Olympus DM-420

The Olympus DM-420 is a hand-held digital voice recorder/music player with 2GB of internal memory and a Micro SD card slot which adds another 512MB - 16GB of removable memory. Both MP3 and WMA Stereo audio formats are supported with the highest MP3 quality setting of 44.1 kHz/320 kbps for a maximum recording time of 13 hours 45 minutes.

However, various sample rates of either format may be used which can increase the recording time to a maximum of 533 hours. A voice activated record setting also increases maximum record time by recording only when sound is sensed and stopping again when it senses a period of silence, extending battery life in the process.

WAV files can be uploaded via USB and played although WAV format recording is not supported. A 3.5mm microphone jack for connecting an external mic is included as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack for private listening. The DM-420 comes with Olympus Sonority editing software which allows you to edit and manage recorded files and is also capable of Podcast management and downloading. Included in the box is a carrying case and strap, earphone and two rechargeable batteries. The next step up from this model is the DM-520 which comes with the same features and double the internal memory for over 1000 hours recording time and is available in black finish.