Olympus LS-7

Comments about Olympus LS-7:

I've had dozens of voice recorders in the last 40+ years and Olympus is my brand of choice. I use them mostly for voice and telephone recording.

Ditto all the good things others have said in their review but I need to talk about the ergonomics of the unit.

The buttons are overly sensitive so unless you use the "Hold" slider after recording, you'll be getting unwanted recording or playback as it moves around your pocket. And the spring-loaded "Hold" slider is designed more for lefties and difficult to use; it's the one control that SHOULD be sensitive. AND the time/date stamp disappears during playback.

Overall, it's a solid, high-performing audio unit that will impress on a professional level. But don't anticipate quick recording because the first click of the record button only puts it into Record-Pause...then you have to wait another second to actually record. A minor annoyance, but why isn't there a menu item to resolve that issue?

Recommend ? I guess ...

Comments about Olympus LS-7:

For the price point and small form-factor, plus ability to use as a mic through USB to a computer, if you want ease of use and quality results without spending much, the LS-7 is hard to beat. (Look at a 'bird call' recording site in Germany, where they tested many PCM recorders.)

As well as the on-board mics, I've used a couple of the inexpensive (Olympus) powered 3.5mm mics, with the stereo unit (ME-51S) proving quite sensitive, given what you're spending. The TP-7 for phone call recording is great as well. (Check the input port (mic) on other devices before you claim these mics don't work - they need power.)

Yes, there are no XLR inputs, but the proper XLR to 3.5mm cable can help with this, plus a phantom power supply and a mic. But then you could end up spending $$$-$$$$!

Some compain about the on-board speaker MAX sound level as too low, but an ear-piece blocks ambient sound and lets you really monitor what's been recorded.

I haven't 'tried' abusing it yet ;-) and intend to build a waterproof case with sealed port(s) for cable(s) (look at a frog recording site for an example).

USB can be used as extended duration power source as well!

Plus it's a music player!! For the money, what's not to like, with so many features and possible uses!?

(There is open source software to edit the files, BTW.)

Comments about Olympus LS-7:

I use the Olympus LS-7 primarily for conducting personal interviews. It is an excellent tool. I am a personal historian and have recorded hundreds of interviews. I recently migrated from the Olympus LS-10 to the LS-7. I love(d) the LS-10 but switched to this unit because it is a bit smaller, and lighter, yet records similar quality audio. There were a few manual controls on the LS-10 that were nice but I did not use them often. I liked the menu system for the LS-10 a little better, but that may be that I was more familiar with it.

I generally use the higher PCM recording mode but it is nice to have the mp3 option if a lower quality recording is sufficient and long recording times are necessary.

This is a well built, excellent functioning piece of equipment. I am a "heavy" user in that I use it a lot and rely upon it for my livelihood. I highly recommend the LS-7. I have used other audio recorders but I prefer the Olympus LS models.

Comments about Olympus LS-7:

This recorder is outstanding. The quality of the audio is just amazing. Never thought it makes such a big difference when you use a high quality device like this. There are plenty of functions i still need to figure out, but it is definitely worth the money. On top of that B&H Photo had the best price on internet. Thank you guys!

Comments about Olympus LS-7:

I use the unit to record sermons.
The recording are very effective.
The speaker is too small to be effective, the unit should come with headphones

Comments about Olympus LS-7:

VERY USER FRIENDLY LOOKS GREAT TOO EASY AND SIMPLE SOFTWARE.NICE POUCH.LIGHT WEIGHT.SPECIALLY GOOD FOR SEMI PRO USERS.OVER ALL WORTH BUYING.YES NORMAL NON PRO USERS CAN GO FOR LESSER PRICED MODELS ALSO.

Comments about Olympus LS-7:

I use this hand-held recorder for interviews. It fits compactly in my camera bag and does all the things I need it to do. Olympus is a great brand.

Comments about Olympus LS-7:

The Olympus LS-7 leads the class of small pocketable digital stereo music and voice recorders. While Tascam makes several nice units, such as the PR-10, which I still own, and the DR-07MKii, briefly used but returned in favor of the Olympus LS-7, this superior Olympus unit has:

- much better built quality
- a three mike system, with "zoom" control
- mikes are two directional plus center omni
- center mike supposedly records down to 20Hz
- larger sized controls
- peak warning lights for BOTH channels
- LF filter both 100 Hz and 300 Hz
- both limiter and compressor settings
- 1/4" tripod mount, metal bushing
- rechargeable AAA batteries, 750 mAH
- unit rechargeable without opening it
- protective neoprene sleeve standard
- wrist strap (for those who...drop stuff)
- foam windscreen (OK, probably need better one)
- 4 GB built-in memory versus 2 GB micro-SD card
- slot for a micro-SD card regardless
- records in VMA as well as PCM and MP3
- cordless remote for on/off/pause available
- file handling software on CD-ROM
- spoken instructions...lady with British accent!

Comments about Olympus LS-7:

Easy to use, very small and light. Very intuitive menu. The possibility to programm recordings (3 programms) is very usefull for unattended use. I regret that line-in jack has not been included.