Although most people use voice recorders for simply recording lectures and meetings, there are a lot of people who need a more advanced voice recorder for dictation. If you are looking for a voice recorder that can help you dictate, there are some recorder models on the market that can be your best partner!
So, what kind of voice recorders is good to use for dictation? We will be sharing some key features of voice recorders if you are buying a voice recorder for dictation. Plus, there are a few recommended voice recorders listed in this post, and you can jump right to part two directly to see our selected products.
How to Choose When Buying Voice Recorders for Dictation?
Speech Recognition or Transcription Software Included
If you are shopping for a new digital voice recorder for dictation, transcription software is also a must. Many digital recorders provide free transcription software like Dragon natural speaking software in their product bundles. Some software included is specially designed for recorders, which makes it transcript your recordings to text directly and conveniently. Another advantage is that, when buying a voice recorder for dictation, if the recorder comes with free software that turns your audio files into text, it will save you a lot of money.
Of cause, you can buy the transcription software and the recorder separately, but the price may be much higher. Also, the software and your recorder may not be the perfect match when it comes to transcription performance.
Microphones That Capture Clear Voice
To get the clear voice without background noise, pick a digital voice recorder with several microphones, which can offer true and clear recordings that can be easily recognized correctly by transcription software. You can opt for a high-quality recorder with noise-cancellation technology to make sure all the sentences can be identified when you transcript them into text on your computer.
Long Battery Life
Although the battery life of your recorder does not affect the quality of your recording and dictation, it is still a really important thing to consider when you need to record for an extremely long period. Don’t get tricked by the “recording time” since it only means how long the recording files a recorder can store. What you need to consider is battery life. Different voice recorder models have a huge gap in this. Some recorders can continuedly record more than a few days while some can not even last more than 24 hours.
Best 3 Voice Recorders for Dictation of 2021
PHILIPS DVT2810 Voicetracer Digital Voice Recorder for Dictation
The PHILIPS DVT2810 is the best affordable voice recorder for dictation, you can get up to 99% recognition accuracy without breaking the bank. Ideal for daily recording and dictation, this product comes with 2 high-fidelity microphones that deliver clear voice recordings in different environments.
The recorder has a Dragon speech recognition software that is specially designed for recorders included, and you can convert the voice recordings to text files without typing on your PC for dictation. And it has a pretty large built-in storage, which allows you to have up to 88 days of recording. For people who need a voice recorder that save more files, the digital recorder has a Voice-activated mode that offers hands-free recording and saves more memory by automatically starting and stopping recording.
According to PHILIPS, this recorder uses a lithium Polymer battery that can work up to 50 hours when it is fully charged, which means you can have a two-day long uninterrupted recording each time.
OM Digital Solutions DS-2600 Digital Voice Recorder with Dictation Software
As a professional digital voice recorder for dictation, the Olympus DS-2600 can give you the best recording quality with its dual microphone technology and studio-quality pop filter. The dual microphone technology settings will smartly recognize the environment, delivering perfectly balanced recordings to you. Besides, the pop filter has three layers, which can reduce noise caused by wind and breath significantly.
It is pretty pricey, but it is worth every penny that you spend. The Olympus DS-2600 recorder provides three formats for you to choose when saving your recording files. And it has a motion sensor that wakes up automatically when you pick up the device.
For dictation use, the Olympus DS-2600 carries a DSS Player software, which combines a dictation and transcription solution. Also, you can easily manage your recordings such as organizing and editing files.
The great recorder has a built-in lithium battery and it can work up to 56 hours of recording time or up to 50 hours of playback time. However, the only drawback of this expensive voice recorder is that it only has 2GB Flash Storage. Although it supports SD/SDHC Cards up to 32GB, the 2GB built-in storage is still disappointed for such as pricey product.
Sony ICD-SX712D Digital Flash Voice Recorder for Dictation
The Sony ICD-SX712D has a versatile and compact design that allows you to put it in the pocket effortlessly. Don’t underestimate its performance by its size, the small recorder features Sony’s S-Microphone System, which can capture clear sounds from all directions, even the sound is from a long distance.
Unfortunately, because of the small-sized design, the recorder only has a built-in 2GB memory, but you can have an additional 16GB of storage by using an SD card.
The recorder is perfect for dictation since it has Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice to print software included. You can use the Dragon audio-to-text software can recognize your voice files and convert them to text in a few steps on your computer.
Unlike those heavy bulky recorders, the compact Sony ICD-SX712D recorder uses two 2 AA batteries to work. It is more convenient and simple to get this recorder to work when the batteries are drained since you can replace the batteries directly. Of cause, you can recharge the AA batteries by connecting the recorder to your PC or AC adapter via USB.
