Panasonic RR-QR80 Tapeless Digital Audio Recorder

by Panasonic

Product Details

Product Manual [647kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 3.6 x 2.2 x 0.5 inches ; 3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004T1XM
• Item model number: RR-QR80
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,119 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Panasonic RR-QR80 is a digital, voice-activated recorder that fits in the palm of your hand. You can record up to 198 files on the 8 MB of Flash memory. Then divide your files into two folders; keep your work notes in one folder, and personal files in the other. There is a time and date stamp for increased organization. Selective erasing allows you to individually delete old files.

Variable recording speeds give you up to 60 minutes of recording time. You can also set the Panasonic RR-QR80 to record at certain times. The built-in condenser microphone handles personal and room recording. Three playback speeds let you take copious notes or skip through a long session quickly. The built-in speaker provides dynamic playback.

The Panasonic RR-QR80 runs on two AAA batteries. There is an LED battery power indicator and a hold switch that prevents battery drain when you are transporting your recorder.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful, Well Designed, June 15, 2000

By 

M. Crew (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic RR-QR80 Tapeless Digital Audio Recorder (Office Product)

Good recording quality for microphone. Good playback voice quality for speaker. Voice clearly legible in all modes (15, 30, 60). Easy to use. Small, easily fits in shirt or pants pocket. Has advanced features, but most users will be happy just using the basic features.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Panasonic Hand Held Tapeless Digital Recorder, June 14, 2000

By 

Sean Ambrose (Costa Mesa, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic RR-QR80 Tapeless Digital Audio Recorder (Office Product)

I received the digital recorder of a gift and its very good for discussions and also fun just to play around with. It has some very cool function and a fast and slow mode. It has a good amount of memory, but that's about the only bad thing. It fills up pretty fast if your recording something thats very long. It has great sound and is perfect size to fit in your back pocket. All in all its a great digital recorder for the price.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Small And Light, May 26, 2002

By 

Sheldon (Aspen, CO United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic RR-QR80 Tapeless Digital Audio Recorder (Office Product)

First, if you're perusing these reviews because you're switching from a micro cassette recorder, you're in for a treat. While you can't take the tape out and hand it to someone, the advantages of digital are too numerous to mention here. My favorite is the ability to playback or erase individual notes without having to search the tape to find them.

Anyway, as for this unit: I was looking for something easy to use, [price], decent sound quality, small, and good reviews. While it does take awhile to decipher the instructions, the RR-QR80 is relatively easy to use, and I especially like the fact that the two major buttons are Record and Stop. Let's face it, these are the buttons you want to get to fast. You press and hold the Record button for about a second to pause, but I wish you could just click once to pause, then click again to resume. Playback is easy, but all the secondary buttons, including the Erase button, are quite small but have a solid feel. The Hold button feels secure and is easy to use. I've seen some small units where you need to use your fingernail to move the Hold button.

I got my unit refubished from Sunshinelect, so the price was right, and the unit was shipped the following business day. Excellent! However, you have to wonder why there are so many "refurbished" RR-QR80s out there. One can only hope there was some inherent problem with this unit that Panasonic fixed. So far so good.

Sound quality changes with record mode. HQ will only record for 15 minutes, but sound quality is outstanding. Standard mode will record for 30 minutes, and quality is more than adequate. LP mode will record 60 minutes, and is okay but not great. Let's face it, your not going to be recording live concerts with this thing. Also, the mic level is adjustable, and set to High will record voices from a distance accurately.

Size is where this unit really shines. It's the size of a business card/credit card and <.5" thick. It fits easily in a pocket, but if it finds its way to the bottom of your purse you may forget what you wanted to record by the time you find it.

Anyway, I write two newspaper columns and needed something to record fleeting thoughts, and wanted something small enough that I wouldn't hesitate to carry around. So, this unit works perfectly for me. However, if you intend to record lectures or lengthy notations, a unit with more memory and a "real" fast forward and rewind might be a better choice (this one will cue and review, but it's choppy).

Note: I've now had this for a very long time and it has worked incredibly well (remember, this is a refurbished unit). I keep it in my pocket with my keys and a while bunch of other things, and the display window is so filled with dust you can barely see through it. But, it just keeps going, and going and going.