Top 6 Digital Voice Recorders

Recording, sound quality and storage capacity that doesn't make a big dent in your wallet - if those are the qualities you're looking for in a digital voice recorder, this is the digital voice recorder you want. With 256 MB flash memory, the WS-300M voice recorder can store documents and images as well as audio. As for recording, it boasts of up to 68 hours of recording time (or about 66 songs) with features such as index marking and a variety of playback modes. And the sound? Superior for the price.

The Olympus DS-30 is one of the company's most sensitive recorders and is a great pick for those looking for quality sound recording. The built-in stereo microphone has three sensitivity settings and you can add an external mic if you like. The DS-30 digital voice recorder has up to 67 hours of recording time in LP mode, voice activation recording, five different recording modes, 256 MB flash memory and plays and stores MP3 and WMA files. A USB cable for quick file transfer and DSS Player Software for easy editing of your voice files are both included.

This one makes the list of best digital voice recorders because of its combination of features and price. The WS-311M has recording features such as a built-in stereo microphone, the ability to set up to 16 index marks within a file, slow and fast playback and voice filtering that are usually only found in higher priced digital voice recorders. To transfer files, all you have to do is plug the recorder into a computer's USB port. Other features include 138 hours of recording time in LP mode, 512 MB internal Flash Memory and the ability to play and store both MP3 and WMA files. No editing software is included.

This digital voice recorder has two big selling points; a good amount of recording time (95 hours in LP mode) and the ability to play MP3 files. Whether you care about the second of these or not, this is a fine recorder with all the features you need for recording, playing back and organizing your voice files, such as voice operated recording, overwrite, cue and review, easy search and three message folders. File transfer is by USB cable and Digital Voice Editor software is included.

It's sleek and stylish but that's not what earns Sony's ICD-U60 digital voice recorder a place on this list; it earns a spot because of its features. The ICD-U60 has functions such as Digital Voice Up (which increases the volume of the person speaking when recorded at a distance from the unit) and Digital Pitch Control (which lets you hear recordings at slower than normal speeds to facilitate transcribing or editing) which I find really handy. It also has 512MB of built-in flash memory, a built-in USB connector for quick file transfer, and up to 251 hours of recording time in LP mode.

The Olympus WS-100 offers convenient "shirt-pocket" recording and file transfer at a good price point. This digital voice recorder is also a portable data drive, so you can download documents, presentations, images, and music tracks from one computer and transfer them to another – just by plugging the digital recorder into the computer's USB port. You can record things, too, of course. The Olympus WS-100 offers 27 hours and 20 minutes of recording time, three recording modes and up to 16 index marks. Editing software is not included.