Consumer Ratings & Reports Best Digital Voice Recorder

A digital voice recorder is one of the essential accessories in everyday life. Whether professional or private, it allows you to memorize a lasting trace of a sound in order to listen to it later. More and more individuals are using a voice recorders to record lessons, conferences, meetings, notes, or even a concert. But to find the model that fully meets your needs, a few parameters must be taken into account. Discover in this guide and compare all the keys to opt for the best model. Go through the consumer reports best digital voice recorder reviews to determine the right product for your needs.

Reviewing 5 Best Digital Voice Recorders

1. G Digital Voice Recorder 48GB

consumer reports best digital voice recorder

This is one of the most popular digital voice recorders available on the market, which boasts cutting-edge ten-core triple digital intelligent noise reduction technology that offers high-quality sound especially when the person is speaking nearby. The company has equipped the device with a unique omnidirectional stereo microphone, which is capable of capturing sounds from a distance. The voice recorder features 16GB memory along with a 32GB TF card for memory expansion. The device can record audio for up to 3343 hours, thanks to a large 500mAh rechargeable battery. You can record voices for up to 13 hours continuously and listen to the playback for up to 24 hours using earphones.

The voice recorder features a voice-activated function, which can be turned on to set the voice levels at 7 different levels. This function allows the device to catch the speaking words if the voice decibel level is correct, irrespective of the levels of volume. You won’t hear any silent whispers or snippets in the recordings. Using this recorder is a breeze, as there are 3 buttons provided on it for the record, save, and playback. You will also like other features like A-B repeat, rewind, fast forward, 3.5mm headphone plug, variable speed playback, mp3 player, line-in and password, etc. You can also save recordings with time stamps, and save them to your computer or phone as the recorder supports USB Type-C, which comes along in the package.

2. Sony ICD-PX470 Stereo Digital Voice Recorder

consumer reports best digital voice recorder

Sony is in the digital voice recorder market with its incredible product, which has a direct USB connection for quick transfer of files to computers and other devices. The company has provided a micro-SD card slot as well, which allows you to expand your memory. The digital voice recorder features around 55 hours of battery life that enables extended recording.

You can easily adjust the range of the microphone to obtain a clearer result in terms of voices. The presence of auto voice recording in this device brings down the background noise significantly. In the package, you will get the voice recorder, a couple of AAA-size alkaline batteries, an instruction manual, and a warranty card.

3. GARMAY Digital Voice Recorder

consumer reports best digital voice recorder

Here is another popular digital voice recorder, which is coming from the house of Garmay. This one has an in-built memory of 16GB along with a 32GB TF card, which can be inserted in the card slot of the recorder. The recorder is capable of storing 3343 hours of recording and can record up to 72 hours of recording in a go. The company has equipped this recorder with several features like HD stereo for clear recording along with DSP noise reduction technology for ignoring background noise. The inclusion of noise-cancellation microphones, sonic cancellation, and filtering allows clear recording in different environments.

The digital voice recorder comes with a 350mAh rechargeable battery, which supports up to 32 hours of recording.  You can set the voice decibels at 4 different levels, which makes it easier for you to determine and save the recordings. You will find this recorder useful if you are looking to record lectures, interviews, speeches, meetings, etc. Once you are done with the recording, you can transfer it to your computer using a micro-USB cable that comes along with the device. You can easily play, share, delete and rename the recordings according to your preference. Just keep in mind that the recording will have a delay of around 6-7 seconds for the first time, but then, the delay will be of 2-3 seconds afterward. In case you have any doubt or complaint about the product, you can easily get in touch with the company.

4. EVISTR 16GB Voice Activated Digital Voice Recorder With Playback

consumer reports best digital voice recorder

Here is an ultra-modern digital voice recorder, which is capable of capturing 1536kbps crystal clear audio. It features a dynamic noise-cancellation microphone, which focuses on the speech that you want in the recording and ignores all ambient sounds. You can set the recording quality in mp3 format at 64 and 128 kbps or in WAV format at 1536 kbps. You can charge the recording device or transfer the recordings to your computer using a micro-USB cable.

Recording the voices and playing them is a breeze, as you just need to press ‘REC’ to record, then press ‘STOP’ to stop and save the recording safely. It comes with all the functions that you need such as A-B repeat, rewind during playback and fast forward. The digital voice recorder also features AVR voice-activated function, which only records when the person speaks, hence reducing blank and whispering snippets. You can also save recordings with time stamps, which you can easily find out. In the package, you will get a voice recorder, an earphone, a USB cable for charging the device, and data transfer.

5. Aiworth 48GB Digital Voice Activated Recorder 

consumer reports best digital voice recorder

Last on the list is a digital voice recorder from Aiworth, which provides 1536kbps dual-mic PCM recordings. The device features an E36 voice recorder with a dual sensitive microphone, which offers crystal clear recordings, especially of a person in proximity. The voice recorder comes with 48GB memory out of which, 16GB is built-in and 32GB is in the form of a TF card. The device boasts an 800mAh rechargeable battery, which supports up to 45 hours of continuous recording.

The device also comes with password protection, so you can set a 3-digit password to keep your recordings safe. There are 16 levels to adjust the speed of the recordings, you can play the recorded voice faster, jump to other recordings and slow the recording according to your requirements. It also features an A-B repeat function that will come in handy on numerous occasions. In the box, you will get a digital voice recorder, micro-USB cable, line-in cable, and after-sales service card.

Features Of A Digital Voice Recorder

consumer reports best digital voice recorder

Admittedly, the voice recorder is a device little known to the public. Some people confuse it with an audio recorder. The latter is capable of recording sound from any sound spectrum. Conversely, a voice recorder allows you to capture only voice frequencies. Professionals opt for audio recording when doing rehearsals. To do this, they, therefore, work in a recording studio. Conversely, a voice recorder is used anywhere depending on your needs.

According to the opinions of countless buyers, the voice recorder seems very practical. It is distinguished by its small size and its featherweight.

Previously, the term voice recorder was only limited to a simple dictation recording device. Thanks to the advancement of technology, manufacturers are not lacking in innovation and creativity. The digital voice recorder has therefore emerged and is becoming more and more popular today. Forget the tape recorder with the cassette that always has to be replaced. Time has passed and now the voice recorder has built-in flash memory. Some can record sound through a micro-SD card.

As for the telephone recorder, it is one of the functions integrated into high-end devices such as smartphones and tablets. This device is not only PC compatible, but can also be played back by recording software to correct sounds.

The digital recorder is currently available in several forms. Various designs are available on the market such as the voice recorder pen for example. Multiple models feature an interesting mode of operation. They are capable of providing excellent recording quality. Easy to use, you can use a voice recorder for internet audio podcasting, note taking, interviewing, or cheat sheets.

Be that as it may, we must remain cautious in the face of the diversity of models. To get a better voice recorder, the results of our comparisons and tests help us to discern these selection criteria.

The Main Functions Of A Digital Voice Recorder

consumer reports best digital voice recorder

It is important to know that depending on the model, different functions may be available. For a good quality device, here are the features you can find.

Different recording formats

It is indeed good to note that this kind of voice recording device may have various recording formats.

  • MP3 format: With the MP3 recording format, you will benefit from quality compressed files. The internal memory of the device is also optimized. Some models can directly play recorded sound files and some are not. A recording device must therefore have the “read” function to be able to read a file.
  • WMA format: Being the acronym for Windows Media Audio, it is a compression format used by the Windows operating system. It is ideal for professionals who want to process audio files on Windows Media Player for example. If you want to facilitate transfer and extraction on Windows, you should check that the model you intend to acquire has this format.
  • PCM or Pulse Code Modulation format: This is a professional format with very high sound quality. However, the saved files are not compressed but are saved in a state that can be described as raw. The recovered sound is therefore particularly consistent with the recording you made. The format can therefore be processed professionally and can also be played on any operating system. Its only drawback is that it is much heavier than a simple MP3 format file.

Recording speeds

Depending on the models, speed levels ranging from 3 to 7 may be available. This feature also determines the maximum recording time. To illustrate, know that the LP speed allows you to capture longer, but the rendering will leave a little to be desired. On the other hand, an HQ or SHQ recording speed will allow you to benefit from the irreproachable sound quality. However, the files will take up more space in the internal memory of the device.

Editing an audio file

You should know that professional recorders allow you to make file modifications. In other words, you will have the option of erasing part of the sound, going back over it, or going back. In addition, to make your use of the device even easier, with some models, you can put markers on important passages.

Triggering voice recording

You should know that the recorder models have a function called VCVA or "voice trigger”. This means you won't have to press any button to start recording. Just speak and the mic can pick up your voice and you're done. As soon as you stop talking, the process will stop immediately. This feature can be especially useful during long-duration recordings to save battery and memory.

Wrapping Up

A digital voice recorder is definitely a useful device if you are a student who wants to record the teachings, an employee who wants to record important points raised in the meeting, or record any other important information. So, don’t settle for a mediocre voice recorder when you can easily get the consumer reports best digital voice recorder at an affordable price.