Dictaphone Professional Microcassette Voice Processor unboxing, review & test

[@crankjazz]

Memories of that old joke. "Can I use your Dictaphone?" "No, use your finger like everyone else." :-)

[@denniseldridge2936]

Dammit, you beat me to it! LOL

[@Kuraio]

I don't get it

[@oledcrt]

@@Kuraio The correct punchline is “Dial with your finger like everyone else.”

[@SNC2319]

Dick to phone. Oh, I get it XD

[@estebanvasquez2307]

OHHHHHHH! I got it after a minute of solid thinking! Thanks y'all :D

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

"Diane, i am holding in my hand a box of chocolate Bunnies."

[@ABCEasyas--]

It's a great day when VWestlife uploads a new video.

[@deletesoon70]

Seeking as many neutral distractions as possible now.

[@LightTheUnicorn]

Really doesn't look half bad, great to find Microcassette recorders still in such fresh condition these days.

[@UltimatePerfection]

Why though, since every phone has a dictation app? Don't get me wrong, it is interesting from the history standpoint, but the tech is simply obsolete, just like microcassettes. And to be honest, I never actually seen anyone using such recorder (even on their smartphones!) IRL unless they were covertly recording someone. or in movies.

[@TheOriginalCollectorA1303]

If it wasn’t for the classy 90s packaging, it looks like a unit that would be sold today. The plastic housing doesn’t seem all that fantastic but the durability is probably still better than newer cassette players.

[@656hookemhorns]

I had the generation before this, it was so nice to have in college.

[@ColdSphinX]

2.5mm jacks where quite common at the beginning of the 80s for any brand of micro cassette recorders 🤔

[@jamesslick4790]

2.5mm jacks were also a "thing" on some "smartphones" (like certain Palm Treo models).

[@UltimatePerfection]

I wonder why we went away from them in favor of obviously bulkier 3.5mm jacks.

[@jamesslick4790]

@@UltimatePerfection 3.5mm was the standard for radio "earphones", so the "installed user base" led to it being standard. 12 Volt "power outlets" in cars are so large because they were based on "cigarette" lighter sockets. and I put "cigarette" in qoutes , as the original intent was to light Cigars!

[@kuchenblechmafiagmbh1381]

@@jamesslick4790 Older mobile phones too, my Nokia 5210 had a 2.5mm jack and I bought a pair of small walkie-talkies around 15 years ago and they also had a 2.5mm Headset jack, which was also used as a charging port like the iPod shuffle. And my Gigaset SL660HX DECT phone got a 2.5mm jack, more expensive models got Bluetooth instead. The Xbox 360 Controller and Chatpad also got a 2.5mm.

[@frankowalker4662]

I have several dictaphones from mid 80's to late 90's, all different makes, but they all use 2.5mm Mic/Ear sockets. I think it was standard.

[@evlampii]

Standard for Olympus for example, but Sony, Panasonic, Philips were using normal diameter outputs. It depends on year and model. I am collecting this little fellows (about 70 items already), but the one shown in this video could be a good addition.

[@frankowalker4662]

@@evlampii It's got some nifty features.

[@jamesslick4790]

In "the day" (as the "kids" ssy) a quick trip to Radio Shack would be all you'd need to get a 2.5mm to 3.5mm mono adapter.

[@ThriftyAV]

Love new old stock unboxings! It's rare to find electronics still made in Japan in 1997.

[@jdebultra]

I had that exact one and used it for several years. I stumbled across it last year but left batteries in it and it was toast. I used it to record my sales call activity, making my sales call reports efficient and accurate. I used it from 97 to 2003. It was a key tool in my sales process. I enjoyed the nostalgia

[@AMDRADEONRUBY]

Nice a new video from Kevin nice surprise thanks you.

[@briangoldberg4439]

Very cool. I remember seeing those in the stores and was curious about them, but never had a good reason to find out. Thanks for the video!

[@tommyfazz1825]

Good and cleaver editing between yourself and Dictaphone.

[@netoe]

This made me remember the "dictabird" that appeared on the 1994 Flintstones movie.

[@bf0189]

The location in Melbourne still seems to be around in Google Maps but I did a lot more research and the Dictaphone corporations was bought out by Nuance Communications in 2006 and there's a Nuance location in the same place so it's definitely the same building interestingly enough.

[@hipstertey1666]

Yep! Same building off of I-95, Eau Gallie Boulevard (State Road 518), and Sarno Road!

[@Selrisitai]

This is one of those devices that's so nice that I want it even though I have absolutely no use for it.

[@chrisa2735-h3z]

When things are professional series these days there are still crap most of the time :c

[@andreasu.3546]

Might as well go so far as to say that when a device has "professional" printed on it, it is guaranteed to be cr*p.

[@TechBaffle]

Funnily enough I have a set of 2.5mm earphones, as they came with a pen FM radio. Also have a camera-watch which charged with a 2.5mm-USB cable. It was so cool as a kid!

[@MarkyShaw]

Neat to see VOX on a recording device. I'm only accustomed to seeing that on ham radios!

[@smvwees]

I was thinking you had a video already of Microcassette, namely an integrated module with even a TV in it and a Microcassette Walkman in it, but it now dawns on me that it was a video of Databits ;) .

[@JasonBoon02]

What an odd little fella. Most recorders I've come across (including my own Sony M-450) have the transport controls where there is a stop/eject, play and record button on the side, with next to those a toggle switch like the one on your recorder has but then for fast forwarding or rewinding the tape with a pause switch above. Also, no idea if you're on Reddit but there is an Microcassette subreddit that needs a little bit more attention (hint: I might be one of the mods of that sub ;) ).

[@WareNetwork2000]

About a couple weeks ago, I got a General Electric microcassette recorder from Goodwill for $3.50 USD.

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

2.5mm were fairly common at the time - I had multiple cell phones in a row from different brands that used 2.5mm jacks for their headsets (separate microphone and earphone.) Somewhere, I have an adapter that converts two 2.5mm jacks in to one 3.5mm TRRS headphone+microphone jack. The adapter is a solid plastic body with the two 2.5mm plugs sticking out, and I know it worked on multiple different brand devices, so the spacing between the two must have been fairly standardized, too.

[@drewstemen9597]

Came to the comments to say just this. I used microcassette recorders numerous times in the 90s and early 00s, by multiple brands... though Dictaphone doesn't ring a bell... and they all had the 2.5mm jacks exactly like this model. If I cared to spend the time searching, I could probably find one of those adapters in my basement somewhere.

[@RadOo]

I have midnight, I am not going to sleep until I see this video.

[@coolelectronics1759]

interesting piece and thanks for the bit of history at the beginingg. Now I get the whole voice activation thing I thought it ment you could command it to play, stop, record and pause. I had a few of these. I still have my sony one.

[@Computist40]

Hats off for using a local battery company! =)

[@deletesoon70]

Still in use here, inexplicably, is a late 90s Sanyo microcassette telephone answering machine. It has a memo record function on it which saw daily use before cell phones and texting. I wonder why we still have a landline too! :D

[@tylershg]

Great video kevin it was amazing. Im suprised you dont get nore views

[@cvbabc]

You really dropped the ball on this one Kevin. I didn't see any addicts or phones in this video at all!

[@jamesslick4790]

The "letter" function of the counter is cool! Neat bit I never thought was available on an analog tape recorder.

[@TheRealE1337ist]

The Dictaphone logo looks very similar to Connecticut's current branding...

[@dashcamandy2242]

I was wondering where our "tourism and marketing" funds were going. LOL

[@moviebod]

Very good. I have had a few similar products to those over the years.

[@BubbafromSapperton]

Ah, a Mission Impossible toy! Be careful, it's about to self-destruct in five seconds... 😆

[@kemi242]

Had one of these for recording school lectures, but ended up having fun with my sis making chipmunk and monster voices.

[@ThisGuyFrritz]

I prefer pressing buttons, like on the ones I use, over that slide-switch. I've used a Panasonic (forgot the model number) when working on my 2nd college degree and it came in handy for recording classroom lectures and stuff. These days, for some reason, the microphone no longer works as it used to. But I could still use it for playback. About a couple of years ago, I got a Sony M-100MC on eBay for the cheapest price I could get. It works very well, although the speed isn't quite the same as the Panasonic. I haven't tried adjusting the speed, but I could still record and play back on the Sony.

[@codebeat4192]

I have some headphones with a 2.5mm jack (came with a Windows smartphone). You can use most headphones as a microphone. Most of the time not a very sensitive one, however it works! Worth to try if you have only headphones instead of a microphone with this 2.5mm jack.

[@upliftingsiren]

I now have a new old stock microcassette dictaphone from realistic I like it for the old " vintage tech" vibe

[@Retroaria]

Great, cassette videos? I'm in. Grettings from Seoul.

[@Lachlant1984]

I had an Olympus Pearlcorder microcassette recorder that had 2.5 mm earphone and microphone sockets on it, actually I had 2 of them and I think they both had 2.5 mm earphone and microphone sockets on them. So I don't think Dictaphone were the only ones who did that.

[@REXXSEVEN]

Excellent demo

[@gmcnewlook]

When you mentioned they tried getting into voice recognition I thought “wonder if nuance bought them” they have a tendency to buy up other companies In that field...

[@NISSANZ33]

I suppose this tone indexing is the same way old answering machines would partition different voice messages

[@aphexteknol]

Sounds like this Dictaphone is a cheaper DC bias recording unit, although thats not surprising for 90s microcasette recorders. Some of the older units actually had AC bias believe it or not. My all-time favorite microcassette recorder that I have in my collection is the Olympus L200 Pearlcorder, and they have amazing AC bias sound quality for such a tiny microcassette recorder. (Especially with an external mic!)

[@renejansen5939]

That's not a piece of junk, works fine!

[@jasonthejawman5442]

Like it dictaphone very cool

[@davek12]

Such mixed signals here. Looks incredibly corner-cut, yet made in Japan and has a digital counter rather than mechanical.

[@Retroaria]

Try Olympus PEARLCORDER series, amazing devices.

[@ralphhoskins2115]

Yes!!! New tape players rule

[@jamesslick4790]

"Dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in its funny bone, that's where they expect it least"

[@und4287]

Neat.

[@trippmoore]

I have headphones from United Airlines first class that have 2.5 inch stereo plug.

[@battra92]

Not that you need one but 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapters are quite cheap on ebay and Aliexpress.

[@macrodriguez5697]

It works better than all crap micro cassette Sony recorders i had. And the digital ones were no better.

[@evlampii]

Where did you get it? I really want one, but never seen this model anywhere. Any chance you will be selling it in future?

[@svenbenglen7599]

The features are about the same if not worse relative to a late 80s dictaphone I bought a while back, seems like the technology didn't develop much till they went digital

[@Gmoney6422]

Actually, the majority of microcassette dictaphones I've owned had these 2.5 mm inputs and outputs. (They weren't Dictaphone branded)

[@johne5543]

Can you do a piece on stereo microcassettes/players? l know Techmoan's alrdy covered that, but l feel he ddnt really give all that much detail regarding sound quality. Thanks!

[@farhadalitaimoor4123]

Good job 👌

[@BG101UK]

Great video! I love these little machines. I have a small collection of microcassette recorders (mostly Sanyo), including some to fix. The cassettes are still easy enough to get hold of for a decent price, at least where I am. I wonder if the Dictaphone™ branded ones were ever sold in the UK? I don't recall seeing any for sale in the shops. Nice features although that function slide switch plus having to hold the switch or button for fast-forward and rewind might get a bit tedious with long recordings. I think a separate control for recording would be better as it's not as easy to accidentally erase something important where the tab hasn't been removed but I guess one would get used to that pretty quickly.

[@fountaincap]

The remaining working microcassette players fetch a hefty premium. I guess they don't make any new ones, even crappy ones.

[@onometre]

@Cali SocReject looks like about 25 dollars

[@Dwall44]

@Cali SocReject why do you say that about eBay?

[@BreakTime10101]

I had a micro cassette recorder in high school and college (80’s-90’s). Came in handy many times. I never understood why they used 2.5mm jacks on them. Did you try the 2.5mm microphone jack to see if it works?

[@docmcmoth]

Neat!

[@kentlisius7675]

I wonder if those people from when the telephone was invented are still out there?

[@TranscendentalAirwaves]

Dude lol How are you and I always having the same video ideas. I was just looking at buying some dictaphones. XD

[@repatch43]

The batteries were dead? You were ripped off! You should contact them for a new set! :)

[@charlesloukas1946]

VWL what do you think about EVP ?

[@christronicsdereksrandomness36]

I have one of these except it looks more like an answering machine. I found it at goodwill a couple years ago.

[@jonathanhartfield533]

How did that small tape recorder cost?

[@Xanifur]

Who dislikes these videos? Why?

[@subzeroarctics1299]

Voice processor? It's really just a voice recorder with some fancy features.

[@QuadMochaMatti]

Is ASMR box fondling/opening a thing? Maybe it could be, if it isn't.

[@mercuryoak2]

I know Usually reporters have these I would think wouldnt you see something like this on detective cop type show like CSI or something.. Or someone in college for taking notes. i know this be helpful in when my company would have us take mileage down as we crossed state to state for having Individual vehicle mileage record for we hD to keep track for tax reasons. Now we have a the gps in the log book do it.

[@fhwolthuis]

I wonder if they still exist

[@JessHull]

The Dictaphone Logo looks like they're borrowing from the IBM design language.

[@jamesslick4790]

"It was made in Japan" ... I'd like to have a current Sony product that was made in Japan!

[@SinaFarhat]

Nice :)

[@writerpatrick]

I don't even bother testing batteries that look like they're starting to deteriorate. There's no sense in risking them leaking in a device.

[@antonio1681]

Do you think you'll be able to do a video on stereo tool?

[@vwestlife]

I have done videos about audio processing, including software processing like Sonos/MBL4 and Airomate.

[@antonio1681]

@@vwestlife oh, okay. Just figured they stereo tool has released a new version.

[@chukimio]

Play Stereo?

[@jonmason1955]

Interesting to review this little machine. I had bought a Sanyo microcassette in the early 1990s to record the political meetings I was chairing. It wasn't too expensive, but this little worker has more features. And, my friend, the audio quality is just fine for transcribing! Love your channel, but sometimes you get too squirrelly. It wasn't designed for recreational music on recreational performance. It seems to fulfill it's designed purpose, and does it well! I'd love to have that unit as I still have microcassette tapes recorded and blank, but no machine to play them on to digitally archive. The later machines all went fully digital.

[@marcchambers1972]

Can I borrow your Dictaphone?.. No use your finger like everyone else!

[@JaSmiNe_2730]

Dude what's it's prices where I can get it...... Please reply

[@vwestlife]

It is no longer made.

[@JaSmiNe_2730]

@@vwestlife 😥😥😥

[@oxis2138]

Please do ASMR.

[@Crabby303]

Many people go though life without really considering the poor ethical choices they have to make in certain situations. With the Dictaphone Professional Microcassette Voice Processor purchasers could change that lamentable situation.

[@yanikkunitsin1466]

In the year thirty-two fifty-four...

[@TheTapeDiscMan]

8:22 I'm now... I am now... I. Am. Now... Hello there, Now.

[@iloveplanetearth209]

Howdy pal

[@jlsxs]

convert to Word

[@twocvbloke]

Oh, "funny sounding name", Dicked 'er phone, what a dirty thing to do to a lady's telephone apparatus... :P

[@fractalcat2121]

Do you use a Dictaphone? No, I use my finger

[@gamingmusicandjokesandabit1240]

8:21 "I'm now I'm now I"m now" (cue the repeatd word memes, no offence).

[@elbachirabdelkader6068]

Your hands are shaking too much are you that excited !?

[@moagnor]

third

[@TheNorthGamer16]

First