Olympus S711BLUE Microcassette Voice Recorder

Pros
-Large, easy to use buttons. Nothing fancy
-Allows 2 type of speeds
-From a name brand that you trust
-Cheap, but accurate
-3 tapes with 90 mins. can hold more than some digital recorders which top $50

Cons
-Looks aging
-Some buttons are too big and bulky
-Blue, I think not, Maybe Grey or something else

Overall, I rate the Olympus 5 stars. It isn't too big or small, and it is accurate. It allows you to record with microcassette tapes, and has been proven much better than a digital voice recorder. I'm glad that I own it, and I would like you to have it too.


Great bargain even if 'old' technology!   September 22, 2005
RebeccaJeanRN (California, USA)
50 out of 50 found this review helpful

If you are a student and just need a cheap, good quality recorder for classes- like I did- this is a real gem. Its just a plain old fashioned tape recorder- but compared to digital, the sound of this recording is excellent. For techno-freaks, be aware: It doesn't hook up to your computer to translate from recorder to printed notes via voice recognition software, it isn't the size of a pen (although it IS pretty small and lightweight), and it won't stand up on your desk and tap dance. It'll just make recording your lectures a cheap and easy proposition. As an aside: you will need a little adaptor ($2 on Olympus website)in order to use standard headphones with it (it has a mini-mini plug port, which is not standard) or else you will have to listen to it out loud. At this price, I think its worth grabbing these up while they last and while Olympus hasn't discontinued them yet (assuming that digital will eventually cause them to discontinue all 'tape recording' machines). So, even though I like computer stuff and have lots of gadgets and gizmos myself, I ignored 'image' and was very happy with this inexpensive little purchase! Footnote: I would have given it 5 stars IF it had a tape counter (this model doesn't) and IF it included the adaptor for standard headphone plug OR had a standard size port so you wouldn't need their own brand headset or adaptor.


olympus is a good recorder   August 28, 2003
42 out of 44 found this review helpful

I got my olympus for my anatomy class and it works great. the only problem i am having is trying to find the in the ear headphones for it. it records great. if your teacher mumbles you can turn up the volume so you can hear him better. Turning up the volume is like turning up the microphone. there is not wind sounding static noise. you can take a 30 min tape and make it an hour by using the 1/2 speed record. but if you want to listen to it on another machine with out this feature it sounds like alvin and the chiip munks. it is small and the blue is like navy blue not that pale blue in the picture. I have seen more expensive micro recorders for more. it is great for college or high school students with out alot of money. you could not ask for a better record quality.


Olympus has NO quality control!!!!   June 19, 2006
Michael Hamann (SHINGLETOWN, CA USA)
40 out of 41 found this review helpful

I bought this Olympus recorder at a local electronics store (circuit city) and had to return the first one, since the record/playback head had a problem staying in physical contact with the tape. The playback volume would drop down in volume since the head was not snug against the tape during playback conditions.

The second one worked okay for about six months, then guess what happened? You've got it - the same tape contact problem that occurred with the first sample occurred with the second. This time the problem was even worse - the recorder failed to record adequately, so that nothing but noise was on the tape. I see that both items were made in China - where quality control is much poorer than either Japan or Korea, at least that's my personal experience.

While it worked, it was just "okay", nothing to brag about.