OLYMPUS WS-883 Digital Voice Recorder, Linear PCM/MP3 Recording Formats, USB Direct, 8gb Playback Speed and Volume Adjust, File Index, Erase Selected Files

I got this for my 96 year old mother as my Tascam and my brother’s Zoom were too difficult for her to operate. It’s perfect for her. Preset for room recording and simple menu (not lecture hall) and she can operate it with one switch and two buttons. More than that and she gets a bit lost. It comes with 8gb internal memory, but I put a 32gb card in so she doesn’t have to think about it. I love the charging circuit for NiMh batteries and the maligned usb-a connector is great in my book. Do I wish all recording was LPCM and at a higher stereo sampling rate? Yes. Is my mother able to use it without fighting with the control software? YES. Could it replace my Tascam field recorder. No. Is it tiny and tough? Yes. If you don’t need higher sampling fidelity (or XLR connections or phantom power, etc.) this is an impressive little device.

For those curious, this device boasts a variety of recording options, including a versatile "rec scene" mode. This combines conference mode for wide and distant sound capture and dictation mode for clear close-up recording. I haven't delved into the other options yet, but the potential is promising. The sound quality is genuinely impressive. I initially planned to test this device and possibly upgrade to a Sony PCM A10 or higher-end model. However, after further use, I find no immediate need for an upgrade. For casual use, it's truly outstanding. It even handles MP3 playback well, with audio quality arguably surpassing an iPhone. That said, it doesn't quite match the level of a dedicated music player like a Samsung Galaxy player, particularly in bass definition. For the price, worth every penny.

Nice size to carry

Olympus quality. Sharp & clear sound. I've only used Olympus since I started court reporting 23 years ago. Always trusty & reliable. Very affordable.

i've tried several times as a senior to understand all this recorder has to offer i just cant get the understand it