Panasonic RQ-L31 Portable Cassette Recorder with Slide Microphone

It's kind of inappropriate that so many people complain that recorders _intended_ for speech (e.g. lectures, interviews, notes, etc.) are bad for recording music. Kind of goes without saying. If you want to record music, if you want stereo sound, if require audio quality, then don't buy _any_ cassette recorder in this price range. (The bare minimum for these needs is possibly the Panasonic RQ-A220.)

There's also lots of confusion about the term "mini." The term mini is about the player size, not the tape's. This recorder, like all "mini" recorders, takes normal sized tapes. If you want the really small tapes then you want what they call "micro."

I purchased the RQ-31 to replace an older GE model I was using for notes and interviews. One thing stood out immediately - the microphone was far more powerful. If you speak directly into the machine it will cause some distortion. This is good, actually, because it allows you to record people speaking...Read more

I bought this recorder for school and due to its 3X recording, you can use a 90 minute tape for 270 minutes. For me, this means that I can use one tape each week for the classes I like to record. I recommend not using the Voice Activated Recording. It tends to make playback sound strange in the place where the tape stops itself and then restarts. If you use the 1X recording, you can listen to the tapes in your car or in any standard cassette recorder. Also, the tapes are cheaper than mini or micro cassette tapes.

I bought the RQ-L31 from Circuit City(in their store)for a total of about $38.00; with no AC adapter or batteries. This recorder has a sensative microphone(built-in)that will pick up birds singing from a neighbors yard! The mic has two positions(up or normal); and it's difficult to tell the difference between the two settings on recordings. The voice activation record has two settings, one is for quiet, distant sounds, the other is for close-up sounds. I have used the RQ-L31 for voice and music recording. It's better at voice recording! It will record music, but a speaker that it not even "2"; just can't reproduce music that well. Also, volume output seems to be lower than most hand-held recorders; although it is totally clear, even turned all the way up. The design puts the speaker in the cassette door. Where you insert the tape(the door)is where the speaker is. I would have to say, that the recorder is not worth the $34.95 that it sells for. It does allow you to use an...Read more