RCA VR5220

The RCA VR5220 / VR 5230 are digital voice recorders designed to offer between 200 to 400 hours of recording space. Both utilize a sleek, portable design in addition to an integrated speaker, microphone, and headphone jack.

More importantly, these DVRs offer voice-activated recording that immediately begins recording the second it detects sound. Also included is automatic date/time stamping, multiple playback speeds, and built-in editing functions. Note that all records are stored in the VOC format, which isn’t compatible with Windows Media Player or iTunes. Another problem are the non-intuitive user controls. The RCA VR5220 and its peer rely on multi-function buttons that must be pressed in different directions to toggle a specific function.