Olympus VN-480 Voice Recorder Review

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Using a digital voice recorder to record yourself saying something goofy and then playing it back with the chipmunk effect or the scary demon effect is fun, of course, but if you're capturing incrimanating evidence or getting notes in a lecture or business meeting, you want quality recording. We're going to see if the Olympus VN-480 can provide that quality.

Personal voice recorders have come a long way in the past fifteen years. They've gone from the foot long tape recorders with the big red record button, to the smaller handheld microcassette recorders of the nineties, to today's digital voice recorders that use various forms of flash memory to store you recordings. Today we'll be taking a look at the VN-480 from Olympus, which is of the digital persuasion. Take a look at some specs from the manufacturer's website regarding this model (take note of the things I've highlighted):

Recording Format	ADPCM
Recording Media	Built-in 64MB Flash Memory
Recording Time	2 hours, 57 minutes in HQ mode. 4 hours, 27 minutes in SP mode. 8 hours, 13 minutes in LP mode.
Card Format	N/A
Input Level	N/A
PC Interface	N/A
LCD	Yes
LED	Yes
Folders Messages	4 / 100 per folder
Sampling Frequency	HQ: 16.0kHz / SP: 10.6kHz / LP: 5.75kHz
Overall Frequency Response	HQ: 300-720Hz / SP: 300-4700Hz / LP: 300-2600Hz
LP Mode	Yes
Voice Activation	Yes
Demographic Data Input	No
Practical Maximum Output	120 mW
Write Protection	No
Speaker	28mm diameter dynamic internal speaker
Microphone Jack	Yes
Earphone Jack	Yes
Power Supply	Two AAA batteries
Batteries	2 AAA (included)
External Power Supply	N/A
Battery Life	Approx. 25 hours (using alkaline dry cell battery)
Size	39"? x 1.54"W x 0.85"D
Weight	2.4 oz (68g) including battery
OS Supported	N/A
CPU	N/A
RAM	N/A
Sound Board	N/A
Video Card and Display	N/A
Removable Drive	N/A
USB Port	N/A
Audio Output	N/A

I'll talk a bit more about the other things later but the biggest atrocity I see above is the lack of a PC interface. I see PC connectivity as an extremely important factor with any digital recorder. Not only does it keep you from filling the limited amount of built in flash memory, but it also allows you to easily transfer those recordings to a safer place where you can actually use them in conjunction with the rest of your work (or play).

However, in Olympus' defense they also offer the VN-240PC, which is identical in pretty much all aspects to the VN-480 including price, but it offers PC connectivity via an included USB cable. The only real difference between the two is that the 240PC has only half the built in memory of the 480. With that in mind I suppose it's more a matter of preference, since people without a PC would probably be more interested in large amounts of memory, but those people are somewhat of a minority nowadays anyway. Let's move on to the pictures and performance, shall we?

Next: Look and Feel >>
 

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