Olympus WS-500 Digital Voice Recorder (Silver)
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$69.90
Sales Rank: 1416
Olympus
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Media: Electronics
Platforms: Windows
Color: Silver
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Product Features
Olympus WS-500 Digital Voice Recorder (Silver)
- 545 Hrs of Recording
- Store and listen to up to 500 songs
- Internal battery charged by computer or charger
Product Review
Product Description
545 hours recording timeWith internal memory and 545 hours of recording time, you'll be able to capture notes, lectures, and more - and still have room to store documents.Direct pc linkWith the "USB Direct" design, it is easy to transfer your files over to your PC. Just plug the recorder right into your computer for fast downloads - no cables needed.Music playerStore and listen to up to 500 songs in impressive stereo sound. Have your music readily available wherever and whenever you are.Built-in stereo microphonesStereo microphones allow you to easily capture high-quality sound with no effort. From personal notes to music, everything sounds great.
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Product Details
Olympus WS-500 Digital Voice Recorder (Silver)
- Electronics: 0 pages
- Platforms: Windows
- Publisher: Olympus
- Label: Olympus
- Format: CD
- Studio: Olympus
- Average Customer Review: based on 25 reviews
- Sales Rank in Office Products: #1416
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Customer Reviews
Avg. Customer Review:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great recorder, really helps me remember everything 2010-03-09
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very good little toy 2010-03-07
Comment: I use this for college,to record the lectures.It's excellent.Not very sophisticated(I wouldn't know to use it,if too complicated),ease to carry,to use it.The best think is that I can download the lectures into the computer.I used it to record phone conversations once,it works with volume on max.It need a special stuff for phone recordings,but it works ok without.I highly recommend this.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent!! 2010-03-04
Comment: This product is amazing! I use it with my MacBook Pro and have absolutely no issues! You just plug it into the USB port and it appears on the desktop. Moving files is super easy and it charges straight off the computer! The playback on the device is actually really good, easy to hear and easy controls to stop and play. I have not really had to recharge mine yet, but I also only use it about once or twice a week for an hour each time. I love this product and have not found one thing that I dislike about it!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Little Voice Recorder! 2010-03-01
Comment: I am very happy with this little voice recorder. It does an excellent job, and holds many, many hours of recordings so you don't have to download them to the computer often. It plugs right into any USB port in the computer which is great because this way you don't need any chords (don't we all have enough chords?!) Though, it does come with a short chord just in case the USB space on your computer is too tight to plug the unit directly into it. I especially like the fact that you don't need any special software to download or listen to the files - it's plug & play - what a pleasure! It's also very small, and very light, which makes it so easy to take along. This unit can also function as an ipod or as a flash drive, but I haven't tried it for those purposes.
There are 2 small charging-related complaints that I have. These small complaints do not affect the recording quality of the unit, but I find these things annoying which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5:
1 - When you want to charge the unit you have to remember to hold down the STOP key while plugging it into the computer. If you don't, it wont charge. It would have been nice if they would not have required doing this and you could just charge it by plugging it in, OR if they would have created an additional key called "charge" or something intuitive like that.
2 - It does not tell you when the charge is complete. You have to guess. What's up with that? It should say "charge complete" or if it had a little "charge" key that would light up or have an led light near it indicating that the charge is complete. Something intuitive indicating the charge is complete.
All in all, it's a great little device and works very well. I think it's the best or one of the best digital voice recorders available and would recommend it without hesitation.
There are 2 small charging-related complaints that I have. These small complaints do not affect the recording quality of the unit, but I find these things annoying which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5:
1 - When you want to charge the unit you have to remember to hold down the STOP key while plugging it into the computer. If you don't, it wont charge. It would have been nice if they would not have required doing this and you could just charge it by plugging it in, OR if they would have created an additional key called "charge" or something intuitive like that.
2 - It does not tell you when the charge is complete. You have to guess. What's up with that? It should say "charge complete" or if it had a little "charge" key that would light up or have an led light near it indicating that the charge is complete. Something intuitive indicating the charge is complete.
All in all, it's a great little device and works very well. I think it's the best or one of the best digital voice recorders available and would recommend it without hesitation.
Customer Rating:
Summary: WS-500M -- a good value DVR 2010-02-27
Comment: I won't repeat what other reviews have stated. The WS-500M does its job very well and is a good value, compared to other models, and the competition. Here I'll contrast it with the DS-40 and the WS-500M, which I own, and with the DS-61 (a 2gb version of the DS-40).
Nevertheless, there are some things to add about this unit, and DVRs in general. For best sound quality, it is essential that you pick the correct microphone sensitivity. The WS-500 offers two levels, the DS40 three. (More is better.) Moreover, the WS-500M requires you to go two levels down in a menu to change sensitivity. The DS-40 has a handy switch on the side. Curiously, the next lower model, WS-400S, has a two-position switch on the side. (You will not learn this detail from website descriptions, but only from the common manual or by experience.)
Every line of Olympus DVRs has a different setup of buttons. Those on the DS-40 are on the side, and it is easy to tell by touch that you have successfully started or stopped recording. The tiny buttons on the face of the WS-500M are much less positive. Compounding the problem is the absence of a green playback light on the WS-500M. The DS-40 has not only a red recording light but also a green playback pilot light, and these lights are brighter than the one on the WS-500M.
So far, it appears that I prefer the DS-40, but the WS-500M has some good points, as well. Its built-in USB plug means you can always connect to your computer, even if a USB cable is not at hand. The WS-500M is slightly but significantly smaller, which I find valuable. Considering that the WS-500M has four times the memory of the DS-40, it is a much better value, even though it lacks the latter's excellent removable stereo microphone. (The DS-61 has 2gb, same as the WS-500M.)
Bottom line: both the WS-500M and the DS-40 are excellent units, but the former is a better value. If pride of ownership derived from build quality is added to the equation, then the DS-40 is the one for you.
Nevertheless, there are some things to add about this unit, and DVRs in general. For best sound quality, it is essential that you pick the correct microphone sensitivity. The WS-500 offers two levels, the DS40 three. (More is better.) Moreover, the WS-500M requires you to go two levels down in a menu to change sensitivity. The DS-40 has a handy switch on the side. Curiously, the next lower model, WS-400S, has a two-position switch on the side. (You will not learn this detail from website descriptions, but only from the common manual or by experience.)
Every line of Olympus DVRs has a different setup of buttons. Those on the DS-40 are on the side, and it is easy to tell by touch that you have successfully started or stopped recording. The tiny buttons on the face of the WS-500M are much less positive. Compounding the problem is the absence of a green playback light on the WS-500M. The DS-40 has not only a red recording light but also a green playback pilot light, and these lights are brighter than the one on the WS-500M.
So far, it appears that I prefer the DS-40, but the WS-500M has some good points, as well. Its built-in USB plug means you can always connect to your computer, even if a USB cable is not at hand. The WS-500M is slightly but significantly smaller, which I find valuable. Considering that the WS-500M has four times the memory of the DS-40, it is a much better value, even though it lacks the latter's excellent removable stereo microphone. (The DS-61 has 2gb, same as the WS-500M.)
Bottom line: both the WS-500M and the DS-40 are excellent units, but the former is a better value. If pride of ownership derived from build quality is added to the equation, then the DS-40 is the one for you.
Easy to use, almost immediately ready to record and the battery is absolutely amazing.
Also love that the USB connector is built in.
The only thing I would say is not great is low noise recordings. I keep it by my bed at night and many times whisper a thought into it so I don't wake my wife. When I go to listen to it, it is a bit difficult to decipher as it picks up a lot of hiss.