Sony ICD-SX25 Digital Voice Recorder

by Sony

Product Details

• Item Weight: 2 pounds
• 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: B0007XHLZM
• Item model number: ICDSX25
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,510 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 16, 2006

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Professional quality sound and high-level functionality are what distinguish the ICD-SX25 Digital Voice Recorder. Sony has designed a powerful, sleek recorder with a seamless aluminum body. The slim-style design is only one-half inch thick, with "record" and "pause" controls located on the side of the unit for easy operation. This tiny device fits neatly into a shirt pocket. Record grandma for an audio-genealogy or interview a famous celebrity -- whether you're recording for personal or professional reasons, you'll be extremely pleased.

The built-in 32 MB flash memory uses a high-capacity IC chip. This technology allows you to record over old messages again and again with distortion-free clarity. The ICD-SX25 allows you to record at different quality levels. The high-quality, two-channel STLP recording mode allows up to 165 minutes of recording. This is perfect for recording interviews that you may want to reproduce in digital format. If you're just taking personal audio notes, switch the voice recorder to LP mode and take full advantage of over 11 hours of lower quality recording.

The advanced digital voice operated recording (VOR) feature actually stops recording during silent pauses, saving valuable recording time. Thanks to the digital buffer, this intelligent machine begins recording again without missing a single syllable. Lastly, the digital recorder comes equipped with USB connectivity for high speed copying of files to a PC.

What's in the Box
ICD-SX25 digital voice recorder, digital voice editor software, stereo ear receiver, and USB cable.

Product Description

Digital Voice Recorder--ICDSX25/ Almost 12 Hours Recording time/USB Compatible

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

112 of 113 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like it., July 16, 2005

By 

jj2me (Red Bank, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony ICD-SX25 Digital Voice Recorder (Office Product)

I'm perplexed that J Liu's excellent review didn't get a 100% "helpful" rating from readers. I do not have as much experience with digital recorders to add much to that review, so I'll just add a few observations:

1. Don't buy used or "new" without the software (e.g., ebay offers lots of digital recorders without software). The reason is because the manufacturers don't offer the software on their web sites, only updates to the original software.

2. Stereo Long Play seems great to me, I couldn't tell any difference compared to Stereo. I tested mic pickup by laying the mic on a table and walking about 15 feet away into another room. All modes performed great except LP.

3. Voice Up is a useful feature for hearing things that otherwise would be unintelligible. I was able to understand the other end of a loud telephone conversation when I left the SX25 three feet away from the phone.

4. If you intend to use this to immediately listen to what you've recorded (e.g., if you are practicing a presentation), you might be better off buying a microcassette recorder because its speaker is better and therefore more convenient.

5. Reader reviews of the ST25 complain about the "sideways" controls. I don't see the problem. Pushing towards you just selects one of three folders, A, B, or C. Pushing away from you goes into the menu. All menu items operate similarly, and all are only one level down. Sure, you need to read the manual thoroughly, but I couldn't really think of a better setup. It's not I-Drive (BMW's much maligned multi-level controller).

6. The SX25 is rated well for the Voice Recognition software "Dragon Naturally Speaking 8". (You need Preferred or Professional version, and not Standard like I bought.)

Overall, I like it a lot. Amazing how clear things sound with headphones/earbuds. Easy to use for simple recording and listening, nice small size.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for class lectures, March 8, 2006

By 

L. VanDerWoude "Mother of Two" (Western Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony ICD-SX25 Digital Voice Recorder (Office Product)

I use this recorder exclusively for class lectures and could not be happier. Most important feature I was looking for was clarity in a large room. I was very impressed with the sound quality. The recorder does not have to be anywhere near the professor to pick up their voice perfectly! I bought one of the cheaper sony recorders first, it was about $50, and returned it because the sound quality was terrible. For me this one is worth the money because I am recording from a distance. It's also very compact and easy to use. Definitely recommend it for students!

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good features but...., March 8, 2006

By 

Paul Mosier - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony ICD-SX25 Digital Voice Recorder (Office Product)

I purchased this voice recorder to record college lectures and then transcribe them to text. The SX25 has a pretty good amount of recording time for the low quality setting at around 12 hours. A few of the features include: VOR-a thing where the recorder supposedly starts recording when it picks up sound and stops when it stops reading sound (I could hardly ever get it to work), the ability to cut and divide recordings, four different quality settings, and a very informative LCD screen. The SX25 also is supported for Dragon Naturally speaking preferred. Included in the box is a set of earphones, a USB cable, a program to save recordings and a carrying bag.

One would suppose that for over one hundred dollars you could get decent voice recording. In my experience the actual recording is the worst part of this product and ironically its primary function. After taking it to one class lecture at the second highest quality level sitting ten feet from the instructor, I brought it home and with the volume all the way up I could not make out anything intelligible. Moreover, I could not use it to transcribe to text. I was lead to believe by the general description of the product that it could record from a considerable distance. Most likely this would be better used for just personal voice records for notes, not as a long distance recorder, because the microphone is extremely weak.