Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder (Black)
Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder (Black)
- PC and Mac compatible via USB
- 535 hours of recording time (LP mode)
- 2 GB Flash Memory
- Noise Cut Function
- Stereo recording with optional microphone
Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder (Black)
PC and Mac compatible : Easy file transfer via USB allows you to save and send your recordings. Speech recognition software Compatible with Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Preferred legal, medical & professional voice to print software.
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Rating: 
(out of 25 reviews)
List Price: $ 59.95
Price: $ 43.95
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Comments
Review by Jo for Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder (Black)
Rating:
I purchased the Sony ICD-PX820 to record meetings. My first use was in a conference room about 20×35 ft. Eight people around a large table. The recorder was placed at one end. Ninety (90) minutes of recording on HQ, noise reduction, high sensitivity. Sound quality was amazing. At the meeting I had trouble hearing some softer voices. Sound quality was reasonably good from the built-in speaker. Playback on my laptop was crystal clear. Headphones sound great too. Softer voices came in clearly. 90 Minutes at HQ created a 80mb mp3 file.
Why I bought this recorder and think it is excellent:
1. Device records in MP3 format.
2. Connects to PC via USB.
3. Drag and Drop files directly to PC in Windows explorer.
4. 4 Quality Levels SHQ, HQ, SP, LP.
5. Record time SHQ 22+ hrs, HQ 33+ hrs, SP 89+ hrs, LP 535+ hrs.
5. Voice Activated Recording (Starts recording when there is sound, stops when there is no sound)
6. Noise reduction setting eliminates background noise like rustling papers.
7. High sensitivity for meetings, Low sensitivity for dictation.
8. Adjustable speed playback.
9. Sturdy Build quality.
Basic use is very easy. The buttons and interface are easy to use and understand. I was comfortable using the recorder after I played around with it for about 5 minutes. It took another few minutes to get familiar with the menu navigation. I would recommend testing the settings before you need to use them.
I have not tried the included voice editing software.
I am very pleased with my purchase. This is an excellent value.
Review by Seattle consumer for Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder (Black)
Rating:
I purchased this for my wife who is a technophobe and who wanted something easy to use. She was able to figure out how to record memos on this with zero prompting from me.
So I’m rating this 5 stars simply for the following reasons:
-No nonsense controls/interface
-When plugged into the PC (or Mac!), shows up as a generic Flash drive
-Files are MP3 format
-Generous capacity
It really could not be any easier to use and I’ve seen a lot of terrible gadgets in my day. I really appreciate the fact that no software installation is necessary to get files off of it and the files are a very portable format (MP3). And since it’s a generic Flash drive, you can use it like a regular Flash drive for file transport. I put a text file on it with basic contact info in case it ever gets lost.
I can’t really vouch for the quality of the recordings since we haven’t used it in a wide variety of circumstances yet, but the one use so far was of a seminar in a large auditorium and, given the conditions, it did a fine job of it (at the highest quality setting).
Review by Jack for Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder (Black)
Rating:
I’ve had this for about a week now and use it at work. It works exactly like a flash-drive and I have had absolutely no problems loading the Sony editing software into my Windows 7-64 bit computer. The sound is great and the software seems to work as advertised. I don’t even need the software if I want to simply burn a disk. The recorder records in MP-3 and the software allows it to be converted to a number of other formats. The only thing I wish it had was the ability to rename the folders that are in the recorder itself, and a direct USB connection to an MP-3 player so I didn’t have to go through the computer to put stuff onto the player. Otherwise, I love it. I’ll make additional comments as I use it more.
Two weeks later: This is an update from Jack. I still really like this recorder. If I had the internal USB jack I wouldn’t have the speaker, and I like the speaker. So far I would not change a thing.
Review by G. Mitchell for Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder (Black)
Rating:
If you are looking for a reasonably priced voice recorder that records in a high quality MP3 format, look no further. Sony’s new SHQ mode (Super High Quality) can record an MP3 file at 192 kbps, with a frequency range of 75Hz – 20,000Hz, and at a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. And for a voice recorder, those are EXCELLENT audio specs! According to the manual, the 2 GB of memory in this unit will hold approximately 22-hours of recording time in this SHQ mode. (Just to over-clarify here, that is 22-hours of recording “space”, not the rated 30-hours of “battery life” in record mode).
As a self-proclaimed “audiophile”, 192 kbps has forever been my MP3 “sweet spot” for music (even back when 128 kbps songs were all the rage). To me, 192 kbps has always been the perfect compromise between small file size & high quality audio, so I am VERY pleased to see that there is finally an affordable voice recorder with this high quality recording option. And by the way, these recorded files are just like any other MP3 file, which means they can be dropped right into an iPods “Playlist folder”.
My 2nd favorite feature is its built-in “recording buffer”. When you set the unit to record in VOR (Voice Operated Recording) and there is no sound for a few seconds, it will “pause” the recording, and then automatically resume recording when it detects another sound (or spoken word). What the recording buffer does, is that whenever the recording resumes, you will always hear about 95% of the “first syllable” of the lecture you are recording. My previous Olympus voice recorder would always miss the full first syllable (or first whole word) after a recording pause. So during playback, every sentence after a recording pause began with a “half word”, which I always found a bit irritating. This Sony will not do that.
Though I am not as big of a “Sony fan” as I used to be in years past, you can’t go wrong with this voice recorder, and I highly recommend it. Simply put, this is a high quality voice recorder that will last you for many years, and is one that you will not need to upgrade with newer models.
PROS:
* Has a SHQ (Super High Quality) recording option which records at 192 kbps with a wide frequency range.
* The VOR (Voice Operated Recording) mode records every syllable spoken, which is particularly helpful when recording important lectures with lots of “pauses”.
* Has a DPC (Digital Pitch Control) mode which allows playback of a the speaker’s voice at any speed without changing the “pitch” of their original voice. This is good for slowly writing down notes from a recorded lecture.
* Has a very friendly user interface which could not have been designed better, (in which Sony has always excelled at), and is the perfect combination of having full functionality with user-friendly simplicity.
CONS:
* Requiring 2 AAA batteries (instead of just 1) may indeed increase the unit’s recording time, but it makes this recorder a bit on the bulky side. In other words, I would not label this as a “slim line” voice recorder. As odd as this may sound, the above picture (the only picture at the time of this review) makes this recorder appear a lot slimmer than it actually is. The width is actually 3/4″ thick. The reason for the picture being deceptive is because the item’s thickness tapers inward (towards the back), so on an angled picture you don’t see the true thickness. Not really a big deal, but it’s just worth pointing out.
Review by Joseph A. Nowak for Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder (Black)
Rating:
I’ve had this rocorder for a couple of days now. The basic operations such as record, playback, recording quality setting, erase and moving files and setting microphone sensitivity took less than 15 minutes to memorize and master. Compared to the old Panasonic digital recorder I had before, the sound quality on this model at the SP setting (next to the lowest quality recording) blows away my old Panasonic at the HIGHEST quality setting. The microphone sensitivity setting works VERY well! For strictly voice recordings in a quiet environment, I noticed little difference between SP and SHQ. I imagine that under different conditions, there are noticible differences. SLP is USABLE, but the sound quality isn’t very good… but again it is adequate for voice only. At the low microphone sensitivity setting you should hold the microphone no more than about two inches on the side of your mouth. That will give you plenty of volume! This is the perfect recorder for dictation… it does have vox (voice actuated recording). I have not tried the software that comes with the recorder yet. I will after I return from Europe in late July. I am completely satisfied with this recorder for any voice recording application I can think of!
The only additional feature that would be nice would be the ability to add more folders. The recorder comes with only five folders. Each folder is limited to 99 files. At SP speed you get over 89 hours of recording. My average note is around 30 seconds. However, with only five folders at 99 files per folder, that comes out to a total of only 495 notes with around 247 minutes of recording time (4 hours seven minutes)for all 5 folders combined. I know MANY people use these for recording meetings or classes that can take hours. It’s just that it would be nice to have the OPTION to add folders. Right now I use folder A for general notes, folder B for ideas in photography or photojournalism either in the car, at home or on vacation. Folder C I use for recording names of people I photograph with my digital camera frame reference number along with phone and address, folder D I use for recording titles to new songs I hear in my car that I really like. I use folder E for personal thoughts on the news and my political commentary!!
This is a great recorder!! Very highly recommended!
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