ICD-p520's memory is great, as is the price

I work as a reporter and use digital voice recorders in noisy conditions. Durability and clear and crisp voice recordings are critical for me. It’s from that perspective my review is of the ICD-p520 is based.

This monaural digital recorder has a big jump in memory capability from the previous model. But other than that, it doesn’t differ in operation or features. That’s not a bad thing in this case. The ICD-p520 is a solid recorder.

But be warned: Many stores still sell the earlier model, the p320. (I was just in a local Best Buy.) There’s no real difference in retail price but a huge difference in capability.

I looked at this new model in two different Sony Style stores, one in San Francisco near the Moscone Center and the other at the Pentagon City Mall in Alexandria, Va.

The store associate in San Francisco told me that the p520 will record in stereo if I attached a stereo microphone to it. I was incredulous but kept my doubt private. I asked to see some documentation and received a copy of the basic specs. There was nothing on the sheet suggesting stereo capability. There was nothing on the Web about stereo capability, either.

When I stopped in the Sony Style in store in Alexandria a store associate told me the exact same thing: the p520 can record in stereo, he said. This must be an undocumented feature, I told him. He took off the back room to call someone and was gone for about 10 minutes and said he was wrong, it can’t record in stereo. I nonetheless bought the recorder, and later tested it at home with two different stereo microphones, both Sony models, and there was no stereo sound.

The major difference between the p320 and p520 is memory holding capability. The previous generation, the ICD-p320 has 7 hours and 20 minutes of voice recording capacity at its highest setting, HQ. Its next setting, SP, holds19 hours and 35 minutes.

The ICD-p320 has 64 MB of memory.
The ICD-p520 has 256 MB of memory

The ICD-520 can hold 29 hours and 45 minutes of voice recording in its HQ mode and 79 hours and 20 minutes in SP.

Both units, the p320 and p520, have a third recording mode, LP, which increases the time in the p520’s case to more than 130 hours. I don’t recommend using LP; the voice sounds weak, mumbled and inaudible in some cases.

The memory increase in the p520 is huge. Memory prices have been falling because of increases in production capability, and that’s why you can get more memory for the dollar in MP3 players and many other types of electronic devices. It’s no different voice recorders.

The decrease in memory pricing is also making stereo digital recording much more affordable. Stereo uses a lot more memory. Sony sells a stereo model, ICD-SX57 which also has 256 MB of memory that in its ultra high stereo mode, STHQ (stereo high quality), has for 4 hours and 10 minutes of capacity -- a recording level that Sony says it is good for live music. (This unit has a number of other recording levels) I’ve just ordered this model for $111 on Amazon and will post a review about after I test it out.

In terms in operation, the p520 is very basic and simple and the buttons for controlling the unit are logically placed. It isn’t easy – on just about all the Sony units – to adjust the unit’s settings on the unit itself. You have to scroll through the various settings, and it can take a little finesse to get the button just right. But I almost never adjust settings on the device, and instead use the software interface.

The major reason for using Sony voice recording products is the software that accompanies product. The Sony Digital Voice Editor is is stable, rarely crashes and is very easy to use. This software is designed with the writer in mind who needs to transcribe. But it does not work on Macintosh.

The p520 (and all the digital voice recorders made by Sony except some low end models) connect via USB to the PC. From the software interface, you can adjust the recorder’s settings, microphone sensitivity level (I’m always set to high), recording sensitivity (I’m always in HQ) and other settings. You can erase recordings, name them as you would any document and save them to your PC.

For playback, the voice editor has some default keyboard setting for playback, reverse, etc., that work for me, but it also gives you the option of creating your own custom playback controls.

I really can’t find any fault with this software, although I wish it had to the ability to save directly to a CD for archiving. Instead, you must first save on your PC. Oddly, an earlier version of the voice editor (And I can’t remember the version) had the ability to save direct to CD, but it was eliminate on later versions.

For years I used a Sony manorial microphone, the ECM-DM5P, to record. The quality of this microphone is exceptional. I lost it and it’s out of stock and Sony mostly sells stereo microphones today. Because of what I do, recording quality is critical – especially in less than ideal conditions. With the p520 I’ve tried two things – the built -in microphone and some stereo microphones that I own. The built-in microphone seems more sensitive while there is muffling quality when stereo is used. If the recorder is pointed roughly at the direction of the person you are interviewing the sound quality is good. It’s a directional microphone that seems to work in its favor in crowded, semi-noisy situations.

It takes two AA batteries and you will need to reset time/date each time you change out – although time and date isn’t needed for operation. At HQ recording level, the battery life is put at 11 hours, with playback at 7.5 hours. Sony’s battery life estimate seems right to me.

Out of the box, the p520 it comes with a USB cable, batteries, and software. The documentation is clear, but this device is so intuitive you probably won’t need to consult it. There’s no carrying case but the unit is rugged enough despite its light weight. If you are using an external microphone make sure it pushed down all the way; it’s a snug fitting.