Sony ICD-PX470 Stereo Digital Voice Recorder with Built-in USB Voice Recorder, Black

I initially bought this model 2 years ago to secretly record my two young nieces as they just talk non stop about random stuff, and are so entertaining. I got some hilarious clips from them to turn into fun recordings with music.This particular purchase was sent back because my original recorder wasn't "lost" like I thought it was.Fast forward, my adult nephew needed some help and moved in with me "temporarily", but ended up being just a freeloader who likes to scream and verbally abuse anyone who simply questions him about minor things. I was stunned at the screaming sessions he had when I would ask him things like "could you please clean your food out of the kitchen drain" or "Hey, could you make sure to flush the toilet after going #2". I'd get 20 minutes of random argument about things that had nothing to do with those things.. No one would believe me that he was so obnoxious. So, I made sure this little recorder was nearby at all times, because he could start this obnoxious behavior very unexpectedly. And, it worked out. A couple of the recordings had him threatening to destroy my house, my car, let my pets out to roam free, steal my property, take apart my newly build deck. I let him know I had that all saved and if he wasn't out in 45 days, I'd use it all during the eviction process. It worked - he's gone and my sanity is back.It's small enough to be tucked behind something to go unnoticed, or fit in the front pocket of my hoodie. The battery seems to last pretty long. I use rechargeable batteries so I have one ready to snap in as needed. I loved that I can plug this into my computer to save the recordings. The controls are very easy to memorize so you don't even have to look down to get the recording started. The quality of the recordings is really good.I can't speak for how good it picks up in a large lecture room or hall for classes, meetings or conferences. But, it picks up conversation from another room well.

Like it

Operation...is simple, I love the sliding power button. Slide the power on, hit record, then stop, and slide the power off. I'm using it to record short ideas/bits for a podcast... *awesome and hilarious* ideas, of course.Speaker...is tiny and tinny, absolute garbage. Whatever, I'm not listening to Puccini's 'Gianni Schicci' on this thing. That's classical opera, for all you mouth breathing rockheads out there... like me. Classic Rock > Classical anything (Classical Gas is a major exception.) I googled 'classical opera' and that Puccini thing came up. Never heard of it before that, and I'll never listen to it. But, if you fellow rockheads out there want to sound wicked smart at a party, Puccini's 'Gianni Schicci' is pronounced, 'Puck Inny's Guy Annie Shicky.' Try that in a highbrow conversation at your next elitist social gathering, you'll be a big hit... on the pavement out front, after being bum-rushed out the front door and tossed down the stairs. Seriously though, if you put your thumb over the speaker, it's a bit less harsh. But it's just for quickly reviewing your short, sweet, *awesome and hilarious* bits. Plug in a pair of headphones: problem solved.Microphone...is good! Hold it at chin level, aimed straight up. Played back on a quality speaker (or headphones) it sounded great. In my case, it doesn't have to, these are just (awesome and hilarious) notes. Any half decent external mic should work well with this. It would have to, it's just a digital recorder. Not sure if there are adjustments to pad or boost the external mic input. I'll explore, if I ever need it. But the onboard mic is good for basic dictation. Or for recording your child's first words..."Who is my real da-da?"That's ridiculous, of course - at that tender age, how would they know whether or not you're the real one?They know... they know.Offloading the audio files...is oh so simple (on my Mac.) Plug in the built-in USB, it mounts as a drive, drag your MP3's to the desktop. Heck, drag the entire folder of your *awesome and hilarious* bits.One star off, for the travesty of a speaker. While irrelevant, it is an abomination.Look, dude... be a man: forgive your beautiful wife and do that kid a favor and raise him/her/them as your own - I guarantee you, they'll grow up to be awesome and hilarious.Just like their *real* dad.

Good product for meetings... I will be trying music later on.

Weight:Item as described.

Just as described

Work for what we needed, neighbors ended up moving

I have a Sony recorder purchased about 7 years ago that I really loved. Excellent quality recordings with minimal effort on my part. I record live music, usually a solo instrument (mostly fiddle) in class settings. I took this to a music camp, and the volume was so low that I had to find software to boost the signal. That said, the boosted signal was produced good quality sound, but I wish I didn't have to go through that second step. The settings were not very helpful at all in guiding me to choose the correct setting for what I wanted. I had specifically chosen a music class setting for close up. Now I think I've chosen a group setting. I also don't like changes they made to the interface. The recorder used to give you access to your recordings that were numbered 1-199 in each folder. Now I have to go to the menu to access previous recordings. REALLY ANNOYING. Considering this isn't a audiofile kind of device, these changes only make it more annoying for a user like me looking for a simple, uncomplicated experience without the bells and whistles of fancy (useless) settings. I'll continue to use it, mostly because I've figured out how, but it makes me grumble every time because it's needlessly complicated without adding value.