Sony - Digital Voice Recorder

Over the years I have used a lot of different digital recorders and they have evolved very nicely into this Sony. I have to do recordings for various outlets and some require it be in mp3, stereo if possible. This unit does both. I bought this from Best Buy a year ago and it is still going strong. If it ever breaks I will replace it with this exact model. Now let's be clear, the on-board microphones are fine if you just want something for transcription later but if you are looking for studio quality recordings simply add a small Sony ECM-DS7OP condensor mic found nearly everywhere and not very expensive. It is very small and has a flip head so you can put recorder on table and still have it pointed toward speaker without need to hold it. The ECM-DS7OP also allows handling of unit without that noise being picked up by on-board mic like you would switching hands with your average, heavy hand-held mic. I use this in noisy conditions and while there is no portable unit out there that will eliminate background completely the individual you are trying to record is clean and clear. Mic sensitivity on recorder can be adjusted to specific needs in conjunction with ECM-DS7OP and you will get a rich, clear recording. This baby is top notch all the way from the bell to the whistle. The only issue I have with this recorder is the amount of time it takes to go from off to ready. I always leave the unit in the off position to save the battery and the hold button up and when I need I simply slide the 'hold' down to record. You have to wait for it to load (10 seconds, give or take) but once it does you have a terrific unit without going to more pricey recorders that do the identical things. Battery life a shade above average, the bottom cap pulls off for USB conncetion and is Plug & Play with Windows XP and Vista. Cannot speak for Macs. Easy to navigate menu, small and powerful. Lots of recording time with 1 gig on-board flash memory. The fact this model gives me all the QUALITY without the bulk of larger recorders and extra microphones makes this a winner and may be the best little digital recorder for the price. This is a real person testimonial.

I wanted to replace my aging Olympus digital recorder with one that could transfer recordings to my pc. I originally went to purchase another Olympus but Best Buy was out of stock of pretty much every digital recorder except a really cheap Olympus and this Sony icd-ux71. I bought te Sony and have been using it for a bit now. I like it. It's quite small and I really like the fact that it records in mp3 files. Transferring files is ridiculously easy - just like a thumb drive. The only drawbacks I've run into is that it picks up quite a bit handling noise. So, if you want a good recording it is important that you place the unit on the table or whatever as otherwise all you'll hear is the sound of your hand jostling the recorder. The other downfall was the LP mode. In my opinion it's only on the unit as a marketing ploy so Sony can claim the crazy 287 hour recording time. What you get in LP mode is some fairly awful sound quality that will make you want to rip your ears off after about 15 minutes. HOWEVER, on ST mode it sounds excellent. As long as you don't intend to store more than about 18 hours on the recorder I can highly recommend this unit. (this shouldn't be a problem for me since I intend to transfer all my files to a computer anyway)

I bought this unit this week and have already fallen in love with it. As a Mac user I was looking for something that would record in MP3 and let me transfer files to my laptop with USB. This unit has it all...and then some. Not only is the sound quality amazing, the battery life good and the files in MP3 format...the built in USB dock makes it a cinch to transfer files and customize folder names using my Macbook. The unit is study, the controls logically placed and the components sturdy. The only drawback is that the LCD screen is a little small. However, the backlight makes it more readable than previous digital recorders I've owned. All in all this ia an amazing digital recorder for demanding business use.

I had great hopes for this little Sony marvel. I loved the red color, it worked with my MacBook 13" Alum, and it stored a 1GB level of files. The body of the unit is nice but the silver or fake metal makes it look cheap. The display info on this unit are all but unreadable so count on getting powerful reading glasses if you are over 45 yrs age. Tiny tiny icons and letters. None of this was a deal breaker, but when I went to make some simple voice recording tests with this unit (on it top HQ setting) all I mostly heard was 'rustling noise' and a faint mumer of the nearby voice. The distant voices (10 feet away) were inaudible. The small speaker is on the bottom back of unit so you have to turn the unit over to hear anything. This item would be useless for lectures and might be ok for personal memo (w/ earphones) if the background rustling noise were not so prevalent. I tried all the filters, distance settings, noise xcellation. I traded for an Olympus Ws-321 M 1GB same price range but a whole lot better.Not Mac comp but it works great! Best Buy was great with exchange

This is a good product. It picks up every little sound and it is quite loud. It's a great little toy to have. Totally perfect for a college student during lecture halls or meetings. The only suggestion I would have it keeping the voice recorder in one place & try not to move it too much, because it does pick up every little sound. I really don't have anything negative to say about this product. Plus it's quite stylish with the red :)