Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder (Black)
by Sony
Customers in the UK,
buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: SonyModel: ICDPX820
Color: Black
Product features:
- 535 hours2 of recording time (LP mode)
- 2 GB Flash Memory
- Noise Cut Function
- Stereo recording with optional microphone
- Ready for podcast - records in MP3 format, no conversion necessary
- 535 hours of recording time (LP mode)
- Ready for podcast,records in MP3 format, no conversion necessary
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder (Black)
Customer Review: Excellent MP3 Recording Quality
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are looking for a reasonably priced voice recorder that records in a high quality MP3 format, look no further. (Official release date of February/2010) Sony's new SHQ mode (Super High Quality) can record an MP3 file at 192 kbps, with a frequency range of 75Hz - 20,000Hz, and at a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. And for a voice recorder, those are EXCELLENT audio specs! According to the manual, the 2 GB of memory in this unit will hold approximately 22-hours of recording time in this SHQ mode, with a rated 30-hours of battery life in this same SHQ recording mode.
As a self-proclaimed "audiophile", 192 kbps has forever been my MP3 sweet-spot for music (even back when 128 kbps songs were all the rage). To me, 192 kbps has always been the perfect compromise between small file size & high quality audio, so I am VERY pleased to see that there is finally an affordable voice recorder with this high quality recording option. And by the way, these recorded files are just like any other MP3 file, which means they can be dropped right into an iPod's Playlist Folder.
My 2nd favorite feature is its built-in "recording buffer". When you set the unit to record in VOR (Voice Operated Recording) and there is no sound for a few seconds, it will automatically "pause" the recording, and then automatically resume the recording when it detects another sound (or spoken word). What the recording buffer does, is that whenever the recording resumes (in a lecture for example), it will record "almost all" of the first syllable of the first spoken word. In comparison, my previous Olympus voice recorder would usually MISS the WHOLE first word after a recording pause. As a result, every sentence after a recording pause usually began with a missing word, which I always found a bit irritating. This Sony recorder will not do that.
Though I am not as big of a Sony fan as I used to be in years past, you really can't go wrong with this voice recorder, and I highly recommend it. Simply put, this is a high quality voice recorder that will last you for many years, and is one that you will not need to upgrade with newer models.
PROS:
* Has a SHQ (Super High Quality) recording option which records at 192 kbps with a wide frequency range.
* The VOR (Voice Operated Recording) mode records every word spoken, which is particularly helpful when recording important lectures with lots of "pauses".
* Has a DPC (Digital Pitch Control) mode which allows playback of a the speaker's voice at any speed without changing the "pitch" of their original voice. This is good for slowly writing down notes from a recorded lecture.
* Has a very user-friendly button interface which could not have been designed better, (an area in which Sony has always excelled at). It's the perfect compromise between full functionality & user-friendly simplicity.
* The optional software is not buggy on my XP computer, and has a nice interface. It's a simple screen that allows easy access to all of the unit's features.
CONS:
* Requiring 2 AAA batteries (instead of just 1) may indeed increase the unit's recording time, but it makes this recorder a bit on the bulky side. In other words, I would not label this as a "slim line" voice recorder. As odd as this may sound, the above front/angled picture (the only picture at the time of this review) makes this recorder appear a lot slimmer than it actually is. The total width is actually 3/4" thick. The reason for the picture being deceptive is because the item's extended battery pack tapers inward (towards the back), so on a front-angled picture you don't see the true thickness. Not really a big deal, but it's worth mentioning.
UPDATE: The original "angled" photo is now gone from this site, and has now been replaced with 2 straight-forward front & back photos. A reviewer posted the helpful "back" photo of the recorder. Thanks "Delta"! This photo helps show the added thickness that I "attempted" to explain in my review. The battery pack first tapers inward, then extends outward to add a "bump" of thickness. Again, not a big deal.
Description of Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder (Black)
Sony's ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder is a budget friendly way to immortalize your thoughts, meetings, and other voice quality audio. The PX820 has a 2GB builtin flash memory which can hold up to 535 hours (in LP mode) of data. Features like voice activated recording, dictation correction and an add function are all practical conveniences that help aid in the recording process. The ICD-PX820's recording is both PC and Mac compatible (Mac files must be edited on a Mac compatible software). The popular Dragon NaturallySpeaking software and the included Digital Voice Editor software are both compatible with your compatible Windows PC.Digital Cameras and Photo Categories
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