I bought this back on Amazon in 2008 for $189. I had bought it elsewhere for more than that about 6 months earlier. But I thought the original one had lost the sound in the output jack and I really needed to listen to my dictation via that jack. I did not find out until years later that the problem was with intermittent sound in the headphones. Now this device sells for ~$60, used. That is still an excellent buy, even if the used one is 10 years old. I bought it because it was recommended by Dragon Naturally Speaking v 9.
I agree with the pros given by previous reviewers. I won't go over the same features as they do, but I highly recommend that you read those reviews. Some of the cons written by the critical reviews are also fitting. I guess the difference between me and the latter is that I did not consider their cons as that annoying to me. It is a complicated gadget and you do have to be gadget-experienced to deal with problems. Someone said that the software sent with this device, the Digital Voice Editor v. 2.3.1, could not convert to wav files and it does. It just doesn't convert to mp3 files. I use other software to do those conversions. Sony offers an upgrade in this Digital Voice editor (still available at Sony webpage) for Vista, Win 7 to v 3.3.01. They have since replaced that editor with Sound Organizer, which is not compatible with this device or with the earlier Windows versions. If I had reviewed this when I got it, I would have given it only 4 stars because of the hassles with the editor. But once I learned what different buttons were for and how to use the editor, and how to just copy files from the voice recorder to my Windows HD folder (instead of transferring within the Digital Editor), and kept to particular settings, I have had no problem with it. I figured out that the files were named with the date when recorded. I just renamed them. Most operations on the files I do on my computer, not on the device files in the Digital Voice Editor because doing the latter is so much slower.
The most important feature of this item is that IT LASTS, & LASTS, & LASTS. Just do not drop it or put it near magnets. Both of these recorders still work flawlessly, 10 years later. Sony tends to make very reliable devices, but just a bit complicated for those not gadget-oriented. The guide is cumbersome, but can be figured out. I still use the same Sony Pro Duo memory stick I bought in 2008, with no failures. And it is still available online. My recordings generally do not go over 1 hour, and I keep the device plugged into an electrical socket with the Sony 3 volt AC-E30A adapter (which I bought on Amazon). That essentially gets rid of the heavy drain on the batteries that recording and playing does in this device.
Even if this device is older, it has features on it that the newer ones (cheaper ICD-PX devices) do not have, like the ability to record in either stereo or mono, a built-in microphone with two settings (for whole room or individual speaker recording) and the ability to take a good external microphone or headset/boom combo. The sound quality still satisfies the transcription software for accuracy. It is just not acceptable as a portable music player, because of the limitations of batteries and not being able to recognize mp3 files.
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This Item  Sony ICD-MX20 Memory Stick Pro Duo Digital Voice Recorder |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $297.20 | $159.99 | $89.99 | -18% $65.99 List: $79.99 | $104.49 | $87.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sound quality | ||||||
| Battery life | ||||||
| Easy to use | ||||||
| Sold By | Recording-Solutions | Focus Camera LLC | Stavvy Sales | TCTEC | trusted tech | Stavvy Sales |
| hardware interface | usb, usb2.0 | — | usb, micro sdhc | usb3.0 c | usb | usb, pci express x16, pci express x16, pci express x16, pci express x16 |
| memory capacity | 32 MB | 16 GB | 4 GB | 96 GB | 16 GB | 4 GB |
| format | mp3 audio | digital | mp3 audio, wma | — | mp3 audio | mp3 audio |
| battery quantity | 2 aaa | — | 1 lithium ion | 1 lithium ion | 1 lithium ion | 1 lithium ion |
| weight | 0.21 pounds | — | — | 3 ounces | 1 ounces | 0.11 kilograms |
| mic form factor | Built-In | Built-In | Built-In | Built-In | Built-In | Built-In |
| mic operation mode | Stereo | Stereo | Stereo | — | Stereo | Mono |
| headphones jack | 3.5 millimeters | 3.5 millimeters | 3.5 millimeters | 3.5 millimeters | 3.5 millimeters | USB |
