Olympus LS-10 digital recorder

[A440]

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/...sp?product=1350

2GB built in--plus SD slot!

2 AA batteries.

5" x 2" (just have to make sure you don't grab the TV remote instead).

Built-in mics and speakers too. I wish one of these new little recorders would skip the mics, and who needs dinky speakers?

Still no track mark button, as far as I can tell. Wish someone would learn THAT from minidisc.

Edited April 14, 2008 by A440

[Strungup]

From the Tascam post , Weijanwei , posted a link , where there were sound sample , and it sounded So thin and wimpy , absolutely no bass at all .

[ozpeter]

As I said months back, we need to consider whether these forums are going to morph into forums concerning all small recording devices or whether we'll stick to MD as the ship goes down. Anyone wanting to keep in touch with the slew of small recorder releases should (IMHO) be reading the Taperssection forums (heh, currently down at the moment as it happens) where discussion about the Olympus recorder have been going on for a couple of months or so, as memory serves me. Should we have a subforum here for non-MD devices perhaps? Or should we not bother but discuss elsewhere in existing relevant forums? The risk in discussing a few machines here is that people might think that the choice is limited to just those, whereas the choice is now very wide. Dunno... any views?

[RockyJ]

From the Tascam post , Weijanwei , posted a link , where there were sound sample , and it sounded So thin and wimpy , absolutely no bass at all .

Was it with the built in mics which is a waste of space for me.

I would think most any a/d they have would do more than adequate.

I like the idea of 24bit, a dream for recording and editing.

[Strungup]

As I said months back, we need to consider whether these forums are going to morph into forums concerning all small recording devices or whether we'll stick to MD as the ship goes down. Anyone wanting to keep in touch with the slew of small recorder releases should (IMHO) be reading the Taperssection forums (heh, currently down at the moment as it happens) where discussion about the Olympus recorder have been going on for a couple of months or so, as memory serves me. Should we have a subforum here for non-MD devices perhaps? Or should we not bother but discuss elsewhere in existing relevant forums? The risk in discussing a few machines here is that people might think that the choice is limited to just those, whereas the choice is now very wide. Dunno... any views?

Actually OZ ............ I think I can agree with that , and am partially guilty of the above stated infringement .

This is the Md forums , ............. a sub forum isn't a bad idea though.

I dont think the ship is going down , but the masts are broke , and its caught in the Doldrums out in the middle of a Very big ocean .

[A440]

Should we have a subforum here for non-MD devices perhaps? Or should we not bother but discuss elsewhere in existing relevant forums? The risk in discussing a few machines here is that people might think that the choice is limited to just those, whereas the choice is now very wide. Dunno... any views?

Ozpeter, I think it's worth discussing other gadgets on this forum--maybe with a new heading, though I don't know if a moderator is around to make one. The reason is perspective: We have the minidisc habit--track marking and stealth and outboard mics for me, maybe other aspects for other people.

I don't want to read posts that go: Minidisc forever, everything else sucks. I want to know how other MD users feel about the new options.

I'm curious about what's the best next step for those of us who realize that even our cherished little gadgets are going to wear out eventually, or the successor to Vista will permanently break SonicStage, or whatever.

People on this forum are more likely to have HI-MD units to make real A-B comparisons.

And, well, Taperssection drives me a little nuts. Those people who are carrying suitcases full of high-end equipment to jam-band shows are just not me.

-------------

BTW, the specs for mp3 recording on the Olympus LS-10 show that even at 320 kbps, the bass response only goes down to 50Hz. Hence meager bass. I don't know if that's standard for mp3--could it possibly be?--or if that's Olympus's choice.

[ozpeter]

Good points, chaps. Hey, my post read a bit hostile - not intended - I suspect I started the "rot" with posts about the Zoom H2, which I own and find many uses for - but when I go to record an important interview soon, it'll be my RH-1 that I'll take (OK, with the H2 as backup).

I don't think we should pretend that alternatives to MD don't exist, and I do think a subforum is worthwhile, and I agree that perhaps the perspective here is different from the Taperssection people. I chiefly read there (and contribute, sometimes linking to here!) purely to keep in touch with what comes on the market. Their purchasing priorities do differ from mine - so I make my own mind up about what seems good and what seems not.

[RockyJ]

As owner and user of the RH910 I just purchased this LS-10 for these principle changes I needed: recording without occasional clicks of the mech disc; AA batteries; persistence of settings; length of recording without changing anything and last but most important 24bit.

So far it seems it will do the job. With my MD I did get to be fairly stealthy by using the remote for checking the level. The gum batteries are not dependable and soon barely last an hour. A set of new ones I got (from china of course) one can't hold a charge right out of the box. They pretty much need the supplemental sidekick aa unit for the needed recording time.

with the LS-10 I can set the function key to turn on/off the backlight and I can turn off the LED's for stealth use and with 12 bit I don't have to sweat going up to near peak. I record stuff with huge dynamic range and need the resolution at the low end. And now I can either turn it off between sessions knowing I won't lose my settings or I can just leave it on since the battery life seems to be holding pretty well.

Edited April 25, 2008 by RockyDisc

[raintheory]

I agree that hands-on A-B comparisons are best for this forum. Most everyone here has become accustomed to the (Hi-)MD features and would want their next format to be comparable.

That said, this is one device that got my attention. I am trying to sell one of my high-end pro decks to get ahold of one of these.

If and when I do, I will surely provide an in-depth review/comparison.

[RockyJ]

I did a few tests on my MD, a RH910 and my LS10.

Using righmark I did their test for simple desktop speakers to my panasonic mics. Nothing fancy but it compares well. Other factors such as my methods, mics speakers are all common problems so they may mean something. There are a few output results from the standard test but I am posting the freq response.

then I did a test with a 10k resistor into the mic at lo and hi sensitivity.

LS10 Low sens

MD low sens

LS10 High sens

MD High sens

[RockyJ]

I been playing with it for about 30minutes worth and jut now finished recording 3.5 hours and the batteries still show full.

With my RH910 I couldn't get an hour and half out of them without using the supplemental AA battery caddy. I would have to record an hour then replace the disc and batteries--start all over setting the rec settings to manual. What a pain.

This battery situation is a big improvement over HDMD.

[Strungup]

I been playing with it for about 30minutes worth and jut now finished recording 3.5 hours and the batteries still show full.

With my RH910 I couldn't get an hour and half out of them without using the supplemental AA battery caddy. I would have to record an hour then replace the disc and batteries--start all over setting the rec settings to manual. What a pain.

This battery situation is a big improvement over HDMD.

sounds like your 910 battery is bad ,

My RH1 will go for 6 hours or more on battery recording ,

[RockyJ]

using the remote and checking it now and then while recording (backlite may draw some power). I always, from day one with the sony batteries and with 1400mah gumsticks, got at most 3 hours at 44.1 PCM, about 2 disks worth.

They did weaken noticeably so I had to purchase more on Ebay (oriental origin - Vapex brand). 2 in a pack, one is worthless at less than 1 disk and the other can make it through a disk but I wouldn't trust it to do much more and usually would change it out when I changed disks. (disk at PCM is 90 min)

I never confirmed it but I did a recording in compressed format and I thought it was a lot longer, so the activity of writing to disk apparently is the the power drain.

Do you get 6 hours at PCM or in the compressed formats?

So far it looks like I can expect 6 hours of 44.1 24bit recording with the LS10.

I can't buy the gumsticks locally so purchase is overseas at high dollar and a crap shoot on reliability. Another plus for the LS-10.

[Strungup]

Try the GP brand batteries , they have 2100 ma and 2400 versions ,

I have given these to friends and have used them in my CD players , never had a problem .

I am sure others here will vouch for the GP's

Chime in Mdcf

[RockyJ]

My batteries should suffice now, I'm pretty sure I'll never use the R910 again except for a backup if the LS-10 breaks.

Another plus.

The peak and record LED's can be turned off. I also turned off the backlight. Then there is a function button you can program to do a menu item. I programed mine to turn on the backlight. Now I can adjust the level or check the level by hitting the backlight for a few seconds and not disturb anyone. The level graphics has a peak line that persistists momentarily so you can spot the peaks pretty easy. With the R910 I had to anticipate a loud section and turn on the remote and observe the level indicator what a pain. Now when there is a loud section I can do a quick hit of the backlight and check the persistent peak indicator on the level graphic.