Traditionally June has been the month for Olympus (and others) to launch their price list ready for the start of the next financial year. As we had already seen some price changes from Olympus Voice in February nothing much was expected in the annual June pricing updates and sure enough thats what has happened, not alot. Of note though are the following changes/additions annouced:
- Olympus DS-40 price reduced to RRP $595 incl. GST
- New model Olympus DS-55 priced at RRP $695 incl. GST
- Olympus DS-2300 price reduced to RRP $695 incl. GST
- New model Olympus DS-3400 priced at $795 incl. GST
- New accessory, RS30W remote for LS-10 recorders at RRP $195 incl. GST
So we see price cuts on the DS-40 (down to the old Olympus DS-30 price) and also a cut for the DS-2300. These models are facing their last few weeks/months of life before being discontinued in favour of the new models already here.
Whats new are the DS-55 and DS-3400. The DS-55 comes in as a replacement for the DS-30 and DS-40, an excellent recorder for interviews/large meetings/focus groups etc and reduces that range to just the DS-55 and DS-65 in Australia, I don’t think we are likely to see the DS-75 which is in use overseas.
Also in is the DS-3400, something we have had our eye on for a while. This replaces the discontinued DS-3300 and gets an upgrade to the newer DSS Pro dictation module and with it the recording of audio in the DSS Pro format .ds2, with a look and feel similar to the DS-5000 this is sure to be a popular model. Note the difference in DS-3400 control when compared to the DS-5000, the DS-3400 has push buttons on the side, the DS-5000 has the slider. The DS-3400 is currently available in Australia although in limit numbers initially so always check stock availability with your Olympus Australia authorised reseller before placing your order.
A new accessory has been introduced this is the RS30W, quite pricey for a remote control I bet you are thinking, I thought so too, but this is a wireless remote (I am used to the remote for the DS-50 which is wired) so there is some justification for the price of this small but handy unit.