It is true that smartphones are extremely versatile and offer us features of multiple kinds of devices in a smaller form-factor. But, when it comes to quality, there’s a lot left to achieve. As in this case, every smartphone does come with an in-built voice recorder. But, is the quality good? We would say it is manageable, but not satisfactory for the professional work.
That said, Digital Voice Recorders are still being widely used since they offer amazing sound quality and also smartphone-like versatility and portability. Therefore, if you are also searching for such recorders, you can take some rest as we will show you the best Digital Voice Recorders that have been included in this top-list based on these aspects given as follows:
That’s it for now, let’s take a quick look at the list and find which of the following best digital voice recorders will offer you the best value for your money. If you are interested to know about the things that you should consider before buying a new Digital Voice Recorder, we will be covering all details regarding this in a separate section below, so don’t forget to read it out as well.
Top Rated Digital Voice Recorders of June 2023
1. Sony ICD-UX570F Voice Recorder
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All the Audio and Video Production enthusiasts know how good a reputation Sony has. That being said, one best available voice recorder from Sony is this ICD-UX570F which is well-known for its superior features and lightweight nature.
Although the sound quality of the inbuilt high sensitivity S-Microphone microphone is very much satisfying, you still have the option to use your own mic with this voice recorder. Apart from that, it does come with the Auto Music Recording feature that lets you set optimized settings for voice capture of selected frequencies too.
Speaking of its battery life, the 20 Hours backup is good enough, and even its 3-minute quick charge allows you to continuously record for 1 hour straight. In addition, you can insert a microSD card on this voice recorder to buff up its 4 GB in-built storage and later on transfer the recordings to your PC via the USB out through.
2. Zoom H1n Handy Voice Recorder
Zoom is quite a highly popular brand in this industry because of its top-class hardware and, in this case, the in-built microphone quality is what makes this Zoom H1n Handy Recorder so special.
All the credits for the exceptionally good audio recording quality go to the Built-in stereo condenser microphones in 90-degree X/Y format which does a fantastic job to capture every detail perfectly. On top of that, it even has a Tone generator which is highly useful for film-makers.
Talking about the controls, one-touch buttons are given for playback at the front with a decent-sized LCD too. Moreover, the design is pretty unique and looks very professional. On the sides, you can find slots for Mic-out, Headphone-in, and microSD card. Speaking of the microSD card, it supports up to 32GBs of storage which is pretty good than most other recorders.
However, we cannot say the same for the battery life as it can only record for 10 hours with full consumption of 2 AAA batteries.
3. Sony ICD-PX240 Voice Recorder
Coming over to the next product, Sony offers a pretty straight-forward product in the name of Sony ICD-PX240 MP3 Digital Voice IC Recorder, which is perfect for beginners who don’t want to jump into any complications. The size of the recorder is quite small and fits in any pocket very easily.
Well, even though it is a beginner-friendly IC recorder, the quality of the sound it captures is amazing. It takes its power from a small Lithium-Ion battery which delivers a long battery backup of 23 hours on full-charge. There is no way by which you extend the storage on this device. So, the 4GBs of in-built storage is all you have in this Voice Recorder.
However, you still have the USB-out port to transfer the files quickly to another device. On the top of the device, you will find a headphone jack as well as a separate port for joining external microphones with this recorder.
4. Faironly Voice Recorder
You can definitely consider checking out this Professional Dictaphone Digital Audio Voice Recorder from Faironly brand. Due to its top-notch hardware, it can process and record in both MP3 and WMV formats with a high bit-rate of 1536Kbps. The in-built storage capacity is around 8 Gigs only.
With this much storage, you can store high-fidelity audio of at most 96 Hours time-length. Whereas in normal quality, the storage capacity will hold 136 Hours of audio without any problem. Moreover, if more storage is needed, insert a microSD card up to 32GB and get going.
Speaking of its battery capacity, it boasts a small 220mAh in-built battery that gives a decent battery backup of about 15 hours on average. The overall build quality and features of this product are quite satisfactory, and you even get the option to use your own microphone with this device. However, there is no warranty offered by the manufacturer for this Voice Recorder.
5. EVISTR Digital Voice Recorder
The EVISTR 16GB Digital Voice Recorder comes in a solid housing made of high-quality ABS material and aluminium grills for microphone protection. With such top-notch build-quality, the microphone’s audio quality also matches well and offers you a crystal clear audio recording.
All the basic buttons are given at the front with a little LCD that shows all the essential details about the recordings. The quality of the recordings is superior as it is capable of capturing audio and processing it with a high bit-rate of 1536Kbps for which it also comes with in-built storage space of 16 Gigs.
Along with that, it also features Voice Activated controlling so that you can start recording without even physically touching it. As far as battery life is concerned, it lasts for a good 10 hours easily.
6. Sony ICD-PX470 Voice Recorder
There’s another one good mid-range option from Sony that you might like to check. Most people love to use it because it’s super-thin, lightweight, and extremely handy to carry as well. Like any other voice recorder, this one also uses the USB interface so that you can easily transfer the files to your PC without any issues.
The audio-capturing quality of this device is too good, even when it comes to low frequencies, thanks to Sony’s engineers. It can basically record in either MP3 or LPCM with its in-built high-sensitivity S-microphone. In addition, you also get the port to connect your own third-party microphone if you wish.
For the storage area, Sony provides 4GBs of inbuilt storage with the option of expandability via a microSD card. To power up this device, you can use the supplied AAA battery which delivers a decent usage time of 55 hours.
7. Olympus WS-852 Voice Recorder
Moving to the next product, we have another mid-range budget option from Olympus, which can be your great companion if you like recording long podcasts. This product always remains in the highlights due to its long battery life that lasts over 100 hours of usage, thanks to the 2 AAA batteries it uses.
The Voice Recorder is super-easy to use and handle since all the playback buttons are given at the front. There are various recording modes available on this device which allow you to tweak the sensitivity of its True Stereo Microphone.
Not just that, what makes it more suitable for recording podcasts is the Voice Filter feature that refines everyone’s voice fantastically. The in-built storage space available on this Olympus WS-852 Digital Voice Recorder is 4GBs which can be simply expanded by using a microSD card up to 32 Gigs.
8. Sony ICDPX370.CE7 Voice Recorder
We have already discussed the ICDPX470 above, so if you don’t have the budget for that, this Sony ICDPX370.CE7 USB Digital Voice Recorder will be perfect for you. There are no major differences between so almost all the features on both the devices are the same.
The battery life of this voice recorder lasts for about 39 hours when your record continuously. But, instead of finding an in-built battery, it requires an AAA battery instead. With perfectly engineered hardware from Sony, it simply delivers you noise-free voice recording with absolutely right frequencies captured.
For the connectivity, there are both the headphone and microphone ports available, and also the USB interface is there to connect it to a PC. If the in-built 4GB Storage feels limited to you, you can use your own microSD card for additional space.
Things to Consider
Since Digital Voice Recorders come at different prices and could be used for various purposes, you have to choose one for yourself very precisely. That said, there’s a lot to think about before actually starting to research and buy one.
If you are not aware of the basic factors on which you should be choosing a Digital Voice Recorder for yourself, we advise you to read this section until the end thoroughly. There are many factors in the case of Digital Voice Recorder that an individual should think about and consider to check. That said, we will take all those important factors one by one and also tell what major role they play.
1. Sound Quality
It’s obvious that not all the products out there can offer you the same level of sound quality. So, let’s divide it into two segments, the basic sound quality ones for those people who just want to take notes and don’t require the quality to be pin-point accurate. On the other hand, for film-making purposes where the audio-quality matters a lot, let’s say it is professional grade.
So, now it is all up to you as you know for what purpose you will be using the Voice Recorder. If you want a recorder for casual use, you can go with any budget-friendly option as they too offer good recording quality, in fact, better than a smartphone. Otherwise, we have listed professional-grade voice recorders as well; you can easily find one on the list.
2. Computer OS compatibility
After you record audio on the device, surely you can play and listen to it using the device itself. But, that’s not what everyone seeks. Either you wish to use the audio along with some video, or maybe you run out of storage space on the device itself.
In this situation, you will have to plug the device into a computer and transfer the files and clean up storage. Well, to work with your computer, it is essential to know whether the device is compatible with your Computer’s OS or not. Usually, most voice recorders work fine with Windows OS, but if you use some other OS such as Linux or macOS, you should check it beforehand.
3. Mono or Stereo
The sound experience is extremely affected by the fact whether the audio is recorded in a Mono state or a Stereo state. While the Stereo recordings give you the feel of a 3D environment where you can easily distinguish whether the audio is coming from the left side or the right side.
On the other hand, mono recordings have an equal distribution of sound on both the right and left channels, so it is impossible to detect the direction of incoming audio. Usually, recorders that capture mono are cheaper and can be used casually. But, for professional work, it is always better to have a stereo one.
4. Storage
The Digital Voice Recorders usually have in-built storage space to store all your recordings safe and sound. Generally, you will find devices with in-built storage space of around 4GB, 8GB, and even 32GBs.
However, if you feel this much space is not going to be sufficient for your requirements, you can check out whether the recorder supports a microSD card for storage expandability or not. While most brands do provide a microSD card slot for expansion, there are a few ones that don’t offer it. So, do check for that as well.
5. Battery Backup
Last but not the least, the battery life of the device plays a major role as well. You will not like your voice recorder running out of battery life in the middle of an important project. So, do make sure to check if the voice recorder has good enough battery life.
While some of the brands offer in-built rechargeable batteries that offer battery backup of about 20-30 hours on average. There are some products that use AAA batteries instead which offer much better battery backup, and also you can replace them anytime whereas recharging an in-built battery will take up some time to make the device work again.
Conclusion
We hope this list of Best Digital Voice Recorders has something to please your requirements. Whether you want a product for professional work, or you are just a student who wants to take notes and record unimportant things casually, there’s a product for everyone on our list. In case you have not been able to make the decision on your own till now, we do have some personal recommendations for you that might make it slightly easier for you to find the best one for your requirements.
Make sure to share your thoughts in the comments section. You can also post any questions down there if you have any!
