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Olympus releases LS-100, high-end audio recorder

Announced last December, the impressive LS-100 is officially available in stores, where it retails for $399.99.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
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David Carnoy
The Olympus LS-100, which is geared toward musicians, retails for $399.99 (click to enlarge). Olympus

The folks from Olympus Audio were camped out yesterday at Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village for some quick press demos promoting the release of the LS-100, the company's new high-tech audio recorder that retails for $399.99.

The LS-100 is geared toward musicians, so, not surprisingly, Olympus had a musician on hand for the demos: Dia Frampton, last year's runner-up on "The Voice," gave a short performance with sister Meg for an audience of six (two journalists and four Olympus reps), as press appointments were staggered in half-hour slots.

 
"The Voice" 2011 runner-up Dia Frampton helped demo the LS-100 in New York (click to enlarge). David Carnoy/CNET

The company also showcased the step-down model, the $299.99 LS-20M Linear PCM recorder, which features video recording capabilities.

While the LS-100 will appeal to musicians, Olympus says it's also "ideal" for podcasting and can be used to build "soundscapes or capture ambient noise." Ah, and let's not forget birding and nature enthusiasts who are looking to record wildlife with "lifelike clarity."

I'll try to coax one of our resident musicians, Donald Bell, into reviewing this one. Donald has reviewed competing products from Zoom in the past.

For full specs, go here.