Best Reviewed
Digital Voice Recorders
- Budget digital voice recorder Olympus VN-6200PC *Est. $60
- Best digital voice recorder with MP3 player Olympus WS-500M *Est. $100
- Professional-grade digital voice recorder Samson Zoom H4n *Est. $300
- Digital voice recorder for dictating and transcription Sony ICD-MX20 *Est. $250
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- 550-hour max. recording time
- Built-in stereo microphones
- Ability to play music
- No USB cable needed
- Music playback quality is only so-so
- Not suitable for podcasts or radio
- Memory can't be expanded
The Olympus WS-331M is a good digital voice recorder and a so-so MP3 player. It can't accept additional memory cards, but the WS-331M's 2 GB of built-in storage accommodates nearly 36 hours of recording at the highest-quality stereo setting, and nearly 556 hours in its lowest-quality mono setting, which experts say is still quite usable. A built-in USB jack means you can plug the Olympus WS-331M right into a Mac or PC without a separate USB cable. This voice recorder is appropriate for personal note taking, but the audio quality is not suitable for podcasting or radio.
We found good professional reviews of the Olympus WS-331M at a couple of sources. AudioTranscription.de is a German retailer, but the review posted there seems balanced and competently done, and includes audio samples so you can hear recorder quality for yourself. Laptop magazine also offers a testing-backed review. PCMag.com does not review the Olympus WS-331M, but does report on the Olympus WS-321M, which is identical except for less built-in memory (1 GB vs. 2 GB). You can find owner reviews at Amazon.com.
| Olympus WS-331M Digital Voice Recorder and WMA Music Player | |
(68 reviews) |
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Our Sources
Though hosted by a retailer and translated from its native German, this brief review of the Olympus WS-300M series of digital voice recorders, including the Olympus WS-331M, seems fair and competent. Sound samples are provided, and though they are in German, are still useful for those who want to judge sound quality for themselves.
Review: Test Report for Olympus WS-311M, WS-321M, WS-331M, Thorsten Dresing and Thorsten Pehl, Sept. 2007
2. Laptop MagazineDetails/Subscribe
Joanna Stern tests the Olympus WS-331M by recording interviews over an office speakerphone and in a noisy restaurant. She finds few faults with the Olympus WS-331M and proclaims the recorder to be "absolutely at the head of the digital voice-recorder class." She gives it four out of five stars.
Review: Olympus WS-331M Review, Joanna Stern, June 26, 2007
While PCMag.com doesn't review the Olympus WS-331M, it does offer a testing-backed review of the Olympus WS-321M, which has less memory (1 GB vs. 2 GB) but is otherwise identical. The Olympus WS-321M is called a good voice recorder but the reviewer finds fault with music playback quality. Still, it earns a rating of four out of five.
Review: Olympus Digital Voice Recorder WS-321M Review, Molly K. McLaughlin, Jan. 11, 2008
4. Amazon.com
Scores of customer reviews on Amazon.com of the Olympus WS-331M yield an average score of 4.5 out of five stars. There aren't enough negative reviews to uncover any consistent problems with this model.
Review: Olympus WS-331M Reviews, Contributors to Amazon.com
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