Pocket Tape-Recorders "Family and Home Magazine" test what's on the market now. 1)Pearlcorder S702 $64 This simple model at the bottom of the Olympus range scored the most points for its excellent quality of recording. Background noise hardly affects the sound and recording from a pocket is perfectly possible, but it doesn't turn off automatically. Tape length: 30 minutes per side. Weight: 240g. 2)Sony M9 $49.95 Small and very good looking, sony's latest offering scored most for appearance. Sounds clear, but there is slight machine noise. The big control buttons are a great improvement on some of the complicated little controls on other tape-recorders. Doesn't switch off automatically but a red light shows if the machine is still running. Tape length: 60 minutes per side. Weight: 195g. 3)Sony M400 $115 Lots of little control buttons that make a noise and are difficult to use . Recording was good but machine noise lost points. Tape counter and automatic switch-off when tape has finished recording or rewinding are useful. Tape length: 60 minutes per side. Weight: 230g. 4)Imperial OEM. MC $29.95 Cheap and simple compared with the rest, but recording was good as long as there was no background noise. Use only its own make of cassette. No light to show it is on; no fast forward button and the record button makes a loud noise. Tape length: 30 minutes per side. Weight: 285g. 5)Philips 585 $80 Handsome and simple to use, but recording is very poor at more than the recommended distance of 5 cm-designed for dictation. No recording light. Tape length: 15 minutes per side. Weight: 220g. Which machine is unsuitable for general use?
Pearlcorder S702 Imperial OEM MC7 Sony M400 Philips 585