Olympus VN-480 Digital Voice Recorder

by Olympus

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001W1I62
• Item model number: VN-480
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,244 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 12, 2004

Product Description

Style: Olympus VN-480 Digital Voice Recorder

Amazon.com Product Description

The advantages of digital voice recorders are numerous: superior sound, long recording times, and the convenience of built-in Flash memory (much handier than hauling around several microcassettes). Enter the affordable Olympus VN-480, which makes professional dictation as easy as pressing a button. With up to 8 hours and 13 minutes of total recording time in Long Play mode, the device is great for archiving long interviews or lectures. As an alternative, users can set the device to Standard Play (4 hours, 27 minutes) or High-Quality (2 hours, 57 minutes) modes, which provide crisper playback more suitable to recording soft voices or jotting down song ideas. The data stores on the recorder's 64 MB of Flash memory in ADPCM format.

The VN-480 is a breeze to use thanks to its straightforward thumbpad navigation, from which users can quickly access or move files (the recorder comes with three file folders, plus a schedule folder), 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 taking notes or otherwise using your hands. And when you just don't have the time to attend to the details on the spot, you can set the VN-480 to record automatically over a fixed span. Simply enter the start and end times and the timer function is ready to go. 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.

Additional features include an LCD display that shows the date, time, battery life, and more; index markings that make it easy to quickly locate important audio files; a metal clip for transport; and earphone and microphone jacks for added flexibility. The VN-480 runs for 25 hours on a single pair of AAA batteries (included) and carries a one-year warranty.

What's in the Box
VN-480 voice recorder, two AAA batteries, user's manual.

Product Description

OLYMPUS VN-480 -- Whether you're headed to an important meeting or a vacation romp on foreign shores, take the VN-480 with you! This compact, stylish digital notetaker is easy to use, and features four folders and a well-structured menu so you can find your recordings with ease. You can even insert index marks to jump to specific passages. Timer function -- easily program a time for the device to automatically start and stop recording VCVA ( Voice Activation ) for hands-free recording Built-in 28mm dynamic speaker Up to 25 hours continuous operation on two 1.5V AAA alkaline batteries (not included)

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I Use OLYMPUS To Record My Keynote Presentations..., April 17, 2005

By 

Deremiah *CPE "Inspirational Speaking Star & ... (Saint Charles, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Olympus VN-480 Digital Voice Recorder (Office Product)

I pick up my VN-480PC by OLYMPUS and I begin to record. It's just that simple.

WHAT I REALLY LIKE ABOUT IT: Great Benefits!

The record quality at HQ is far more superior then what I had.

I can download it to my PC, send it via email or upload it to my website.

The Display screen is bigger, clear and easy to read.

The construct of the recorder is sturdy with a strong plexi-glass overlay on the front to offer good protection for the screen.

The batteries are locked in tight and don't move around like my old RS digital recorder. Moving batteries can blow your recording especially when you're trying to record a motivational presentation and that really smarts.

One more great thing I like about the VN-480PC is the fact that it won't allow you to erase so easily. After you press the erase button you actually have to press YES or No to erase and you even use separate buttons to do so (YESSSssss). You might think this is more cumbersome but I'll explain why this is a great feature to have below.

Why is this important...I'll give you two reasons
1. My other digital recorder did not have a separate button for erase and I think having a separate button makes it easier for you to avoid erasing on accident.

2. Because pressing one button by accident is so unforgiving. As a result of only having one button on my old digital recorder to press (I'd press it for one second to erase my current recording or I'd press it for 3 seconds to erase a whole folder worth of recordings). Well you guessed it I erased a whole 89 separate recordings of songs it took me 6 months to record because I pressed it too long.

With my new OLYMPUS VN-480PC this just can't happen. Now this erase mode allows me to walk away with peace of mind I could not ever develop with my old digital recorder. I like my VN-480PC and if you get one I hope you like yours too.

WHY DIDN'T I GIVE IT 5 STARS...One reason I did not give it 5 stars is because although the record quality on High is great (and I really mean that) the record quality on low has much to be desired. So I recommend you either record High or Medium unless you want a sound quality like old radio.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great recorder, July 15, 2006

By 

C. Mathis "DHS" (Bradenton, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Olympus VN-480 Digital Voice Recorder (Office Product)

Bought this recorder over a year ago and use it for an average of 15 hours per week to record school lectures. I love the fact that I can down load it to my computer nightly and have it ready to record again the next day. I can put each of my classes into a separate folder and each lecture is stamped with the date and time. The only problem I have had is in a classroom where the air conditioner has been on and I have been closer to it then the instructor - this makes the recording very unclear. I would suggest to sit as close to the speaker as possible or at least not sitting where there is a lot of background noise.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not that i wanted, January 31, 2007

By 

Lady Lana - See all my reviews

This review is from: Olympus VN-480 Digital Voice Recorder (Office Product)

I'm sure that Olympus VN-480PC is great voice recorder, but this is usual Olympus VN-480 (don't understand why people put here reviews about PC, but ok).

I got this recorder from my dad, who never knows what he buys - main it was cheap. First i was very glad with this recorder. In box was instruction, recorder itself and a cable (!). I made some records and wanted to transfer it to my comp. Well, doesn't matter what i wanted, but it don't works.

I searched for all possible and impossible information about this recorder in all 5 languages i know, but all i found was also forums where people had the same problem that me. Why the hell they put cable then? So i just gave up and sold this recorder.

Sound was ok, but also not perfect.
So, if you wanna connect recorder to comp - you need PC version, if you
not gonna use comp - then this is your voice recorder.

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