Sony ICD-MS515 Memory Stick Digital Voice Recorder with Voice-to-Print Compatibility

Manufacturer:	Sony
List price:	~~$299.99~~
Our price:	that is 100% off!

Sony ICD-MS515 Memory Stick Digital Voice Recorder with Voice-to-Print Compatibility

Average rating: Stars

Really awesome Recorder!!!

This recorder is the perfect ideal for students. It goes without saying that the sound quality of this product is fantastic. Even if I sit at the far back side of the large classroom, I hear clear sounds of the professor.
There lots of options who can select within the recorder as well. This recorder is also superlight and the case is perfect to camouflage that you are recording. A lot of my friends thought it was a cellphone until I tell them that it is recorder. If you use the leather case and stick it on your belt or the top of the trouser, most people will think it is a cellphone and you can avoid some conflict with people who hate being recorded.

Additionally, The extra memory stick (128MB) has capacity of 17 hours of recording in SP mode. Yes, again SP mode not LP mode!!! It only costs 37 dollars in amazon.com and I like its big capacity.

The only drawback I find is that it is a little bit pricey. If this recorder costs between $120~160, it would have won my 5 stars.

Sony ICD-MS515 Memory Stick Digital Voice Recorder with Voice-to-Print Compatibility - Sony

Consistent performance over a year

I've owned the MS515-VTP for over a year now. I tape a high volume of conference calls and the device has performed consistently well, and I hope to get many more years of use from it.

I use it with two 128MB cards, on the highest quality recording settings and have been very satisfied with the results. I also like the fact that I can monitor the recording real-time through earphones though feedback can be an issue, such as my laptop being in close proximity.

The real advantage of the MS515 is being able to use it in conjunction with my computer so I can upload, mail, and manage recordings, both on the PC and the MS515. The included Memory Stick Voice editor is a great software application for reviewing and mainpulating recordings since you can speed up, slow down, cut, merge, and e-mail recordings with a Window Media Player plugin. You can also use the editor to manage the files on the MS515 itself, much easier than doing it via the clumsy setup buttons on the recorder. My only complaints about the software are not being able to use the bookmark function on WAV recordings, and while you can move recordings between folders on the MS515, it won't move them between folders in the PC pane. A strange oversight.

The MS-515 does have a few issues. As previously noted selecting folders for recordings and menu settings can be difficult and require several attempts to get the button to actually set/select correctly. There is no jack for a power adapter. I guess the designers never realized someone might use it consistently where plugging it in would be preferred to batteries. I use NiMH rechargable batteries and while they don't last as long as alkaline batteries, I just swap between recharged pairs.

The mic jack has become somewhat loose after a year and the flat rate charge for repair is $73, pretty high.

Features missing - aside from a power input, my wish list would be the ability to record through the MS515 directly to the PC when it's plugged in via the USB (some Olympus recorders offer this option), the ability to power the MS515 via the USB, or recharge the batteries that way.

For the Memory Stick Voice Editor software, why not offer access to downloading the latest version, or free downloads of it to people I've mailed recordings to, not just the MSV plug-in for Windows Media Player? Bookmark functionality for WAV files, moving files between folders on the PC side, and more control over information displayed about recordings, and how recordings are named when transferred would all enhance the functionality and save me time.

A complaint about the Sony web site in general- there's no easy way to provide them feature suggestions or product specific ergonomics feedback.

I give the MS-515 a B+

A followup and caution since my April 2004 review. Sony was unable to repair the previously mentioned loose mic jack and shipped me a replacement unit. After receiving two reconditioned recorders that both had problems, Sony finally shipped me a brand new unit. They get an A+ for customer service, but it took two swaps and several weeks. The new unit has worked perfectly for several months. Avoid the reconditioned units like the plague.

Sony - Sony ICD-MS515 Memory Stick Digital Voice Recorder with Voice-to-Print Compatibility

Great for Cops

As the title suggests, I use this in my law enforcement job. The sound quality compared to microcassettes is so much better that I will never go back. I have had this unit now for at least a year and have used it both in patrol work and in investigations. I have the 128 mb card in mine. I can record EVERY citizen contact during a shift and then DL it to my computer. Heck, sometimes I will go three or four days before I DL the files. This little gem can save your bacon in so many ways. NO BUTTONS ON THE FRONT. It doesn't get turned off by accident. Record a three hour interview and not change the tape. Talk to fourteen different people and all you have to do is press record and stop. It does the rest, including putting the date and time on the recording. No more mangled microcassettes. No more pockets full of tapes. No more tapes accidently getting recorded over. The built in microphone picks up conversation really well. I have the version with Dragon Naturally Speaking, which saves a lot of typing on those loooooong case reports.

My advice? Go digital, even if your department won't buy it for you.

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