Review on 🎙️ OM Digital Solutions VN-722PC Voice Recorders: Convenient 4GB Built-In-Memory for Superior Audio Recording by Sean Carter

I just got mine two days ago and I'm still happy with it. I have been using small recorders - microcassette and digital - in research interviews for over 20 years and I have some unique needs. I need a voice recorder to easily transfer files to a PC, so playing a recording through the headphone jack to the PC's microphone jack is unacceptably slow. I need the recording to be audible enough for the transcription. And I want it to be compact, easy to use, and unobtrusive when I take it out of my pocket or backpack when I ask the other person for permission to record. The 722PC meets these requirements. I have owned several different Sony recorders in the past and this is now my third Olympus. About two years ago, I bought a 702PC from Costco for about $40, which included a connector cable, batteries, and a bonus soft carrying case. I also contacted Costco this time, but found out they only sell them for a month or two at the start of the college year. The small carrying case really protects the recorder from damage and avoids accidentally pressing the record or play button when carrying it in your backpack or bag. I see it can be purchased for an extra $8. Oh well. In comparison, the 702PC is now about $20 more expensive than the 722 and only has 2GB of storage compared to the 722's 4GB of internal storage. Both have micro SD card slots ranging from 2GB to 32GB. But the 702 has some subtle qualities that are desirable. For example, the 722's keys feel a little closer together and smaller to me, making them a bit more difficult to use for someone with slightly larger fingers. I find the 722 to be a bit more compact, but compactness comes with some trade-offs. I think the sound quality of the 702 could be a bit better. I have tested the 722 for dictating with my own voice and also tested it with voices from the cable news network. It was great at picking up TV voices about 15 feet away and would probably work well over longer distances. I find the sound quality of the 722 a bit worse: it has a kind of tinny sound at high frequencies. Earlier versions of Olympus recorders came with a short USB cable. This recorder is a small rectangular device with the two ends of the cable - micro USB and regular USB - connected to the recorder and PC respectively. At first I was put off because this gadget hangs the voice recorder in the air next to the USB port. But maybe that's an advantage, since you don't have to look for a flat surface for the recorder and there are no cables in the way. The small connector comes with a short strap so it can be hung from a small hook on the bottom of the recorder. A previous reviewer reported that the strap loop was so short that he/she couldn't get the device to go through the loop and hang it on the recorder. Either Olympus fixed the problem, or the reviewer just wasn't paying attention. The strap attaches to the bottom of the wired device with a small plastic tab, and you simply press the pin to remove it from the device. Then just attach the lanyard to the recorder and replace the pin on the bottom of the wired device. I guess it's a question of hanging this little device on the recorder, but if you keep it separately in your bag or backpack it takes up a lot less space than the connecting cables that came with previous recorders. It also has a small micro SD card slot. I rate it as an improvement over previous wired connections. Another feature potential buyers should consider is compatibility with speech recognition software such as Nuance's Dragon Naturally Speaking. (I use it, but I don't have the financial incentive to plug it in.) Sometimes it's handy to be able to convert a Dictaphone dictation directly through software like Dragon so you don't have to type everything. The Nuance website rates different recorders based on sound quality, compatibility with their software, and therefore accuracy of the dictated text. I'm not sure if the 722 has a rating, but both the 702 and the 722's predecessor, the 721, score five out of six. They report that a good quality microphone plugged into a 702 or 721 microphone jack can improve text accuracy by as much as six out of six. Note that typical speech recognition software must be trained on a single voice, making it useless for transcribing interviews with voices other than the one the program was trained on. I gave it a four out of five because I'm picky. The little bug I mentioned plays a part, I think. This voice recorder doesn't have the sound quality of a really good digital voice recorder, but it's still good value for money.