But the Olympus DS-9500 is a top of the range digital dictaphone, why shouldn’t I buy one?

There are a few reasons which we will go into in more detail later in the post, here is a quick summary:

• Olympus (now called OM System) have dropped wifi enabled dictaphones in their latest product range
• Plagued with issues around the dictaphone freezing mid dictation that even a firmware update couldn’t fix
• Software included with the DS-9500 will be end of life in March 2025
• Non wifi dictaphone models are more stable
• If you need a mobile dictation solution, use a smartphone app instead

OM System (Olympus) have dropped wifi from their dictaphones

We have said this so many times to customers over the years, wifi in a hand held dictaphone sounds like a great idea but in reality was complex to configure and the device was slow and clunky to connect to wifi and send.

The focus for OM System is now their cloud dictation and workflow solution called ODMS Cloud. That setup allows you to use a physical dictaphone or smartphone app to send audio to the cloud for transcription. The compatible handheld dictaphones rely on a desktop app installed on your Windows PC or Mac to initiate the audio collection and upload. The newest handheld dictaphone, and the first with the new OM Brand, is called the OM System DS-9100 – the logical replacement for the Olympus DS-9500 and DS-9000, it looks and feels very similar to the outgoing Olympus models but comes with an ODMS Cloud licence rather than a locally installed dictation module. IT support rejoice, no more individual licence keys to store, no more complex dictation module setup.

Olympus DS-9500 keeps freezing!

We believe largely due to the firmware having to cope with wifi we have seen a large number of DS-9500 dictaphones returned and swapped for the reliable DS-9000 model over the years. Essentially customers experience a sudden and unpredictable freeze of their dictaphone usually during dictation. This can only be fixed by removing and re-seating the battery from the device, not ideal. Olympus have even gone to the lengths of pre-warning customers who buy a brand new DS-9500 that this may occur and offer some suggestions on how to keep it at bay with this card included in the box.

Olympus DS-9500 included software end-of-life soon

The Olympus DS-9500 (and DS-9000) includes in the box a software licence key for ODMS R7 Dictation Module (DM) for Windows and a software licence keys for DSS Player Plus v7 for macOS. Whether you use a Windows PC or a Mac you are entitled to use the software on one of each computer type via the unique licence keys.

ODMS R7 will go end-of-life at the end of March 2025. What does this mean? It means no more updates to that version and support will cease, meaning users will need to move to ODMS R8, released in March 2024 under the new OM System brand. In effect if you buy a DS-9500 now you will need to upgrade your software, upgrades are not free, in less than a years time.

This it where it gets complicated for dedicated Olympus now OM System customers. As OM are pushing users to the ODMS Cloud the top of the range dictaphone DS-9100 only comes with an ODMS Cloud licence. But if you liike that style of recorder you can also use it offline but you would need an ODMS R8 Dictation Module (DM) licence key.

OM System have flipped the traditional “standard” dictaphones which in the past came with “standard” ie. less featured software to be the new devices with the locally installed software that the pro range had always been. E.g. the old standard Olympus DS-2600 dictaphone has been replaced by the OM System DS-2700 dictaphone but the DS-2700 comes with ODMS R8 Dictation Module (DM) instead of standard edition software, which has now been dropped. Oh and the DS-2700 doesn’t come with a dock in the box but is compatible with the CR-21 docking station. See, confusing. We suggest you reach out to us at Dictate Australia with any questions so we can clarify and explain exactly what best fits your needs.

Non Wifi enabled dictaphones are more stable

We have been advising customers for a while that if you would liike to dictate and be able to send from anywhere the best option is to use a dictation app for iOS or Android rather than a device with wifi built in. The DS-9500 is the only dictaphone with wifi capabilities, we have seen no issues with non wifi hand held dictaphones.

If you need a mobile dictation solution, use a smartphone app instead

As mentioned above if you need to dictate from anywhere at anytime a mobile dictation app is the way to go. This doesn’t mean you need to stop using a handheld dictaphone, many customers keep their physical dictaphone in the office or practice on the desk and rely on the app when hybrid working. The leading dictation smartphone apps are from Philips with their Speechlive solution and now OM System with their ODMS Cloud solution.