Olympus® WS-853 8GB Digital Voice Recorder, Black

This recorder is very well-designed and user-friendly. Its principal drawback is that the display is compact and can be difficult to read; older citizens might need to wear their eyeglasses.The "STOP," "REC," and "OK" buttons are large and easy to operate, and handle the record and playback functions superbly, but do read the manual -- this recorder has many tricks up its sleeve! Some of them can be disruptive if they emerge or alter your planned action because of ignorance.The recorder has several pre-defined recording curves, or "filters: Dictation, Meeting, Conference, Telephone, and DNS (for voice-recognition software). They are in the menus, of course, but there is a direct-access button in the lower-right corner of the control panel, marked "Calendar," with "--Scene" below. Pressing and holding this button opens the "Scene" menu, and the filters are selected by pressing the "+" and "-" keys on the central, circular button array, then pressing the "OK" button in the center. I have found these options to be very effective, and the noise-cancelling filter, which is engaged during replay, is outstanding.The recorder has 3 record "modes," 8-, 64-, and 128-kbps. The highest rate, of course, produces the cleanest, most accurate sound, while the lowest rate yields the longest recording times. 64-kbps is the best compromise, but the recorder's high 8-GB capacity provides 130 hours of recording time at 128-kbps, 260 hours at 64-kbps, and 2,080 hours at 8-kbps. In addition, the recorder can accept a micro-SD card up to 32 GB in size in its micro-SD-card slot.The 8-kbps mode produces very dull, low-quality sound (70 Hz to 3.5 kHz). It should be used only for maximum endurance. 64-kbps records from 70 Hz to 15 kHz (more than perfect for voice), and 128-kbps records from 70 Hz to 17 kHz, which produces good, but not perfect music recordings (weak bass).Battery life is excellent. I have recorded perhaps 500 hours at 128-kbps since I received the recorder, and the recording times listed in the manual for the Ni-MH batteries have been reasonably accurate.An unusual feature is the built-in USB plug, which is at the top of the recorder, and is extended and retracted by a slider button on the back. The recorder can be plugged into a computer for down-loading of files and/or to recharge the batteries. To accommodate this feature, the microphone and headset jacks are on the left side (as you look at the front of the recorder), which can be awkward for carrying the recorder in a pocket while a headset or an external microphone is plugged in. Because the recorder is very small, this configuration is not usually a problem. Recordings made with the recorder in a breast pocket have been excellent.The recorder can be plugged into a charger, and the USB plug system appears to be sufficiently durable to support the recorder's weight, but to eliminate the likelihood of damaging the recorder, a USB extension cable might be desirable. However, they are expensive.Finally, there is also a small fold-out stand in the back of the recorder, so that the microphones will be elevated and point up slightly for a group or conference recording.

This is the newest DVR in Olympus' WS series - it just came out in September. I never had a DVR before, and I don't know what the word "intuitive" means. Nevertheless, I was able to get it up and running quickly without asking for help.I attend hour-long lectures quite often, by different lecturers in rooms of different sizes: large, medium, and small. In each case, I keep the DVR on my table and record the lecturer from up to 60 feet away. I set the mode to 'conference' and the volume at about half-way, and the recording is as clear as a bell! I keep each lecturer in a different folder - there are five of them - so I can select a particular lecturer and date for playback in a moment.Pros: fits in my shirt pocketrecordings are perfectly clear140 hours of recording time on the devicerechargeable batteriesreasonable priceCons: compatibility with different OSs are not listed anywhere; not on Amazon, and not even on the Olympus web site. Only when I received the DVR did I become aware that it isn't compatible with my computer, as the DVR package had the compatible OSs on the outside. Caveat: if you have a Windows OS below Vista (I have XP), the DVR won't be compatible. That may be a problem when you want to recharge the batteries that come standard installed, as the recharging mechanism is ONLY through a USB v3 plug (or optional compatible cable). There should be an alternate method of recharging the batteries. File transfer (to the computer) is also only through the same USB plug, so that may prove to be a problem as well.One final comment: although the recording is just about perfect, the playback volume is very low on the built-in 250 mw speaker, even with the volume set all the way up. With headphones on, I can hear it clearly, but not as loud as I want it.In short: it's a great recorder, and if you can get around the problems, or if your computer is compatible, you'll have many hours of enjoyable recording and listening.UPDATE 12/2/2015As mentioned above, I was told unequivocally that WS-853 is incompatible with Windows XP. I ordered the optional USB extension cable (KP-19). I got it today and I plugged the DVR into it. I pressed <OK> to start battery recharging, and I downloaded the recorded files onto my hard drive. No problem doing either one. I'm currently listening to one of the files though my computer's speakers, and there's no problem with the volume either. Incidentally, this lecture was recorded in a very large hall, where the lecturer was at least 60 feet away from the DVR. Perfect pickup, and perfect playback speed and volume!I'm changing my assessment to 5 stars.