EmailBest Reviewed
Digital Voice Recorders
- Budget digital voice recorder Olympus WS-210S *Est. $60
- Best digital voice recorder Olympus WS-331M *Est. $115
- Professional-grade digital voice recorder Roland Edirol R-09HR *Est. $400
- Digital voice recorder for dictating and transcription Sony ICD-MX20 *Est. $200
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- Effective sound quality for podcasts
- Compatibility with PCs and Macs
- Use of AA batteries
- Ability to utilize memory cards up to 16 GB
- Plastic casing
- Build quality
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Average Customer Review
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A gem!, May 25, 2008I love my new Zoom H2! I have been using a Minidisc recorder for the last ten years for classical recording, and the one issue I always had with it was that I couldnt transfer the recordings to my computer… digitally. I had to us an analog cable thru the headphone jack of the MD recorder. A major pain! Anyhow, H2 allows me to record directly to a digital file which I can transfer easily (and quickly) to my pc. When I used the MD recorder, analog transfers were in real time! A major time-saver. Built-in mics and 4 different mic configurations make this an extremely flexible machine. You can also record in, like, 8 different .wav formats and several mp3 formats as well. Only problem was that when I inserted the included 512 mb SD card, the sliding write-protector broke off in the player, and now it's rattling around inside. The write-protector was suspiciously big, but I figured that it would fit, as it came with the player...just toss the 512 card...they are cheap and you can replace it for a few bucks.
Our Sources
Musician and audio reviewer Mark Nelson says that the Zoom H2 is good for its price, though not in the same league as more expensive recorders designed for recording music. There are also hundreds of questions and comments from readers and users posted on this site.
Review: Review: Zoom H2 Handheld Surround Recorder, Mark Nelson, Sept. 13, 2007
AudioTranscription.de is the website of a German retailer. In this review, Thorsten Dresing and Thorsten Pehl say they don't like the Zoom H2's plastic shell, but conclude that the recording quality is the best you'll find at this price.
Review: Zoom H2 Handy Recorder Test Report, Thorsten Dresing and Thorsten Pehl, March 13, 2009
3. Transom.org
Transom.org is a website devoted to helping contributors to public radio. This review doesn't say which product is the best to buy, but otherwise it is a comprehensive review that includes a dozen sound clips.
Review: Zoom H2 Review, Editors of Transom.org, Nov. 2007
Stephanie Wingfield is a retailer, but her review of the Zoom H2 appears to be unbiased, and she provides sound clips so you can decide for yourself. She tests battery life and finds it "excellent" at 8.48 hours (though she notes that it will vary depending on the size of the file you record). She claims the Zoom H2 is "an incredible bargain for its price."
Review: Zoom H2 Review, Stephanie Wingfield
5. Amazon.com
The vast majority of the more than 150 customer reviews at Amazon.com give the Zoom H2 four or five stars. Some owners say it feels like the Zoom H2 is cheaply built because of its plastic casing, while others report that it is difficult to use.
Review: Zoom H2 Handy Portable Stereo Recorder Reviews, Contributors to Amazon.com
Digital Voice Recorders Runners Up:
3 picks by top review sites.
2 picks including: Amazon.com, O'Reilly Digital Media…
2 picks by top review sites.
Olympus DS-40 Digital Voice Recorder
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