VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

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THE BEST VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

After doing 52 hours of research and testing 12 voice recorders over the past two years (adding four recent models for this update) in real-world settings—a college classroom, a noisy coffee shop, and a quiet office—we’ve determined that the best audio recorder for most people interested in capturing meetings, lectures, dictation, and in-person interviews is the Sony UX560.

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

It recorded the most intelligible audio of all the recorders we tested and offers the most useful collection of features: It’s rechargeable via USB; it has a legible, backlit screen; and its menu system is the easiest to navigate.

We tested four new recorders and have a new main pick, the Sony UX560; a runner-up, the Olympus WS-853; and a budget pick, the Sony PX470. For the first time, we also considered the best smartphone apps for those who do only occasional recordings.

The Sony UX560 is an easy-to-use recorder that provides crisp, clear audio in the most-common recording situations.

It recharges via USB and lets you easily transfer files to a computer.

$74* from Amazon

*At the time of publishing, the price was $80.

A close up of the sony ux560 interface for customizing settings.

Customizing settings on the UX560 is more intuitive than with the other recorders we tested.

The UX560 was the easiest recorder to navigate and use among those tested. It’s intuitive to use out of the box: Pressing the home button leads you to a simple toggle menu where you can record, fine-tune settings, and listen to music (that can be uploaded to the device from a computer) or recordings.

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Buttons are clearly labeled, unlike on the Philips DVT2510, and a back button makes menu navigation much simpler than on the Olympus WS-853.

The UX560 has a built-in USB 3.0 plug.

Which can be extended or retracted by sliding a button on the side of the recorder that lets you connect the recorder to your computer to download your recordings.

Once the connection has been made, you can also name files and folders on the device from your desktop—those changes are clearly reflected on the device, something that couldn’t be done with the other picks and might come in handy for long-term organization.

The Philips recorder lacks this function altogether; on the Olympus, Anna was able to rename files and folders from her Mac, but the device no longer saw them (the Olympus manual does warn against this possibility).

A looping video of the Sony ux560’s built in usb stick.

With a built-in USB plug, you can recharge the UX560 and easily transfer files to a computer for organizing and sharing.

Pull Quote

The Sony UX560’s extra features make an already-great recorder stand out from the rest voice activated tape recorders.

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

The UX560 also has a rechargeable battery that charges via that USB plug.

This means you won’t have to worry about having disposable batteries on hand.

The UX560 doesn’t come with a wall charger—you’ll need to use a USB charger or connect the recorder to a computer to charge.

If you have a recent Apple laptop or other computer with only USB-C ports, you’ll need an adapter.

With a full charge, you can record for 27 hours in the commonly used MP3 format.

Or 23 hours at the 560’s highest-quality setting (uncompressed LPCM audio at 44.1 kHz, or “CD quality” audio).

Anna recorded for about two hours, and the battery indicator showed that the recorder was still fully charged.

The recorder comes with 4 GB of storage, which allows for roughly 39 hours of recording time using MP3 format at 192 Kbps; that’s comparable to what you get with most of the recorders we tested. A covered but easily accessible microSD slot allows for 32 GB more of storage space if you need more recording hours. The UX560 offers a range of file and recording formats so you can opt for better audio quality or smaller file sizes.

The UX560’s extra features make an already-great recorder stand out from the rest. Choose from a “noise cut” filter (which rolls off both low and high frequency sounds) or a low-cut filter to reduce boomy lower frequencies and rumbly sounds alone. Scene selection presets let you optimize EQ and microphone sensitivity settings for lectures, meetings, interviews, voice notes, and loud and soft music scenarios.

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

You can mark locations in your recording on the fly.

So you can return to them later as you listen, and voice-activated recording can automatically stop you during pauses in conversation.

This feature was on all of the recorders tested, though you’ll probably prefer to manually pause .

And restart recordings to make sure you’re getting the audio you want.

Selecting the Clear Voice function during playback helped reduce background noise in our coffee shop and lecture recordings but didn’t make as big of a difference as the noise-cancel feature on the Olympus. The UX560’s other playback options, however, made it overall a better choice than the Olympus for people looking to transcribe interviews or lectures: an A-B Repeat function lets you go back and replay the same section repeatedly, and digital pitch control lets you adjust the playback speed if you need to listen more closely to difficult-to-decipher passages.

The UX560 has a transcription mode that will give you a cleaner interface with fewer distractions while transcribing

If that’s something you prefer, but you can still fast-forward, rewind,.

And adjust the digital pitch control in regular playback mode.

Oddly, you won’t be able to use the A-B Repeat to replay the same section repeatedly in transcription mode.

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

For better audio quality.

You can plug in an external mic, though we think that would be unnecessary for most people given the good results we were able to get with the onboard mics in our varied test situations. The UX560 also has a headphone jack for monitoring recordings and listening to playback.

The UX560 is a small, compact recorder that feels nice in the hand, and its matte plastic and sleek design make it look a little less cheap than others that were tested. At just 4 inches tall, 1.5 inches wide, and 0.44 inch thick, the UX560 is the slimmest recorder we tested. It can easily fit into a shirt pocket or in the pocket of skinny jeans, while the other recorders are almost twice as thick and fit better in a purse or bag.

The sony ux560 sitting on top of the sony icd px470, demonstrating their sizes.

The UX560 is half as thick as the PX470, making it easy to fit in a shirt or pants pocket.

Like all of the recorders we tested, the UX560 also comes with a strap loop if you want to add a wrist strap or lanyard; you’ll need to provide your own, though it’s easy enough to find an inexpensive option.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The screen on the UX560’s fades and eventually shuts off during recording, which is a little disconcerting, but an LED indicates that you’re still recording. This recorder also lacks a convenient erase button, so you’ll need to navigate through its menu to delete recordings.

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Runner-up: Olympus WS-853 Voice Activated Tape Recorders

A hand holding the olympus WS-853 voice recorder.

Runner-up

Olympus WS-853

More storage and longer battery life, lower-quality audio

Although its audio quality isn’t as good as our main pick’s, the Olympus WS-853 has more internal storage and longer battery life.

$70 from Office Depot Deal

If you can’t find the Sony UX560, or its price increases dramatically, we also like the Olympus WS-853 for its superior combination of storage space and battery life, each of which was better than with everything else we tested. The Olympus didn’t do as well as the UX560 in our listening tests, ranking lowest overall for audio quality by our panel, though its recordings are still understandable and it scored well on the lecture test, tying with the UX560.

A close up of the olympus WS-853 interface showing the internal memory storage.

With 8 GB of internal storage, the Olympus has the most memory of the recorders we tested.

The Olympus has one of the largest screens of the models tested, larger than that of our main pick. The larger screen makes the menus slightly easier to see in daylight, but the Olympus’s screen isn’t backlit, making it harder to use in low-light settings.

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

As with the Sony UX560, a pop-out USB 3.0 plug

Lets you easily upload files to a computer and recharge the two replaceable AAA batteries, which takes about 3 hours.

The Olympus doesn’t have quite as many high-quality recording options as the UX560.

But it still has a range of formats that let you optimize quality or maximize storage space.

It also has a low-cut filter to reduce excess low-end rumble.

Although the Olympus doesn’t have a scene setting aimed at recording music like our main pick.

It has presets that tailor recording settings for dictation, meetings, conferences, and telephone recordings.

Like the UX560, the Olympus has a voice-activated recording setting to automatically stop and start recordings based on volume levels so you don’t have to manually pause if you’re recording a lecture or conversation with lots of breaks. VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

While playing back audio, the WS853 can compensate somewhat for problems.

You might have run into while recording: a noise-cancellation setting can reduce overall background hiss (though this comes at the expense of battery life).

While a voice balancer setting can even out recordings that were made with the mic sensitivity set too low or high by compressing the overall level for a more even sound (though you might run into increased noise). VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

The olympus WS853 voice activated tape recorder next to its black case.

A neoprene case protects the Olympus from bumps and scratches.

The Olympus is made of shiny plastic and has raised buttons that some people will find easier to use. It’s the only recorder we tested to come with a case—a neoprene sleeve—which is useful for protecting the recorder during storage.

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Budget pick: Sony ICD-PX470

A hand holding the Sony ICD-PX470 voice activated tape recorder.

Budget pick

Sony ICD-PX470

Sony ICD-PX470

If you mainly record in quiet environments

The PX470 is a bit bulkier than our main pick, and its audio quality isn’t as good.

But it has a similar layout and navigation system.

It does best in quiet settings with minimal background noise. VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

$80* from B&H deal

*At the time of publishing, the price was $60 deal.

If you mainly record voice activated memos in your office, or interviews in quiet rooms.

You can save some money by choosing the Sony ICD-PX470.

While our panel ranked the Sony PX470 lower than the UX560 in overall audio quality, the PX470 did get the highest scores for our interview recorded in a quiet office.

It rated poorly in the lecture test, however, as listeners said that background and foreground noises overpowered the speaker’s voice activated tape recordwers. VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Pull Quote

If you mainly record voice memos in your office, or interviews in quiet rooms.

You can save some money by choosing the Sony ICD-PX470.

The PX470’s menu system is similar to that of the UX560 and has an identical button layout.

The screen, however, is smaller, dimmer, and harder to read than the UX560’s. The PX470 is also

Slightly larger and bulkier—while the UX560 is about the thickness of an iPhone, the PX470 is closer to the thickness of two iPhones.

At that size, it’s not as convenient to carry around in a pocket.

However, with its larger overall size it may be better for people who have trouble using smaller devices like the UX560 and the Olympus. The PX470 doesn’t look as sleek as the UX560 (as you might expect for a cheaper model).

The PX470 has a battery life of 55 hours, which is longer than that of our main pick, but it doesn’t have a built-in rechargeable battery.

Uses AAA batteries. It has 4 GB of storage with a microSD slot if you want to add memory—similar to what you get with our top pick, but less than what you get with our runner-up.

Also has a built-in USB 3.0 plug for easy file upload.

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Best for iPhone

Voice Memos is included free with every iOS device, is ad-free, produces high-quality recordings, and is super simple to use.

Buy from Apple Deal Voice Activated Tape Recorders Miami Beach Coral Gables

The best voice-recording iOS app for most people—provided your recording environment is relatively quiet—is the one that comes free with your iPhone: Voice Memos.

It’s one of the simplest ways to start and stop recording, it’s easy to quickly share your audio files.

And it doesn’t include annoying ads like many free apps.

Our listening panel thought the voice recordings it captured in lecture and office recordings were understandable.

Although the app doesn’t do as well in very noisy environments. VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Voice Memos lets you easily trim recordings (left) by tapping the Trim button and then holding and dragging markers to specific locations; the app lists recordings (middle) in a simple list.

The third-party Voice Recorder app (right) displays recordings as icons and has annoying ads.

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Like all the iOS apps we considered, you can easily share recordings made using Voice Memos via email, iMessage, Slack, Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, or any other app or service that integrates with iOS’s Share Sheet.

The paid version of Voice Recorder offers a few more cloud storage options, like uploading straight to an FTP or using WebDAV protocols, but we don’t think most people need these features. VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Voice Memos displays your recordings in a list; they can’t be organized into folders.

While this is slightly frustrating, it’s fairly standard for recorder apps—even the priciest app we tested.

Just Press Record, won’t let you rename and organize folders.

Recordings are still easy to see and find in Voice Memos’s list (easier than in Voice Recorder’s icon grid).

And you can label and name files. Voice Memos doesn’t offer any recording options:

You can’t change sample or bit rate or file format. VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

¿WHERE TO FIND VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS IN MIAMI BEACH?

Miami is a major port city on the Atlantic coast of south Florida in the southeastern United States.

As the seat of Miami-Dade County, the municipality is the principal, central,.

And the most populous city of the Miami metropolitan area and part of the second-most populous metropolis in the southeastern United States.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Miami’s metro area is the eighth-most populous and fourth-largest urban area in the U.S.

 

With a population of around 5.5 million. VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Miami is a major center.

And a leader in finance, commerce, culture, media, entertainment, the arts, and international trade. In 2012, Miami was classified as an Alpha−World City in the World Cities Study Group’s inventory. VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

In 2010, Miami ranked seventh in the United States and 33rd among global cities in terms of business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement. In 2008, Forbes magazine ranked Miami “America’s Cleanest City”, for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets, and citywide recycling programs. VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

According to a 2009 UBS study of 73 world cities, Miami was ranked as the richest city in the United States, and the world’s seventh-richest city in terms of purchasing power.

Miami is nicknamed the “Capital of Latin America” and is the largest city with a Cuban-American plurality.

Miami has the third tallest skyline in the U.S. with over 300 high-rises.

Downtown Miami is home to the largest concentration of international banks in the United States.

And many large national and international companies.

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

¿WHERE TO FIND VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS IN CORAL GABLES?

 Coral Gables, officially the City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, located southwest of Downtown Miami.

The United States Census Bureau estimates conducted in 2013 yielded the city had a population of 49,631. Coral Gables is home to the University of Miami.

Today, Coral Gables remains one of Miami’s most sought-after destinations.

It’s home to the first art museum in South Florida, along with Venetian Pool, Actors’ Playhouse, and the iconic Biltmore Hotel.

The city also boasts the flagship of South Florida’s beloved bookseller, Books & Books, which features hundreds of author events throughout the year.

As for dining, hundreds of eateries offer a range of cuisine and experiences, from fine dining to New American and fast-casual. VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Also Coral Gables, is a quiet, lovely neighborhood of Mediterranean Revival homes that was originally developed by George Merrick in 1925.

Merrick also established a very luxurious hotel – The Biltmore – in the area.

The streets, largely residential, are adorned with classy fountains, such as De Soto Boulevard’s Venetian fountain. VOICE ACTIVATED TAPE RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

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