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Electronics : Olympus WS-331M Digital Voice Recorder
Rating: 
- A Little Gem for Snapshot Sounds
It does what it claims.
This is the second Olympus we've bought; our previous one was the 1Gig WS320M, now a year old and still working beautifully in everyday use.
If one sets the record quality to be the highest (ST XQ), with the Bass-Cut filter off and the mics in Conference mode, then the recordings make excellent stereo when played back on a PC with good speakers (eg I use Logitech X230).
The quality is also good enough through the (surprisingly durable) supplied earpieces, with a bit of bass EQ added, if you have ear-holes big enough (17mm dia) to accommodate them! But I use my trusty old AKG240 headphones, which are far more comfortable (if a bit lacking in sensitivity for this machine) and allow the playback to be set as Flat, and the Extra Bass and Graphic EQ etc all left off. Since I first wrote the review, I've bought the Sennheiser CX300 in-ear buds which are much, much more comfortable than the Olympus ones and sound excellent on this machine, almost as clear as the AKG240s. I also bought a set of Sennheiser PX200 mini headphones but found I could not get a good fit, so the bass was poor, and I was disappointed; however, my wife loved them with her WS320M.
The controls are easy to use, and I recommend the informative manual is downloaded - it is much clearer and easier to read then the tiny type in the booklet that comes with the recorder. The display is easier to read than on our year-old WS320M.
I have no argument with WMA format files, as long as they are 128K or more, and so far I have not noticed any compression artifacts on this machine, except some intermod on complex soundscapes with many voices (eg a choir, in an echoing hall.) For recording rehearsals, auditions, and meetings for later review, it is perfect; simple, unobtrusive and very convenient. For just a few voices it gives a clear and accurate portrayal of both speech and singing, male and female. It also works well with a grand piano (a tough test for an old fashioned analogue tape machine).
However, I would not expect to use it as a serious recorder; to my professional ears no compressed audio format is good enough. But as a snapshot 'sound camera' it is a little gem; and it is vastly better than any dictaphone, or (with external electret mics which it can power) any tape-cassette machine I have tried in the past (including the expensive so-called professional ones).
It is not so ergonomic to use as a dedicated IPlayer, but otherwise just as good on playback, and how many IPlayers allow you to record? The AAA battery has only 11 hours life for the 35 hours ST XQ recording time, doh! But on just Music playback it does much better, and then the battery life is very much a function of how loud your ears can stand it, about 15 hours on the normal mid-volume setting. The battery compartment has a much improved captive slide and flip cover, so it will not get lost (as might happen with the earlier WS320M).
As one might choose from a range of different screwdrivers for different screws, so this stakes its claim for a place in the range of different recorders for different occasions.
At the heavily discounted price it is good value, but avoid paying list.
Why only four stars? I would have much preferred a longer lasting AA battery, and of course, more comfortable, smaller diameter earpieces. And the list price is too high.
Rating:
- Olympus WS-331M dictaphone
The recorded sound has to be the priority. Through its own speaker it sounds no better than my 30 year-old Binatone microtape. Given that the two microphones are tucked in to tiny little holes beneath the silverish top they are vulnerable to (no pun intended) the distortion of passing wind. I was out on Fistral Beach at Newquay early February and nothing but the light breeze (sounding like a force 15 storm) could be heard. I tried it later at the Beach Hut restaurant at Watergate beach to record an excellent lunch in convivial company and then discovered that whilst a lot of the ambience was captured (in conference mode) it proved near-impossible to distinguish foreground and background conversations when listening later. As an AppleMac user I was livid to find it only recorded in Microsoft's WMA format, although as a USB drive it was instantly and fully available and indeed most amenable to MP3 files being stored on it for leisurely later listening. However, purely by accident I discovered FLIP4MAC software that inserts components into the Quicktime engine to enable Windows Media files - such as WMA audio format - to be playable (at a range of prices from free for audio to not a lot for video) on AppleMacs. Once enabled QuickTime plays the files flawlessly (albeit exposing all recording flaws) and QT Pro happily converts them into conventional file formats for cleaning up in audio suites like Logic Studio. Using a conventional cable I recorded a program from a DAB radio, and the result is surprisingly disappointing. I have to admit that I quickly took a strong dislike to this bit of kit with its plastic feel and fingerprints all over its glossy surface but after a week of use in the field it has given no trouble, it has many hours of recording time remaining - and the single AAA battery still appears to be fully charged. If the recordings didn't sound like a cheap dictaphone it would be a real winner. Having said that I'm really warming towards it although probably not to the extent of buying a pair of external microphones!
- A Little Gem for Snapshot SoundsIt does what it claims.
This is the second Olympus we've bought; our previous one was the 1Gig WS320M, now a year old and still working beautifully in everyday use.
If one sets the record quality to be the highest (ST XQ), with the Bass-Cut filter off and the mics in Conference mode, then the recordings make excellent stereo when played back on a PC with good speakers (eg I use Logitech X230).
The quality is also good enough through the (surprisingly durable) supplied earpieces, with a bit of bass EQ added, if you have ear-holes big enough (17mm dia) to accommodate them! But I use my trusty old AKG240 headphones, which are far more comfortable (if a bit lacking in sensitivity for this machine) and allow the playback to be set as Flat, and the Extra Bass and Graphic EQ etc all left off. Since I first wrote the review, I've bought the Sennheiser CX300 in-ear buds which are much, much more comfortable than the Olympus ones and sound excellent on this machine, almost as clear as the AKG240s. I also bought a set of Sennheiser PX200 mini headphones but found I could not get a good fit, so the bass was poor, and I was disappointed; however, my wife loved them with her WS320M.
The controls are easy to use, and I recommend the informative manual is downloaded - it is much clearer and easier to read then the tiny type in the booklet that comes with the recorder. The display is easier to read than on our year-old WS320M.
I have no argument with WMA format files, as long as they are 128K or more, and so far I have not noticed any compression artifacts on this machine, except some intermod on complex soundscapes with many voices (eg a choir, in an echoing hall.) For recording rehearsals, auditions, and meetings for later review, it is perfect; simple, unobtrusive and very convenient. For just a few voices it gives a clear and accurate portrayal of both speech and singing, male and female. It also works well with a grand piano (a tough test for an old fashioned analogue tape machine).
However, I would not expect to use it as a serious recorder; to my professional ears no compressed audio format is good enough. But as a snapshot 'sound camera' it is a little gem; and it is vastly better than any dictaphone, or (with external electret mics which it can power) any tape-cassette machine I have tried in the past (including the expensive so-called professional ones).
It is not so ergonomic to use as a dedicated IPlayer, but otherwise just as good on playback, and how many IPlayers allow you to record? The AAA battery has only 11 hours life for the 35 hours ST XQ recording time, doh! But on just Music playback it does much better, and then the battery life is very much a function of how loud your ears can stand it, about 15 hours on the normal mid-volume setting. The battery compartment has a much improved captive slide and flip cover, so it will not get lost (as might happen with the earlier WS320M).
As one might choose from a range of different screwdrivers for different screws, so this stakes its claim for a place in the range of different recorders for different occasions.
At the heavily discounted price it is good value, but avoid paying list.
Why only four stars? I would have much preferred a longer lasting AA battery, and of course, more comfortable, smaller diameter earpieces. And the list price is too high.
Rating:
- Olympus WS-331M dictaphoneThe recorded sound has to be the priority. Through its own speaker it sounds no better than my 30 year-old Binatone microtape. Given that the two microphones are tucked in to tiny little holes beneath the silverish top they are vulnerable to (no pun intended) the distortion of passing wind. I was out on Fistral Beach at Newquay early February and nothing but the light breeze (sounding like a force 15 storm) could be heard. I tried it later at the Beach Hut restaurant at Watergate beach to record an excellent lunch in convivial company and then discovered that whilst a lot of the ambience was captured (in conference mode) it proved near-impossible to distinguish foreground and background conversations when listening later. As an AppleMac user I was livid to find it only recorded in Microsoft's WMA format, although as a USB drive it was instantly and fully available and indeed most amenable to MP3 files being stored on it for leisurely later listening. However, purely by accident I discovered FLIP4MAC software that inserts components into the Quicktime engine to enable Windows Media files - such as WMA audio format - to be playable (at a range of prices from free for audio to not a lot for video) on AppleMacs. Once enabled QuickTime plays the files flawlessly (albeit exposing all recording flaws) and QT Pro happily converts them into conventional file formats for cleaning up in audio suites like Logic Studio. Using a conventional cable I recorded a program from a DAB radio, and the result is surprisingly disappointing. I have to admit that I quickly took a strong dislike to this bit of kit with its plastic feel and fingerprints all over its glossy surface but after a week of use in the field it has given no trouble, it has many hours of recording time remaining - and the single AAA battery still appears to be fully charged. If the recordings didn't sound like a cheap dictaphone it would be a real winner. Having said that I'm really warming towards it although probably not to the extent of buying a pair of external microphones!