Best Voice Recorders

If you want to record high-quality sounds for professional work like podcasting, giving audio lectures, recording your songs,  nothing works like a voice recorder.

A voice recorder is a must-have device for audiophiles, who are passionate about pure audio sounds and how these sounds could be reproduced. This quality of sound cannot be reproduced or recorded by any high-end smartphone

With a voice recorder, you can record the sounds and convert them into high-quality formats that can be played on various digital devices like laptops, music players, tablets, etc.

A digital voice recorder is a device that receives, captures the sound, and produces it in a high-quality format that can be transferred and heard clearly in other devices such as a, etc.

In this article, you will find how the voice recorder works, what are the different types of voice recorders, and how voice recorders have advantages that can change our lives.

We have reviewed the top 7 best voice recorders available along with factors to consider when buying any of the voice recorders, and a few FAQs. Go digital!

Top 7 Best Voice Recorders in India

Product (Best Brands)Average User RatingPrice RangeBest Price
Best Body
4.1/5
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Best Storage
4.1/5
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Best Noise cancellation features
4.4/5
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Best Battery life
4/5
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Best Color
4.3/5
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Best for Amateurs
4.6/5
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Best Recording modes
4/5
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How Does a Voice Recorder Work?

A voice recorder doesn’t require technical know-how to operate. All you have to do is press some buttons, and you can start to record.

The sound which is received and captured is stored as a series of figures. Each of these figures is called samples, and they are representations of the air pressure during the time sound was recorded.

These figures do not just come into play, but they are generated by a microphone that is in connection with an analog-to-digital converter.

After a series of mechanisms, the figures are then converted back to analog via a digital-to-analog converter which produces the sound/audio you listen to on speakers.

Regardless of what mechanism it has gone through, the audio quality is a significant factor because it is responsible for how well you hear what you have just recorded.

Further, it is saved as a file type (Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF), Waveform Audio File (WAV), and MP3) on your device. They can be accessed from a laptop or a tablet.

Advantages of using a Voice Recorder

There are many advantages of using a voice recorder, other than using it to record conversations and interviews.

Portability

Voice recorders are very portable, which means they can be carried around without adding much weight or taking up extra space.

Data sharing

Downloading what you have recorded on your digital voice recorder to your computer or tablet is very easy. The digital format enhances this ability.

Ability to choose modes

Gone are the days where you have only one recording quality mode. With a digital voice recorder, you are open to a lot of options as regards the recording quality. These options can be adjusted depending on the ambient noise.

Adjustable

The microphone should be comfortable to hold for recording long audio clips.

Index marks

With the index mark, you can pin down a particular part of the recording you are interested in. They act like a website’s bookmark.

Types of Voice Recorders

Generally, there are three types of voice recorders are based on their size and structure. They include; voice-activated recorders, miniature recorders, and stereo recorders.

Voice-activated Recorders

Surveillance experts and law enforcers often use voice-activated recorders.

As the name implies, it is only activated when it detects a voice. It is always in hibernation mode until a voice triggers it and it starts an automatic recording.

Although it is an incredible device, there could be some difficulties, especially when using it for day-to-day activities such as dictation.

Also, the chances are that the voice activation mechanism may experience a delay in recording, which could make you miss out on some essential points while recording.

Miniature Voice Recorders

Miniature voice recorders are very compact in size, like a flash drive or a pen. 

They are sometimes designed as pen recorders in which they have improved features such as a built-in camera that digitizes the pen strokes and quickly converts them into images that can be shared.

Stereo Voice Recorders

Stereo voice recorders route audio through two or more channels to create greater depth and improved audio quality. Although they are often bigger, better, and more expensive than other types, the audio clips take up a lot of storage space.

Stereo recorders are suitable when recording music, or during an interview session.

Buying Guide: What you should consider before buying a voice recorder?

In this buying guide section, one has to consider some factors to get the best of recorders available on the market. These factors include:

Sound Quality

Digital voice recorders have two groups they belong; one for amateurs, and the other for professionals.

People who fall into this amateur group are students or regular people who want to take down notes or unimportant messages. Almost any recorder can satisfy these needs.

For people that belong to the professional group who want to record their music or interviews, a high-end recorder is needed that captures the sound with amazing quality while cutting out ambient noise.

Size/Weight

Generally, digital voice recorders have been designed to be portable and lightweight so that they can fit into your pocket or purse without stress.

On the other end, larger voice recorders can be very heavy and hard to carry. They have an external microphone plugged into them that results in a better quality of recorded audio clips.

Computer OS Compatibility

You should make sure that the voice recorder is compatible with your computer OS, be it Windows, MacOS or Linux. This allows you to seamlessly transfer audio files from the recorder to the computer.

Versatility

Some recorders are quite versatile and have multiple features like an in-built music player or a flash drive. This makes the product quite versatile.

However, you should go for such features only if you want them, else you will be paying extra for nothing.

Audio Fidelity

When we talk about audio fidelity, we are talking about how accurate a sound is via digital recording.

This is dependent on two factors; sampling rate and bit depth. Be sure to check these specifications before buying any recorder.

Mono or Stereo

The difference between these two recording types is based on the number of tracks they are recorded on.

For instance, a mono is recorded on one track using a microphone, which ultimately means you can listen to your recordings on headphones. At the same time, a stereo has two microphones, and are more expensive than the former.

Another difference is in the depth in which you can feel a 3D effect on the stereo. There are fluctuations with mono recordings which may ultimately affect the quality of audio produced in the end.

Storage

You can calculate the required storage space depending on the length and number of audio that you will be recording.

For anyone who is just looking for a recorder for just regular use, an 8GB memory will be preferable; however, for people who would love to record music, videos, or use the music player, go for a high storage device.

Power/Battery Life

Lastly, consider the battery life and power of your recorder before you go for it. If you are going to be recording on the go, or while travelling, battery life is a critical factor.

8 Best Voice Recorders

1. Zoom H1n Handy Recorder – Our Choice

Zoom H1n Handy Recorder
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Zoom H1n is identified by its streamlined body, which is a feature that attracts many buyers. It comes with a protective cover for the mic called the enclosure, as well as a built-in stereo condenser which makes it produce good audio quality.

All functions of the recorder can be controlled by a single button, which is the centerpiece of the device. It has other functions like playback speed control.

It also has a voice-emphasize filter and stereo overdubbing features. It offers a 120-dB distortion-free recording.

Although it is small, it is durable and capable of professional projects with the aid of its localized and intuitive options. It uses a monochrome LCD to view all actions taken or going on in the device.

Lastly, it supports 24-bit/96 kHz audio in BWF-compliant WAV or a series of MP3 formats.

Main Features
  • One-touch button to start and stop recording.
  • Monochrome 1.25 inches LCD screen.
  • 120-dB audio quality.
  • Built-in battery.
  • External mic.
  • Tune-in port.
PROS (What we liked)
  • Small and portable.
  • Easy to use.
  • Excellent quality and highly versatile.
  • Easy to transfer files to PC.
CONS (What we didn’t like)
  • Not suitable for voice covers and YouTube videos.
  • You need to buy an external SD card.
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2. FiiO M3K HiFi 16GB Digital Voice Recorder – Best Storage

FiiO M3K HiFi Metal Shell Music Player with 16GB Memory Card and Digital Voice Recorder
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The M3K voice recorder has an extraordinary storage capacity of 2 TB, which can store hours of recordings. It is equipped with an Ingenic processor, which makes it an outstanding device with long-lasting durability.

With its Autonomous USB DAC function, you can enjoy audio with a bit depth of 192kHz/24 bit. The battery life is sufficient for 24 hours of continuous recording with a standby time of 38 days.

It has five buttons that control functions on the device such as next/previous track, confirmation, back, and menu keys.

Also, it has 6 Eq modes including; Rock, Classical, Jazz, Pop, Dance, Metal, and Vocal to make sure you have excellent sound quality. The aluminum body encasing and tempered glass make it super strong and durable.

Main Features
  • Powerful X1000E processor.
  • Ultra-long battery life.
  • High-fidelity recording.
  • AB repeat mode.
  • Cool user interface.
  • 2TB storage capacity
  • IPS touch screen.
PROS (What we liked)
  • A fantastic product with many advanced features.
  • Produces a high sound quality.
  • Sleek and portable.
  • Massive storage capacity for all kinds of recording.
  • One of the best voice recorders and an excellent music player.
CONS (What we didn’t like)
  • No warranty period.
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3. EVISTR 16GB Digital Voice Recorder – Best Noise cancellation features

EVISTR 16GB Digital Voice Recorder
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This device is a perfect option for those who wish to record lectures, meetings, speeches, and even your songs.

It comes with a lot of features such as noise cancellation which could be useful while recording audios. The Voice-Activated Recordings ignores all the blanks and snippets, thus saving a lot of memory. 

Main Features
  • This product has an upgraded recording quality, which can capture 1536kpbs crystal clear audio to give out the best results every time you record.
  • It can record audios in multiple formats such as MP3 (128kpbs, 64kpbs) / WAV (1536kpbs) which makes the files capable of being played on different devices.
  • It is a versatile product which could be used by students, professor, teacher, businessman, writer, blogger, and anyone who loves to record anything.
PROS (What we liked)
  • The product is easy to use.
  • Easy to carry because of its small size, making it portable and to be placed inside your pockets or bags.
  • It also comes with other features such as A-B repeat, fast forward, rewind function during playback.
  • The dynamic noise cancellation feature allows you to record the voice to the best of its ability.
  • The Voice Activated Recorder records only when it detects voice, which makes it efficient in storage and space.
  • Auto recording function can be used to schedule it for recording at your wish.
  • You can easily play recordings on different devices.
CONS (What we didn’t like)
  • Expensive.
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4. Leoie 8GB Digital Sound Audio Recorder – Best Battery life

Leoie Voice Record Mini 8GB Digital Sound Audio Recorder
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Leioe Digital recorder is a special kind of device, often regarded as a superior 2-in-1 recorder with many amazing features that produce excellent sound quality.

The recorder uses a standard USB 2.0 interface and can record for up to 650 hours. It has a 128*64 pixels LCD screen that can be used to control its functions. 

It comes with an 8GB memory and an external microphone, which makes it suitable for recording lectures, interviews, and down taking notes.

The seven equalizer modes can be used to record clear music. The modes include Nop, Rock, Pop, Classol, Soft, Funk, Jazz, and Dabb. It is made of a durable material due to its hard plastic, which helps it withstand external force.

It comes with a built-in lithium rechargeable battery with a charging time of 2 hours that lasts very long. With the music playing format of MP3 and WMA, and the recording format of WAV, it is a must-have in every home or office.

Main Features
  • Seven topnotch equalizer modes.
  • Comes with an external microphone.
  • Comes with a 3.5mm jack and one 3.5mm audio cable.
  • 1 USB charging cable.
  • 1 phone line and a user manual.
  • Supports Windows OS.
PROS (What we liked)
  • Superior quality design.
  • Large memory of 8GB.
  • Long-lasting battery life.
  • Two music and one recording format for perfect quality.
  • Fast charging time.
  • Comes with a screen for visibility and display.
CONS (What we didn’t like)
  • Color deviation on-screen.
  • A little bit tough to operate at-times.
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5. Sony ICD-UX560F Digital Voice Recorder – Best Color

Sony ICD-UX560F Digital Voice Recorder with Built-in USB (Silver)
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Sony ICD-UX560F Digital Voice Recorder is a beautiful device with its modern design and sleek features. It has everything to make a good sound recording, and the results are never disappointing.

It is manufactured by one of the best brands in the world of electronics that is reliable and trustworthy.

It is equipped with a 4GB storage capacity which is quite small compared to the others, but it has expandable MicroSD (SDHC and SDXC) card slots for additional storage.

There are two ways in which it records; the MP3 and LPCM mode, which are both aided by a high sensitivity S-shaped, focus, and wide microphone coverage.

Aside from being a recorder, it has an FM which can be used to listen and record radio channels without disturbance. For easy connection to a computer, it has an in-built USB port. It has a single lithium (AAA) battery that can last a user for hours.

Main Features
  • Lightweight body with shiny silver color.
  • 4GB storage capacity + additional storage.
  • External microphone.
  • It has a noise reducer, which makes it excellent to use in crowded places.
  • FM function.
PROS (What we liked)
  • It can be easily carried from one location to another.
  • It offers dual functions; audio and radio record.
  • Very easy to use.
  • Useful for all kinds of operations.
  • Excellent audio and radio quality.
  • The battery back-up is excellent.
  • It is compatible with your smartphone.
CONS (What we didn’t like)
  • No negative points were observed so far.
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6. Zoom H3-VR Handy Audio Recorder 

The Zoom H3-VR is a handy virtual reality audio recorder that works great for recording and processing spatial audio for virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed-reality content.

It comes with a built-in ambisonic mic, decoder, and recorder that help you to deliver 360?-audio effortlessly. It supports zoom player software that can convert ambisonic audio to a 5.1 channel surround file.

This 5.1 channel surround file is pre-aligned to the proper speakers and you can export it to an audio or video editor for superior syncing with standard videos.

Main Features
  • The H3-VR features 4 built-in mics that are arranged in an Ambisonic array. These mics capture precise 360-degree VR audio recordings up to 24 bit/96 kHz.
  • It allows full-sphere surround sound recording and provides onboard Ambisonic A to B decoding.
  • It offers a hyper-realistic spatial recording for enhancing 2D productions with 3D audio.
  • The H3-VR allows the detection of auto-mic position by using a 6-axis gyroscope.
  • It features wireless iOS remote control that provides seamless control through the BTA-1 Bluetooth adapter.
  • With this audio recorder, you can enjoy onboard Ambisonic playback along with audio rotation.
  • The H3-VR provides standard stereo recording so that you can play out recordings from speakers rather than headphones.
  • It delivers 5.1 channels surround sounds for precise synchronization with video.
PROS (What we liked)
  • The H3-VR allows you to monitor your live audio in stereo binaural.
  • You can place it in any position and it automatically calibrates for perfect alignment of audio and video.
  • The H3-VR is perfect for live streaming, direct recording, and video-conferencing.
  • It comes with an H3 control app that enables you to remotely access level settings, transport controls, and metadata notes directly from your iOS devices.
  • It enables you to quickly trim, re-orientate, play, and export your audio files.
CONS (What we didn’t like)
  • It is on the expensive side.

7. Walmeck 8GB  Recorder – Best Recording modes

Walmeck 8GB Intelligent Digital Audio Voice Phone Recorder
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Walmeck digital phone recorder is another unique device which has six recording modes as well as 8GB storage capacity. It has an LCD screen and recording indicator which is easy to operate, with a standard USB 2.0 interface.

It records a 3D sound effect and a voice-activated function (VAR) . Also, it is made of a metallic material and plastic overall, which makes it highly durable and impact resistant against an external force.

It has loop, pause, play, and delete functions for effectiveness, as well as a recording rate of 192 Kbps. It also features a built-in microphone and speaker, as well as an external mic & earphone for a great user experience.

It comes with a built-in lithium rechargeable battery life of 25 hours.

Main Features
  • The package comes with a lot of accessories like one earphone, USB cable, audio cable and a telephone line cable.
  • An external mic.
  • A telephone adapter.
  • Good value for money.
  • It comes with a user manual for smooth operation.
  • It supports  MP3 / WMA / WAV music format.
PROS (What we liked)
  • It has six recording modes to choose from.
  • Very lightweight and robust in design (metal casing).
  • Supports up to 22 languages.
  • High storage capacity of 8 GB.
  • Supports Windows OS.
CONS (What we didn’t like)
  • No warranty available for this product.
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Frequently Asked Questions

We have had questions about the use of voice recorders, and here are some of the frequently asked ones and answers we have provided.

1. Which is better: Digital voice recorder or Built-in smartphone recorder?

There has been a lot of debate on which is better between digital voice recorder and app-based recorder on regular smartphones. However, in the end, both of them do one thing – they record events that have happened and save them till whenever you are ready to listen to them.

They work using a similar mechanism, in which audibility is through the speakers.

Smartphone recorders make things easier because while you may want to stay discrete, you can record all you want while Digital voice recorders can either blend in or stay noticeable.

If we are to judge by the advantage of both, we will choose digital voice recorders over the other because it can pick up sounds better.

Most of the times, when using phone recorders, there is a bit of noise it picks up which may affect the audio quality. Mobile phone recorders can be very tempting but consider if you want to listen well or not before you make that decision.

In cases where you have to record lecture notes, conversations, and interviews, a digital recorder is a perfect device that will come to your rescue and not your mobile phone.

2. Can the deleted recordings be retrieved?

The answer is not quite straight, and it depends on how the recording was deleted. If it was deleted from the digital voice recorder, it might never be retrieved again; however, if it had been sent to a laptop or tablet before it was deleted, there are ways you can retrieve it back.

This isn’t a big issue, but users are advised to make multiple copies of important recordings.

3. How do I record audio in a digital audio recorder?

  • In your digital voice recorder, select the folder in which you want to save the files.
  • Press the Record button to start recording your voice.
  • As soon as you record your voice, press the Stop button to save your file.

Conclusion

As we have discussed in this article, voice recorders are great tools for recording high-quality sounds and reproducing them precisely so that you hear exactly what you have recorded without any interference.  

If you are someone who doesn’t compromise on sound quality, the voice recorders are your unambiguous choice for capturing audio. Out of the listed products, we highly recommend the voice recorders from Evistr and Zoom, which provide great quality at an affordable price.

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