Customer Reviews
Worth the price 
2008-03-09
What I like about the recorder is that is lightweighted, great size, buttons are easy to use and not complicated. Although at first I thought I was made a mistake buying it because I was always taking off the batteries to turn it off since the manual doesn't say where to "Turn off" but thanks to the comments of other members I've learned what button to use.
In short words, it was worth the price and since this is for personal use...I love it.
great recorder in language class 2008-02-25
I play this during my language class and then review the recording when I am driving. The sound quality through the built in speaker is garbled. But if you connect it to your computer speakers it sounds great. Headphones are an improvement over the built in speaker, but the volume is low. I use a tape/adapter connection when driving. I tried the downloading and found it difficult. The 80+ hours are great. It records easily and it is easy to delete files when you don't need them. I tried an external microphone on this and it is not necessary. The mic picks up everything in the room. When the teacher is speaking or there is a dialog between two people, the sound quality is great. When everyone in the room is studying in small groups, the sound goes into chaos. Over all this is an inexpensive way to record a class. Less of a hassle than using tapes.
Beware of Sony's claims!!! 
2008-02-21
I downloaded a pdf listing the manufacturer's specifications of the unit from Sony's website. I needed certain specific features. After finding what I needed I placed an order. The unit does not have the features that the specification sheet listed. After eight times on hold, an hour & a half later, finally someone at Sony admitted that yes the specification sheet was clearly wrong & I needed to buy a more expensive unit for that feature. None of the people I talked to seemed concerned that the specification sheet wrong.
As far as returning the device, because it was an opened unit, it was not returnable. The Sony representative told me that I needed to take that up with the retailer. The fact that it was not returnable to the retailer, according to Sony, is the fault of the retailer. They certainly couldn't have cared less. Unless you are purchasing a unit to donate to Goodwill, you may want to go with another manufacturer.
Great for recording interviews 
2007-10-28
As a journalist who uses the Sony ICD-B500, I can tell you I'm super happy with it. It's not going to make podcast-quality sound files, or even upload into your computer, but it does exactly what it says it will -- it records interviews with good enough clarity to transcribe later. I used this recently to do an interview with a soft-spoken guy at a crowded party, and the recording came out just fine. There was background noise, but he was perfectly audible. In my experience, this is a bargain digital recorder that's of solid, reliable quality. It's not a top-of-the-line model, but it is perfect for my needs.
Not good for recording singing 
2007-09-29
I bought this product to record my voice lessons and practice. The sound quality of recordings would suffice for speech alone, but is not sufficient for singing. No matter how far away I am from the device, certain pitches cause the sound to become horribly buzzy and full of static. Plus, it's made out of the cheapest plastic in existence.
Lots of features... 2008-05-26
This digital voice recorder is very small so it's easy to carry with you. I suggest purchasing a strap since it wasn't included, but there's a hole for one. I found it to be a little complicated because of all the features it has. However, once I master it, I'm sure it will be perfect for the use I purchased it for (paranormal investigations).
easy listening 
2008-04-19
This is a great product to record lectures. It doesn't matter where you sit in the classroom, the audio quality is great. The only problem is that you can't transfer the tape recordings to a PC, you can only listen to it on the device. It should be PC compatible.
Sony recorder 2008-03-31
I got my sony recordable quickly. I was disappointed in the product. It doesn't come with plug in to download what you have recorded to the computer. Really wasn't what I was hoping for. It is very sensitive to noise. You need a very quiet place when recording because it picks up every little sound. I wanted it to have for record lectures in school but it is difficult to hear the lecture through the other noises in the classroom. I should have actually purchased what I was looking for in a recorder from a store in town. Decent price and not worth the cost to send it back.
pretty good sound quality 2008-03-29
This little device was pretty cheap but I must say the sound quality is better than I expected. It's also a lot easier to use than I thought it would be. The batteries last for a while too, so thats good. I would say if you need a recorder, this is really good for the price.
playback good, interface not so good 2008-03-18
This recorder is compact, easily portable, and records sound well. Some digital recorders I've used result in tinny voices without much depth, but the Sony is fairly true to natural sound. The price is also reasonable for the quality.
What I don't care for about it are the following:
- battery life seems to be short (average two months with intermittent use)
- buttons are almost flush with the casing, so you have to look at what you're doing with each recording. I would have preferred the "record" and "pause/stop" buttons to be elevated slightly so I could activate by touch.
- erasing is not that intuitive. Although you're supposed to be able to hold the erase button down firmly and erase the recording, usually I have to start playing and then press the erase button twice.
- organizing in folders seems overly complicated. I have to read the instruction book each time.
