Olympus

(Originally written by Almasty/translated from Audiofanzine FR) - How long have you been using it? About one week. - Which feature do you like the most / the least? Pros: - Good manufacturing quality (although made in China ); Sturdy metal housing (unlike EDIROL's R09) - Good overall usability, real controls for recording and playback volume, easy-to-see buttons (unlike EDIROL's R09) - Good-quality mics (unlike EDIROL's R09) with windscreen! - 2 GB internal memory + SD and SDHC card - Battery operation (LR6 or AA) for up to 16 hours. I haven't actually checked if it lasts that long, but it's true that you can use it for hours... - Low frequency filter (unlike EDIROL's R09) - LED indicator that flashes faster and faster when you reach the maximum recording capacity - PIP PSU + remote control - 12 recording formats: MP3, WAV (up to 96KHz/24bit) and WMA - Good-sounding headphone amp (unlike EDIROL's R09) - Editing menus (tracks copy/cut/paste but no direct rename function... however you can do everything you want on your computer) with reset option and memory protect function for the internal memory and a SD card to avoid data loss - Screw thread for camera stand + wristband (unlike EDIROL's R09) - Software included: Steinberg Cubase 4 LE Music and video tutorial! Cons: - Internal memory/SD card selection is too complicated - Complex menu structure due to the folder architecture, but freely editable "Fn" function (I use it to select between the memory card and the internal memory) - Mic "zoom" function doesn't work properly (it's like using a limiter), - no optical or coaxial output (unlike EDIROL's R09) - No pre-rec function with buffer memory (unlike SONY's PCM-D50) - No voice-controlled auto start (unlike MARANTZ' PMD 620) - Data transfer is not made in alphabetical but chronological order. Perhaps that can be changed... - Low-quality of the small integrated speaker (just enough to listen to a voice but not for music or sound ambients). As a summary: it's a nice tool and it will replace my R09 (whose 1/8" jack is faulty), except for the connection to my hi-fi system via optical cable because only the R09 has this option (unlike the R09 HR). - Did you try any other models before buying it? Roland EDIROL R09 plus MiniDisc (Sharp MD MT 866 and MD-DR 470H) and DAT (Sony TCDD-7 and TCDD-8). - How would you rate its value for money? Very good A bit too expensive but very interesting considering its quality. - Based on your experience, would you buy this product again? Certainly.