Olympus DS-40 Handheld Digital Voice Recorder Reviews

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I purchased the Olympus DS-40 as an upgrade to my Olympus WS-320M. As mentioned by another reviewer, the DS-30/40 series improves upon the WS-300/310/320M series. from Amazon.com I agree with Jeffery Kissinger's review below, but there are a few points he passed over. My previous recorder was an Olympus WS-310, and the DS-40 is superior in every way. The DS-40 has great battery life, and ergonomically it has a much better design because button operation is much more positive, and since the screen is very clear, it is easy to see at a glance what is happening. from Amazon.com I am in business school and experience difficulties simultaneously taking notes for two hours straight and absorbing all of the professors' dictated material. I originally bought the Sony ICD-SX46 and was sorry I did. It's dependent on the Digital Voice Software and is egregiously slow transferring files. I went to B & H Photo and a salesman recommended this unit. from Amazon.com It records to WMA files and can be plugged into your computer via USB as a USB drive. No software is even required to grab the files from it. It has a file system just like most digital cameras. The external speaker sounds quite good considering its size. from Amazon.com This means the mic doesn't feel firmly attached and isn't a robust connection. It is possibly subject to damage if mishandled. Perhaps this is why Olympus sell replacement mics for $25. Olympus should supply a case for the device. from Amazon.com At XQ I can record for hours, at HQ I can go for weeks before the memory will be full.----Now the cons:-NO rechargeable, built-in battery-MEDIOCRE sound for playing music, even through headphones-VERY limited set of features as an mp3 player. Considering that you can buy an ipod nano at the same price, you would expect all these features and many more.-External mic seems flimsy-Side note:I do a lot of homework before I buy any gadget. After researching, I bought Olympus WS-320M first. It was tiny and light, had 1GB memory and had a "cool" look. from Beachaudio.com I use the DS40 for recording music workshops I attend. The folders allow for easy sorting, and the sound quality is great for clearly hearing a melody and later listening and practicing it. from Amazon.com In every case it has produced clear recordings with minimal background noise - unlike some other recorders I've used where subtle background music in a hotel lobby comes across like a live symphony orchestra on the recording. I've not had the recorder long but have bounced in about pretty roughly in the field and it seems to be holding up very well. Overall, the DS-40 seems like a well built and very functional little recorder. from Amazon.com I upgraded to the DS-40 because of its better stereo microphone, higher output to a stereo and better bass response. I use it to record a rock & blues band at practices & gigs. from Amazon.com Pros: Great sensitivity with choices between lecture, conference and dictation Cons: Some Olympus recorders plug straight into USB, this needed a cable - (but so what!!) from Shopping.com

Released	over 2 years ago
Recording Media	Digital
Design	Handheld
Type	Voice Recorder
Battery Life Approx	Approx. 32 Hours
Built in Memory	512 MB
Depth	0.63 in.
Headphone Jack	With Headphone Jack
Height	4.37 in.
MPN	DS40
Release Date	January, 2007
Voice Activate System (VAS)	With VAS
Warranty	1 Year
Weight	2.81 oz.
Width	1.48 in.

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Olympus DS-40 Handheld Digital Voice Recorder Reviews

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