ICD-AX412 Stereo Digital Voice Recorder

I bought this voice recorder Sony ICD-AX412 new 4 years ago, I use it for several hours daily to record books and Song in French languages to play them back again in the recorder (itself); the sound excellent and loud, if i set it to loud, i do NEVER have need to earphone, it plays back my recording as I lisent to good CD Player. Never failed in ANY dysfunction. It has 2 GB internal Memory, has slot for MicroSD (Recomended to use no more than 8GB) it has switch (Noise Cut On/Off, another switch (Repeat) that is very useful to repeat phrases or songs if you are learning); another switch to set Speed, another for Volum, Erase, T-Mark; and much more, which makes it easy to operate quickly and simply. Accidentally, more than five times I dropped in hard floor and two times in toilet!! , but Never NEVER this friendly recorder failed. For (four years) It records (as new) in great sound, playbacks it back neatly NO NOISE but Clear sound. UNFURTUNATLY this recorder is disconnected and its price went much higher than the time I bought it NEW from Fry's Electronic local Store for ($69.99) and was the last one. I still use it daily as recorder and player, of course without earphone. Recently I bought 2 used to make worthwhile gift. I am NOT paid by anyone for this Review, but I am saying my experience with this kind friendly Recorder that worth a lot to me for its reliability and perfect making!.

I was really hesitant about buying a voice recorder. I thought about it years ago but thought it would be a waste to hear 2 hr lectures again, BUT with the "T-Mark" button which allows me to "bookmark" a part of the recording, I can easily skip through all of the other stuff to things I thought were important. I especially like that I can also place a T-Mark after the recording has been made and I have reviewed it. The sound quality is great on this recorder, and the Noise Cut is a great help when reviewing with ear buds. Especially since I tend to move a lot of paper around during lecture. I also really like that you can record in different folders, and you can come back to where you left off if you leave the recording. The speed control is also great in case the person said something too quick, you don't have to sit there and try to figure it out. Although I have yet to try it, I'm really looking forward to being able to transfer things onto my computer. I really like that this function is available, or you can also use a memory card for transfer. I like that it has a little "stand" attached to it so it does not have to lay flat as it is recording (reduces noise). The recorder also saves batteries by shutting down after about 1 minute of non use (not playing/recording/deleting). You can simply place it on hold if you need to step away for a small period to say for example take a quick phone call or bathroom break. Overall great product, lightweight, easy to use, and comes with a carrying bag. Although it is a bit on the higher side of the price scale for all of the recorders I looked at here on Amazon, it is well worth the investment if you plan to use it for a long period of time. *UPDATE*- Have been using this for about 6 months now with no problems. Sounds great when played back and has come in real handy after a LONG day of lectures in multiple classes. I sometime listen to it in the car instead of the radio. Also, if you ever find that you transfered one of the MP3 files to the computer and it's a 6 hour long file that you forgot to break up, there is a program I use called Slice Audio File Splitter. It is free to download on CNET. It lets you choose how many pieces you want the file broken down to or you can choose to break it down by any amount of time you choose. I use this for audiobooks as well that I listen to on my MP3 player. Hope this helps!

Device records intermittently. When I try to play a recording, I always get the message: "Process Error" Basically, this is a useless device that cost a premium price. I would discourage anyone from using this vendor for anything.

I bought this for my dad who has insisted on using his dependable high end tape voice recorder -also a Sony- for twenty years. There were some initial hurdles introducing this device: it has about 15 buttons all over it (old device: volume + tape controls), it takes almost 2 seconds to turn on (old device: instant) and it looks significantly cheaper (old device: metal). Surprisingly, what won this hard-core tape user over in the end was the playback sound quality and small size. The entire gadgetry (pitch control, folders, safe erase, computer download, ...) made much less of an impression - I suppose these speak to different kind of users such as interviewers or transcribers, not "voice note takers". All in all, this is a really sweet little recorder, easy to operate and with great voice sound quality. I'm withholding one star because it doesn't turn on instantly. I realize that the current competition is probably the same and it won't matter for many use cases, but when you give this to an older person who takes impromptu voice notes as they go about their day, it's a bit of a drawback.

I have had 3 now of these and plan to get more to give as presents. Bit rates are great and loading mp3 files on them is easy. Don't even bother getting a additional card as 2 gigs is plenty. It has a big manual that come with it that goes into great detail. I love the way you can slowdown or speed up the recordings which makes it great for anyone wanting to learn songs for singing lessons. My first one was lost and 2nd one is in use and the 3rd one is there for when i need it. I love the construction of these recorders. Dynamic sound from these is great and the sound speaker on the device is not loud. Get yourself a good set of noise cancelling ear buds headphones and you cannot beat the dynamic range. I purchased the iGadgitz Black Genuine Leather Case Cover for Sony ICD - PX312 Dictaphone and its a tight fit but will work. Its not a Velcro clasp so you would need to be careful it didn't jump out. I did also attach a lanyard to this recorder that is black and not real long. This keeps you from dropping the recorder.

I ordered this a while ago and used it for 2 semesters now. It is excellent quality even far away. It provides a noise cancelling option and has great volume. It is extremely convenient by having a mini SD slot, I have a 16 GB in mine and it is compatible. It also has an adaption cable that you can easily attach for downloading to your computer. Technology is not my talent but so convenience is very important for me. The battery life is also incredible. It turns itself off when not in use and if you turn it back on while playing it back it picks up where it left off at so you don't need to scroll through to find your spot again. It is also very small, light weight, and compact for my book bag.

This is the second Sony digital recorder we have purchased and are delighted with the features and ease of recording found on the ICD-AX412. We needed a good recorder that was expandable in memory, easy to use, and had some ability to download to a computer. We found all these features and more with this product. The Record/Play buttons are easy to see, and one-touch recording makes it a favorite for what we use the product for. We record music primarily on this for composition and classroom playback. The sound quality is great for the price we paid. There are better performing units available, but they are typically four times the price. Combined with the SD card expansion capability, and ability to download your recorded materials into a computer via the mini-USB port, there is no better performing product in this price range. The internal 2 GB of memory is sufficient for most our recordings, but when we need additional memory, the SD card slot is the perfect answer. We highly recommend this product for voice and music.

I bought this recorder for a recent trip to Israel. It was recommended by a friend who had recently to definitely get a recorder as their tour guide was amazing and no one had thought to bring a recorder along. So, I bought this little gem based on reviews and was so glad I did. I was the ONLY person on the trip with this device and, therefore, always shoved next to the guide so I could get his words. Even on the bus, his voice came through loud and clear and, upon, returning home, I burned a CD for each of my traveling friends and they were just thrilled to have the whole experience on tape. I even recorded street musicians, the call to prayer sounds blasted several times a day throughout the city, etc. I'm 62 and this recorder HAD to be easy for me to work with and it indeed was. I highly recommend it.