Review on Sony ICDUX560BLK Digital Voice Recorder by Devin Tanner

This remarkably small and lightweight dictation recorder records voice clearly (4 x 1.5 x 0.325 inch, 1.7 oz). It is extremely easy to use and set up with almost no instructions. The onboard USB charger/computer connection is well designed, slides smoothly and securely into the recorder's body when not in use, cables will not be damaged or lost. There are many settings for the recording environment, such as meeting, interview, lecture, etc. I set it to Auto and was very happy with the results. To put it to the test, I put it in a padded bag and went to an open flea market. The rustling of the fabric of my trousers was audible but subtle and picked up conversations clearly enough to be audible in the difficult environment. However, I do not recommend using it in this way. Putting it on a fanny pack will definitely get you great results with little or no rustling. If you want your interviews to be low key, this is a great way to do it. You don't have to hold it in front of a person's face like a microphone to get a clear recording. Pop a large memory card (Micro SD) into an available card slot and you can easily record thousands of hours. The internal battery lasts more than a day of continuous recording and recharges quickly and easily with any USB charger. Plug it into a portable USB power bank and you can extend the recording time to many days or weeks of continuous recording if needed. Eliminating disposable batteries saves size and weight. It saves the recorded files in the standard MP3 format that any computer or smartphone can use. Highly recommended for clear voice recording, meeting, interview or personal notes. Great device at a low price. Note: If you've never used a voice recorder before, don't think your smartphone can replace it. The phone is designed to pick up speech at close range and picks up a lot of unwanted noise. Dictaphones are intended to capture certain audio frequencies of the voice and suppress unwanted background noise such as wind and vehicle noise. I was at his concert the day before the interview. Without much hope, I put the Sony recorder in my belt pouch, set it to auto and medium to high sound quality, and let it record for the duration of the concert. He was next to me, under my t-shirt, and I was surrounded by screaming fans urging me on. Needless to say, the place was LOUD, like eardrums. I listened to the tape the next day and WOW. I can clearly hear his intros between songs (and that's all I wanted), almost every word and easily distinguishable. The sound quality of the music is not very good, which I didn't need. I can't believe it worked. The next day we met in front of the hotel and walked to a restaurant on a busy street, again with a dictaphone in a belt pouch next to me, sat in front of the restaurant, cars sped by and talked. He recorded all of our conversations clearly. Later we drove in a convertible with the top down (not as good, but still noticeable). That night we went to a lively restaurant for dinner, seven of us sat at a table, a recorder in the middle and let them run around. Caught everyone speaking clearly. just wow. GREAT voice recorder. Stop shopping and buy this beauty! Ps: The battery life is insanely good. After 6 hours of multiple recording sessions throughout the day, not a single bar has fallen. I carried a USB portable battery with me just in case, but never needed or used it.