Some surprising news out of Olympus Australia yesterday, the Olympus DS-50 digital voice recorder which was perfect for large meetings and focus groups has been discontinued in Australia and replaced with a new model the Olympus DS-65.

With the demise of the DS-50 I would assume that the days are numbered also for the popular DS-30 and DS-40 recorders, likely they will both be replaced when the DS-55 comes down under in the near future.

From the outside the blue DS-65 looks the same as the DS-50, same size, same fantastic stereo mic tagged on the top. The difference between the models lies in the internals. Some of the key differences with the Olympus DS-65 are:

• 2Gb of internal memory (double that of the DS-50 which had 1Gb)
• Max. recording time of 33hours 50mins on the highest quality recording mode STXQ
• Support for Audible .aa audio format for audio books

The Olympus DS-65 comes in at the same RRP as the DS-50 which is currently $795 incl. GST and is available now from Dictate Australia and other official Olympus Australia distributors.

Here are the full specifications for the Olympus DS-65…

Storage Media
Internal memory    2 GB

USB functionality
USB storage class    Hi speed

Display
Display Backlit    Yes

Recording Mode
Recording format    WMA (recording), WMA / MP3
LP    530 h 50 min
SP    266 h 50 min
HQ    135 h 30 min
STSP    135 h 30 min
XHQ    67 h 40 min
STHQ    33 h 50 min

Sampling frequency
STXQ    44.1 kHz / 128 kbps
STEREO HQ    44.1 kHz / 64 kbps
STEREO SP    22 kHz 32 kbps
HQ    44.1 kHz / 32 kbps
SP    22 kHz / 16 kbps
LP    8 kHz / 8 kbps

Overall frequency response
STXQ    50 – 19.000 Hz
STHQ    50 – 16.000 Hz
STSP    50 – 9.000 Hz
HQ    50 – 13.000 Hz
SP    100 – 8.000 Hz
LP    100 – 3.000 Hz

Data organisation
Folder voice:    5 + Music (variable)
Files per folder:    200 / Variable (Music)
Folder Audible:    1
Temp mark:    Yes

Record & Playback function
Rec Monitor:    Yes
File move:    Yes
VCVA recording:    Yes VCVA (voice activation) for hands free recording
Voice filter:    Yes
Index:    Up to 16 in one file
Noise canceling function:    Yes
Cue/Review:    Yes
Fast forward and rewind:    Yes
Erase function:    all / single / lock file
Playback speed:    Adjustable (50 – 200%)
EUPHONY:    Yes
Zoom Mic. Setting (DVM):    Yes
Skip Playback:    Yes
Alarm playback:    Yes, of preset file
Repeat playback:    Yes
Continuous playback:    Yes
Noise canceling feature:    Reduces backround noise

Other Features
Low-cut recording    Yes
Audible support    Yes
Podcast support    Yes
Voice feedback / guidance    Yes
Remote Control for DS-30/40/50    Yes

Interfaces Input
Microphone sensitivity    Dictation / Conference / Lecture
Microphone jack    3.5 ø mm / Impedance, 1.4 kΩ
PC interface    USB Cable

Interfaces Output
Speaker    Built-in ø23 mm round dynamic speaker
Max. working output    250 mW or more (8 Ω speaker)
Earphone jack    3.5 ø mm jack, impedance 8Ω or more

Power Supply
Power Supply    2 AAA Batteries, Plug-in power system
Alkaline battery life    Recording: 32 h

Playback: Approx. 28 hours

Dimensions
Weight    80 g (incl. alkaline batteries)
WxHxD    111 x 37.5 x 16 mm (with microphone)