Olympus Analog Voice Recorder Pearlcorder J500 Review & Detail

Olympus Digital Voice Recorder

Analog Recorders Pearlcorder J500

Whether at a conference, a meeting, or other occasion, you’ll get clear audio with the hand-held Olympus Voice Recorder Pearlcorder J500.Plus, you can index important points, utilize dual tape speed for increased recording capacity, and monitor the life of your battery via the LED battery check system.

Olympus Voice Recorder Pearlcorder J500 Keeping track of memos and important recordings is easy with the Olympus Voice Recorder Pearlcorder J500 Microcassette Recorder. An indexing capability and tape counter allow for easy location of recordings. The three LED battery-check system provides information on how much battery life remains. Dual tape speeds give you up to three hours of recording time on a 90-minute tape. For a private listening experience, use the external earphones jack. External jacks for a microphone and external power are also provided (AC adapter not included).

Olympus Voice Recorder Pearlcorder J500 Product Description

Includes Olympus J500 Pearlcorder Microcassette Voice Recorder XB-60 tape 2 AAA batteries.

    * Built-in Stereo Microphones
    * Quick Review
    * Voice Activation

Voice Activation.
The J500 will begin recording when the microphone senses sound.

Volume Control.
Automatic recording levels determine the perfect volume for your audio recording.

Index Marking.
Index your recordings so you can quickly locate important audio.

Battery Power Indicator.
Stay on top of your battery’s life so you never run out of power.

Olympus Voice Recorder Pearlcorder J500 Features

    *Index Marking
      Indexing capability to easily locate important recordings.

    *Built-in Microphone
      Built-in microphone for recording anytime, anywhere.

    *Quick Review
      Quick review lets you listen to what has just been recorded.

    *Tape Counter
      Tape counter for easy location of previously recorded passages.

    *Battery Life Indicator
      3 LED battery-check system for information on how much battery life remains.

    *Dual Tape Speeds
      Dual tape speeds give you up to three hours of recording time on a 90-minute tape.

    *External Jacks
      External jacks provide easy connection for earphone, microphone and external power.

    *Cue/Review
      Cue/Review makes for fast, easy message monitoring.

    *Variable Control Voice Actuator
      Variable control voice actuator for hands-free recording.

    *Built-in, Dynamic Speaker
      Built-in, dynamic speaker delivers crystal-clear sound.

Olympus Voice Recorder Pearlcorder J500 Package Contents

    * Pearlcorder J500
    * Instruction Manual
    * Wrist Strap
    * 2 x AAA Batteries
    * 1 x XB60 Tape


Olympus Voice Recorder Pearlcorder J500 Review by Customer

R.Hof

"Great package. I use minicassette recorders on interviews a lot, and this one is a great recorder for the price. It's small enough to fit in a shirt pocket (and nicely slim as well), and the ergonomics are good: easy to play back, fast-forward, etc. It has all the basic controls you need. I can't speak for the sound relative to others, but for voice, it's more than good enough. It picks up voices quite distinctly even in a relatively noisy environment. I also like the battery indicator, so I always know when I need to bring extra batteries, which last a pretty long time. I also can't speak for reliability, but I've had no problems in the six months I've been using it. The only caveats are that the microphone/earphone jack is smaller than ones used by other recorders, so you need an adapter or a mike/earphone with small plugs, and that it doesn't come with an AC power supply. But overall, it's great."

C. Weaver (Rusk, Texas United States)

" Good Microcassette, But Has Drawbacks. This recorder is another good Pearlcorder by Olympus, but it drops some of the features I found really useful that were in the old L200. I use mine for note taking and general short (less than an hour) recording chores. On the old L200, you had an Index Marker to, but on that recorder the indexer stopped the tape motion when ever it hit an index mark. On the J500, it only gives you a loud sound and you must release the rewind/fast forward button to hear the recording. Also the fast forward speed is so slow that the index mark doesn't sound and so you lose fast forward index search. It only works in rewind. (This might be the result of changes made to the rewind/fast forward system. It's a sliding lever now not buttons as on the old L200.) It's not a bad little recorder, I think the changes made to the tape handling chassis have really reduced the overall value of this recorder. Another thing that one needs to remember is the J500 only has auto shut off in playback and recording mode only,and at end of tape, but NOT in rewind or fast forward as the old L200 use to. So if you place it in rewind or fast forward and something comes up in which you forget it's running, it will get to the end of the tape and doesn't turn off. (Not normally a bad problem, but just one more thing you lose from the L200.) I think dropping the more useful features, and changing the tape handling chassis reduced the overall value of this recorder, especially since Olympus stopped making the L200. For that reason, it gets 4 stars instead of five."

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