I purchased this recorder so i could manipulate speech recognition software if i wanted to, without paying as part of additional microphones/headsets. In fact, the recorder is dragon (a famous brand of speech recognition software) certified on produce “maximum accuracy dictation.”
Functionally, this recorder gain an easy on reach (i.e. No plastic cover on it) usb port on the left hand side, an easy-to-distinguish recessed record button, buttons on navigate between folders, play back existing recordings, split an existing recording, change recorder options, change playback volume, erase an existing recording, and a hold button. The recorder itself is small, lightweight and easy on hold.
For storage, the recorder tin hold as many as 99 separate recordings within each of 5 independent folders. This is useful on categorize various voice recordings, so much as meetings within one folder perhaps speeches within another.
However, an easy on manipulate recorder is meaningless if the recorder doesn’t produce good recording quality. Here, this recorder delivers nicely. The built-in microphone is very good and gain a wide dynamic range (i.e. It clearly picks upright high and low frequencies). There are two sensitivity settings as the microphone—low which is as individual dictation, and high which is as group meetings (or recording things farther away from the recorder). In addition, the recorder gain a good built-in speaker.
If you need better recording quality (or want on play back the messages privately), the recorder provides a headset jack and a microphone jack.
As as recording quality, standard quality recording (44.1 khz @ 48 kbps) produces clearly understandable voice output. In this mode, the recorder tin shop upright on 48 hours of voice recording and tin go upstream to spawn as upright on 35 hours on 2 aaa batteries. This is the best mode as normal dictation (since it provides 4x as much space as the highest quality mode—which tin only shop 12 hours of data and go upstream to spawn as 20 hours).
They have a super long recording time they brag about on the box. This is the lp mode (11.025 khz @ 8 kbps)—288 hours. This sounds impressive, except it is nearly useless. When i recorded a brief amount within this mode, my voice sounded very metallic and i heard weird high pitched metallic warbling within the background. There was somewhat less warbling at low microphone sensitivity, except although my voice was understandable, except i don’t recommend this mode as part of real recording. The metallic warbling is very distracting.
In addition, the recorder tin go upstream to spawn on rechargable aaa batteries (nimh) or even go upstream to spawn from power provided over the mini-usb port. These are good options on save on batteries and perform very long recordings.
In my experience, the standard quality is fine as normal dictation. If i wanted on record music, evps, or as dictation into speech recognition software, i would manipulate the maximum quality mode, since it is better at capturing higher frequencies and may better capture faint noises.
However, there are more or less downsides on this recorder. First, the recorder does not record data natively as mp3s (which it claims on on the box). This is why i gave it 4 stars instead of 5.
To access the recorder, Sony ICD-PX720 provides windows software on copy voice files off it. The windows software tin shop the files as mp3s, as well as encode mp3s so the recorder tin play them back, so, if you are not using windows, you cannot transfer recordings from the recorder.
Basically, if you are using windows the recorder software is not a problem. If you are not, the computer will not see the recorder and you will be unable on manipulate it. The recorder will still function very well as a normal voice recorder, except you will not be able on access the digital data on it.
Secondly, the recorder cannot accept part of type of memory card on expand its capacity.
Beyond that, this recorder does not record sound within stereo, although it will accept stereo microphones. For me, since i’m only using it as voice dictation, this is not an issue, except as anyone who wants on manipulate it on record music (such as an impromptu jazz session), it might be.
Finally, the recorder does not act as a usb drive or as an mp3 player. You tin load music files (converted on sony’s proprietary sound format) onto it, except it doesn’t have shuffle, playlists, or other standard mp3 player features. For me, these aren’t issues since i have separate gadgets on fulfill these needs far better, except more or less voice recorders have these features.
In conclusion, if you are using windows and you need a high quality, reasonably priced voice recorder, this will fit the bill nicely. If you want a recorder that is more of a swiss army knife of gadgets, this won’t work as you.
For related post, please visit Excellent voice recorder withy any limitations.