Sony Cassette recorder

Author's product rating:   

Sound Quality	Satisfactory
Ease of Use	Simple
Look & Design	Good
Range of Features	Average
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Takes regular sized audio cassettes, double - time recording, inexpensive model
Disadvantages:	Needs to be used close to sound - source, a bit bulky for some tastes

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I always wanted a dictaphone as a child. Largely, I admit, for slightly dubious reasons (i.e. I wanted to plant it in my big sister's bedroom and find out if she was talking about me.) Many years on, as a student, I finally received one as a birthday gift so that I could record important lectures. This certainly did come in handy during those classes that, however hard I tried to stay alert, had me head down and drooling on the desk within minutes.

The Sony TCM-200DV Cassette-Corder (or 'dictaphone' to you and me) is a fairly basic model compared to some products on the market - but it does what it says on the tin and it does it to a perfectly acceptable standard.

The machine is silver (with a charcoal grey back panel and battery compartment) and weighs in at 171g - it's roughly the same size as a cassette-playing personal stereo (gosh, that sounds almost Jurassic now doesn't it?). Therefore, it uses regular-sized audio cassettes (Type I only), unlike those dictaphones that take those tiny, Lilliputtian cassettes. I see this as an advantage, in that you can play back what you've recorded on any tape machine - thus saving precious battery life (it takes 2 x AA batteries).

[Battery life: well, I think I've been a fairly light user over the past three years so have never had to change the batteries - I'm afraid I can't advise how it fares more generally]

On the front there's a large speaker area and two control dials: 'rec time' which allows you to set the recording speed at either normal or double time (which allows you to squeeze 180 minutes onto a 90 minute cassette), and 'speed control' which allows you to alter playback speed on a continuum from 'slow' to 'fast'.

The other buttons: 'record', 'play', 'rewind', 'fast-forward' and 'stop' are pretty self-explanatory and are located on the side (again, just like a personal stereo). On the top of the machine, next to the built-in microphone, you'll find the volume control and an earphone jack so that you can plug in headphones and play back your recordings without being a nuisance to everyone else!

Operation is straightforward - simply set the required recording speed ('normal' is recommended in the manual for optimum sound) and press the red 'record' button. It's a good idea to place the machine as close as you can to the sound-source to avoid picking up background noise (the first time I recorded a lecture I came home, popped the tape eagerly into my stereo, and was treated to nothing but the sound of the girl in front of me's incessant fidgeting...)

One other feauture I've failed to mention so far - this machine also offers Voice Operated Recording. That is, there's a little switch next to the volume control that allows you to set up the machine to automatically record whenever sound is present. The idea is that recording is activated whenever someone speaks, but it pauses when there's a break in sound (thus encouraging a more economical use of tape and battery). I've never succesfully used this function as, generally, there's always enough background noise where I am to erroneously trigger recording - but I imagine it would work well in a one-on-one interview situation, for example.

Providing the recording environment is reasonably good then (or the machine is really close to the sound-source), playback is of a good, clear standard. I imagine it's not as good to some ears as the newer digital dictaphones - but I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference myself. Some people will obviously be after a smaller, lighter machine - I'm thinking power suited business types here or style-conscious gadget freaks! - but if your priority is to be able to make reliable sound recordings without spending a fortune, and you're not bothered about having the latest, up-to-the-minute technology, then this is a really good machine. Plus, Sony is a brand I tend to associate as trustworthy when it comes to audio equipment.

This machine is one of the cheapest on the market - retailing at around 25 GBP. I've had mine for a few years now and it is still in perfect working order (and it comes with a 1 year warranty). I don't know where mine came from (as it was a gift) but I know it's available from Argos as well as numerous online vendors.