Review on SONY M-455 Microcassette Recorder Value Pack: Unbeatable Quality and Convenience (SONY M455) by Seth Singh

Yes I gave it a 5 star rating and yet I have a derogatory title for my review. Read on and you'll understand why. I did not purchase my recorder from Revain.com; Instead, I bought mine at a local thrift store for $2.99. Yes, two dollars and ninety-nine cents. I don't understand why anyone would pay a few hundred dollars (or even $100, or $50, or even $25) for a tape recorder. Why don't I pay $25 for a tape recorder? Well, with this particular Sony recorder, it can record a maximum of 1 hour per side of C-60 tape - and it has to record at half speed. My phone's voice recording feature allows me to record for hours and days if needed. In terms of fidelity, it doesn't come close to the noise-free digital audio I can get from my phone. Well, as a microcassette audio recorder, that's fine. He is reliable and gets his job done. While the fidelity isn't anywhere near digital recording, it's adequate when listening on playback. Even at maximum volume, the speaker plays loudly and with little distortion. Microphone omnidirectional (picks up sound from all directions); However, I simply point the mic at the source and it picks up conversations loud and clear. Battery life is good - it lasts for several weeks; maybe a month with a few hours of daily usage. It's compact, durable (dropped countless times); exposed to the heat of a car under the Hawaiian sun; and countless tapes recorded/played back without interference. Well, if you can find this recorder for less than $3 and you're not recording more than an hour continuously per tape side, by all means get it. But not for $300+! You have to be crazy to buy it at this price. //