Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony ICD-B25 Digital Voice Recorder

I did quite a bit of research before I bought my Sony ICD-B25 recorder and I am quite comfortable with what I got for $. To begin with, the recording time of around 2 hours for the standard mode and 5 hours for long mode is sufficient for what I use it for (recording college lectures), and I have to say that the sound quality is quite good. I don't believe that you are going to find so-called sound perfection with any digital recorder at $1. For me, I find my recordings to be highly interpretable, which is what my goal is when it comes to sound quality from any voice reorder. However, I do suggest sitting the recorder as close to the source as you can to enable optimum sound quality. It's also nice to know that I don't have to fumble around with micro cassette tapes, which aren't exactly cheap. Instead I burn my recordings on to cd from my computer for a fraction of what micro cassettes cost.
Unfortunately, as with many products, there are some down sides. First of all, I sure as hell wouldn't want to drop it because it would probably have a good chance of breaking. And for a $ investment, it would be nice if the recorder came with a carrying case to help protect it. So, the first thing that I did was run down to Best Buy and bought a mp3 case made out of neoprene for $10 that fits great with this compact recorder. Also, it is a bit odd that there is no on/off switch, which does leave the unit on all the time. However, the only power drain problem that I have had is when I use the pause button because it flashes the pause message until you either push play or stop. I suppose that you could take the batteries out if you become worried about excess power drainage. Finally, I could do without the mic jack that comes with it. I feel this would be a great place to to put a D.C. inlet instead. Oh well, I still highly recommend this recorder to anyone that is looking at recording time, quality sound (not bad in long record mode either), and file bins to store different messages in. If I broke mine today, I would not hesitate once to go out and buy another ICD-B25 just like it.

Sony has a lot of work to do to improve the ICD-B25, and quite frankly, I am annoyed that Sony is selling this recorder when it has so many obvious flaws. Don't be misled by the other reviews. The truth is: the sound quality is just okay, not outstanding; the display panel of the recorder cannot be turned off, so it quickly drains the batteries even with minimal usage for playing and recording; the clock is set up to display the time in military format, rather than a standard 12-hour format (what a stupid idea); and the instructions aren't exactly the model of clarity. The only reason I keep my unit is that, for the price, it is better than most digital voice recorders; however, it is not the model of perfection that the other reviewers would lead you to believe.

Acutally, 4.5 stars. But that wasn't a choice.

This is a highly functional unit for the price, though clarity and record time is what I focused on. As such, I'm amazed at the clarity of the recordings even in long-play (LP) mode. Compared to one other I've used (Olympus VN-90), there is no comparison. In LP, there is virtually no static (as with the VN-90), but the voice does sound a little like you're speaking into a tin can. But even then it's still not bad. One could operate this unit in LP mode all the time and miss very little, I think, of what you gain in standard play (SP) mode. But for those times when a clearer recording is required, SP is there, and it is noticeably better. Don't get me wrong, this is not MP3 quality by any means, nor is it designed to be. And of course there will a decrease in quality with distance from the source, as there would be for any device like this. But relative to what I was expecting for LP quality, this is fantastic.

As to the record time...it's up there: 127 min SP, 339 min LP. This is a plenteous amount for recording long meetings or lectures. It will take a long time to fill the memory if the unit is only used for simple reminders.

Some other niceties include a back-lit display. It comes on whenever a function button is pushed. The display itself is large and readable. There's also plug-ins for an external microphone and ear-piece. The unit is small, lightweight, and easily fits in a shirt pocket without a lot of bulk.

As stated above, I'd rather have given 4.5 stars if I could since there are some quirky things with this unit. One, the buttons on the front of the unit are small and sub-flush. Those with other-than-stubby fingernails or small, pointy fingers will have no problem. That, and you have to use two hands at times for some of the operations. For this I gave a quarter star demerit.

Second, the time display is in military format only. I've yet to read in the directions for an option to display in regular 12-hour format. Again, this is rather picayunish, but does deserve another quarter star demerit. Even less worthy of mentioning is the fact that there seems to be a spot to attach a wrist-strap. But none was provided. I didn't give any demerits for this since the unit fits so well in a shirt pocket as stated above.

Over all, I'd recommend this unit to anyone who wants clear sound, with long record time. Perhaps there are better out there, but I'm satisfied with the Sony ICD-B25 thus far.

I really love my Sony IC recorder. I splurged, and spent more than I had wanted to, but the extra 25 dollars was worth it- the sound quality is great, perfect for recording dialogue or lectures. The incredible recording time (5.5 hours LP, 2.1 hours SP) and tiny size make this a fantastic buy for someone who wants to record conversations or have audio to transcribe notes from.

I wanted a recorder which could record 2 hours lectures. I have looked and looked. A good recorder is very expensive. This one fits my budget, and the sound is much more clear than my old Plansonic digital rcorder. I got it from Office Max. I have tried for several lectures. They served the purposes right. The sound quality is clear enough for me to write down notes even though it is not stereo. It is the only recorder that is under 100 bucks that can do a decent recording. This is not the recorder for recording music, though. If you need a recorder to record lectures, go for this one. I am very happy for the quality, easy to use, and the amount of money that I spent. However, there is a design flaw. If you hit the record key while you actually want to hit the pause key that next to it, your original recording is gone. They call it overwrite feature. But, it is stupid to have the record key next to the pause key.