Sony ICD-BX132

Purchased three more digital voice recorders, as I was unhappy with the product that I had originally bought (some generic no-name device off of eBay).  That particular unit, which at one time had a posting within this thread, has been removed... deleted... no longer in use by NLPRS...  and here's why.

Quite simply, it failed to live up to expectations.  The battery life was weak, you could only get about an hour's worth of timing on it before it died.  In order to charge the device's internal battery, it had to be turned on; turning it off to charge just wouldn't work.  Also, as just mentioned, it had an internal battery; normally that is a good thing, but I'm starting to see that having removable batteries is preferable.  I may still use that particular device every once in a while, but it just isn't looking good.

This unit is powered by two AAA batteries, has a 2GB hard drive "allowing for up to 2087 hours of audio recording", and the standard jacks for a microphone and headset.

This device also has two features that may or may not affect EVP sessions: noise cut mode that allows for clear playback and a low cut filter that reduces the effect of wind for clear outdoor recording.  From my research into digital voice recorders, a lot (if not all) of these products contain these features...  which makes me wonder how some groups are recording EVPS.  Seems to me that you would want no filters, and that a normal microphone and recorder would be better suited than a voice recorder.

The three that I picked up were second hand, but came from a company that refurbishes used equipment.  I'm fine with that; refurbished items are just as good, if not better, than new ones in that the problems have been fixed... not to mention a nice price reduction!  Also, the reviews of the IDC-BX132 were rather impressive.  Can't really complain when all the sites have this listed as one of the higher rated devices in that price range.

I have yet to test these devices to see how sensitive they are, how well they work with a microphone, and so on.  I should be able to do this by this weekend.