Sunday 18 June 2023: The EVRSTR V508 digital voice recorder

Sunday 18 June 2023: The EVRSTR V508 digital voice recorder

My history of using voice recording machines stretches back thirty years. The EVRSTR V508 is my second digital voice recorder. I believe that the shape of the machine can be described as a 'candy bar'. I like the size and weight of the machine - I find it a good size to handle and to use the controls, and a good weight (my first digital voice recorder was both too small and too lightweight for my clumsy fingers to keep a good hold). The microphone is positioned sensibly, at the top of the machine, and works entirely well (see below). On either side of the machine there are sockets: on the left for earphones, and on the right for a remote microphone (neither supplied). On the left side, towards the bottom, there is a tiny USB socket, used both for USB recharging (a process that appears to be managed automatically) the inbuilt battery, and for communication between the device and a computer. The controls on either side of the machine are sliding switches. It is vital to remember to 'save' a recording by sliding the record switch back from the 'record' position to the 'save' position, otherwise the recording will be lost when the on/off slider switch is slid back into the off position. There is a slot for a tiny data storage 'card', and another slider switch to determine whether a recording should use internal memory or the data storage card. There is a denoise slider switch, but I am unable to comment on its effectiveness. There is a delete button, but I have not used it, preferring instead to manage the audio files using a computer. There is a 'reset' hole that would probably require a pin or needle to operate.

On the front face of the machine, the control buttons are reasonably intuitive in their operation: a central run/pause button, right and left ‘next file’ (or next function) buttons, top and bottom + and - buttons (I mostly use these for varying the output volume, but they have other functions in other contexts), an ‘up-one-level’ button, and a menu button. There is a monochrome LCD screen measuring 22 x 22 mm. A small speaker occupies the bottom of the front face of the device. The size and quality of the speaker means that it is useful really only for monitoring, and not for listening, for which earphones are necessary.

The only thing on the bottom/base of the machine is a pair of holes for the attachment of a lanyard (not supplied). I consider this to be essential, and I have re-employed a lanyard from a long-defunct cellphone. On the back of the machine are labels for the corresponding switches, etc.. on the two sides of the machine. This is useful, although I imagine that the labels will rub off through wear. On the other hand, I have used the machine every day for the past nine months, and the labels seem to be doing fine. The impression I have is that the machine has been very thoughtfully designed with every intention to make its use feel intuitive. The quality of appearance of the device lies somewhere between the cheap and tacky on the one hand, and the stylish executive on the other.

The machine has two basic modes of operation: sound recording and playback. Technically, there is a third mode, which is navigating the menu system.

Sound recording is excellent. I mostly record in the open air while out walking. Later, I use Dragon Dictate to transcribe the WAV recording into an MS Word file. The two circumstances in which the recording is poor is when the weather is windy, and when there is noise from road traffic. In contrast, on one occasion during the spring when I was outdoors dictating, there was more bird song than usual. Later, back at home, I was able to separate some of the bird song from the dictation, simply by using Audacity, and was thus able to produce an excellent bird song recording in addition to my dictation. I have no doubt, therefore, that the machine would be capable of recording a lecture (as advertised). The audio files are named according their date and time stamp, which suits me well. This naming/stamping has been entirely reliable, unlike the unreliability of the same for my first digital voice recorder.

I often preload the device with music, podcasts and audio books, thus enabling me to listen using earphones to audio material while I am out and about. This works well, and is simple to use. The display screen shows what is playing. The machine can also be used to store files of other types (such as JPG files) transferred onto the device from a computer.

In recording mode, a tiny red light (LED) is visible in the top right-hand corner of the screen. The light is steady on pause, and flashes slowly when recording. This way round feels counter-intuitive to me, and I regret that I have frequently become confused about which state relates to which. There have been many occasions when, working through some difficult cognitive issue, thus dictating in snatches, I have managed to de-synchronise my dictating and recording, resulting in several minutes of recording only the sound of my footsteps on the road surface but none of my dictation. (My first digital voice recorder was even worse in this respect, so the EVRSTR V508 is something of an improvement.) I wish that there were a setting to be able to reverse this way round. Peering at the recording timer shown on the display screen resolves the issue, but this usually requires reading spectacles which I am unable to wear while out walking. Besides, focusing on whether the machine is paused or recording disturbs my elusive trains of thought. Further, whilst the red light is bright enough to be clearly visible while I am indoors, it is insufficiently bright to be visible when outdoors in daylight. I know that a brighter red light would consume more electricity, but it would, for me, make the machine marginally more functional.

Having an inbuilt rechargeable battery is a huge improvement over constantly juggling AAA batteries (as was the case with my first digital voice recorder). With a fully charged battery, I imagine that the recorder could last a full day before requiring a recharge. I say this because several hours of use requires only five or ten minutes of recharge. I do not know how long the rechargeable battery will last (the number of use/recharge cycles), and as it is not replaceable, this determines the lifespan of the machine. However, I have no sense that the use that I have given the device to date has had much impact on the machine at all, so I am hopeful that it has many years of life left in it.

Overall, I have been and continue to be very satisfied with the machine, and would recommend it. Maybe a fancy executive digital voice would be even better, but at a much higher price. Therefore, the EVRSTR V508 is good value for money.