DM-10 Digital Voice Recorder is a sleek, powerful tool that's all about business when you're working and all about pleasure when you're not. Packed with 64MB of built-in memory for countless hours of voice or an hour of CD-quality music... in superb stereo sound. Complete with a USB docking station for fast, effortless downloads to both PC and Mac. Equipped with Noise Cancellation for even more impressive clarity, plus additional features offering much, much more.Store and organize your recordings in 5 separate folders with up to 199 files in each for easy management and access. And there are four types of voice recording qualities for you to enjoy (SHQ/HQ in WMA and SP/LP in DSS) as well as MP3 for music recordings.
The Olympus DM-10 stereo digital voice recorder and music player packs 64 MB of built-in flash memory to give you nearly 22 hours (1,340 minutes) of voice recording or a full hour of near-CD-quality music in either MP3 or WMA formats. The DM-10's compact, lightweight design and smooth, silvery finish make it an ideal travel companion. Measuring a mere 4.31 x 1.56 x 0.6 inches (H x W x D) and weighing in at a mere 3 ounces, the attractive and ergonomic DM-10 fits comfortably in the hand of the on-the-go professional or exercise enthusiast.
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The DM-10 has five separate file folders capable of holding 199 files each, so you can organize nearly 1,000 files according to subjects like "work," "personal," and "to do." When recording, simply capture your high-quality voice files in either WMA or DSS (Digital Speech Standard) format, and then place the recorder in the included USB docking station to begin downloading hours of audio to a PC or Macintosh computer. Stereo voice recording is possible with an optional stereo microphone.
Alarm playback will alert you to meetings, dates, show reminders, or wake-up times. You can simply dictate reminders into the DM-10--such as "Time to pick up the kids!"--and assign a time for this message to sound, like an alarm clock's buzzer.
Built-in WOW sound enhancement produces rich bass, and three-dimensional sound, while a user-selectable five-setting equalizer lets you tailor the sound to your taste or environment. Olympus's innovative noise-canceling technology makes the sound even clearer, removing unwanted hiss and background noise.
The unit offers a built-in condenser microphone, and a 0.125-inch microphone jack gives you the option to use a high-quality external microphone (not included). A 0.125-inch earphone jack and supplied stereo earbud headphones let you monitor your files during or after recording. To suit various sound conditions, you can adjust the microphone's sensitivity. The recorder can be viewed in low-light situations, such as at a lecture hall or during presentations, thanks to its easy-to-read backlit LCD.
After capturing recordings, you can erase them or move them between folders. The DM-10 also lets you set up to 16 index marks per message, during recording and during playback. This way, you can locate specific sections of individual dictations quickly and easily. The individual files may be played back at three different speeds: normal, fast, or slow, through either the built-in speaker or the supplied earphones. In addition, with the Repeat Playback function, the DM-10 can repeatedly play back a particular user-selected section of audio recording--ideal for transcribing dictation.
The unit's Variable Control Voice Actuator (VCVA) ensures that recording begins only when sound occurs, while its security lock prevents accidental deletion of sensitive files.
The DM-10 is perfectly suited to meet varying professional needs. You can easily attach voice files to e-mails or forward them to others for transcription. The optional AS-3000 transcription kit (DSS Player Pro transcription module with foot switch and headset) can further streamline this process. The DM-10 is also compatible with most voice recognition software, including IBM's Via Voice.
What's in the Box
Voice recorder, docking station, USB cable, stereo ear bud headphones, CD-ROM, a user's manual, and warranty information.
1 Yes, it does have pause, cue, and review during playback
A previous reviewer said this recorder is "not good for transcribing" because it lacks pause and review functions. This is incorrect on both counts.
During playback, the Stop button acts as a pause button. If you press Stop and then press Play again, it will continue playback from where you paused.
To review a section without rewinding all the way to the beginning, hold down the Rewind button. As long as you hold it down, it will continue backing up, playing little pieces of the audio as it goes to help you find your place. Similarly, you can fast forward (cue) by holding down the FF button.
Pages 25 and 26 of the manual describe these playback functions.
2 The BEST voice recorder there is, but where's the remote?
I am one of the world's biggest voice recorder users. My life has practically revolved around them daily for the past 8 years. This recorder has superior quality in every way to every recorder I've used - and I've used every major brand. One thing to note though: there was a remote pictured here, where is it? There's no mention of it on the packaging, but it is mentioned in the manual. It sure would make for icing on the cake, but it shouldn't be pictured. However, mine came with a great condenser mic in the package, which I wasn't expecting. Tip:
3 works like a charm
The Olympus DM-10 Digital Voice Recorder works like a charm, recorded lectures clearly with almost no static and minimum background sound. The only downside to this great recorder is its incredibly small memory, I mean come on Olympus, a 64 MG memory is obsolete in 2005. This recorder records 2hr of high quality sound, or 22hr of poor. I just record the HQ and transfer the file to my computer after each time I use it. I wish this devise had a way to upgrade memory. The software is cheap and of no use, if using XP, don't bother installing it, windows will recognize the driver automatically. The dm-10 is also an mp3 player, though only 60min of music can be uploaded; it plays adequately wma and mp3s.
In conclusion, great devise, unreasonably small memory.
4 I use it to capture my rhymes
Yo dawgs, I'm a rapper.
I am always kickin' sweet rhymes when I'm drivin home.
Before I got this mic I was always feelin alone.
No hand to write, no dictation.
My rhymes are so phat, give me a donation!
I'll buy this recorder, maybe 1 or 2,
I'll make the rhymes stick, they be tight as glue.
Word to my ladies, word to my homies.
Ain't got no flow, go eat some bologna!
Keep it on the downlow, this product is the bomb.
If J-Zee finds out about it, it won't be long.
Every rapper will be sportin' a blinged out voice recorder,
they be practicing their flows durring Law and Order........SVU style dawgs!
Peace, Me outta here. 2005, good to be alive. WORD!
5 Vastly superior to the Sony ICD-P28
I bought the Sony ICD-P28, and was so dissapointed with it, I returned it for this Olympus DM-10. The sound quality is excellent (while the Sony was horrible). The only problem i have is that the software is a little tricky, especially for dictation. However, it does download to .wma files which is good, because these are easy to convert. Furthermore, Olympus has a good amount of accessories you can get from their website i.e. a clip on mic, a phone mic, etc.). I take this recorder with me everywhere, and I record a lot of conversations I have. It's a lot of fun, and I love it.
6 Great Recorder
Our organization has 13 of these recorders. We are very happy with them. We are a church that uses these to record worship services. They consistently produce quality recordings, have ample recording memory/time, and are lightweight & easy to use. The included software is pretty much worthless, but 3rd party software that edits .wma files is available (suggest: Total Recorder Professional Edition by High Criteria).
7 LINE IN recording issue, and Bye Bye Sony
If you want to use a good external microphone (USUALLY STEREO) or record from external source using the micro jack as LINE IN, and don't want the automatic SHQ setting, just use a 3.5 stereo to mono adapter (both channels are merged) and VOILA, a lot of selectable good quality (HQ or SP) recording time.
About the recorder. . . sorry for my other ones (SONY) but ever since I got the DM-20, only use it. The difference (quality of recordings) is awesome. Bye Sony, welcome Olympus.
Ahhh. . . and as a Macintosh user... bye Sony, welcome Olympus (again). Tired and frustrated of trying unsuccessfuly to use Digital Voice Editor via Virtual PC. Thanks Olympus on behalf the rest of Us.
8 Very Good Recorder
I purchased this for my MA class lectures. It comes with a stereo micophone, which is nice...but when you plug it in, it automatically makes recordings in HQ mode. Don't use it unless you need to. The sound in SP mode is very acceptable if you only need to record voice conversation, and it can record for over 3 hours, which was perfect for me. The best part is the fact that you are not dealing with mini-tapes and, even better, you can download it to your PC as a .WMA file. Very compact, and the docking station is nice for downloading on to your computer through a USB port. With a little practice, working with the program to get the files loaded onto my PC seemed easy. I found this is certainly worth the money if you are looking for a digital recorder. Good sound quality and ease of use.
9 Exceeded my expectations
This is the only electronic device that has ever exceeded my expectations. I am very satisfied with the DM-10. I use the DM-10 for recording lectures and it works wonderfully at close range while in the highest (stereo @ 44KHz, 2hrs 12min recording time) quality setting. The high quality mono version (4hrs 25min) works great too. I have not used the lower recording settings, I bought it for the high quality recording ability so I don't think I ever will use the lower settings. Software setup was easy, though I had to point windows(98se) to the cd in order to load the device driver. My one qualm with the DM-10 was the price to storage space. Flash memory is so cheap these days that there is no reason that the DM-10 cannot have 128MB storage and the DM-20 have 256MB for the same current prices, but I am very happy with my purchase as it is. You get what you pay for and you do pay a price for the DM-10 but it is very worth it for the quality and ease of use.
10 Not good for transcribing
I bought this recorder for about 5 months, I find that it is good for recording, but when it comes to transcribing, it does a poor job. No pause button, whenever I want to rewind, I have to go back to the very beginning, (I recorded for two hours non-stop)and listen to it again and again. And no easy way to fast foward too, you can only play fast play, slow play and normal play. The fast play only allows you to play twice fast. In a word, to use this recorder, you have to be very very very patient. How could a digital recorder this expensive work this bad? I had thought it was very good until I find this annoying feature. Plus, with the 150 bucks I paid, I could have more memory in it.
11 The best DVR for the money
The Olympus DM-10 is incredible. It is unlike anything you have ever used before. The sound at HQ & Stereo HQ recording mode is outstanding. During a lecture, you can sit in the back and record, and what you play back is 100% understandable. Even the SP and LP modes will record clearly, but you probably won't use it, because SHQ and HQ will spoil you. As an MP3 music player, I think it sounds better than a portable CD player. My DM-10 came with stereo earphones (earbuds) and a stereo condenser mike (ME51S). I was reluctant to buy it at first, because of the $150 price tag. But once I got it and started using it, there was no doubt as to why.
12 Great but could be even better
I'm really happy with my DM-10. It gives superior sound quality compared to the Olympus DS-330 I've used for years, is of sturdy construction, looks good, feels comfortable in the hand, and does most of what I wanted it for. However, I had hoped to be able to dictate notes then transcribe them from my laptop using the Olympus footswitch which works well with the DS-330, and this proved difficult. On the computer, using the DM-10 software to play back dictated files, one can employ function keys to start/stop and fast forward or rewind and they are efficient, but I like the foot switch and it likes DSS/WAV files. Fortunately the DM-10 uses these files in the SP and LP modes (WMA files are used in the SHQ and HQ modes) and the voice sound with SP is excellent and it permits over ten hours of dictation, so I transfer these dictated files to an Olympus Transcription Module and then the foot switch works just fine. I'd like to be able to edit my dictation as I go along, backing up and changing words here and there, and also be able to go back and add to the end of a file after I've stopped it, but these tasks may not be possible with the DM-10. The Remote Controller Microphone (MR12) is neat but it isn't included and I had to buy a package that included a stereo microphone and carrying case in order to obtain it. (An optional stereo microphone records only in SHQ mode.) The stereo microphone that came with the unit works very well.
Reading about the DM-20 on the Olympus website, I suspect that at least some of these issues may no longer be relevant, and it provides 128MB compared with the 64 MB of the DM-10, but I find the latter serves my needs and overall I am extremely pleased with it and use it every day.
13 I like it
This is a really cool product. So much nicer than tape recorders. I really like how you can upload your recording to your computer. That is a major plus! The unit is easy to operate. It came with a stero mic, but that mic is not as good as the $59.99 stereo accesory mic you can order directly from Olympus. I have compared the two. Hey, you get what you pay for. Some people complain about the speaker quality and I don't know why, cuz it sounds good to me. The 'wow' feaure doesn't wow me that much though. I like the low setting, but the med and high setting is awful for music/mp3. I can't get over how SMALL this thing is. Much tinier than it looks in pictures. I mean, this thing is almost too small. It's like a big cigarette lighter. At first I didn't like the size, thought it was too small, but now I'm getting use to it and sorta like it this size. This unit is a little pricy, but if you can splurge, I think you'll be happy you did. It is perfect for musicians to capture spontaneous melodies that come into their head.
14 I like it
This is a really cool product. So much nicer than tape recorders. I really like how you can upload your recording to your computer. That is a major plus! The unit is easy to operate. It came with a stero mic, but that mic is not as good as the $59.99 stereo accesory mic you can order directly from Olympus. I have compared the two. Hey, you get what you pay for. Some people complain about the speaker quality and I don't know why, cuz it sounds good to me. The 'wow' feaure doesn't wow me that much though. I like the low setting, but the med and high setting is awful for music/mp3. I can't get over how SMALL this thing is. Much tinier than it looks in pictures. I mean, this thing is almost too small. It's like a big cigarette lighter. At first I didn't like the size, thought it was too small, but now I'm getting use to it and sorta like it this size. This unit is a little pricy, but if you can splurge, I think you'll be happy you did. It is perfect for musicians to capture spontaneous melodies that come into their head.
15 great for notes / dictations
I use DM 10 for recording lectures and have been pleased with the results. My classmates bought cheaper devices and I can see the difference. Either the cheaper devices do not show record time/date or usability is poor. Most importantly the sound quality in DM 10 is far far superior. DM 10 is expensive, but it is a good investment. I have friends who bought a cheaper device and then had to buy another one.
In my opinion it is a good device and I have had no complaints.
16 This little wonder travels everywhere with me
After having this recorder for only a few weeks, I'm already so attached to it that it goes with me nearly everywhere. As a songwriter, I'm always singing little melodies that might otherwise disappear into the ether forever. With my DM-10, I never lose a thought, and the voice clarity and speed are very satisfying.
The controls are highly intuitive, and it is EFFORTLESS to use. I can't speak highly enough of this device. If you need something to help you remember ideas, thoughts, dictation, or music, you will be very happy with yourself for buying this little wonder. It changed my whole approach to songwriting, since I'm no longer tethered to a computer or tape recorder when inspiration strikes. It also comes with handy software for synchronizing with your PC, easily playing and reviewing your voice files, and adding comments and such.
Best money I've spent in years. If you buy it, you will not regret it.
17 Exceptional sound for any size.
I am a voice artist and had been looking for ages for something to accurately record sound clips of voices to mimic. All digi recorders will record the info (ie: the words), but very, very few can retain and replicate the particular vocal qualities accurately. This most certainly can. I was concerned with the built in mic, but it's actually very good. Even so, my DM-10 came with a bundled plug-in stereo mic for great recording. I layed down some vocal ideas for a song and was astounded at the quality. Even holding the unit near the TV will give good results- and you can keep an eye on the volume with the digital level bars.
I've hardly used the MP3 function, although the couple of songs I did download sounded just fine. The separate folders mean you can keep your ramblings ordered. I've been using mine on a near daily basis for 2 months now, and haven't had any hassles. It feels sturdy- not like a cheapo plastic housing, and the controls are easy and intuitive. Battery life is good- I've only changed them once (but then my actual usage periods are brief).
Don't get confused with the similarly named, cheaper Olympus models in stores. I nearly bought one, until I noticed it was a much smaller memory unit, with much poorer sound. So keep an eye on the memory. If you're after a pocket digi recorder with true sound repro, the DM-10 is hard to beat.
18 Great little recorder
I bought this recorder to record lectures for my college classes. I wanted to be able to keep an archive of all my lectures each semester, so I could go back and clarify ideas that I wasn't quite sure about. I go to a VERY large school (30,000+ people), so many of my lecture halls are gigantic. I am pleased to say that this little recorder does amazingly. I sat in the very back of a several hundred person lecture hall, and when I downloaded the file, the sound was crystal clear. This was on high quality, but the quality was so good that I'm fairly sure normal quality would have worked well enough. Transfer is effortless, and installation is simple.
I haven't used the MP3 player function much (cuts down on record time to store them), so I can't comment on that, but the record function is great. I highly recommend this item.
19 great for voice recording
As a music player or music recorder, you might be disappointed in the quality of the sound, and in its capacity for music. But as a basic voice recorder, this is an excellent unit and easy to operate. The software enables conversion to .wav format for editing.
Another downside is that it has only one jack for earphones or mic, so that you cannot monitor a recording using headphones while it is being made. There is a recording level meter on the display, but this is a poor substitute for monitoring. There are only two gain settings, "conference" and "dictation."
Given all of the above, I'm using this unit, with a good mono microphone and some testing and practice, to record oral history interviews. Compared to tape, it is a delight to use. Using mono recording, it holds 4 hours and 25 minutes on the high quality setting (.wma format), with excellent battery life. Stereo would be half that.
Download of files to computer via USB is easy and quick, and the software has a "convert to .WAV" option on download.
20 A Journalist's or Researcher's Best Friend
The DM-10 was purchased as a replacement for my bulky and virtually obsolete microcassette recorder, for recording interviews (I'm a journalism student and part-time staff writer) and the occasional class lecture. Here are my initial impressions:
It's small enough to fit comfortably in a pocket and weighs a little bit more than my car keys. The display is easy to read and has a nice orange backlight. It also has a sleek metal body which not only looks cool, but leaves me with the impression of durability should I ever drop it.
The data storage far exceeds my needs. It can record somewhere around 2 hours in high quality stereo and more than 22 hours in its lowest quality setting, which still sounds remarkably good for dictation and interviews. There are 5 folders to store recordings in, each capable of holding up to 199 files each.
The recording quality (in the 24 hours I've used it) has been impressive. Whether I was recording something from the television or recording a class lecture (a 200-person auditorium class) with the DM-10 in a cargo pocket of my pants, it has impressed me with its clarity and sensitivity. Background noise is pretty much inevitable with any recorder, but the DM-10 sounds great in playback and even has a built-in noise reduction option for that makes playback even better!
Files can include multiple index points (for bookmarking important points) as well as user-added comments to identify files in addition to the automatic timestamp placed on them. SHQ/HQ files are stored in WMA format, so they can be downloaded and listened to in your favorite music player. Another neat feature is the ability to set alarms to remind you to listen to specific files at a preset time.
I did not purchase this device for music and had low expectations for it's so-called music features. I underestimated it. The DM-10 works very well as an MP3 player and is doing very well as a replacement for the MP3 player I broke. It's even got WOW 3D sound support, which my old MP3 player does not have. While I probably wouldn't buy the DM-10 for music (for that I'd want something with the ability to hold extra memory), the ability to play music is a huge bonus and means that I won't need to replace my MP3 player anytime soon.
What really sealed the deal for me in choosing the DM-10 over other recorders is the USB cradle. It is so nice to be able to drop the recorder in the cradle and then have full access from my computer to listen to recordings, download files, add or change comments on files, upload files, etc. without having to fool around with a cable every time.
There are other features I left out, but my opinion is that Olympus has done a great job with this recorder and I am very happy with the purchase. It would be nice if it had the ability to accept external memory, but unless one is using it strictly as a music player, I don't see the 64MB it has onboard as being much of a limitation. Another great convenience would be the ability to recharge the DM-10's batteries just by leaving it in the USB cradle. Perhaps Olympus will release an upgraded cradle at some point to accommodate this.
21 Excellent product
I purchased the DM-20, which has twice the storage. I would recommend finding that one if you plan to use it much for music. It has great support for Windows Media Audio .wma and .mp3 files, and their proprietary format. I try to do everything in .wma. At the lowest quality compression setting you get a very long recording time. Navigation is easy. The controls are set out well. The LCD has good info and lots of options. The voice recording quality is excellent, especially from the remote control plug-in microphone (which might not be available in all versions).
22 Fragile equipment
On May 29, 2004 I ordered the digital recorder, based upon the glowing reviews that I've read about the sound quality. I'm a barbershopper and wanted to have high fidelity digital recordings for the chorus web site and for learning tapes. The device is tiny, sleek and shiny like an elongated lighter. It sounded sensational with the little ear buds, but came with no protective case. On 07/09/04 it stopped working entirely. The display did not light up, yet the batteries were new (2 days old)and the battery display showed that it was fully charged the day before. I was heading out for a rehearsal, and had it on my wrist by the strap. My guess is that it must have bumped into the car door as I slid into the driver's seat. When I took it off my wrist to put on the seat belt, that's when I discovered that the display was dead. I opened the battery slide and the little coil that pushes against the battery sprung out. Without that in place the recorder cannot work. Because the failure happened more than a month after purchase, Home Depot would not cover it. Olympus is having me send it back. We'll see what happens. It's a nice device, with great fidelity, but it's incredibly fragile. I'd hesitate before recommending it.
23 Beware, DSS is Olympus proprietary format, not a "standard"
Yes, the features of this machine are nice, but the DSS format's name "Digital Speech Standard" and Olympus's touting of it as an "international standard" are deliberately misleading. In fact, Olympus owns it and does not even make it available enough for software vendors to develop conversion software. There is no way to, for instance, convert a CD audio, or MP3, or any other audio file into DSS format in order to play it on the DM-10. If you buy the thing thinking you can load 10 hours of CD audio books onto it, you will find that instead you only get 1 hour (in WMA format). And if you call Olympus to ask about it, their tech support people based in India will just tell you tough luck.
24 Wonderful voice recorder, works great in ALL modes
I am going to be conducting interviews for research. I was new to the digital voice recorder buying scene and started out by buying an Olympus VN-3600. That device is OK, but has severe limitations. The most obvious one being that the lower end digital voice recorders do not transfer files to a computer. So if you want to use the space again you have to take your notes and lose the original. The other limitation that the lower-end voice recorders have is poor to unsuable recording in the long-play mode. For the 3600, 6 hours was a joke. Believe me it was completely unsuable. I knew that going in but I didn't realize how crippling not being able to transfer files to the computer would be.
Enter the DM-10. From the reviews here and across the web I decided to give it a try. I am VERY GLAD that I did. What a remarkable device. It has 3(4) recording modes and each one of them is crystal clear. I put 4 in parathensis because if you use a stero microphone it automatically records in SHQ or Super High Quality mode. As many voice recorders have this has a voice activation level so that pauses shut down the recording. This one works really well with 15 different levels. The SP mode gives you 22hours of recording! And it is usable.
I just downloaded the software and it is great. I recorded two files one in HQ mode and one in SP mode. SP and LP recordings are stored in something called DSS files whereas the HQ and SHQ are stored as WMA files. They downloaded in a flash. I also copied them to a folder and then clicked on them and they brought up the software for replay in a flash.
You can also use the DM-10 as an MP3 player. As a nice bonus, and I bought this in early June 2004, the package I got included a stero microphone. You usually get what you pay for and I would suggest if you want to have a ton of recording space and you feel that storing your recordings would be helpful, spend the money on this device. It has too many features to list but all are well-thought out and enhance its usability. The manual is well-written and will get you started in minutes. Really a superb device and worth the money.
25 Buy this DVR. You won't regret it!!!
I was looking for a digital voice recorder for a long time and first tried Olympus W 10 and did not like its sound quality. After reading the reviews here for DM 10, I decided to give it a try and boy am I happy to do that or what??? !!! Features are superb and the sound quality is perfect. Even the LP mode, which can give you a whopping 22 and half hour long recording, is quite decent. It is easily attached to the computer thru USB and transfering files is a piece of cake. It is small and very portable; it can fit easily into your shirt pocket. It looks slick and slim in design. It can even give you CD quality sound for your MP3's on the go. I am very happy with this purchase and wanted to share this with those who are looking for a good DVR.
26 Very Nice
Works very well for lectures. I bought an external mic at RS. Clip it on my briefcase. Excellent sound quality and usability.
27 This thing ROCKS!
After careful scrutinization of model statistics and every review I could find, I finally chose the dm-10. I am happy to say this thing is awesome! If you're considering another model, just look at the sample rate- the sample rate for the dm-10 is WAY higher than any of the other models I looked at. In the words, the sound quality is MUCH better than most others, especially the other OLYMPUS models. This was the final deciding factor for me. It's also easy to use and you can download the files into your pc for cd burning (a MUST, in my opinion).
Really nicely designed - I'm glad I finally made this purchase!
28 Thank you Olympus!!
Thank you Olympus for making a voice recorder that actually WORKS for lecture recording! This compact and rugged unit has excellent sound quality and a more-than-adequate recording time of 4 hrs. and 25 min. (in high-quality mode). It will connect to your PC via a cool little USB cradle adapter (included) or a direct USB cable connection. The software is also very easy to use. The only minor problem I had was with the Windows Media Player 9 install menu on the software CD. Apparently someone forgot to put a link to the setup program from the main install menu because when you click the button, nothing happens. The media player is optional anyway and chances are, you already have it installed on your PC. That is my only reason for not giving it a full 5 star rating. This is currently the best "bang-for-your-buck" DVR available...
