Sony ICD-PX370 Mono Digital Voice Recorder with Built-In USB Voice Recorder,black

The media could not be loaded. When I first started college back in 2011 during my first degree, I had bought a Sony voice recorder similar to the PX470 but a much earlier version. For that model they had a separate cord to connect to your computer to download the recordings. The earlier version had helped me so much back then that I knew immediately that I needed to get another right away this semester when I realized how quickly my professor moved through material (Finishing my second degree, Hence the long time span!). I really love That the USB is within the voice recorder, making it unnecessary to keep track of another cord. The sound quality is impeccable, I sit about 20 to 25 feet away from my professor with the microphone facing him (I sit in the last row) And I'm clearly able to hear everything he says when I playback the recording at home through my computer. It makes taking notes so much easier and less stressful since my professor talks SO FAST! One quality that I found super useful especially was the directional pad with the back button, options button etc. that made it so easy to flip between the various options for the sound recorder, folders that contain the Recordings, and going to the actual record function without any hassle or confusion. I really appreciate that you can record in one format (MP3, In different kpbs) to save some memory space, and convert them into higher quality versions (WAV) using the sound organizer software. The software allows me to easily transfer my lecture recordings to my laptop, organize them into folders, edit them (Cutting them down, splitting/combining them, etc), and even transcribe them! The sound quality is unbelievable, and there are so many different options based on the situation that you need this recorder for, whether it's recording lectures, music, or meetings etc.. This is why I stick to Sony, I am amazed and delighted every time!

Fantastic MP3 Recorder. I have had it for over 3 months now. Exactly what I was looking for. Looks sleek. Super easy to use. The instructions are short, clear and to the point. The makers thought of the person using this device. It is simple and has everything I could need. Also, it does not have bluetooth or wifi giving you extra headaches with file loading and sharing, etc. Easy to plug into your computers USB port to upload, organize, rename, etc. the files on the MP3 recorder. Easy and simple to use. Great battery life. Solid. Excellent design and usability. I have purchased these as a gift. Turn on fast. Perfect small but not too small size. Fits perfectly in a standard eye glass container. Thank you to Sony for making another great product! Awesome product!

This is my review of the Sony ICD PX470 voice recorder after 11 months (Jun 2020 - May 2021). My overall recommendation is that is a good recorder and worth purchasing however there are a few blemishes that keep it from being ideal. First, with regard to sound quality it is clean and clear and perfect for all of the typical applications of a handheld voice recorder (classroom, meetings, dictation). In this one aspect, this voice recorder is superior to the older model Sony recorders. When you playback your voice will be bright and clear and easily understood. The battery life is excellent. The batteries last so long that I don’t pay attention to how often I change them. I use the recorder each and every day at least once and I change the batteries probably about 4 times per year. The recording time is also excellent. I keep the recording quality set to the highest MP3 setting, because there is no point in ‘throwing away fidelity’ at the source. I could always delete files or make copies to save space. On the device itself there is at least 40 hours of recording available and on a small 16Gb MicroSD card there are about 180 hours available. I have never hit those limits in my time of using recorders, maximum I have maybe used 50-70% so I feel this is plenty for my needs.Now for some of the downsides to the recorder. First the battery compartment is held on by a ribbon and feels flimsy. I sometimes drop the battery. I find that annoying and overall the ergonomics of the device ‘work’ but they are not great. Second, the built in ‘USB’ extender that makes the device behave like a thumb drive is nice in theory, but in practice I don’t like it. When I go to stick the device into my computer the ‘ejector’ slide is on the bottom so I have to reach under to firmly insert the USB into my computer. Frequently, the USB closes back into the device while I’m trying to insert it into my computer. To make matters worse, on newer computers and on the type of computer I am now using there is no USB-B type port so this ‘thumb drive’ extension now requires and adapter. An example would be any Mac computer that uses USB-C only as well as other modern laptop computers.Lastly, I have to go into some detail about the power button because this is what failed on my unit after 9 months of use. The power button is not a clean positive switch. It feels squishy and I suspect it is a low quality component, perhaps even designed to fail. It is hard to tell even when the device is going to start. Sometimes I ‘miss it’ and the device doesn’t power on. To make matters worse, the device takes an extraordinary long time to start! I mean it, if you have an important meeting or lecture, go in with the device already on, or you could miss the start. I have timed the startup at about 20 seconds. It may not sound like a long time, but it is an agonizingly long time for an electronic recorder to start up. My older sony recorder was borderline instant and ready to record in less than a second in a pinch.Unfortunately after not even a year of regular use the power switch on my unit failed. I am very grateful to Sony for promptly recognizing and fixing the issue. They sent me back a brand new recorder without resistance. I did have to get an RMA and ship my old unit and allow a week or two for the process to complete. In that time, I was able to use my older model Sony recorder which is more durable and actually still works pretty well especially for a backup. The replacement device is identical to the previous one as far as I can tell. The power button is equally squishy and I expect it will fail again at some point. Sony now only offers me 90 days of warranty on the replacement unit so I will now have to purchase a new one when this one fails.It’s a good recorder, but at this price point, I would like better quality and durability. As a work around I have set the auto-power down to 5 minutes. I will let the device timeout since the battery life is so outstanding and that will mean I only have to perform half as many actuations of the power switch. Perhaps this will extend the life. I will keep this review updated.