Customer Reviews

Olympus WS-320M 1 GB Digital Voice Recorder and Music Player

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

My DVR (digital voice recorder) experience has included the Sony ICD-MS515, the Olympus DS-2200 and DS-2. My main use for DVRs is PC archival of lectures and sermons.

The new WS-320M appealed to me because of its 1GB of flash memory, small size, WMA codec, and built-in USB connector. My older DS-2 is disadvantaged with only 64mb of memory and a proprietary USB connector.

This DVR is much smaller than other DVRs. It is almost half the volume and weight of the DS-2200 (similar to the DM-20). The WS-320M is constructed mostly of plastic, but it is well made and assembled with screws. There is a mechanical hold switch. The USB port cover / battery holder slides off smoothly after pressing the release button. No significant force is required to slide off the port cover or to reassemble it. There is a groove you need to line up first to reassemble the port cover. The small AAA battery cover is not attached to the DVR and can get lost. There is a hand strap hole, but no hand strap is included. The buttons, switches, and d-pad are well-made and provide a small amount of tactile feedback. The smaller size of the DVR makes it very portable but it can cause problems operating the switches for those with larger hands. Anyone used to small music players should have no problem operating the WS-320M. However, someone who regularly uses a voice recorder for dictation should probably stick to the larger professional DVRs like the Olympus DS-2200 and Sony ICD-BM1.

I started testing the WS-320M without reading the manual. It was easy to use. Button and menu operation is very logical. The LCD screen is smaller and less bright than the DS-2200 / DS-2, presumably to save battery life. The screens displays a large amount of information including folder name, time elapsed, time remaining, battery, record mode, and more, though not necessarily at the same time. A press of the OK or STOP button will change the information displayed. While recording, the screen displays a horizontal bar sound level meter.

The WS-320M uses only the Windows Media audio format codec. Other Olympus DVRs use the proprietary DSS format. I prefer the WMA format over the DSS format because the audio sounds more life-like. DSS format in SP or LP mode sounds harsh and full of compression artifacts. Recording in STHQ mode on the WS-320M with the built-in microphone produces satisfactory recordings but even better sounding recordings can be made using a high quality external microphone like the Sony ECM-DS70P or the Olympus ME51S. Overall, I liked the recordings on the WS-320M more than the recordings from my DS-2200. The DS-2200 tends to clip high volume sounds. Using a stereo dubbing / attenuator cable, I "ripped" some songs from a CD player to the WS-320M in STHQ mode. The "ripped" music sounded like FM radio quality or better. All of the voice recordings are file date-time stamped appropriately and date-time stamped internally. You can see the internal date with the program DSS Player (not included).

When I plugged the WS-320M into PC, Windows XP recognized it and installed it. There appears to be no driver available for Windows 98. A new drive appeared in the My Computer window. I was able download the recordings to the PC at about 50 MB per minute. I then uploaded some WMA format audiobook tracks to the WS-320M voice folders. The transfer rate uploading is about 26 MB per minute. This is faster than USB 1 and is comparable to many small mp3 music players. I was able to play the audiobook tracks in voice mode.

In general, the voice mode operation of the WS-320M is very similar to the operation of the DS-2200 or DS-2.

As a music player, the WS-320M is comparable to a Creative Muvo Nano / N200. The sound quality is good with a strong low end and a very low level of background hiss (only noticeable with sensitive earbuds). The volume levels range from bedtime quiet to painful. Music is transferred to the WS-320M by copying music files to the music folder or to the root. The WS-320M can handle two levels of folders (artist and albums for example). Navigation on the player is by folder and not by tags. The player uses mp3 tag information only for the screen display. This player can only play bitrates from 5 kbps to 256 kbps. It will not play 320k mp3 files.

This player has most of the functions of dedicated mp3 flash memory players. There are settings for RANDOM, REPEAT, REPEAT ONE, Play One Folder, Play All Folders, ROCK, FLAT, JAZZ, POP, User 5 band EQ, SRS WOW (surround sound / trubass). You can change the order of music tracks and delete music tracks. There is no bookmarking function and no sleep timer.

More information can be gleaned from the WS-320M user manual available for download from the Olympus website.

The WS-320M is a good player / recorder for a student. You can fit a week's worth of lectures on the recorder and still have about 500 mb left over to fill with music. I would not recommend it for a business person needing a true dictation recorder because of its small size and small controls. But for someone who wants to record meetings and seminars and listen to music, it is a good choice.

Pros:

Small size, good price benefit ratio, long battery life for a voice recorder, good construction, built-in USB connector, informative display, good quality voice recordings, WMA codec, dictation capabilities, external microphone input, date-time stamped recordings, plug and play for file/music transfers, and MP3/WMA music player with DRM support.

Cons:

Tiny controls, separate battery door (risk of loss), lesser quality built-in stereo microphone (typical of consumer level recorders), no remote control capability, no included dictation software (DSS Player Lite is available for free download), no included carry case or strap.


ADDENDUM (July 13, 2006)

Upon reading the comment that the reviewer's WS-320M had firmware 1.18 and kept date and time correctly at all times, I contacted Olympus customer service and was able to obtain a warranty repair to correct the problem where my WS-320M would not keep time with the battery compartment disconnected. About ten days after shipping the recorder to Olympus, the unit was returned repaired with a note that the circuit board was replaced. My recorder now keeps the correct time.

After seven months of use, the WS-320M has held up well. It has been protected by a sheet of clear vinyl wrapped around it and still looks new. I have been very satisfied with this recorder. The recorder will even play protected audiobooks downloaded from the public library. My Ipod will not play those audiobooks.

[I came back and edited this review after reading the next guy's more favorable take on the player. I gave it another chance and... I still don't like it much, but it's worth a third star after getting over the shock of its not being the same quality of the DM20]

For context, understand that I also own an Olympus DM-20 that I am using for comparison: whereas the DM-20 is the perfect voice recorder, aside from memory and transfer speed limitations, the WS-320 looks like a toy by comparison.

#1, claims USB 2.0 speeds, whereas my unit is transferring music at about 20Mb per minute (yes, per MINUTE). Same speed as the USB 1.1 DM20, roughly (I've been racing them).
#2, The manual claims that you can now put MP3s and your own WMAs in the Voice folders in order to use fast/slow play, etc. on language-learning programs and for music-learning. It won't recognize MP3s in the voice folders, but you can put WMAs encoded with the standard 9.1 or lower codec in there that were recorded with bitrates of 256kbps or less, mono or stereo, at 22khz or others (I've only tried 22khz and 44.1). I haven't tried vbr, but it will not recognize the "wma voice" codec or acelp.net. Also, You cannot place index marks infiles other than those recorded on an Olympus recorder--you can transfer from one recorder to another and place index marks, but not add them to files recorded onyour PC.
#3, there is a lot of hiss in the background when you record, even in STHQ mode. I don't think this is a defect issue, I think it's a CODEC issue or maybe hiss from the device electronics getting in as EMI--I don't know, but the noise knocks it right out for any sort of serious recording. It's close to the same when using an external microphone, more than for the DM20, although some hiss goes along with analog microphones of course. This reminds me of a microcassette, for example. I've tried using a pro-quality studio mic and good headphones to make sure, which gave less hiss but still more on the 320 than the 20 (The DM20 mic and codec are pristene by comparison)
#4, compared to the DM-20, HQ quality is much lower than what I was expecting. HQ on the WS320 already sounds a bit like an answering machine with digital background flutter (artifacts) when you hear it on headphones, whereas on the DM20 I can hear the words to music being played on the stereos of passing cars fifty feet away in HQ mode! After looking at the files from both recorders, I can't really explain the fact that the DM20 files sound clear (barely-detectable digital sheen in the background in HQ mode, and most users won't hear it at all in normal use) while WS320 files have a pronounced digital sheen. HQ mode on both recorders is 44.1khz mono 32kbps. Note that STHQ mode on the WS320 is 64kbps/44.1 stereo, but 64kbps isn't an option in the WMA codec for mono recording, for whatever Microsofty reason (a better choicefor HQ might have been 22kHz stereo, which yields precisely the same file size). I'll note that several reviewers on the net complained that the DM20's mic only recorded up to like 8+ kHz, which some consumers (probably playing anumbers game on paper) thought was too low; certainly, the WS320's mic captures higher frequencies. I tested this by holding one recorder in each hand (like a complete dork) and recording the same voice file simultaneously onto both, then listening to both files on my HTPC on headphones and looking at them in software. Bear in mind that virtually all the action for human voice occurs below 2kHz, so all you're adding for frequencies above that are basically harmonics and what I experience as a sense of airiness. ...And hiss, which is a high-freq phenomenon. All those extra kHz (that's thousands of Hz, btw) have now to be compressed into the wma, with the results being (1) that the very same file is about 8% larger when recorded on the WS320 relative to the DM20, and (2) the meaningful frequencies down below 8kHz all have less bandwidth to play with, and so sound degraded because of all the extra stuff (hiss...) being compressed into the same bitrate from higher frequencies. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. [Tip: I use a lowpass filter of 19 to 19.5 in the LAME.exe MP3 encoder settings to deliver demonstrably richer bass] Finally, the mic level on the DM20 is much, much stronger than the WS320. "Dictation" mode on the WS320 is inadequate unless you're playing back the files in a silent room with the recorder's volume max'ed, and even then it's very low playing back. In both dic and conf modes, the DM20 mic makes much LOUDER RECORDINGS!!! The "dict" setting on the WS320 is unusable in my opinion unless you tend to speak very loudly into the mic; me, I'm usually muttering into it at 4a.m. On the bright side, SP mode on the WS320 uses the WMA codec now, and aside from heavy digital artifacts, the speech itself is intact. The DM20 used a propriatary DSS file format that was wretched for SP and LP modes.
#5, The plastic housing conducts and amplifies every slight pressure of your hand on the recorder. It's a constant distraction, and very pronounced. This is not a problem when using an external mic.
#6, The hold and voice/music switches are now so small and have so incredibly little travel distance that I literally can't tell with certainty by touch when I've pressed a button. Somehow I always manage not to successfully put it on hold when I attach it to the computer, probably because the switch slides back while I'm separating the pieces or plugging it in. These controls are slightly too easy to move by accident.
#7, The buttons are now too small to operate easily. I have to concentrate on them to a degree that's distracting, especially record/stop/play. I've also noticed that the recorder seems to shut off after X seconds, whether or not it's in hold mode. As a result, sometimes I have to hit Rec twice five seconds apart before anything will happen.
#8, Once you pull apart the battery compartment to expose the usb port, reattaching the two pieces is a trick. Since the housing is rather flimsy plastic (ah-hem, the DM20 is all metal), I feel like this is going to either break one fine day or the ridges that help hold it in place will break or the unit will begin trying to separate on its own. Maybe it'll last until I'm ready to call such an event an excuse to upgrade. I use these things hard,no doubt; the thing is so light that I forgot it was in my breast pocket and it fell onto the pavement, detaching instantly into four pieces (battery compartment, compartment cover, battery, and recorder). The finish scratches easily, btw, and so I've ended my mental dialogue as to whether or not to keep the unit. Sliding the two pieces in place isn't always easy, since it has to be lined up just so; at least for me, it's requiring a new habit of how to do it right. I also keep misplacing the battery compartment, but that's just me. Point being that this is not a "use it hard and don't worry about it" kind of device, further reducing its suitability for a research project, etc.
#9, Whereas the DM20 has a hinged door for the battery compartment, the WS320 has a piece of plastic that pops all the way off, and can do so if you squeeze the recorder the wrong way. It fell off without my noticing while I was manhandling the two pieces back together and I found the recorder later in my pocket with no battery cover. I spent an hour looking for it.


I had no idea there would be such a vast gulf between Olympus' "business" products like the DS-2 and DM-20 versus these new products that attempt to cram in features at a "low" cost. Certainly, buying separate devices for voice and MP3s might be better, at least until they release a pro lineup to match these specs and boost the transfer speeds somehow. I'm looking at it from a professional perspective (where $200 is a sensible price), and from the perspective of voice memos (where $200 is NOT required). This new lineup disappoints me even for the task of making voice memos while I'm writing, since it's so unergonomic; and certainly I could never take it into the field for interviews.

I suppose I should also mention the good stuff, right? The MP3 player has very nice sound quality. I have WOW and 3d on "low," since I usually dislike these things and I'm otherwise a Grado-headphone-wearing audio snob who wouldn't touch an Ipod. Listening on the ws320 is pleasant. MP3 folders can have two levels beneath "Music" (e.g., Music\artist\album\title.mp3). The built-in speaker is very adequate (for voice playback, obviously). One major reason for my "upgrading" from the DM20 is the USB-direct feature: plugging it directly into the computer without a cable is very, very useful, especially since it uses standard removable disk drivers like other recorders and so requires no proprietary drivers or software.

In general, Olympus seems to be the only place to look for quality voice recorders; however, if voice recording quality is your primary concern, I don't think this recorder will ever satisfy you. As for space, the 1GB capacity only becomes of use for (a) field recording, which isn't a good idea on this unit, or (b) mp3s. I've rarely filled up my DM20, since I frequently download the files to my computer for backup and transcription.

Adlevision's negative review of this product almost convinced me to skip purchasing the WS-320M and spend over twice as much on an Edirol R-09. Though, I took a chance by purchasing the Olympus unit any way. Since receiving it, I have put my WS-320M through its paces and have concluded that this is actually a fantastic little unit. Though, I should preface that my unit is running Firmware version 1.18. My suspicion is that some of the reviewers might have earlier units with an older firmware. Here is a breakdown:

Sound Quality:
I bought the WS-320 to use as a recorder of music lessons. With its high quality capability of 64 kbps, 44 kHz, stereo, the sound quality far surpasses nearly every other digital recorder out there today. In comparison, it has way better sound quality than a micro-cassette recorder. Best of all, this unit can record up to 35 hours even at top sound quality. As a practical test, I placing this unit 6 feet away from me during a vocal lesson. The resulting recording clearly picked up the full range of sounds from soft talking to loud singing and piano. The dynamic stereo mics have both a 360 degree and narrowly focused modes.

Ergonomics:
The unit itself is very small, about the size of a small cell phone. Still, I feel the controls are actually quite reasonable considering the compact nature of this device. The primary buttons, record, stop, and play, are all raised and placed on the side of the unit so that you can tacitly feel your way around. Considering the tactile controls combined with the confirmation sound beeps, you can easily operate this unit without looking at it. My feeling is that users who bashed the size and ergonomics need to get with the 21st century. 8 Track-sized tape decks are dead.

Quality:
Some users complained about the time being lost when you separate the battery section. Mine does not have this problem. The time and date stay put just fine. For that matter, mine has no problems at all. All features work, I have never lost a file, and all transfers to the PC are very quick. Though again, these issues could be things that Olympus fixed with my newer firmware.

The only complaint I have about this unit is that the case is made of a very fragile seeming plastic. For the price, this unit really should be metal. Personally, I would not feel comfortable carrying it around loose in my pants pocket banging against my car keys. Instead, I keep mine secure during transport by protecting it in a cell phone case. Olympus even makes a fancy leather carry case for this unit that sells for about $15 if you prefer.

Summary:
Ditch those micro-cassettes and go digital! It is much nicer to record your content, move your files to a PC, and then write off CDs of your material. Early releases of this unit may have had issues, but those problems are now clearly worked out. The modern unit is stable, has great sound quality, and comes in a small convenient ergonomic package. I highly recommend it!

I am reviewing this recorder from the point of view of the non-technical end user. I am taking a very challenging physiology course with high-speed lectures that pack three hours worth of information into one hour. I needed a high capacity recorder so that I could always have my lectures with me for quick review. I also wanted to be able to unload them onto my computer and replay using Windows Media Player. This is the only recorder I could find that can potentially hold all of the relevant lectures from several semesters.

I love the fact that this tiny unit is very frugal with batteries. I also love that it's so sensitive that I can record from my seat and not risk forgetting to retrieve it or losing it in the mad grab for recorders at the end of the class.

My classmates marvel at the capacity: You will never be forced to dump things to free up space! Sound reproduction is excellent for my puposes. When replayed though my computer speakers, it's like being in the lecture hall.

I only gave it four out of five stars, though, because the high-polish case is easily scratched. Brushed metal would have been preferable.

As I previously stated, I make no claims to technical expertise. I selected this unit because it had the features and capacity I needed for challenging science courses. I have returned to college after thirty years to study nursing, and this time around, I want to make full use of all the technology that wasn't available to me in the seventies!

I am a grad student, and I use my WS320 while travelling and conducting interviews for my dissertation. I have had it for a couple months now. For a long time, I refused to replace my little minicasette recorder for a digital one because I heard horror stories of people losing their work when transferring data etc. Well, this has turned out to be one of the best investments EVER. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE my WS320. I am no expert in audio equipment, so I cannot speak to that... but I conduct interviews in various settings, and the recorder picks the voice up even in crowded cafes with the music on (not perfect, but you can easily understand and transcribe the interview). I am one of those people who hate to learn how to work with new pieces of electronics, but everything (or almost everything) about this recorder is pretty intuitive, and I figured it all out on my own, and it didnt take more than half an hour. I love the USB plug, it makes it super easy to transfer data to my computer and then play the interviews through Windows Media Player. I also love the MP3 player feature. I have put on a few of my favorite CDs, and I listen to them while travelling to my interview sites. Even with them in, the recorder still holds some 15 hours of interviews (I have only used the highest quality setting). Now, that said, there are a couple of improvements that could be made; (1)I keep losing the battery cover while the recorder sits in my bag, (2) the recorder scratches very easily (because of points 1 and 2, I suggest that you get the case offered through the Olympus website... little overpriced, but may be worth it) and importantly (3) the SOUND IS NOT VERY GOOD IF YOU ARE HOLDING THE RECORDER IN YOUR HAND WHILE RECORDING. It is actually really annoying to listen to anything that has been recorded while the recorder was being held - the static is super loud. So.. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is going to sit it down on a table while recording, but not to people who are using it in the car while holding it and talking into it at the same time. Hope this helps.:-)

This may be the best small recorder available, with high quality stereo and mono recording capabilities. This recorder could be used as a 2nd audio unit if you're shooting a documentary by just leaving it on all day in a shirt pocket of the film's subject, since it records about 8-10 hours with 1 AAA battery, and can hold 71 hours of High Quality recordings. Perhaps the Apple iPods won't offer a stereo mic option because they're afraid it would be used to record live music events; perhaps even worse of friends and groups that are not mass marketed; that would then be freely and legally traded. Well apparently this tiny Olympus can do a good job at high quality stereo recording, and you could still use it to play back tons of Windows Media Audio or MP3 songs.

For voice, information and notes I might just use the internal mics on this Olympus WS-320m recorder. I also recorded from a pair of my AKG studio mics CK93+SE300B with a BeachTek DXA-8 amp, which indeed recorded a full sound spectrum. However with such a pre-amp set the Olympus "Mic Sense" to "Dict" mode; but don't use "Conf" (high-sensitivity) mode or it will distort.

If you're recording speech with the internal mics of someone in a room then definitely do set the Mic Sense option to "Conf" for higher sensitivity. If you're recording from a telephone using the Olympus TP-7 mic, the clarity is best by setting Mic Sense to "Dict" to avoid distortion, since this external mic set-up is too sensitive; and naturally record in Mono HQ when there is only 1 mic involved, or when 1 mic is adequate for the job which may be typical. However recording in stereo HQ mode in an open room did sound a little better, even with the tiny internal mic separation.

The Olympus ME-15 lavaliere mic clearly provides a stronger signal and better recording than the internal mics, something I didn't expect; which is clearly shown on the recorders amplitude meter, which jumps from about 15% to over 50% with the Olympus tie clip mic. So for up-close high-quality recording set the recorder's sensitivity to low (or Dict mode) and if the speaker is always over a couple of feet away set it to high sensitivity (or Conf mode), and generally avoid the internal mics and stay in HQ mono. Also Sony makes a smaller clip-on lavalier mic ECM-C10 (about $27) and stereo mics ECM-719 (about $75), or ECM-MS907; however these have chords which may get in the way in some situations.

The Olympus External Stereo Microphone ME-51s ($60 list) may be a better alternative to using the internal mics altogether or the lavaliere, (it should produce a strong clear signal, as the specifications indicate). Further it doesn't have the problem of dealing with the lavelier's wire, which is generally unnecessary with such a small device.

If you plug in a Sennheiser ME-2 lavaliere (about $125) this recorder's quality does improve a little in the highs and crispness over the Olympus lavaliere ME-15 (about $25) which is also very good. However you may well have a tiny professional recording system with a Sennheiser mic. Both the Sennheiser and Olympus lavalieres produce about the same signal strength. I understand from Sennheiser that some Broadway shows may opt to use the MKE2-EW omni lavaliere (list $350) with their UHF transmitters, or the MEK104 or MEK105 for directionality; or if size isn't an issue the ME-66 + K6 shotgun microphone. However I gather that going beyond the ME-2 is getting into fairly subtle acoustic issues that few would ever notice.

Since the recorder is so miniature, a small cell phone case that has a belt loop provides plenty of space for the device, its external mic and extra batteries. (Home Depot, $5)

Are there any problems with this exceptionally useful recorder? Absolutely, and they're all related to the controls, and they're fairly problematic.

1) Is the battery low? I have absolutely no idea until I look and see that the recorder stopped working maybe an hour ago. The battery level indicator on the display does not work at all, and is too small anyway to be clearly visible.
2) Is the unit recording? Is it in pause? Is it stopped? Again I have no idea by looking at the display; so I tap the mics to see if the volume indicator changes; now that's really bizarre.
3) I press stop and set the unit down and 4 hours later I notice that it's still recording.
4) I slide the Hold switch up to pause recording and it won't get out of pause and so I have to remove the battery to get it out of pause, but then it wants the date and time reset. In all sympathy I do have to ask if the person who designed the controls is insane or a corporate sociopath who needs an agricultural job on a permanent basis? (Something I do with pleasure incidentally.)
5) The control problems are more fundamentally based on a relatively complete ignorance of how such devices are used. This is not just an Olympus problem it's unfortunately true of Sony, Panasonic, Canon, JVC, Samsung, etc. While there is real discipline on the hardware engineering side, unfortunately there is an oblivious quality of irresponsibility on the software/human factors side of most any product being made anywhere.

For example why would I ever need to look at a recorder to turn it on, to pause or stop? Consider that you have your little recorder in your pocket one day and unexpectedly somebody begins threatening your life, or sabotaging your company through lies, intimidation and slander. Why wouldn't you record such abusive or life threatening behavior being made by a thug? Even if it's against the law to document an assault, we also know that such evidence is regularly used in courts; where as we also know that the truth rarely gets a hearing, and justice is never the purpose. Now would I ask an assailant for a ? minute while I turn-on my recorder; which he will then be certain to take with him after the murder; or do I simply slide one switch all the way up, so that I am fairly certain that it's recording without ever looking at the recorder? Why is this such a complicated question for any company that makes all kinds of audio and video recorders, to even consider? It's like the designers have never used the devices they design, or are massively incompetent, and management absolutely doesn't care. Ok, what might such simple controls look like on a recorder?

1) A slide switch with 3 tactile and mechanically stable states: (bottom) off, (middle) pause, (top) record; [which is easy to control; that is not accidentally going from Record to Stop, when you meant Pause.]
2) The Stop-Pause-Record slide control needs to be at or near the top by the microphones for easy and immediate access, with the use of 1 finger.
3) Going to Record always starts recording, no matter what. Going to Pause always pauses the recording, and Stop always stops everything.
4) Going from Record to Pause then back to Record simply continues recording at the end of the same file.
5) Going from Record to Stop then back to Record starts recording in a new file.
6) If the recorder is left in pause for over 5 minutes, then the recorder goes into standby and touching any momentary switch will reactivate the unit, and if there is no action for over 24 hours then the unit automatically stops and shuts-down.
7) If the recorder is left in stop for over 1 minute, then the recorder goes into standby and touching any momentary switch will reactivate the unit, and if there is no action for over 24 hours then the unit automatically stops and shuts-down. (This is assuming that there is no battery drain in standby, otherwise standby would be for a much shorter period, and naturally how long it takes to go into standby could be user reprogrammable.)
8) The display needs a clear and meaningful visual battery level indicator for 4 or 5 states, depicting: Full, ?, Low, Very Low, Dead. Plus an indication in the manual that "?" really means 25% left and "Low" means 1 hour to go, etc. so everybody doesn't have to try to figure all of this out on their own by trial and error.
9) What state the recorder is actually in should be on the display, such as: REC for recording, PAUSE and STOP.
10) If the recorder could automatically select its sensitivity mode, DICT (low sensitivity) or CONF (high sensitivity), without loosing any dynamic range; that would be a really useful improvement.
11) A case for such a recorder would be useful in a light and a dark grey color so it wouldn't be visible through a shirt pocket, and so that the recording controls could be used without removing it from or opening the case, nor removing it from the pocket, nor ever creating any interference with the microphones, and very significantly made out of a fabric that bristles, creating considerable friction that does not allow the recorder to slip out of a shirt pocket when someone bends over to pick-up something.
12) When changing the AAA battery in the middle of recording I really don't have time to set the date and time. Couldn't the last time just be continued, or the clock be sustained with a capacitor, or AA batteries with double the capacity be used?
13) Incidentally all the other menu control features, the recorder's VU meter display, and the USB-2 drive interface are really excellent, and shouldn't be changed.

Yes this is a great machine and definitely worth buying with external mics (ME-51s and TP-7). Amazon is also very good, and Olympus for accessories. But it would certainly be helpful if Olympus could evaluate the control suggestions for the future; so I could buy their 32 GB audio/HD video MPEG-4 version, with a tiny plug-in, clip-on HD pickup head, in some upcoming release. Incidentally, less than 10% of the world's knowledge has ever been documented; such a tiny recorder could help preserve some very useful knowledge that would otherwise be lost forever.

I read the above reviews was was a a little concerned. The unit is not low cost but a number of people thought it is not well made.

I bought it anyway. I have two other Olympus digital recorders(WS-100 snf D1000) and well as a couple of old tape dictation machines of various types.

The digital recorders are some much better than the old tape machines. I think the D-1000 is is an excellent machine for dictation. It has nice controls that are easy go back and forth with as is used alot in dictation. The D-1000 has a memory card that lasts over an hour which is fine for dictation. It is no longer sold and was expensive costing around $300.

I have used the WS-100 for recording presentations at conferences. On the LQ mode is can record a little less than 2 hours. It is significantly smaller than the D-1000 and has a little better sound quality in HQ mode than the D-1000.

Both are good for sound quality. However, the recording time of both of them is too short of recording conference speakers which might involve recording six hour per day for four days. Twenty five hours of SHQ recording is ideal for conferences but it just was not available when I bought the WS-100 about six years ago.

I could use the D-1000 with ten discs but this is too much trouble. Both offer transfer to a PC with bulky adapters (which were expensive). Many times I used the recorder capability of my laptop which could record all I wanted.

I go through this long-winded background to show my need clearly.
Recording speakers at conferences is similiar to recoding teachers in a classroom. Though conference speakers use a microphone so the recording is of the loudspeaker output.

U recently bought the WS-320M. I love the WS-320M for this application. It is about the size of a small ipod nano and call record for up to 277 hours (I only need 25 hours). I put a bunch of my music on it so I do not carry my IPOD on trips, just the Olympus. The SHQ quality is unbelievably good. I have a couple of external microphones that I use with it sometimes, but the build in microphone is excellent (just not directional). The external microphones are electret and have a preamplifier which is helpful for very quiet recordings. The quality of the audio is much, much better in SHQ than either the two older recorders can do. Absolutely no wow or flutter. Superb. I did not buy it for recording music but it sounds like the DAT tape drive I have though I bet it is not quite as good as that huge and bulky $800 recorder.

The WMA format of the files is very convenient to use with a laptop than the older Olympus format files. The transfer using the the USB connector is extremely easy and fast by comparison to my other systems.

The WS-320M is frankly much better than what I expected. Extremely small to boot. I like the alkaline batteries since I can carry lots of spares. The battery life is 14 hours which is very long. I could use rechargeables but I don't bother due to the long life. My headphones are noise cancelling and use the same battery. The ease of transfer to PC of the files is a joy.
The unit I have does have the 1.18 firmware prior reviewers spoke of. I use the LQ mode in most cases when the unit is near the speaker, however I use the SHQ mode when the speaker is far away and prone to reverberation. You can easily plug in your earphones and hear the quality of the audio being through the microphone while recording. This helps a lot in positioning the recorder and in adjusting the volume control while connecting recoder to the output of another recorder to make a copy. The WS-320M has 37 hours capacity in SHQ mode. This is more than enough for me. My music MP3 files don't take much room, but there is plenty of storage space for what I need.

I would not use the WS-320M for dictation however. It is too small and my hands are too big. I do not do dictation much these days but would use the D-1000 for that if I did. I would not buy a unit the size of the WS-100 either. I would pay the higher money and buy one of the bigger Olympus units with big button like the D-1000 has if I were to buy a new machine for dictation. Although it can serve in a pince, the buttons on the DS-320M are really not intending for serious dictation.

If you want to record music, teachers, conference speakers, do transfer of the audio files to a Windows laptop and play mp3 music to boot this is clearly a excellent choice. I am delighted. It is not as heavy duty as the bigger units but it is very small (hard to see in the picture), fairly low cost, and runs a long time on batteries.

When it comes to buying a digital voice recorder, I like to try each one out and pick the best one. My primary use is for recording lectures. I initially purchased several Digital Voice Recorders. (3 from Olympus, 1 from Sony). Olympus wins hands down. (Tell Radioshack and CompUSA I'm sorry for returning... Purchasing for keeps Amazon has best price)

1. Background: When I first purchased the DS-2 the sound quality was better than the WS-100 and Sony's $150 DVM also. The DS-2 is able to record in Stereo HQ, Stereo SP, HQ, SP, LP. The only problem was that the DS-2 could only record a little over an hour when recording in Stereo. In HQ it would record 4hrs 25min, which was sufficient but meant I had to always transfer it to my computer when I got home. Reason this is important is because if I need to study, I'd like to have all the lectures on my player. Instead due to memory constraints, I have to download it to my computer and then put it on my iPod. Pain in the butt. The other benefit of the DS-2 is that it came with the Olympus DSS Player software, which allows you to mark indexes, edit, and noise filtration.

2. When the WS-320M came out I decided to try it out because it has much more memory so that I won't have to always be downloading and transferring to my iPod. The WS-320M also records in Stereo but the best sound is Stereo SP. (Note: Although the WS-320M packaging says Stereo HQ, the Olympus DSS Player software classified the recording as Stereo SP... so I will say Stereo SP for the WS-320M from here on.)

3. Comparing the Two: I compared both the DS-2 Stereo HQ vs the WS-320M Stereo SP. What I found was that the WS-320M's quality of recording was practically the same. It seemed to be clearer in terms of treble, while the DS-2 recorded more of a lower sound. I wanted to compare both at their highest level... but like I noted before the DS-2 does not have enough memory for me to utilize it's Stereo HQ. So I compared with the practical HQ mode... and the WS-320M's Stereo SP is clearer than the DS-2 HQ. Main difference I noticed - WS-320M records at a higher treble pitch than the DS-2. It's like adjusting the treble and bass on your car stereo. But they're both sound great. (Note: If I go to a weekend conference the DS-2 would not be able to record all the lectures unless I record at a lower level. The WS-320M would be able to handle everything in Stereo SP mode)

4. Battery: My DS-2 is a battery eater when I'm recording in HQ. I'd say I go through 2 AAA batteries every 2 weeks? I'm recording 2-3 times a week, each time about 3-4 hours. I haven't had extended time testing out the battery life of the WS-320M, but speaking to others who have the other WS-310M and WS-300M they say the battery life is good. Plus it takes only 1 AAA battery.

5. Conclusion: One thing that might not be fair is that I do have the Olympus DSS Player software, so if necessary I can get rid of the hiss noise. But I've never found it necessary to do that, since the sound is very clear on both the DS-2 and WS-320M. I think the size and convenience of the WS-320M outweighs getting the DS-2 or any of the other Olympus models. I'm really curious as to how much of a difference the other guy saw with his DM-20. Can't imagine the DS-2 or the WS-320M having that much of a difference in terms of their stereo microphones. I did note above the difference I heard in sound quality.


I still like my DS-2, but I say get the WS-320M.
The WS-320M is comparable in terms of recording sound quality.
But significantly better in terms of battery drainage, memory space, and size.

After about a month, I noticed another difference. In conference/classroom settings, although sound quality is comparable, the DS-2 recording is louder. Not a huge difference because you can always increase the volume of your speakers, but noteworthy since some may consider that same "louder" sound as "clearer". But it goes back to convenience factor of the WS-320.

I don't agree with the previous poster's review saying that sound quality is poor with low signal-to-noise ratio. I've found this voice recorder better than my previous JNC model, and I've had success recording in a noisy environment. It's a good overall package for the following reasons:

- 1GB capacity is good for the price
- The USB connector is built in - no cable to remember to pack
- It appears as a regular disk for both Mac and PC - no proprietary drivers needed
- It works on a single AAA battery, which means you don't have to wait for it to recharge -- you can just pack replacements when you go to a conference, swap em out and keep recording.
- It records in WMA format (not ideal, but at least you can easily play it on PC or Mac -- the free, open-source VLC player works well for Mac).
- Recordings are stereo and although not CD quality, it's closer to it than a lot of compact digital voice recorders in a lower price range.
- Menu system and controls are pretty easy to work -- the screen is high enough resolution to display a few lines of text, so you don't get cryptic messages to deal with.

I agree that the plastic casing does conduct sound from handling or movement, and it doesn't feel like a player that would survive being dropped too many times, but then again, it's inexpensive.

I'll begin by saying this recorder is rapidly becoming an invaluable tool for me. I have owned several of digital voice recorders and they have all found their way into the bottom of my junk drawer. The Olympus recorder is the first recorder which I have personally owned which has fine enough fidelity to make it useful. I am using the highest quality, stereo recording since 35 hours is more than ample, overkill really. On the lower quality settings, it can store many times more.

I have an Intel Mac running OS X. Although Olympus does not support Macintosh officially, the package says Mac compatible. Simply make your voice recordings, plug in the USB connector to your Mac, and open the wma files to hear the recording. I found several Mac shareware and freeware programs on Versiontracker to read wma files or convert them to mp3's so this wasn't an issue for me. If you browse folders from the Mac, OS X will put ds store and other hidden files onto the player, but the player ignores them. It also ignores user files, so I can easily use it as a jump drive to transfer programs, photographs, etc.

No special software is needed to use it as an MP3 player, although Olympus suggests using Media Player for Apple. Not happening, as no Microsoft software will be installed on MY Mac. Simply drag and drop. But, the display always says unknown title / unknown artist. I'm pretty sure my ID3v1 tags are set properly and I'm still looking into this.

An iPod it's not. With a decent pair of headphones and playing around with the equalizer and wow settings, you will get quality good enough for background music. But, Olympus falls short of Apple's iPod quality. There is a newer model coming out soon, which I found on their website but was not available in stores yet. Perhaps they have addressed the sound quality issue, but you'll need to pay more for it. Wav files are best for playback if you have the space to store them.

No gripes with the built-in stereo microphones. The case does feel a bit cheap and the carrying case for it is another twenty bucks. Well, that's pretty typical for Olympus. There is a backlight, but it comes on for only a few seconds when a key is pressed. There is no way to remotely control the music player and the buttons are just a tad too small. I was impressed with the display, which shows a stereo recording level meter and headphones can be used to monitor what's being recorded. The mic is very sensitive, but there is a bit of hiss - I would consider it normal for a device of this type.

Don't pay full price for the WS-320M as the WS-331M has been announced. Then, decide if you want a bargain or if you want the latest technology. Myself, I'll probably use this in addition to an iPod since iPod does not have a voice recorder.