» Olympus LS-10 Linear PCM Recorder

Olympus LS-10 Linear PCM Recorder Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: great for focus groups
Comment: I purchased this recorder for recording focus groups for my dissertation and so far, it has not disappointed me. The sound quality is great it works with mac and pc and there are several formats you can record in. I have not recorded music on it or used the editing software, but for a researcher or reporter/journalist this is great. It may seem expensive but you must consider the cost of losing a focus group or individual interview...

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Good, easy to use but not perfect.
Comment: A very good products that is durable, easy to use and a great piece of kit to keep in your bag. The only things that I would have improved would have been a louder speaker and a better gain (input level) control - it is too low. Some interviews have had to be amplified by other software. Does a great job of bridging the gap between dictaphones and the more professional recorders. Recommended.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Best recorder I have ever used
Comment: I have used this recorder for about 3 months now. Prior to getting it, I had used the Sony Professional Walkman WMD6C cassette recorder, the Sony TCD-D100 DAT recorder and then the Sony MZ-M100 (and other) minidisc recorders.

My high frequency hearing is somewhat impaired, and I don't care much about heavy bass, so my comments are largely confined to how easy this recorder is to use.

I mount this on a camera mini-tripod. it is light and easy to set up and balance.

The huge difference betweeen this recorder and the DAT and minidisc recorders is that

1) You can easily see the record levels while the unit it operating, and easily adjust them without stopping or pausing recording. For some reason this is very difficult to do in the Sony minidisc recorders. And on them, as well, it is very hard to see record levels in daylight.

2) Battery life while recording is more than 10 hours in this flash drive unit. The battery life of the Sony minidiscs is variable and unpredictable, and so was unreliable. Now I don't have to worry about batteries dying while recording, a huge improvement.

3) Using an external SDHC card is the simplest way to deal with transferring recordings to a computer. Using a USB SD card adapter, file transfer is much faster than using the LS-10 and a USB cable. I have used SDHC cards as large as 16GB (after a firmware update), but could not get the unit to recognize a PNY 32GB SDHC card. But a 16GB SDHC card allows you to record 24 hours of linear pcm 44hz 16 bit music, which should be plenty for most people. And you can transfer the recorded files to as many computers, and as many times, as you wish.

To my ears, this recorder sounds very good.

I have no trouble closing the case with the mike windscreens on; I found that without them, even a minimal breeze causes extreme distortion, so I never record without them.

The only thing I can think of that is not completely satisfactory is the menu system, which seems a little complicated to me, but I was able to get used to it without much trouble.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Sony WM-D6C to Olympus LS-10
Comment: In 1985 I bought a Sony WM-D6C Professional WalkMan Stereo Cassette recorder. I used it off and on but wished there was something lighter. I never got into the DAT recorders. Last year, I discovered that all the great Hi-end cassette tapes from Maxell and TDK were no longer being made and cassette tapes in general are being phased out. As a seasoned consumer electronics technician since 1977, I successfully rebuilt my WM-D6C for $97.00 in parts, but came to realize that I needed to get a digital recorder. Last year I purchased an Olympus DS-50. Then came the LS-10.

After my LS-10 arrived, I quickly discovered that even though you can load it with a 16GB SDHC card (after an easy firmware update) the file size for each recording is limited according to file type and bit rate. But that is something you get used to and you also soon realize that you can stitch together bigger files in software.

Accessories

I bought the A513 AC power adapter. One needs to realize that this is a lightweight universal input voltage switching power supply designed for very low noise. It is not just a simple transformer-based "wall-wart" as those are being phased out world-wide because of the EnergyStar laws. Since I am a technician, I designed an adapter for this supply to also power my Sony WM-D6C. This makes the A513 worth the higher price.

I liked the size, but needed another case for field use as the supplied case is simply made to protect the unit from damage when not in use. I discovered that a standard cell phone case from Sears fits the LS-10 perfectly. I made a custom hole in the side for a custom lavaliere mic I wired for "dual-mono." Now I can simply hide the LS-10 on my belt via the sturdy belt-clip on the Sears case and walk into a crowd to do interviews with no visible recorder. Works super!!!

External Mics

Besides the Shure SM58 vocal mic and the Audio Technica Lav for external mics, there will come a time when I will want to use two balanced output mics for a studio recording. I discovered that there are many Direct-Box solutions for the XLR-to-stereo connection issue. Here are some solutions:

XLR Balanced 2-Chan mic preamp for Olympus LS-10

ART USB Dual Pre USB Mic Preamp
Behringer Xenyx 502 5-Input 2-Bus Mixer
M-Audio Audio Buddy
M-Audio DMP3
Nady DMP-2 Dual-Chan Mic Preamp
Rolls LiveMix MX34
Rolls CL151 Gate/Limiter/Compressor, Mic Preamp
Sound Devices MixPre
Studio 1 Productions XLR-BP Pro Audio Adapter

I realize that these direct boxes add to the complexity of the recording but this is the solution to the absence of XLR inputs.

Other reviews here spoke of the issue with getting natural sounding voice with pleasant nuances and intonations, etc. Well, I purchased the world's most famous vocal mic -- the Shure SM58. To mate the SM58 to the LS-10 I made a custom XLR-to-dual mono cable with Neutrik's really fabulous right-angle 3.5mm plug. This LS-10/SM58 combo works fabulous and very quiet too i.e. no noise. Works so good I can hardly believe my ears! Vocals and voice interviews are very warm and natural due to the SM58 response. The previous reviewers wanting the natural sound from the LS-10s built-in stereo electret condenser mics aren't going to get it simply because these mics are instrument and not vocal mics!! They are flat from 70-20Khz, but I was able to record pipe organ sounds down to 25Hz easily. Go figure!!

Remote Control

Yes, I had to wait like everybody else to get the RS30W Remote, but it was worth it. It works great and now I can turn it ON,OFF or PAUSE up to 25-ft away. I like the swivel feature on the sensor as well as its very low power consumption. Good work Olympus engineers!

Telephone Pickup

I had wired a custom 3.5MM cord onto a Radio Shack Telephone Pickup which works great with both the DS-50 and LS-10. The only thing I will add soon is a small inline DSL filter to filter out PC noise.

Parabolic Mic

Soon I will be making a custom stereo parabolic mic to pic up long-distance nature sounds. I measured the LS-10s Plug-in Power voltage and got 3VDC on each channel which is perfect for the vast majority of readily-available Electret Condenser mics such as the Audio-Technica Lav I wired for dual-mono.

Vibration Sensor

Using the Piezoelectric sounder from an old smoke detector, I made a very sensitive vibration sensor that picks up sounds on walls, vents, glass, etc. I also will purchase a Shure MX391C or a Crown Boundary mic to make the LS-10 into a super concert and/or room conference recorder. Two of these would make a great stereo recorder for plays and acting rehearsals.

I am astounded at the clarity of outdoor recordings using the built-in stereo mics. I am very satisfied with the LS-10 used to transfer all my cassette tapes do digital and having the 3 file formats and many bit rates to choose from.

My only fear is that since the Olympus LS-10 has become such an international success that I'm certain Olympus is currently busy designing an LS-20 or LS-30. I would then have to trade up. I already am planning to sell my DS-50 to get their new DS-71....

Most folks simply do not realize that the the technical features in the LS-10 if it would have been available in 1985 when I bought my Sony WM-D6C would have cost them about $100K and filled the size of a small closet. With that in mind, how could anyone lose with their LS-10!!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: excellent flash recorder
Comment: The LS-10 is an excellent flash recorder, excellent fidelity, easy to learn and operate. One limitation I discovered is that in .wav mode, it will only record a file up to 2 GB. In 24/96 that is a file of apx. 1 hour duration max. In WMA or MP3 the file limit is 4 gb. Also it needs a better way to get out of file explore mode back to record mode. Other than those minor limitations, it is an excellent device and I am very pleased with mine.

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