants on a carabiner and in my pocket - and with me at all times.

Please bear in mind that this is not a personal audio player, if you want that get a recordable mp3 player, for it's purpose - recording personal notes, reminders, lectures, meetings, thoughts, etc - it does marvelously.

It's just the right size. It fits in either my left or right hand well (the left a little better). It is convient to use. I like skipping past messages easily & quickly; something you couldn't do with a microcassette recorder. And, it is alot easier to record thoughts during the commute to/from work than the memo pads I've seen that people have attached to their dashboards.

Will it replace a cassette recorder or microcassette recorder for recording lectures or meetings? No. Based on the design of the product, that was and is not it's purpose.

A great product! I carry it with me everywhere.

This recorder is an excellent piece of electronics. It is easy to use, and has some handy features such as pause (while recording in the same message), fast playback, hold (to prevent inadvertant button operation), and forward or back skip. Holding in the stop key allows one to see how much recording time is left. The erase button is indented to avoid accidents, and the user is prompted to confirm any erasures with a second press.

Voice quality is great in 33 minute mode. I frequently use mine in the car with the radio on and get excellent results. In 90 min mode, however, a deep voice is hard to make out clearly (I agree with the reviewer below: a 60 min. mode would have been a good compromise).

I've used mine daily for 3 months to make brief notes. I had to change the AAA battery for the first time only recently. It gave a low battery signal and saved all my messages while I replaced the battery.

It is small enough (4.5") that I keep mine in my front pocket at all times, with the strap hanging out so I can whip it out quickly. It is very well designed and easy to operate. I have not used other digital recorders, but compared to the many microcassette recorders I've put up with, this thing is fantastic!

The best of V90 is its ergonomic design. It fits well in both left and right hand and also easy to control. However, on mode LP 90 minute the sound was terrible. For 33 minute mode the sound was excellent.

I just picked this up on a whim at a different store. They have a 90 day return policy.

Without cracking the book I understood how to record,playback, change quality settings, set the clock etc. Very easy to understand the basic functions. Read the 25 page manual to get the advanced tips and features.

I found the long play mode to be difficult to listen to. I could understand myself, especially if I spoke right into the microphone, but it was tedious listening. The 33 minute mode sounded just fine.

I really like the voice activated recording. It turns off after 1 second of silence and reactivates instantly. It never cut off the beginning of a sentence - very nifty. This results in your 33 minutes capturing quite a bit of information since silent spots are 1 second max.

Use the "Hold" button to avoid the problems some of the reviewers have mentioned about accidental recording. Their VCR's are probably blinking 12:00 right now. It's hard for me to understand how anyone could have that problem.

Functionally it really only has 2 folders to store regular messages because the the third folder "S" is intended for scheduled messages. You can still use it like the other two folders, but it only holds 15 messages per day and is not quite as easy to navigate.

It's a little small for my hand. A rectangular shape would probably fit me better, but it's really not an issue.

I still may take it back if I find a unit with better quality long play sound - but this unit does what it's supposed to do.

It's cool looking...a real conversation starter, and small enough to tuck in any pant or shirt pocket. You'll keep it with you, but you might forget it's there :-)

Palm size voice recorders back in 1986-7 were small, squarish, and sounded as if a new mini-phonograph disk was being etched for each 30 second-recorded segment.

A scratched note that you had to record over each time because there was no memory. Since then, I'd resisted the temptation of personal audio recording, and carried a notepad.

Hello V-90. Were my (larger then average) hands a little smaller, the fingers would wrap perfectly into the V-90's set of controls.

Rarely in commercial products does form meet function so simply. The V-90 is a model of efficiency. It's feather-weight will hold 30 or 90 minutes of audio (preferably spoken word), depending the sensitivity level, which can be adjusted for sound quality (affects recording time) and microphone level (personal or lecture).

Save/transfer files into three folders, one of which is the Alarm/Schedule folder. Hold feature will block accidental input. Date, time, battery indicator on a monchrome LCD.

Like any other work of art, the V-90 can withstand a few critiques. The Volume control can be cumbersome. Download capabilities are limited (a possibility would be a a Phone to Mic cord). Navigation could be smoother (this is minor, I'm rather picky).

Yes, it could use a case (a very good package would be w/ a case and recording cable). However, it is so very light that it can be easily tucked away in a relativley safe pocket. It's designed to be set on its face, and while reluctant to do so, I've noticed no scracthes after many months of use.

In all, very satisfying. The V-90 is good to have until the next few advancements in text-to-speech are released, providing better quality, recognition, and ease of use, all at a lower price than currently available. I don't mind waiting; somehow I don't think it'll be another 13-14 years.

The V90 is a great product! It weights less than a piece of paper, and holds 90 minutes of recordings!

It stores recordings in 3 folders...one folder stores them by date, so you can track expenses, schedules, etc.

It has 2 recording modes. The "SP" mode records for 33 minutes, and the sound quality is great. The "LP" mode records for 90 minutes. The sound quality is not as great, but it does the job.

Out of the box the V-90 is easy to use. Though the manual does give insight as to some of the more exotic features, the basic record and play functions are a snap.

I carried the V-90 with me for a month, testing working ability and ministry application. On ability, the V-90 is a champ. At no time did I have any difficulty operating the recorder, and it always did a good job recording. The hold function is especially useful, as it locks the keys to avoid unintentional record or playback when the unit is in a pocket or purse. The visual display is easy to read, and the folders are easy to navigate. The only folder that was at all dificult to navigate was the S-Folder, which is used to record alarms for later playback.

On ministry application, the V-90 confirmed my suspicions that a digital recorder would be a great tool for ministry. I found it handy when talking with people to record short notes to myself with prayer requests, phone numbers, and action items. No more fumbling for pen and paper (or napkin, or back of business card, or palm of hand!).

The ergonomic design is stylish and makes for good conversation, but probably unnecessary. With the small size and light weight, it probably would not matter if it were rectangular. In fact, it might be easier for a guy with large hands (like me) to hold a rectangular recorder (check out the VN-90!).

I sell this product where I work, and when I first saw this recorder, I thought it looked sooo cool. It was soo small and fit in the palm of my hand. I was in for a surprise when i tried it out. The sound was horrible. I couldn't even understand a word I was saying. I've had way better experiences with analog (cassette) recorders. From my experience from selling these products I would totally recommend getting a mini tape recorder rather than a digital. I have yet to find a digital recorder with as clear or better sound quality from the traditional tape recorders.