FULL REVIEW
Sony Digital Voice Recorder ICD-UX71
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Reviewed by Larry Richardson
July 2010
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Copyright 2010 Larry Richardson
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The Sony Digital Voice Recorder ICD-UX71 is small, light, extremely versatile and affordable.  Huge pluses are built-in stereo microphones with adjustable sensitivity, adjustable recording quality to save the 1 gb of memory, a built-in USB plug, and its ability to record directly into the universal MP3 format so you don't have to convert files to share them with others.

When I need CD quality recording, I rely on my Tascam DP-0004 Pocketstudio multi-track digital recorder.  When I need to make a quick recording of a lecture or music for a Web site, I rely on my Sony Digital Voice Recorder ICD-UX71. 

The ICD-UX71 delivers a lot of features very inexpensively.  The recorder, which measures 3.8 x 1.4 x 0.5 inches and weighs in at a mere 1.8 ounces stows away in a pocket and is forgotten.  When I need it, all I have to do is press a couple of buttons, and I'm recording good quality sound in stereo.  Most recorders priced so reasonably do not come equipped with stereo microphones. 

The ICD-UX71 recorder has many quality settings that you can custom usually depending on how long you will be recording.  The higher the quality settings will consume a lot more of the 1 gb memory.  The recorder is so versatile that it allows you also to custom the sensitivity of the microphone.  I was recording a guitar solo one day and found that the recorder picked up birds I didn't notice prior to recording.  I set the microphones to low sensitivity to keep this from happening again.

The ICD-UX71s backlit screen is pretty small and packs in a lot of data, but I don't have any trouble reading it with my middle-aged eyes.  The data includes the folder number you're recording into, the recorder settings you are using, and the time and battery indicators. 

All of the buttons are very easy to operate once you've used it a couple of times.  I did have to read the manual to find all the features.  The most unusual button, oddly enough, is the on/off switch, which is actually the hold button. 

Organizing and using the recording files is pretty simple and straightforward.  You can listen to the files directly through a tiny and kind of tinny speaker located on the back of the unit.  The quality is pretty poor, but once you plug in headphones, you will realize the actual recording is pretty rich.  You will get the same good results when you take off the endcap, plug the recorder directly into your computer's USB port, and download the file to your computer.  What's really cool at this point, is the recorder records directly into the near-Universal MP3 format, so you can send lectures and your music to just about any computer and the recipient will be able to listen to it.

The Sony Digital Voice Recorder ICD-UX71 delivers everything you could want in a hyper-portable package.  The sound quality certainly isn't broadcast quality, but it's good enough for educational purposes, the Web, and to save your own personal musical inspirations.
Simple, elegant and universally recognized controls make the ICD-UX71 a breeze to operate.
The hold button on back also serves as the on/off switch.  The tiny speaker sounds tinny, but plug a set of headphones into the jack on top and you'll hear that your recording actually sounds great.
The build in USB plug is the icing on the cake.  It makes downloading and sharing the MP3 recordings extremely easy.