ICD-PX470 Stereo Digital Voice Recorder with Built-in USB Voice Recorder, Black

Ok, so this is my third digital voice recorder! I returned the first two because they could not pick up voice sounds from more than a few feet away, and had no volume control. I have yet to test this one in a lecture since I just got it this afternoon but I will next Monday. So far it's great. I recorded a YouTube video on very low volume with the recorder several feet away. The recording was crystal clear and I was able to turn up the volume to a fairly loud setting to play it back. It wasn't even necessary to turn up the volume in order to hear the recording well but I wanted to see how loud it could go. The volume is quite sufficient. Also, it is easy to figure out how to use, unlike the others. It also has a quality feel to it, & not like it came from the toy section of the dollar store. Granted it's not a $400 recorder but for the money it works very well and I am keeping this one! It's a keeper!

The bottom line: Very fast delivery for international purchase and amazing product for its price! I bought this recorder on 22nd last month here on Amazon and had it send to Taiwan, where I live, using the cheapest Standard shipping method. The initial estimated time of delivery was 8th this month, but amazingly it delivered to my house on 31st last month, meaning it took less than 10 days to deliver and the item arrived at my place about a week earlier than the estimated delivery time, which is amazingly fast for international delivery and the fastest delivery I've ever had with any product I bought from Amazon so far. The package arrived safely and the product was intact and well protected. The product itself met all my expectations and some more. In fact it's better than the price it asked for IMHO. I'm glad I didn't pay more for the higher-end and more expensive model. And I don't understand why some people complain about its size or lack of LED screen. For me they aren't problems at all. True it may not be as compact as some of sony's other more expensive models but it sure isn't bulky either. It's compact enough for me. Also the lack of LED screen doesn't bother me either because I don't use it in the dark anyway. Besides having LED screen would only drain the batteries more quickly and I definitely don't want that. The point is you get what you pay for. For me what's important is the features of the product, which it totally delivered. I love that the settings are highly adjustable so that it can meet all the different recording needs and scenarios. And the ability to extend its memory up to 32GB through microSD card comes in handy too, especially if you need to record in the highest quality format LPCM. Speaking of quality, I mostly use this recorder for lectures and language learning and the recording quality is crisp and clear (the noise cancellation feature helps a lot there), and far superior than recording with iPhone (obviously). Overall I have nothing to complain about its functions and recording quality. My only gripes (if there's any) are: Firstly the sound quality of the built-in speakers are less than satisfactory. Fortunately I never use them and only listen to the recording files with my earphones, so it's not an issue for me. But if you plan to use them then don't expect too much. They are merely servicable at best. Secondly you can't recharge the device with its USB plug even if you have rechargable batteries inside. I pointed this out because I used to have an older model that could do that but this one doesn't have that function. But again it's only a slight inconvenience so I can live with it. Besides, like I said earlier, you get what you pay for. All in all I was very happy with this recorder and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a quality recording device but doesn't want to spend a fortune and waste money on bells and whistles they don't need. 2019/4/2 UPDATE: After more than 8 months of use, this recorder still works perfectly for me and I've also come to find that the build of the device is very robust because I've accidentally dropped it a few times from the desk or from my hand, yet there's barely a scratch. Although if I have to nitpick (other than what I've already mentioned above), I wish the recorder would allow the user to save their custom settings so they can easily switch among different ones depending on the situation. Also it takes a bit too much time to turn on the device. In normal circumstances this wouldn't be a problem but if you want to record something on the spot and you don't have it already turned on then it could be a bit annoying. But like I said, those are just my personal nitpicking and they don't affect my original review.

This recorder works very well, I use it on professional video gigs every week. The battery life and record time are outstanding. I left this recording for close to 6 hours straight the other day and the battery said it was still full. I also love how much smaller this is than past recorders I have used. This fits in your clients pocket easily so you can record them with lapel mics. This device turns on really quickly. I used a much more expensive Zoom audio recorder before, but that thing seriously took about a minute to turn on, and it ate through batteries, which was a big pain on run and gun shoots or long shoots. Being able to plug this in straight to the computer is surprisingly handy and works well. The device menu is easy and fast to navigate, I love that you can monitor your audio with headphones, and you can easily play back recordings on the device to check and see if everything recorded properly at the shoot. Sound quality: I used this device with Sony lapel mics and it sounds good! My only complaint is there is a bit of a noise floor, a small hiss that is always present. But it is fairly quiet and I haven't found it to be terribly intrusive, and none of my clients have complained about it. (even clients who work in the radio business.)

I initially bought this model 2 years ago to secretly record my two young nieces as they just talk non stop about random stuff, and are so entertaining. I got some hilarious clips from them to turn into fun recordings with music. This particular purchase was sent back because my original recorder wasn't "lost" like I thought it was. Fast forward, my adult nephew needed some help and moved in with me "temporarily", but ended up being just a freeloader who likes to scream and verbally abuse anyone who simply questions him about minor things. I was stunned at the screaming sessions he had when I would ask him things like "could you please clean your food out of the kitchen drain" or "Hey, could you make sure to flush the toilet after going #2". I'd get 20 minutes of random argument about things that had nothing to do with those things.. No one would believe me that he was so obnoxious. So, I made sure this little recorder was nearby at all times, because he could start this obnoxious behavior very unexpectedly. And, it worked out. A couple of the recordings had him threatening to destroy my house, my car, let my pets out to roam free, steal my property, take apart my newly build deck. I let him know I had that all saved and if he wasn't out in 45 days, I'd use it all during the eviction process. It worked - he's gone and my sanity is back. It's small enough to be tucked behind something to go unnoticed, or fit in the front pocket of my hoodie. The battery seems to last pretty long. I use rechargeable batteries so I have one ready to snap in as needed. I loved that I can plug this into my computer to save the recordings. The controls are very easy to memorize so you don't even have to look down to get the recording started. The quality of the recordings is really good. I can't speak for how good it picks up in a large lecture room or hall for classes, meetings or conferences. But, it picks up conversation from another room well.

2nd one I have purchased. Works great, loud playback sound with transcription mode. Easy to use

To be totally fair, I've only used this audio recorder for a day or so, but by God, it's already worth its weight in gold. I bought it for recording my violin lessons, because I haven't been remembering enough from them on my own. It picks up both my and my teacher's voices with absolute crystal clarity and even our violins sound excellent. (I used the "Interview" setting for our lesson). The output volume this little thing gives out is also shockingly poweful, and I really love its size- perfectly compact. I'm really just writing this to gush about the audio quality though, lol. It's perfect! I can hear everything! Buy it! I have yet to regret it!

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!

I have a Sony recorder purchased about 7 years ago that I really loved. Excellent quality recordings with minimal effort on my part. I record live music, usually a solo instrument (mostly fiddle) in class settings. I took this to a music camp, and the volume was so low that I had to find software to boost the signal. That said, the boosted signal was produced good quality sound, but I wish I didn't have to go through that second step. The settings were not very helpful at all in guiding me to choose the correct setting for what I wanted. I had specifically chosen a music class setting for close up. Now I think I've chosen a group setting. I also don't like changes they made to the interface. The recorder used to give you access to your recordings that were numbered 1-199 in each folder. Now I have to go to the menu to access previous recordings. REALLY ANNOYING. Considering this isn't a audiofile kind of device, these changes only make it more annoying for a user like me looking for a simple, uncomplicated experience without the bells and whistles of fancy (useless) settings. I'll continue to use it, mostly because I've figured out how, but it makes me grumble every time because it's needlessly complicated without adding value.