Sony ICD-UX570 Digital Voice Recorder

Don’t let the size fool you work perfect for my application what I need it for replace MP3s so I can test sound equipment on a record audio output. I bought the Zoom h1n and I couldn’t do a simple task play an MP3 file that you load in from your own computer junk I recommend this Sony recorder 110%.Easy to use remember there is an earlier software version 1.6 it might be necessary for you to load that so the newest software will load which is 2.02.

The sound quality is excellent. You can choose between having a narrow mic, medium, or wide mic. You can plug in an external mic and it sounds like professional quality to me (certainly good enough for my purposes). The charge lasts for countless hours. I plug my ear buds in to listen while I walk. You can digitize old cassettes for vinyl if you want to with this. Anyway, I mainly use it to record trainers so I can practice scripts later. It has sensitive stereo mics built in. Tons of available recording time and expandable with a micro sd. Drag and drop on your computer with USB connection. Really glad I got this. Handy dandy.

I came to this recorder having been using Sony’s ICD-UX81 and UX-543 for years. I write for a living and like to take long walks and dream up ideas, and also need to record them for when I get back home (sometimes an exact turn of phrase can be quite hard to remember). When the UX81 began to complain of having the odd problem with voice file storage when connected through USB and the UX-543 simply failed overnight, I looked hard for the next logical dictation device. I pored over the specs and user experiences and gravitated to this one since it most resembled the previous ones I’d owned, and all the reasons I’d settled on my older device.

Important for me is the ability to create particularly clear voice files that can be run through an automatic transcription program such as Nuance’s “Naturally Speaking”, which can – with training – transcribe our verbals into text. This does as well as the the other machines in that regard, in noisy environments such as a windy day, or walking on gravel, or nearby traffic, the background noice will interfere with auto-transcription but the voice is still perfectly intelligible to the human ear. In these cases you’ll need to listen back and improve your typing speeds instead. There is an option to focus the machine’s “listening pattern” (mic response) to a focused mode, which does go a little way to reducing noise if I’m dictating ideas while walking outdoors.

The operation of the device was very intuitive for me, there’s broadly only three operations I care about, switching it on and off, recording, and stopping recording – after setting a recording sensitivity, ideally. If you use this regularly the simplicity makes it very intuitive within a very short time. Once you’ve figured out the labelling system the basics come to hand very easily and, if anything, the workflow (such as it is) for this recorder is very familiar, and the display has a lot more information available. My main requirement has always been that both my recorders produce MP3 files, and that’s the format offered here along with “LPCM”, which creates CD-quality (44.1) WAV files should you really want to push the quality at the expense of the machine’s memory – it makes a difference in fidelity but also records noise etc just as faithfully! According to Sony, recording at top quality (LPCM) will fill the built in 4MB memory in 5 hours 20 minutes, at top quality MP3 (MP3 is a compressed format that is somewhat less faithful) you get 39 hours 45 minutes. All the numbers can be seen at helpguide.sony.net/icd/u57/v1/en2/contents/TP0002426582.html .

I’m not a fan of the slide-out USB port. The UX-81 has a fixed port onto which clips an end cover for the device as a whole, which for me is a far neater arrangement. If you give your voice recorders a tough life you may prefer the fact that the connector is hidden away inside the device. I’m also not a fan of the missing device sleeve that used to come with voice recorders – a little slip case that kept dust at bay is not included in the Sony package for this one. Fortuntately I’d hung on to the previous device’s slip case and, if you’re replacing an older voice recording with this one, you should also keep that case handy, you’ll need it.

You’ll find PDF manuals at sony.co.uk/electronics/support/digital-voice-recorders-icd-series/icd-ux570/manuals, and for those that don’t like cluttering their systems with PDF files, there’s an online version at the same link – should you have any concerns about how it is operated. It isn’t a quantum leap either of beyond my old machines, bt then simplicity is what these are all supposed to be about. This new one certainly is kinder to new users, though, and can be used almost without thinking once the familiarity is there.

Incredibly small and light. Simple to use since everything is set to “auto” by default, although if you want to to get deeper into the settings the manual is little help. Sound quality is ok for a dictaphone but lacks tonality if you are recording music. However this is down to the internal Mics . There are 2 which is a waste for such a small device. I don’t think you can get meaningful sterio out of it and its not a music recorder so I don’t know why they bothered. With an external mic it does a good job. Used it to record a vocal comentary from a lapel mic and its fine. My I bought a second one for meetings.
Those are my only 2 gripes:
The confusing menus.
Trying to kid me that 2 mics make it sterio!

Excellente configuration de toutes les fonctions !!!….. Qualité sonore « Sony » !!!….
Pas de cordon de retenue , ni d’étui de protection !!!…
Câble Usb inclus !!!….
Dim: 10 x 3.5 cm. ( 4 x 1 3/8 pouces )
* Ce modèle n’inclut pas la radio FM !!!…

This is a great tool! It just needs a case, or better: a gorrilla glass screen. The thing is sturdy but wear will appear on the plastic screen affecting the visibility. I’m not sure of the USB speed, but it would be great if it was 3.0 or more because this thing is very useful as a storage device too. I’ve transfered sometimes 10-20 GB at once and it held it very well. No heat. It also is a great iPod if you miss that no-streaming way of listening to your favourite tracks.

Excellent record sound quality. brilliant battery life. I bought this model a year ago and it served me very well.. I used it to record my whole 8 hour day at work and 3 hour commute to and from work, all that usage only consumed half the battery life. I also used it to record my bad neighbours living above me stomping and shouting profanity at each other, which all other neighbours had to endure. The amazing thing about this voice recorder is its ability to record even the very low bass frequencies.. this makes it ideal for recording stomping. unfortunately after a year of usage, I accidentally left it in my trousers when putting trousers in washing machine. It did not survive the 1 hour 90 deg wash. I recently bought another one from the same seller. It is serving me well. I will definitely be checking my trousers pockets before using washing machine.