Review on 🎙️ Compact and Efficient: Olympus Pearlcorder S713 Microcassette Recorder by Joseph Hall

I've owned half a dozen micro cassette players over the last few years and the S713 is the best I've used to date. The playback quality is excellent (for voice recordings). Very clearly. There is no discernible tape hiss from electronic components (which is a real problem with tape decks in general). The recorder has a large speaker with a large volume range. In fact, it's so loud that I usually skip it most of the time. This makes the S713 great for playing sheet music and the like in noisy environments. Microphone sensitivity is limited, but not too bad. I haven't tried it in a conference setting, and I wouldn't rely on a recording device without some sort of external microphone for an interview. Forget about recording music or lectures in large halls. However, the built-in microphone is great for voice dictation - either by raising the recorder to your mouth or using the microphone from an external headset. Note: You must use an adapter to connect a standard microphone to the recorder jack, but an adapter can be purchased from Radio Shack for four or five dollars. Battery life with Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries is excellent. I use my S713 every day, sometimes for longer dictations, and typically don't have to change batteries for a few weeks. The recorder is made of plastic, but quite durable and looks high quality overall. I've been using mine almost daily for over a year and haven't had any problems at all. VCVA works similar to how voice activation ever worked with microcassette recorders. The S713 wakes up more or less quickly, but it may take a few seconds to go back to sleep. Some clipping occurs, but it's not that bad. I could be wrong on that, but I don't think the VCVA sensitivity can be adjusted so that background noise occasionally wakes up the recorder. If you want to use VCVA, you'll get better results with a noise-cancelling headset mic (ideal for dictating while driving). The voice recorder can be easily operated with one hand. It has a pause lever which was a little awkward to use at first, but after getting used to it, I started using it constantly. There is a small problem with the design. Fast Play and VCVA are enabled with a single switch, and which one takes effect depends on whether you're recording or playing back. For example, if you select VCVA, record something and then forget to deselect VCVA during playback, the recorder will play your recording at high speed. It doesn't matter, but it can be confusing until you realize you need to revert to normal playback before playing. The S713 would be absolutely perfect if it had an indexing function, i.e. a beep at the end or beginning of a recording section. Unfortunately this is not the case, so you have to rely on an index counter, but this is fairly common with microcassette recorders. In general, the S713 is a great recorder for this price range if you basically just want to record your voice. Too bad it doesn't seem to be in production anymore. UPDATE 2015 When I bought this recorder I think it was about $80 new. I still think it's a great recorder, but I wouldn't pay the current price ($350) for this or any other microcassette recorder. These recorders are considered vintage collectibles and prices have skyrocketed as a result. They're so expensive now that if you have that kind of cash, you're better off buying a quality professional or consumer digital recorder. These prices are insane. Out of production. UPDATE 2015 When I bought this recorder I think it was about $80 new. I still think it's a great recorder, but I wouldn't pay the current price ($350) for this or any other microcassette recorder. These recorders are considered vintage collectibles and prices have skyrocketed as a result. They're so expensive now that if you have that kind of cash, you're better off buying a quality professional or consumer digital recorder. These prices are insane. Out of production. UPDATE 2015 When I bought this recorder I think it was about $80 new. I still think it's a great recorder but I wouldn't pay the current price ($350) for this or any other microcassette recorder. These recorders are considered vintage collectibles and prices have skyrocketed as a result. They're so expensive now that if you have that kind of cash, you're better off buying a quality professional or consumer digital recorder. These prices are insane. but I wouldn't pay the current price ($350) for this or any other microcassette recorder. These recorders are considered vintage collectibles and prices have skyrocketed as a result. They're so expensive now that if you have that kind of cash, you're better off buying a quality professional or consumer digital recorder. These prices are insane. but I wouldn't pay the current price ($350) for this or any other microcassette recorder. These recorders are considered vintage collectibles and prices have skyrocketed as a result. They're so expensive now that if you have that kind of cash, you're better off buying a quality professional or consumer digital recorder. These prices are insane.