Sony ICD-PX720 Digital Voice Recorder with PC Link
Sony ICD-PX720 Digital Voice Recorder with PC Link
Operating System Compatibility : Microsoft Windows, 2000 Professional, XP Home, XP Professional, Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Premium, Vista Business Ultimate Supplied Software : Digital Voice Editor (CD-ROM)
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Stars I returned this unit for these reasons…
I got the Sony ICD-PX720 in hopes of replacing my older Panasonic voice recorder. I was so disappointed with the ICD-PX720 that I returned it promptly.
For starters, it comes with proprietary software for downloading recordings to a PC. Without that software, there is no way to download the recordings. This is problematic for many reasons, as I learned with my old recorder, which also had proprietary software. (I can’t download to my PC with my old recorder any more because it isn’t compatible with Windows Vista/7 and they no longer support it.) Other reviewers say that the software isn’t compatible with Windows 7, so be careful about that.
Another show-stopper for me is that it takes about a half second after you press the button to actually start recording. Losing the first bit of a recording or trying to remember to pause before speaking is extremely annoying.
While the device has many settings and features, you need to tunnel through endless menus and button clicks to get to them. Good luck fumbling with that while you are trying to quickly make a recording, or while driving.
1 Stars No 64 bit drivers for this voice recorder
I purchased this to run on a Windows 7, 64 bit computer. There is a Windows Vista 64 bit driver download which I assumed would work. The Vista 64 bit “driver” should contain a 64 bit driver and the Sony sound editing software. For 64 bit systems only the sound editing software is included. This device also doesn’t show up as a USB mass storage device so you can’t access it via USB without a working driver.
I confirmed this with a competent and courteous Sony support person. His best suggestion was to hook the voice recorder to the computer via an analog cable and play back the recordings from the voice recorder and record them on the computer with Sound Recorder. So if I had a 4 hour recording it would take 4 hours to play it back from the recorder to the computer.
He also didn’t have any ETA for when the 64 bit driver would be done.
Do not purchase this voice recorder if you need the USB connect functionality and you’re running a 64 bit (aka modern) OS.Sony ICD-PX720 Digital Voice Recorder with PC Link
5 Stars Excellent voice recorder for taking notes in class, high capacity, easy to use
Sony ICD-PX720
I had been looking for a digital voice recorder that could record audio in high quality format and be able to transfer it rapidly and seamlessly to my PC. The PX720 came up as a top hit and I am not disappointed. It uses two AAA batteries, and I can use NiMH rechargeables to save on the cost of batteries. The battery life is incredibly long and a perfect match for the sheer capacity of the PX720.
A word of note, using the lowest quality recording is not recommended. Although you have a longer recording time, the recorded audio is useless. Go with the highest quality setting and remember to load it onto the PC. You take the USB cable and hook it up to the PC. Run the included Sony software and you can transfer the audio directly into MP3 files painlessly. I have not tried the other more advanced settings, but it makes life easier for difficult lecture-intensive classes or if you want to record something important (like a speech).
The usability is excellent. Once you link it to the PC, it will automatically sync up the clock settings.
Pros: Easy to use, decent battery life and above average recording time in the highest quality setting
Cons: No setting for NiMH batteries to compensate for the lower battery voltage. I have a Garmin GPS that I use for running and it takes two AAA batteries as well. Except if you use NiMH batteries, you can change the setting so the battery level doesn’t read “Low” all the time due to the difference in voltage (1.2 VDC vs. 1.5 VDC).
Overall: 5/5 stars, perfect for recording lectures, speeches, meetings, or teleconferences.
5 Stars Great Voice Recorder. Also works with Windows 7!!!
Awesome recorder with excellent mp3 files of the voice files. There are a few reviews saying that this recorder doesn’t work with Windows 7 64-bit version, but all you have to do is run the Digital Voice Editor 3 software that comes with the voice recorders under a previous version of windows such as Windows XP by right clicking on it and then select “Troubleshoot Compatibility” and just download the driver for that version afterward and it should work. The Sony ICD-PX720 Voice Recorder works perfectly fine on Windows 7 64-bit for me. Hope this helps you guys who are having problems with the driver for this.
3 Stars BEWARE NOT WINDOWS 7 COMPATIBLE!!!!!!
I bought this recorder for university classes along with my brand new Dell laptop with Windows 7 (the latest Windows operating system). Sony FORGOT to friggin update their driver for this recorder, therefore it is OUT OF DATE!!! Beware new computer users cause until they release the new driver it will only work with a stereo mini cable that you will have to buy in addition and the USB cable it comes with is meaningless! Have fun!!! Sony support is actually pretty good!
Filed under: Digital Camera Ratings