CC Witness 2GB Digital Recorder/MP3 players with AM/FM

by C.Crane

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 2.2 x 4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001F51GU2
• Item model number: CWT
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,209 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #70 in Electronics > Portable Audio & Video > Digital Voice Recorders
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 15, 2008

Product Description

The CC Witness is one of the few digital recorder/MP3 players that also has both AM and FM radio onboard. Designed for the radio aficionado, the CC Witness has 2GB of onboard memory and up to 2GB of external memory on an optional SD card. That's 4GB of memory that you can have with you whenever you need it to record your favorite radio programs, your thoughts, lectures and even music. With so much space built into the unit, you'll have plenty of room to store hundreds of hours of recordings, and still have room for more. If you've ever worried about missing your favorite radio show, than the CC Witness might just make your day — since you can preset it to record up to 20 programs in advance. You can even make MP3 recordings of AM/FM radio programs on the fly.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Little AM/FM/MP3 Recorder, October 8, 2008

By 

Steven E. Brichta (Darien, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: CC Witness 2GB Digital Recorder/MP3 players with AM/FM (Office Product)

Great little recorder. Received mine yesterday, charged it up, recorded a few test recordings on AM and FM. Programmed it to record from midnight to 4am and it worked great. Fairly easy to use! AM receiver is sensitive and worked well with no interference. I followed the instruction manual and turned off th AM Radio display to minimize/eliminate any interference. Uses SD Memory devices as big as 16gb! That is in addition to it's built-in 2gb of memory. Maybe in a future model it will use a USB Thumb Drive or maybe a regular USB External Hard Drive! This unit is going to make late night recording and recording of specialty radio programs a real easy task. I calculate my recording usage at slightly more than forty hours a week.

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars CC witness, August 16, 2009

By 

PCrudy (Fort Lee, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: CC Witness 2GB Digital Recorder/MP3 players with AM/FM (Office Product)

You can get this cheaper at the company's website but you will still be paying $100.00 more than this product is worth. Considering the size of the talk radio market, I am amazed there is only one company making an MP3 with AM/FM radio and the ability to record the radio portion, but that's what it is right now, so you will have to pay the inflated price. The ONLY reason to buy this product is to record talk radio (you can set up to 20 timers; or you can record on the fly with the push of a button). The built in speakers must have been left over from those 1950's radios 'made in Japan' that we carried around when we were kids (I am dating myself!); so get yourself some decent headphones to 'replace' the ear buds that come with the product. If you record music or streaming radio from an Internet source, make sure you record it at full volume; otherwise, when you copy it to the Witness, the sound level is cut in half. This is OK with me, as this prevents you from damaging your eardrums when you crank up Free Bird, or Stairway to Heaven!! I am near and work in the NYC area so the AM stations are fairly powerful so reception for me is ok (some bleed through from adjacent stations) as long you are not near electrical motors and devices etc. FM reception is more than adequate. You have 10 presets each, on the AM and FM which is more than enough. I put in a $35 16GB HP SD card and it that works fine. You are limited to a total of 2000 files but that should not be a problem. It comes with it's own 24 pin USB cable (only theirs will work with the product) but I bought the accessory pack (recommended) that gives you a charging cradle via AC; and a cover to protect your inflated investment. The manual is ok for those who are not technophobes but all in all, it is fairly well written and covers all of the features of the product. I have already recorded some shows; and copied over 50 tunes. You plug it into your computer using the USB cable, and use Explorer in windows to create folders, delete files, drop and drag etc. - very easy. Again, it's the only product that will record talk radio; and the MP3 features are adequate. The one year warranty is a joke, considering the premium you have to pay - I also purchased a small case (designed for a digital camera) that I use to protect my investment - I hope I get 3 to 5 years of use from this product. If the price and warranty were more reasonable, I would given this five stars.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clunky, but does what I want it to..., April 11, 2009

By 

Da Boogey Man (sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: CC Witness 2GB Digital Recorder/MP3 players with AM/FM (Office Product)

Im sort of a radio geek. I listen to a lot of talk radio during my commutes and when I can at work. I also like having all of my music with me on my mp3 player. Unfortunately for me there are almost no mp3 players that will tune in the AM band.

This little guy will do that! Ah, bliss for this radio geek.

Upsides:

Has 2 gigs of onboard memory and a SD slot so you can add more. I went for the 16 gig. There is a button on the front specifically for switching between the two.

The Witness will play mp3 files and tune in local AM and FM signals. This is the devices main selling point. I have yet to find another mp3 player that will also let you listen to AM stations.

The Witness has a built in microphone, as well as a port for a microphone. Now here is a real cool feature. Anything you record (microphone or radio station) automatically gets turned into a mp3 format! Record then download it onto your computer... or cell phone. Ive had people record something on it then transfered the audio file onto my phone to make it their ring tone. I also plug the Witness into my XM radio (using the male/male audio cord that comes in the box) and record my favorite station.

The Witness also has a small built in speaker. The volume and quality aint great. If you are old enough to remember small hand held AM transister radios... its kinda like that. Again, this is going to be something that a talk radio listener is looking for as opposed to the full out music nut.

The Witness can be set to turn off after a certain time or even turn on and record at a certain time for a certain length of time.

There is a sliding switch on the side to 'lock' current settings. This keeps you from accidently pushing buttons when you slip it into your pocket.

-----------------------------------

Downsides:

The interface is as clunky as... well, its clunky! There is the wheel that we are all familiar with then six more buttons on the front, THEN two volume buttons and the sliding locking switch on the side.

And the screen! Eck! Its a simple, black LED screen, thats it. Its like an old LED watch from the 80's built large. No color, no video capability, no animation. After having used and seen other current mp3 players this feels ancient. It just feels clunky. Now if you are like me and are more interested in the unique featers of the Witness as opposed to its style you wont care.

If you're not careful you can accidently hit the record button and start to record the radio station you are listening to. Not a big deal, its easy to erase but it should have been made so that you cant just brush a button and record. Again, clunky design.

Last downside,
Maybe its just where I am but it seems that the Witness doesnt bring in certain AM stations as well as my old Sony Discman. I get some bleed over from other stations on one of the AM stations I listen to. Maybe I just tend to pass by to many EM sources.

You recharge the thing with the special USB cord they pack in the box. If you dont have a computer you will need to buy a regular charger.

Closing

Im a radio geek, like I said. I wanted an mp3 player that would let you listen to AM as well as FM stations. After looking dam near everywhere this seems to be the only thing that will do that. For me, this as well as the other cool little features make up for the clunky design and ugly LED screen. You could set the timer, put it next to you on your pillow and fall asleep listening to you favorite talk show, record stuff with the microphone then download the file onto you compurter.
If they had built the Witness with a color screen and stream-lined the interface and button layout I would have given this product 5+stars. I gave it 4 starts because of its unique features, some you wont find in any other mp3 player.