Customer Reviews

Olympus VN2100PC Digital Voice Recorder

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I'm a reporter for a newspaper and as such, I sit in town meetings almost every day. These towns are full of mumbly, old, low-talkers that I can't even hear a lot of times myself. I gave the VN2100 its first real challenge, sitting in the second row of such a meeting. I expected this to work better than a microcassette recorder, but when I popped it in my computer (which works flawlessly) afterwards, I could hear EVERYTHING perfectly. And you have no idea how low these men spoke tonight. I can't get over how amazing this recorder is and I can't imagine giving it any less than 5 stars. I expected it to work, but I never expected it to work this well. Buy it.

This cool-looking, petite but not-too-small-for-human-thumbs device goes with me everywhere in my car to record those thoughts that only reach their crytalline brilliance in the shower and behind the wheel.

Because I follow David Allen's Getting-Things-Done approach of relieving my brain of remembering stuff so that it can do the creative and productive thinking it does best, I need to transition other thoughts immediately to a safe written or recorded medium that will allow me to return to them at the right moment. Written communication from behind the wheel of a car has always been a little precarious, so I've sworn off it entirely except at red lights.

How? By investing in this little gizmo and keeping it within handy reach of the driver's seat.

It's almost too good to be true. This Chinese-made Olympus product allows you to record into four separate archives and also has available voice-activation. You can also use it as an alarm clock, stopwatch, and other common functions of electronic gizmos.

Mobile phone technology is rapidly overtaking self-standing electronics pieces like this one, but for my money this digital voice recorder is a Godsend.

This is great little recorder. It's a slight upgrade from the VN-2000 with a sleek new body. It's designed better with larger buttons for easier maneuvering. The Extra High Quality setting gives almost flawless sound quality. Plus, it has a PC link for easy uploading to the computer.

My only gripe with this recorder is that it does not have a lock feature to prevent accidental deletion of recordings. I'm also not pleased with the software the Digital Wave Recorder software that Olympus includes with it's smaller USB compatible voice recorders. It needs to be a bit more useful. I will say that it's easy to transfer files into a different audio editing program.

If you're interested in a great recorder, then give this one a try.

The quality of the built-in-microphone is respectable and the microphone jack allows for very clear recording. The recorder to pc transfer time is quick and simple. Just plug the recorder into the pc using the usb cable and choose which folder and file to transfer. Once on your computer the file can be found in the organization/playback program that comes with the recorder and also in the My Documents folder under Olympus. From this folder the recording opens in Windows Media Player (or in any player you have set as your default player I imagine) and all editing features for audio files can be used on the recordings. Everything you could want from a recorder is here and the manufacturer leaves you wanting nothing more. This is great for college classes, but if you have long back-to-back classes I would recommend upgrading to the 3100pc for longer recording in XHQ mode. Otherwise you might find yourself wanting better playback quality in such a situation (the recorder records for 2 hours 54 minutes in XHQ mode). I wish this had been around when I started college.

I conduct a lot of interviews and this digital recorder is the perfect tool to suit all my needs. The built in folders are great for organizing, and the ability to speed up or slow down playback is great when transcribing. Best of all, the built-in high gain microphone picked up my interview subject perfectly, even though his voice was coming in very softly over the speakerphone (I had to lean in super close, and still barely made out what he was saying). To top it all off, the sound files can be downloaded to pc's without any hassle. Couldn't ask for anything more.

I've used this recorder in court and for interviews in person and on the telephone and have been very pleasantly surprised by it. I bought it because I'd finally had it with my mini-cassette recorder, which constantly let me down. Being able to transfer sound files onto my computer is also extremely handy for storage and transcription purposes. If I had any complaints it would be with the software, which doesn't seem to allow transferring individual files from the folders onto the computer. Instead you have to transfer entire folders, which can take longer to do. The IT guys at my workplace also had some trouble getting the software to install on the computer. Other than that, pretty nifty. I'm happy with it.

I bought this as a replacement for my Olympus VN3100. I use it to record play-by-play at high school basketball games. When I first tried the new 2100, I discovered that the voice activation wouldn't shut off unless I was in a very very quiet setting. My 3100 didn't have the same problem. I was ready to return my 2100 when I discovered that you can set the preset volume level that triggers activation by pressing the + or - buttons while you're recording. Mine was preset at 9 (out of 15). After resetting it to 1, the recorder functioned like my old one.