Customer Ratings & Reviews

Overall a good device. I would have expected it to be a bit cheaper (60 when I purchased it) though. I use the device to record lectures in college. I usually sit 3-5 rows from the front and this picks up the speaker with ease. I assume it would work farther away too, depending on the type of speaker (or if they are using a mic). Be aware though, that the device is COMPLETELY INCOMPATIBLE with Apple computers. I thought this meant just the software, which I have grown to accept as a Mac user - but I was wrong. When I plug the device in via USB the computer (MacBook, 10.5) doesn't even recognize that something was plugged in. Very weak design in this regard. The software does look pretty good though, if you're a PC user. Overall it's a good recorder. It gets the job done..

I recommend this sony voice recorder to anyone who ask me about it. These are my reasons: 1- It is easy to use! 2- You can transfer yours recorded stuff to your computer using the USB connection. 2- You can record many hours with a pair of AAA bateries (about 10-12 hours depending the kind of them). 3- For the price, is one of the best choices. 4- It is small and you can bring it to anywhere. 5- I use mine to record my classes and it is being great!

I would recommend this recorder to anyone. Its easy to use reasonably priced and small so you can hide it if you dont want anyone knowing you are recording. There is no tapes or disks to buy its all on the memory so that saves a bunch. Downloading the messages to your computer is very simple to use and understand. Comes with a usb cord and hooks right into the computer and it can also be set to voice activate. This is my second purchase and I have tried many others. This is far the best. Everyone I have told about this has gone out and purchased one for themselves.

This is great for recording meetings or for college classes. Picks up sound well. Playback quality is good, could be slightly better. Love the USB connection so I can save to my pc or burn on a disk. Small, portable, easy to read digital display. I would recommend it.

Overall, this recorder is nice, as it has the ability to record digitally and lets you upload your recordings to a PC. I'm in law enforcement and I use this recorder to record inteviews with victims, witnesses, suspects, etc when I'm out on patrol so I can talk with them and minimize the amount of note taking I have to do in the field. It works great and the directions are pretty simple to follow. I recommend a lapel mic for law enforcement use unless you are going to sit it on a table. Having it in a pocket without a lapel mic causes it to record a little extra noise as you move, especially if you're wearing a jacket. For $60, I would have liked the body of the recorder to be more solid. Either a thicker plastic like a TV remote control or thin metal body. The thin plastic body feels fragile, like you could crush it in your hand. It also does not have an "OFF" button. If the batteries are in, the display is on. This is unusual, even for something that uses 2 AAA size batteries.

I use it to record lectures from teachers when I cant write everything he or she is saying. In the settings you can turn off the button beep sound and turn off the red record light so no one will even know your recording and you won't draw attention to yourself. It has a USB so I can transfer the files to my computer using the sony software supplied. The playback is clear quality sound, I like it alot. Also in the box Sony Digital Voice Recorder • Digital voice editor software • 2 AAA batteries • USB cable

This is a great device. I use it to record lectures from professors when I cant write everything he/she is saying. It has a USB so I can transfer the files to my computer and even over to my ipod. It really helps catch everything. The playback sound is clear and loud, I am satisfied with it

I bought this item for meeting notes and the possibility to transcribe dictation into Dragon Dictate at a future date. Unfortunately, the playback leaves a lot to be desired. It is actually annoying unless the unit is set to the HQ (high quality) mode, and then the playback is only average at best which makes it unsuitable for my needs. I would have expected a business device of this nature by Sony to have been carefully designed and carried forward, but it is very tedious to try to change folders or to change settings by entering a menu and scrolling through choices. I bought the Sony because I had expected the name to indicate quality and I didn't want to get into a comparison game with other models. When I was deciding on which to purchase, I was told by the salesman that there is an Olympus model for the same price that has the same basic functionality but has dedicated buttons for folders and for other obvious functions. It also has about the same amount of memory and comes with comparable software. Perhaps the playback quality will even be better. I think I'll give that a try. Too bad, this Sony unit might have been a lemon but I don't have the time or patience to try another one like it.

I purchased this recorder for my lectures, and so far it has been great. My lectures have been small though, so I'm not sure how it would do in a larger area. Once I have them on the computer you can change the format to mp3 and put them on an ipod to listen to anytime.

I just ordered this product as I find it very helpful to stay with the long lecture hours.most of my classmates use this gadget for our science subjects such as anatomy, physiology and micro that have long lecture hours. i find it very effective because my classmates who has this stuff always get good grades with our hard lecture/lab exams. This is one of the must haves in college!

works well, convenient size records well in average size room however not in large auditorium areas

This is a great piece of hardware. I really like the ability to transfer my files to pc. The software, as basic as it is, allows me to change the format to mp3 or a number of other formats. This helps in maintaining a compendium of my lectures for future studying and use. Now the reasons for the low score. Mp3 format is great, but you can't manipulate the file in that format. So you have to save to another file, format, then save back to mp3 (all seperate files). Download time from recorder to pc is very lengthy, it's a good time to start reading War and Peace or a Dictionary. The hands down worst part of this recorder is the non-existent battery life. The first pair of batteries lasted all of 3 days worth of lectures. That's a total of 11.5 hrs lecture time plus perhaps 20 minutes of familiarization once I opened the package and possibly another 1.5-2 hrs spent downloading the files to pc. Three subsequent pairs of batteries gave the same results. Other students in my class with the older non USB compatible versions have battery life issues also. I wish I would have done more research instead of picking up the one that looked like it would work best. Overall impression, it works great at the cost of a ton of batteries. I'm going through 2pair of AAAs a week for ~19hrs of class. I would shop around if I were you.

Hey, this DOES have an 'off button'. On the right side, slide the switch up. This puts it in 'hold' mode, and turns it off to save the batteries. This recorder is all you need. Buy it and don't look back.......z

Are you a financial advisor or any advisor that needs to record their interviews with clients to refer back to? If so than this is the recorder for you. It's digital and can be uploaded to your computer. Not to mention, it's only 60 bucks! That definitely beats the competition.

It is a good deal for the price. the only thing is that the sound is not ALWAYS clear . . .depending on the distance, even a few rows away. . . .

Not a bad recorder overall, but folder navigation is a major pain... You have to press and hold the menu button. Then scroll to "folders". Then press play. Then scroll to the folder you want. Then press play. Then press stop to exit the menu. It needs a folder button like the Olympus models.

I bought this device around 14 months back, when I was in Richmond, Virginia. It's a fantastic one. Till now, it has recorded around 200 hours of official, technical presentations and around 20 hours of my sweet home memories.... It's the best performer when I take all my electronic items.

The P520 is a nice little recorder to capture the special moments that matter. Still trying to get an update for the software! Any links for windows 2000nt