Olympus DS-40 Digital Voice Recorder Review
Filed Under Reviews |
The DS-40 can be used as a digital voice recorder, a music player, an audiobook player, and a podcast player. It is a completely redesigned recorder meant as a higher middle grade voice recorder, presumably to eventually replace the WS-300 Series of recorders.
The Specs
Without the external microphone attached, the Olympus DS-40 Digital Voice Recorder is about the same size as the Olympus WS-321M. It is a bit heavier and thicker, but this is most likely attributed to the metal housing. This is in contrast to the WS-300 series which had plastic housings.
Also, unlike the WS-300 series, the Olympus DS-40 has a mini USB port that is covered with an attached plastic cover. The power switch is on the right side near the bottom, and has a power saving mode that will kick in if you forget to shut it off, which is great and saves a bunch of battery life. The power switch also works as a HOLD button to keep the DS-40 from randomly recording as it is jumbled around in your pocket or briefcase.
The Olympus DS-40 has a new layout that spaces the control buttons on the face in such a way that they are easy to use, whereas the 300 series were a little close together and you had to be very careful you knew what you were pressing. This was one of the only real complaints I had with my WS-311, so it’s definitely a welcome change.
The speaker emanates sound from the back of the device and is surprisingly loud.
As with all Olympus Digital Voice Recorders, the D-40 is recognized as a mass storage device that you just plug and play. Your computer will simply recognize it as another drive on your Mac or PC. It still drag the WMA (Windows Media Audio) files off the device and organize and rearrange them on your local machine.
Compared with the WS-300 series, you get a lot more options with how your microphones work. You get three settings (dictation, conference, lecture). Naturally with the different recording quality settings you have varying degrees of recording quality. the HQ mode (over 34 hours of record time) is quite sufficient for normal speech recording. The HQ frequency range is from 50 to 13000 Hz. The ST XQ mode produces very high quality recordings. This is a perfect recorder for rehearsals, jam sessions, and practice spaces.
If you are using this for dictation a lot, there are actually 16 different levels of voice-activated sensitivity so it can be customized to suit your voice.
MP3 Player
Olympus insists on making most of their new voice recorders double as MP3 players, and the Olympus DS-40 is no exception. It also plays audio files from Audible.com which allows for additional control (i.e. bookmarking, fast and slow play, and book sections). It also plays WMA, MP3 Netlibrary audiobooks with the useful features of resume position on a power cycle, fast/slow play speed (digitally corrected - no chipmunk voices), fast forward / rewind over track gaps, and audible cue / review. The rewind over a track gap feature is important when a book is split over multiple tracks and you need to review a section you just listened to. If that section is near the end of the previous track, you would have a problem with Ipods and Zens. They both stop rewinding at the beginning of a track. There is no bookmarking with mp3 and wma tracks. You can set a temporary index mark with an mp3 or wma track. The mark goes away when you move to another track.
Podcasts
The Olympus DS-40 also plays podcasts. With the enclosed software you can add URLS and subscribe to podcasts. You can also set other options, like download interval, when they should be deleted, and automatic updates when new podcasts become available.
Summary
Pros:
Compact size, great price/benefit ratio, extended battery life, sturdy metal housing, mini-USB connector, large informative backlit display, excellent quality voice recordings, voice activation feature for recording with sixteen sensitivity levels, dictation capabilities, external stereo microphone and input included , date & time stamped recordings, recognized as mass storage device for file/music transfers, and music/podcast player.
Cons:
A carrying case would be nice. WMA recording only. Back placement of the speaker. No on-device editing capability except for delete and move.
Find a used or brand new Olympus DS-40 Digital Voice Recorder at our eBay Store.
Comments
3 Responses to “Olympus DS-40 Digital Voice Recorder Review”
Leave a Reply
Olympus DS-40 Digital Voice Recorder Review…
The DS-40 can be used as a digital voice recorder, a music player, an audiobook player, and a podcast player. It is a completely redesigned recorder meant as a higher middle grade voice recorder, presumably to eventually replace the WS-300 Series of re…
I’m a bit confused - this player looks the business, but it only has 512 megs of storage - one quarter the size of the equivalently priced WS-331. Does the DS-40 have a major advantage for sound quality?
Also - why does Olympus charge such a premium for memory? It’s cheap as chips these days, but olympus really hammers end users on the prices…
It has much better recording quality, in addition, you have much more control over microphone sensitivity - which you basically have no control over on the WS-331. Additionally it has all the extra features like Audible.com subscription services, podcasting, and the ability to play the naturally speaking software.