Sony ICD-UX560 vs Sony ICD-UX570

Sony ICD-ux570 compared to Sony ICD-ux560

The Sony ICD-UX570 is a refresh of the Sony ICD-UX560.

TL;DR: Buy the cheaper model.

To start us off, let’s look at the specifications of the two recorders.

Product NameSony ICD-UX560Sony ICD-UX570
Product Dimensions1.44 x 4 x 0.41 inches1.45 × 4.05  × 0.49 inches
Recording FormatsLPCM (WAV), MP3LPCM (WAV), MP3
Internal Storage4GB, microSDXC expansion4GB, microSDXC expansion
MicrophonesStereo microphonesStereo microphones
Ports3.5mm microphone input, 3.5mm headphone output, USB 2.0 for PC & Mac3.5mm microphone input, 3.5mm headphone output, USB 2.0 for PC & Mac
Internal Battery3.7v Lithium ion3.7v Lithium ion
Release DateOctober 2015December 2019
Check Price on AmazonCheck Price on Amazon

As you can see, the two recorders are very similar, and here’s a detailed review of the Sony ICD-UX570 and the Sony ICD-UX560. But there are some differences.

Build

Sony ICD-ux570 compared to Sony ICD-ux560

The UX570 is slightly larger than the UX560. The UX570 is slightly thicker, but with the rounded edges, it’s barely noticeable. On the UX570 the speaker has moved to the left side, while on the UX560 it’s at the bottom.

On the UX570, the Back, T-Mark and Option buttons have moved to below the display, and they have been replaced with 3 new playback buttons.

Display

The display on the UX570 is about 10% larger. But more importantly, they have redesigned the layout of the record window and added the recording folder to the display. So, it’s very easy to tell which folder you are recording into – very useful.

In addition, you get a larger recording LED on the ux570 and it has moved to below the Sony logo.

Sony ICD-ux570 Display
Recording display on Sony ICD-UX570

On the UX560, you get recording peak meters. The peak meters indicate the recording volume in dB. That’s changed on the UX570. You no longer have meters, but you do get recording guides. And the recording guides, for left and right channel have pluses. The space between the pluses indicates the appropriate range for the recording level.

So they have simplified the metering, removed the dB meter and placed guides.

Personally, I liked the dB meter on the UX560. But I understand that to users who don’t know what’s a dB and the appropriate dB for recording quality audio, they might have been overly complicated.

Battery Life

The Sony ICD-UX560 came with a 230mah 3.7v lithium ion internal battery. They UX570 also comes with a 3.7v lithium ion internal battery, but from the specifications it seems like the capacity has reduced; you get a slight reduction in battery life. The only sure way to tell if the ux570 has a lower capacity battery is to open it up; I don’t plan to do that!

Recording Quality

This is where the ux570 shines. The internal circuit of the UX570 produces less noise than the UX560. And that’s a big deal. Because, in similar settings, the UX570 records less background noise.

In addition, the Noise Cut Filter (NCF) on the UX570 has a larger effect than on the ux560. So if you use the NCF on the UX570, a lot of the low and high frequencies are reduced. Now, I generally record in quiet locations and I found that when I used the NCF on the UX570 I lost a lot of the bass in the recording.

While I recommend always using the NCF on the UX560 when you’re making voice recordings, on the UX570 you only need to use the NCF if you are recording in a location with a lot of noise.

Here’s an in-depth look at the NCF and LCF on the UX560, if you’d like me to pen a similar one for the UX570, let me know in the comments section below.

Bottom line

If you are looking to make a buying decision between the UX560 and the UX570, here’s my advice:

Head over to Amazon (I’ve found Amazon offers the lowest prices) and compare the price of the UX560 and UX570. Whichever is cheaper, buy it.

There’s very little that differentiates the UX560 from the UX570.

My guess is that Sony will discontinue (or already has) the production of the UX560. Because of demand vs supply, the UX560 is going to cost more than the UX570. As I pen this, the UX560 is $23 more expensive than the UX570 on Amazon. But as demand ramps up for the UX570 in a few months and goes down for the UX560, you may find that the UX570 will become more expensive than the UX560.

So, check the prices and buy the cheaper model.

That’s it for this post. If you have any questions or suggestions, please post them in the comment section below. 

Isaac

Isaac here. At Weloty, we provide bespoke academic transcription services to qualitative researchers. If you wish to hire us, get in touch. Please note that if you choose to buy the products we recommend as a result of our research and testing, we’ll get paid some money through an affiliate commission from the retailer when you make a purchase. You can find out more here.

11 responses to “Sony ICD-UX560 vs Sony ICD-UX570”

  1. jason d barlow Avatar
    jason d barlow

    incredible detail here. excellent side by side comparison. really appreciate it.

    1. Isaac Avatar

      Glad you found it useful.

  2. Bruce Quinn Avatar
    Bruce Quinn

    I bought a 560 from Amazon in early September and I probably thought it was better because yes, it’s $30 more.

    From this review it sounds like the 570 is somewhat better. I’ve been overall very happy with the 560: It’s so compact and I record meetings sometimes in order to generate backup autotranscripts from “Otter.ai” and the 560 works just great for this purpose. Thanks for the detailed review. If I was buying now, I’d definitely get the 570.

    1. Isaac Avatar

      Yeah Bruce, the two recorders are very similar. Like I said, I’d buy whichever is cheaper…

  3. Interested InTech Avatar
    Interested InTech

    Was looking for an article like this for a long time! The microphones for the two units look different. Do the microphones in the UX570 have better pick up of sound? They look like they’d be more directional where as the microphone in the UX560 look like they could pick up more sound from a general area.

    1. Isaac Avatar

      Not that I have noticed.
      I did do a blind test of recordings from the two recorders and I couldn’t tell them apart.
      They record very similar vanilla (without filters) audio.
      As I mentioned in the post, the UX570 comes with more powerful filters – that’s the big difference I noticed.

  4. Gunther Avatar
    Gunther

    This was a very profound analysis for the UX560 versus UX570. I am narrating a book and wonder if editing the recording is a viable option. Maybe you or anyone else knows the answer. I would appreciate advise. Gunther

    1. Isaac Avatar

      On the recorder, that’s not possible. But, you can transfer the audio files to your computer or phone and easily edit them.
      If you want a recorder with editing functions, check out the PX240.

  5. Tom E Avatar
    Tom E

    I recently purchased the UX560 on Amazon for $189. Reviews I had read related to “The best handheld recorder” rated the UX560 the best. I was reluctant at that price but decided to go with it. Received and I loved it….super small…super thin…and it’s looks were very cool. Then I came across this post and comparison and didn’t even know there was a UX570 newer version – my bad. Thank you for the detail – I decided to return the UX560 as I was in the Amazon return window and I’ve purchased the UX570. I’m not disappointed and there is very little difference in size and I like the LED window size and easier controls.
    Thank you and I saved $100 for basically the same recorder….and…for me better.

  6. Tinlizzy3 Avatar
    Tinlizzy3

    I am considering the 570 for my daughter (she sings/plays piano and has recently started composing) and doesn’t have a good way to keep track of her pieces. Any thoughts on this idea? Are there any accessories to consider or will this do the job on its own? TIA!

    1. Isaac Avatar

      For music recording, I’d look at the Zoom H1n. And it does come with an accessory pack that I’d recommend.
      And this blog has some beginner how to posts on how to use the H1n that your daughter might find useful.

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