Olympus VN2100PC Digital Voice Recorder

by Olympus

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4 x 0.8 x 1.5 inches ; 2.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000I3C6CE
• Item model number: 141882
• Batteries: 2 AAA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,363 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

With 64 MB of built-in flash memory, the Olympus VN2100PC Digital Voice Recorder provides 36 hours of continuous recording time. Recordings can be organized in up to four folders (each folder stores up to 100 files for easy file management). Key features include a large LCD display for keeping tabs on recording status, battery life, and more, an easy file management system, and XHQ, HQ, SP, and LP recording modes. The VN2100PC also provides voice activated and timer recording for maximum flexibility and usability. Other great features include slow and fast playback modes for listening to audio 25-percent slower or 50-percent faster than real time, and USB connectivity. Powered by two AAA batteries (which provide up to 25 hours or recording time), the VN2100PC is compatible with Microsoft Windows 2000, Professional, XP Professional, and XP Home Edition operating systems.

Product Description

Olympus VN2100PC "PC Downloadable" digital voice recorder with 36 hour recording time

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

100 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great little device, November 8, 2006

By 

AMYR "AR" (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Olympus VN2100PC Digital Voice Recorder (Office Product)

Previously I recorded classes using a mini tape recorder. It was an acceptable method but it left a lot of room for improvement. I purchased this model because of the download feature. I record and later download both class lectures and music samples for college classes. The ability to download these recordings and play them on a larger system has greatly enhanced studying, especially for music class.

The recorder is easy to use and set up. The instructions allowed me to have it set up to my needs in minutes. The only problems I have had with it is that the play and record buttons have accidentally been turned on when the recorder was in my purse and also when in my backpack. If you don't have to carry this recorder to and fro, it won't be a problem.

The erase feature on the recorder itself asks you if you are sure you want to delete a file. The software for download does have options to delete files that you have downloaded. I believe in that option it asks you if your sure you want to erase files also. I have not had problems erasing these files with either of these methods.

The software was relatively easy to use and the help feature quickly helped me identify problem I was having with set up. After downloading the files, I simply copy the .wav files over to other folders.

57 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great and Cheap, March 11, 2007

By 

Nemrosin "Nemrosin" (Hagerstown, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Olympus VN2100PC Digital Voice Recorder (Office Product)

The quality on the mic and the playback is remarkable. It says in the product description that you can get around 30 hours of record time on it. That's true, but it's on the lowest quality. On a quality level that you would actually set it to you can expect about 6 hours of record time. The quality is amazing, the mic is super sensitive, and you can't beat the price.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Recorder, January 23, 2007

By 

Bob M (Chicago) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Olympus VN2100PC Digital Voice Recorder (Office Product)

Had been thinking of getting a digital recorder for a couple of years but probably procrastinated because of the bad impression that I had of the tape recorders I remember from my college days 25 yrs ago.

After researching various recorders I was optimistic about this model but it has exceeded my expectations. I've only had it for a week but use it more and more as the days go by. Really comes in handy at work but also at home and while I'm out and about.

Very well made; small/light enough to keep in a shirt or pants pocket, well thought out controls and excellent battery life. Good sound quality on playback, even when I lay the recorder down on my desk while transcribing notes; even better if you download to a PC and playback thru speakers. The folders are handy and mgmt of folders and recordings is straightforward.

I only use it for dictation and keep the sensitivity set to low to reduce ambient sounds and also use the voice activation feature, which really helps to eliminate dead space if you get lost in thought while speaking. Haven't used the index mark feature except to test it but I imagine they'd come in handy for longer recordings such as meetings.

I doubt if it makes much difference for recording voice but I have mine set for the highest quality sound. This reduces recording time down to about 3 hrs but this is more than sufficient for my needs. Might be a factor if you download .WAV files to your PC; lower quality would reduce file size. If you do download voice recordings and file size is an issue though, just get hold of one of the many free .WAV to MP3 conversion utilities that are available. If you don't care about downloading to a PC, save yourself $15 and just get the VN2100.

Only improvement I can think of would be if the recorder had a backlight but the record and stop buttons are easy enough to find in the dark so I guess I can manage with this one deficiency. Overall though, I couldn't be happier with my purchase and highly recommend this recorder.