Olympus VP-10 Voice Recorder with 4GB, PCM/WMA/MP3, USB, Voice Activated Recording, Black

For the size you can't beat the quality and ease of use. The best feature is how you turn on the recording. Its a switch and not a button. You can leave the recorder on HOLD, so no buttons or setting get changed while in your pocket. When its time to record, you just flip the record switch and it automatically turns on and start recording, if HOLD was already set, when you started the recording it remains on. The USB that is built into the device means you can download your recordings to your computer without cords. The microphones are at the top and are very sensitive. Great sound quality!

First let me say that I've only just set this up and will add more about performance once I've used it for a while. Setup was SO easy, with good directions and everything working as expected (unusual these days). I wonder if the chap who had difficulty with setup had a defective unit; I'm not nimble with electronics, but this setup was a breeze. I was delighted that this VP-10 came with a charged Ni-MH battery, so I was up and running in 10 minutes. I bought this primarily to carry around and record notes about family history for my grandbaby on the spur of the moment, so the form factor and features are perfect for this purpose. I shopped for days until I found the perfect recorder for my needs; I think this is it. As I said, I'll add more later, but I expect good reliability. I used Olympus recorders in the past, including using them for recording hundreds of hours of telephone interviews for my dissertation. I needed to trust the recorder, and Olympus never failed me. More to follow. . .

Giving it 4 stars ("I like it"). As the 2nd reviewer, I had a much different experience than the previous reviewer ("Can't get to setup menu. Manual is an abomination. Worst pocket recorder I've ever seen. By JeffFarmer on July 24, 2015"). I haven't delved into the manual as I like to fiddle w/ stuff like this on my own for a bit prior to RTFM (reading the fcking manual). I found the menu to be pretty easy & intuitive. The manual doesn't seem as abominable as the previous reviewer described but YMMV. Will try to post pics of the English portion of the manual. One of the reasons why the previous/1st reviewer may have had difficulty is because he is probably a dude w/ man hands. If I handed this over to my average male friend, most of them would find the buttons next to impossible to use. MY EXPERIENCE THUS FAR: I just opened this up ~20minutes ago. I stuck the included rechargeable battery in was happily surprised to find that it was already charged. I immediately began setting the time/date, accidentally exited that menu prematurely & intuitively pressed the right buttons to get back in & resume setting the time/date. Then I proceeded to play around a little w/ the menu, scrolled randomly to the "Rec. Menu" & changed the anti-rustle level from off to low. The 3rd thing I did was press the record button. The radio (Philips DCM250 Table Stereo Clock) was playing (distance of 15-20ft away, moderate volume). I recorded 30 sec of talking (RadioLab, story featuring Oliver Sacks). I played it back. My low expectations of how it would sound on the built-in "speaker" were justified (it's tiny, but then again so is the whole recorder). I transferred it to my laptop & the playback was as expected (somewhat distant but distinguishable). So far so good. What you are paying for is a reliable recorder that is small & discreet as well as uses a normal, replaceable, non-proprietary AAA battery. You are paying for *small size*. Keep that in mind if you find the playback sound quality is low or the small buttons too difficult to use. If you want better replay quality, you can plug headphones in &/or transfer to computer attached to good speakers. If you have sausage fingers, try using a stylus. Haven't decided if it's a keeper as I have hopes of comparing it with other recorders (the cheap-o no-name made in China ones, Sony ICS-UX523, perhaps Olympus WS-823 which has a "zoom mic")

Lightweight and overall very good . I use this to record notes while I'm driving. The pull-to-record button is a bit awkward to use, but the scheme makes sense (you need something you won't toggle accidentally), and I've figured out a way to hold the recorder such that I keep both hands on the steering wheel and use my thumb to turn recording on/off. My biggest gripes are the plastic construction (which doesn't feel very sturdy at all) and the use of what must be the world's smallest 5-way control button (OMG). Pro tip: the Hermitshell Travel EVA Case (ASIN B01KC8O6T0) fits this recorder perfectly, with a space that also perefctly fits a short USB-A to USB-C adapter cable. (AmazonBasics USB Type-C to USB 3.1 Gen1 Female Adapter Cable, ASIN B01GGKYXVE). The case is almost like a hard case in terms of stiffness, and the combination is very small and lightweight.

Initial setup is a little awkward because the buttons are small and I kept pushing them the wrong way. Otherwise, discreet and easy to use. The usb plug-and-play to transfer audio to a computer is straightforward. Charging is a snap (just push the “ok” button correctly).

I've owned at least a dozen pocket recorders, and this is my 3rd Olympus-- so I was prepared for terrible instructions and non-intuitive operation -- but this is the worst one yet.Opened the box an hour ago. Cannot set the date and time. The tiny instruction manual printed in microscopic type suggests it will happen like magic when you put the battery in. It didn't. Took battery out, waited, actually saw the date-time change display (once)! CANNOT get the up/down/OK button to let me change it correctly. Suddenly it says it's saving the setting.Why? I CANNOT find a way to get back and correct it. I refuse to use a recorder that has the wrong date and time in it. Went online for help at Olympus site. NO MANUAL, NO FAQs, NO NOTHING at the Olympus site. Read a notice to register the product to get help. Tried that. THE REGISTRATION PAGE CRASHES! Trying to work through menus on the recorder, just find myself at random places. No way to get to the setup menu. No help online anywhere that I can find. I will try one more time in the morning. If I can't get it to work, it's going back to Amazon. Apologize for the capital letters. But I'm really angry at having my time and money wasted.

I love this little voice recorder. I primarily use it to take quick notes for myself. It is small and light so its easy to carry with you everywhere. I like that you just slide the record switch over to both turn it on and start recording, then you simply slide the switch back to stop. At the end of the day, I plug it in to the USB on my computer and listen to the recordings to add things to my to do list for the next day or archive the ones I want to save. The sound quality of the recorded voice files are excellent. The onboard speaker is weak, but good enough for quickly reviewing recordings as most of my listening is done on my computer after transferring the files. The little spring-loaded clip at the back is flimsy though. I find that it is much easier and quicker to record audio than using my mobile phone and the sound quality of the recordings is better as well. I really like that two position, slide to record switch I mentioned earlier since I never really have to look at the unit to see if I turned it on or if I started the recording. If the unit is off, just slide the switch, wait two seconds and start talking, then slide the switch back after you are done. After I'm done recording, I just let it go to sleep. I don't even bother with the power switch to turn it off. In fact, I just leave the power switch in the "hold" position. The recorder has many other features and functions that you may or may not use, but I don't really use any of them so for me the simplicity, convenience and form factor are what I love the most. Maybe its a bit pricey for my simple application, but it is a very effective tool for me. Perfect for those "Eureka" moments in the middle of the night. You don't even have to turn on your bedside light or use the VP-10's display. Its very easy start and stop it by feel alone.

Charged it once when I got it a couple of months ago and the battery is still going, albeit I do not use it very often. I left the device in the car all winter (Canadian winters!) without any problems. No need to fiddle with on/off switch since all you have to do to start recording is push the thumb-operated button. I use it mainly to record my thoughts while driving since I can reach for the device and start recording without looking at it at all and by using one hand only. Today I decided to transfer all of my WAV files to the computer, so I was looking for a darn USB cable, only to realize that the device already had a built-in USB jack. This thing is quite amazing.

I've had the VP-10 for two months now and this is a great little recorder, producing very clear recordings (I use it on MP3 128k stereo, with 'Dictation or 'Conference' settings, but there are other options). My one grumble is the file menu button (labelled the 'OK' button) and the file menu itself. Both are quite finicky/confusing, taking quite a while to master (which I haven't completely yet). The quality of the recordings however, at least in the way I use this recorder, almost compensates for the time negotiating the file menu. UPDATE February 17th 2020: One year down the track with this unit. Still in love with it's effective simplicity in taking notes. Still have to fiddle with the file menu a bit, but as this is usually only used to erase old files, it's not a big a big issue. I keep it by me at all times! TOP TIP! Switch it off 'HOLD' if you are trying to charge the unit. It will not charge otherwise!

I finally tested this in real world conditions and I'm very impressed! I clipped the recorder to a jacket pocket with the pocket flap snapped down over it. I had my jacket off and folded over my arm with the pocket facing outward. The first part of the recording is in a lobby with other people sitting 4 to 6 feet from me. The recorder picked up the conversations of others very clearly. In the next part of the recording my jacket is on a chair beside me and I'm talking with another person across a table. Both our voices were crisp and clear. You can tell that I'm closer to the recorder but my voice doesn't overwhelm the recording, nor is the other voice sound distant or hard to hear. I could only have made a better recording if I set up a recorder between us on the table. UPDATE (after a year and a half): This is one tough recorder! Six months ago I accidentally ran it through the wash; Soap, water, agitation... As soon as I discovered it at the bottom of the washing machine I pulled the battery and sealed the recorder in a baggie with several desiccant packets. I left it alone for a week, then popped in a battery and it powered up! Six months later it still works like a charm! BUT, (and I'm not complaining, just giving the whole picture) it's a bit finicky when I charge it via USB. Now, for greater reliability, I use a fresh battery from a separate charger. While I think of it, the rechargeable that went through the wash still charges as well. I wouldn't recommend splashing water on this recorder, much less giving the thumbs up to running it through the wash, but it took a beating and came out virtually unscathed! For the last six months I've been waiting to see if it will finally roll over and die, but it keeps working (except for the charging issue) like it's fresh from the box. If I hadn't already given it 5 stars I would be now.

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