Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am going to be conducting interviews for research. I was new to the digital voice recorder buying scene and started out by buying an Olympus VN-3600. That device is OK, but has severe limitations. The most obvious one being that the lower end digital voice recorders do not transfer files to a computer. So if you want to use the space again you have to take your notes and lose the original. The other limitation that the lower-end voice recorders have is poor to unsuable recording in the long-play mode. For the 3600, 6 hours was a joke. Believe me it was completely unsuable. I knew that going in but I didn't realize how crippling not being able to transfer files to the computer would be. Enter the DM-10. From the reviews here and across the web I decided to give it a try. I am VERY GLAD that I did. What a remarkable device. It has 3(4) recording modes and each one of them is crystal clear. I put 4 in parathensis because if you use a stero microphone it automatically records in SHQ or Super High Quality mode. As many voice recorders have this has a voice activation level so that pauses shut down the recording. This one works really well with 15 different levels. The SP mode gives you 22hours of recording! And it is usable. I just downloaded the software and it is great. I recorded two files one in HQ mode and one in SP mode. SP and LP recordings are stored in something called DSS files whereas the HQ and SHQ are stored as WMA files. They downloaded in a flash. I also copied them to a folder and then clicked on them and they brought up the software for replay in a flash. You can also use the DM-10 as an MP3 player. As a nice bonus, and I bought this in early June 2004, the package I got included a stero microphone. You usually get what you pay for and I would suggest if you want to have a ton of recording space and you feel that storing your recordings would be helpful, spend the money on this device. It has too many features to list but all are well-thought out and enhance its usability. The manual is well-written and will get you started in minutes. Really a superb device and worth the money.