TEST: Olympus LS-14

 Years ago, the class of digital portable recorders was observed with some suspicion, but now it has become a permanent fixture in the field of "fast and uncomplicated recording". The possibility of directly archiving an idea, a phrase, a beat or even a whole rehearsal room passage is simply too tempting to ignore the product group with a touch of impertinence.

I remember all too well the shortcomings of a rehearsal room recording not so long ago. Either one was lucky enough to rehearse in a rehearsal studio, but then had to take off the individual instruments with elaborate miking of a live show and place a man in the control room, or due to a lack of alternatives (once again no one cared...) the universally hated Nordmende radio recorder from Grandma Erna was used for the hundred thousandth time. Result: a droning, musty cassette recording, either completely overdriven or mangled beyond recognition by the internal hard-knee compressor. Horrible!

Anyone who has ever had to endure artistic humiliation of such a caliber will be delighted every time they see a handheld recorder, since this is precisely where the devices come in. Or generate a usable live recording in a hurry? Turn on the camcorder for pictures, turn on the portable recorder for sound, edit together in the editing program, and you're done. Joy to the gods! So it's hardly surprising that there's no reason to complain about a lack of competition in this segment. The Japanese manufacturer Olympus will also have been aware of this when it launched its Chinese-made LS-14 recorder. What could be included in the recording process that the competition doesn't necessarily have at the start. How about a third microphone?


Design

The recorder is small and handy. 170 grams without batteries is truly one of the absolute lightweights, and if it weren't for the microphone-related depth of 23 mm, the product's dimensions of 138 mm x 52 mm would easily pass for a new smartphone. The LS-14 is powered by 2 pcs. AA batteries (alternatively rechargeable batteries), a mains adapter operation or even charging AA batteries is unfortunately not provided for. According to the manufacturer, however, an operation of almost 50 hours compensates for the lack of connection options. Recording is done with the values 24Bit/96kHz.

The scope of delivery also includes a carrying bag, which can be completely closed with a zipper, and a mounting clip, which can be used to attach the device to a tripod. The product also comes with a USB cable. Internally, the device has 4 GB of memory, which generates a safe cushion in the MP3 or WMA recording format, but can be used up faster than one would like in the WAV format, which is also offered. Therefore, the device has an additional card slot that can be fed with SD / SDHC memory cards, which are not included in the scope of delivery.

Let's move on to the LS-14's peculiarities, whereby the focus here is on the use of 3 microphones, which seems unusual at first glance. The manual does not reveal too much about the components used. Presumably, electret microphones were used, which were attached at a 90 degree angle to the upper sides of the case at a distance of just under 3 centimeters. Olympus has thus decided against a real XY miking, but in return brings another microphone between the capsules to the start, which primarily takes care of the bass range. This additional microphone is not necessary for the stereo image, it only has the function of a better bass foundation. If you do not like this option, you can deactivate the microphone.

If you want to use external recording sources, you can connect line signals, for example in the form of mixer signals, as well as external microphones as signal generators via 2 mini-jack inputs, whereby the latter can be supplied with phantom power if required. The internal speaker serves as playback, or a headphone jack in mini-jack format. The product can also be managed via the company's RS30W remote control if required, an input jack for which is located on the side of the unit. The LS-14 is switched on via a side-mounted slide control, which can be locked via a hold function if required and secures against accidental switch-off.

After activation, a monochrome display guides the user through the menu. There are also two LEDs on the surface of the housing, which warn of overdriving or are integrated into the additionally offered metronome and tuner functions. Various pushbuttons also provide direct access to the Play, Stop and Record, Erase and menu selection functions. A menu cross, as known from almost all Apple players, manages the internal settings and a discreetly toothed wheel manages the recording modes Smart, Quick and Manual, or activates the tuner.



Practice

If you activate the LS-14 for the first time, you have the option of having the individual menu areas read aloud in English. Nice feature. If you start the recording process, you can only choose whether to activate or deactivate the middle pressure receiver, a separate recording option in different tracks is unfortunately not possible.

For a quick start, you can use the Smart Record mode, which analyzes the level for a maximum of 30 seconds before starting the recording and then selects the optimal level. This is a useful feature if you want to get started quickly, but it requires a bit of haptic practice if you don't want to confuse the different modes in the heat of the moment. The menu navigation is clear and almost self-explanatory, whereby the slightly teacher-like voice guidance of the internal lady additionally comments on the personal actions.

The display itself is kept simple and conveys a light first-generation cell phone touch, but can be read well even with a minimal number of pixels due to the simple construction. Both the metronome and the built-in tuner do a good job and support the artist in his performance when needed, but rather take a back seat in terms of practical use.

Sound-wise, I was surprised by the unexpectedly strong bass content of the recordings. As expected, the recordings in three-microphone mode have a slightly stronger bass content, but this is particularly distinguished by the fact that a high-pass filter is applied to the stereo capsules, which leads to better spatial definition. Overall, the sound can be described as balanced, especially high sibilants are filtered out very nicely in the recording process and suppressed in a practical way.


Conclusion

With the LS-14, Olympus now also places a portable recorder on the market and takes a seat directly in the front rows. The handy product impresses with simple handling, user-friendly menu navigation and a neutral sound, which can be used equally well for different recording situations.

The optional use of a third center microphone can both improve the spatial resolution and significantly increase the bass content. A very good product, which is also sold at an attractive price.


Additional Informations:

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