Voice Recorders » Olympus WS-320M 1 GB Digital Voice Recorder and Music Player
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Office Product
Publisher: Olympus
Sales Rank in Electronics: #35771
Product Review
WS-320M DEG REC PLAYER 277HRS RECORD USB
Amazon.com Product Review
Slim, attractive, and highly functional, the Olympus WS-320M digital voice recorder packs 1 GB of internal flash memory into its lightweight housing, letting you record up to 277 hours of high-quality audio in WMA format. It's ideal for recording notes or long lectures, interviewing sources for an upcoming story, or capturing spur-of-the-moment song ideas before they disappear into the air. As an added bonus, the WS-320M can store up to 266 WMA or MP3 songs for high-quality stereo playback, letting you listen to your favorite tunes between (or during) classes or while waiting in line at the DMV. All this in a tiny body that measures 1.5 inches wide by 3.73 inches tall--roughly the size of a pack of gum.
The WS-320M features five separate file folders capable of holding 199 files each, so you can organize nearly 1,000 files by subject, theme, or other categories. Users also have the choice of four recording modes: HQ, which minimizes background noise and is great for recording people with low speaking voices; LP and SP modes that offer extended recording times; and the unique Stereo HQ mode, which makes two-channel recordings. And thanks to the voice activation option, users don't need to press a single button to start recording. The WS-320M will instead record as soon as the built-in microphone picks up sound.
Perhaps the most convenient feature, however, is the built-in USB connector. To attach the WS-320M to a PC or Mac, all you need to do is remove one end of the recorder's body, which reveals a male USB plug. This USB Direct design eliminates the need for a USB cable (the male plug connects directly to your computer), making the device even more portable. Once connected, you can download music files, images, or documents, in effect turning the recorder into a small hard drive, or you can transfer voice recordings to your computer for storage or multimedia use.
The unit also offers built-in WOW sound enhancement to produce rich, three-dimensional audio with a nice bass component. Additional audio improvements include a user-selectable equalizer that lets you tailor the sound to your taste or environment, along with Olympus's innovative noise-canceling technology, which makes the audio even clearer by removing unwanted hiss and background noise. You can even adjust the built-in stereo microphone's recording level to meet your needs.
Every bit as important are the playback functions, which include fast (50 percent) and slow (25 percent) playback, random play, and repeat play. And should you need to identify and quickly retrieve important sound bites, all you need to do is insert an index mark and refer to it later. Additional features include a locking function, which keeps important data from being erased; an easy-to-read, backlit, full-dot LCD; and a pair of stereo headphones.
What's in the Box WS-320M digital voice recorder, stereo earphone, one AAA battery, USB cable, user's manual.
Product Features
Compact, high-quality digital voice recorder with 1 GB internal flash memory
Records up to 277 hours of WMA audio; built-in music player stores up to 266 WMA or MP3 files
USB Direct design plugs directly into PC or Mac's USB port; 4 recording modes (HQ, LP, SP, and HQ Stereo)
5 separate file folders with 199 files each; voice activation mode enables hands-free recording
Runs for roughly 15 hours on 1 AAA battery; 1.5 x 3.73 x 0.43 inches (W x H x D); 1-year warranty
211 of 211 people found the following review helpful
A great music player / digital voice recorder combo, December 2, 2005
Robert Jung "GadgGuy" (Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Olympus WS-320M 1 GB Digital Voice Recorder and Music Player (Office Product)
My DVR (digital voice recorder) experience has included the Sony ICD-MS515, the Olympus DS-2200 and DS-2. My main use for DVRs is PC archival of lectures and sermons.
The new WS-320M appealed to me because of its 1GB of flash memory, small size, WMA codec, and built-in USB connector. My older DS-2 is disadvantaged with only 64mb of memory and a proprietary USB connector.
This DVR is much smaller than other DVRs. It is almost half the volume and weight of the DS-2200 (similar to the DM-20). The WS-320M is constructed mostly of plastic, but it is well made and assembled with screws. There is a mechanical hold switch. The USB port cover / battery holder slides off smoothly after pressing the release button. No significant force is required to slide off the port cover or to reassemble it. There is a groove you need to line up first to reassemble the port cover. The small AAA battery cover is not attached to the DVR and can get lost. There is a hand strap...Read more
350 of 367 people found the following review helpful
Toy, December 1, 2005
Person (Texas) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Olympus WS-320M 1 GB Digital Voice Recorder and Music Player (Office Product)
[I came back and edited this review after reading the next guy's more favorable take on the player. I gave it another chance and... I still don't like it much, but it's worth a third star after getting over the shock of its not being the same quality of the DM20]
For context, understand that I also own an Olympus DM-20 that I am using for comparison: whereas the DM-20 is the perfect voice recorder, aside from memory and transfer speed limitations, the WS-320 looks like a toy by comparison.
#1, claims USB 2.0 speeds, whereas my unit is transferring music at about 20Mb per minute (yes, per MINUTE). Same speed as the USB 1.1 DM20, roughly (I've been racing them). #2, The manual claims that you can now put MP3s and your own WMAs in the Voice folders in order to use fast/slow play, etc. on language-learning programs and for music-learning. It won't recognize MP3s in the voice folders, but you can put WMAs encoded with the standard 9.1 or lower codec in there...Read more
43 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Newer production units are awesome!, June 14, 2006
J. Blackthorne - See all my reviews
This review is from: Olympus WS-320M 1 GB Digital Voice Recorder and Music Player (Office Product)
Adlevision's negative review of this product almost convinced me to skip purchasing the WS-320M and spend over twice as much on an Edirol R-09. Though, I took a chance by purchasing the Olympus unit any way. Since receiving it, I have put my WS-320M through its paces and have concluded that this is actually a fantastic little unit. Though, I should preface that my unit is running Firmware version 1.18. My suspicion is that some of the reviewers might have earlier units with an older firmware. Here is a breakdown:
Sound Quality:
I bought the WS-320 to use as a recorder of music lessons. With its high quality capability of 64 kbps, 44 kHz, stereo, the sound quality far surpasses nearly every other digital recorder out there today. In comparison, it has way better sound quality than a micro-cassette recorder. Best of all, this unit can record up to 35 hours even at top sound quality. As a practical test, I placing this unit 6 feet away from me during a...Read more
(116 customer reviews) 
A great music player / digital voice recorder combo, December 2, 2005 
Toy, December 1, 2005 
Newer production units are awesome!, June 14, 2006