The Good
- Very light, 48 g (1.70 oz) easily portable.
- 3.7v Internal battery, powers up instantly, fumble for batteries, no worries, takes 3 hours to fully charge it.
- With the right settings, you get amazing sound
The Bad
- The USB is a weak link, will likely break off.
- No easy way to rename files, create folders.
- Lacks the overwrite function – makes it a poor choice for dictation.
Bottom line
Simply put, the UX570 is the best voice recorder money can buy. I recommend the UX570 for recording interviews, lectures, focus group discussions, and meeting without any hesitation.
The Sony ICD-UX570 is the latest in line of their digital voice recorders. In this review, I’ll highlight the features of the UX570 that I like, and don’t like.
Keep in mind though, when using a digital recorder, I generally focus on features that make a recorder great, or not so great, for recording interviews, lectures, focus group discussions, and meetings. A recorder that will help qualitative researcher’s record better audio for transcription.
And having used the UX570 for a few months, I have to say I’ve found my go to recorder for all my voice recording needs. In 2020, I recommend the UX570 as the best voice recorder for qualitative researchers.
Here’s why.
The Good.
Weighing at 48 g (1.70 oz), which is the weight of a Kit Kat or Hennessey’s bar, the UX570 is very light. It’s also small; compared to other voice recorders. And the only component that surfers from its compact design is the speaker – which is tiny on the ux570.
The ux570 comes with a 3.7v internal battery. From my experience with the older UX560 (which also has an internal battery), it makes this recorder very convenient in a few ways:
- You don’t have to fumble looking for batteries when you want to record. And don’t have to carry extra batteries.
- You get a minimum of 20 hours of recording from one charge!
- It’s easy and fast to charge, takes 3 hours to fully charge it. And you can charge or power the UX570 using your computer, a USB charger, or a portable power-bank.
- Powers up instantly; most recorders I own take a few seconds to power up. By the time you release the power button, the ux570 is powered and ready to record. You can start recording within a second.
Using the right settings, and the UX570 does come with a good number of recording settings, you can record clear voice recording. This device captures very little background noise, has impressive signal to noise ratio and has a couple of filters (LCF and NCF) that can help you record less noise in a noisy location.
In comparison to other recorders, the LCD screen on the UX570 is large, crisp and clear. And Sony have done a very good job of designing the display of elements on the screen. For instant, when you are on the recording window, you can easily see the set mic sensitivity setting, recording format (LPCM or mp3), filter and recording folder! I always check my recording folder before each recording and I no longer need check it in the Rec Information menu. Thank you Sony!
Finally, let me mention a few of the features that are unique to the UX570. The UX570 comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack that’s also a line out – so you can use it to monitor your recording. It also comes with a powered 3.5mm TRS mic input, most high quality microphones require a powered input (Giant squid, ME33s etc). This recorder comes with a microSD slot that supports higher capacity microSDXC cards, a rarity among voice recorders. And comes with 4GB of internal memory.
The Bad
There’s not much that is wrong with the UX570, but the USB connector is the Achilles heel of this voice recorder. And that’s from my experience using the older UX560 that had the same retractable USB connector.
The problem is when you connect the UX570 to your laptop or PC, either to charge it or transfer files to your computer, it’s held up by that USB connector. And if you bump on it, the recorder acts as a lever and all that force is transferred to your computer through that connector.
This will cause your laptop to fly through the air, or if you have connected the UX570 to your desktop, the connector will likely break off. And without that connector, you cannot charge the recorder.
Having bumped my UX560 a few times while it was connected to my desktop, the mechanism that holds the connector in place broke, so I struggle to insert it into a USB port and the forward button no longer works.
If you buy the UX570, I recommend that you also buy a female to male USB-A cable, and NEVER connect your UX570 directly to your computer, always use this cable. If anyone from Sony reads this, please replace this connector with a port, I’d rather have to always carry a cable, and is it too much to ask for USB-3 speeds? 7 MB/s reads are so 2013…
With the UX570 you can record your audio into 2 audio formats, mp3 or LPCM (wav). With the mp3 file format, you have a few options: 192k, 128k, and 48k. For the wav format you have one option; 44.1kHz/16bit format. If you need to record audio at a higher bitrate, look elsewhere.
The UX570 lacks the overwrite function, that you can find on cheaper Sony models, which make the UX570 a poor choice for dictation.
Finally, I’m really confused by Sony’s design choices when it comes to playback. The speaker on the UX570 is really small. It a disservice to the recording capabilities of this recorder. And that lends me think that Sony does not want you to use the UX570 as a playback device. Understandable as they have a good selection of mp3 players. However, the UX570 has 7 buttons that are dedicated to playback.
I don’t get it.
Bottom Line
The UX570 is a wonderful little voice recorder. It’s compact, easily portable and can easily fit in your pocket or bag. Records good audio using the 44.1kHz/16bit audio format and the right setting and allows you to monitor your recording. The LCF and NCF filters are powerful and help reduce noise when recording in a noisy location. And the ux570 provides plugin power through it’s 3.5mm TRS mic input.
The USB connector is poorly designed and can lead to a lot of mishaps, I recommend you buy a male to female USB-A cable and use it connect the UX570 to your computer. Without any reservations, I recommend the Sony ICD-UX570 for recording interviews, lectures, focus group discussions and meetings. Buy the Sony ICD-UX570 from Amazon.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. Can you recommend a male to female USB-A cable?
A. Here’s a dedicate page with all the UX570 accessories I recommend: male to female USB-A cable, microSD card, lav/clip-on microphone, boundary microphones, carrying case, portable charger, and splitter cable.
Q. How do you transfer your recording from the UX570 to a computer?
A. Simply plug the UX570, preferably using a cable, to your computer and then navigate to the Rec_File folder in the UX570 where all the recording are stored.
Q. Does the UX570 work on Mac?
A. Yes, tested it on all Mojave and all previous MacOS. Not tested on Catalina. If you have, let me know in the comments sections below.
Q. How many playback speeds does this recorder have?
A. With the UX570 you have a playback speed of 0.25x to 3.0x. With 0.1x increments.
Q. Can I use the UX570 for transcription?
A. Yes you can, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The UX570 comes with the Sony Organizer which you can use for manual transcription (Play/Pause recording and change playback speed).
Q. Does the Sony UX570 record in DS2?
A. No it does not. It only records in mp3 and wav format.
Q. How long does UX570 battery last?
A. Here’s a handy chart.
Q. Is it possible to record phone interviews using the UX570?
A. Yes, here is a great how to guide on recording phone interviews.
Q. Would you recommend the UX570 for recording violin lessons?
A. Nope. I’d recommend the Tascam DR-05x.
Q. Does the UX570 work well for outdoor interviews?
A. Yes, when used with clip-on/lav microphones.
Q. Does the headphone jack give a live output?
A. Yes it does, and you can use it to monitor your recording or as a line out to another device (camera etc).
Q. Can I only use a TRS terminated mic with the UX570?
A. You can connect a 3.5mm TS or a TRS terminated mic and it will work with the UX570. If you have a TRRS terminated mic, you’ll need a TRRS to TRS adapter for it to work with ux570.
Q. Will the UX570 record someone 40 feet away?
A. Really?
Q. Please don’t answer a question with another question.
A. Why not?
Q. Can you record using the UX570 while charging?
A. Yes, if you are using a portable charger or USB charger. If you are charging it using a computer, you cannot record while it’s connected to the computer.
Q. Sony ICD-UX570 or Tascam DR-05x, which one would you recommend for voice recordings?
A. Sony ICD-UX570.
Q. Sony ICD-UX570 or Zoom H1n, which one would you recommend for voice recordings?
A. Sony ICD-UX570.
Q. Sony ICD-UX570 or Sony ICD-PX470, which one would you recommend for voice recordings?
A. Sony ICD-UX570. The PX470 is about $20-$30 cheaper, but the internal battery alone is worth the price of the UX570.
Q. My question isn’t listed here, what should I do?
A. Eat more marshmallows. Or you could leave a comment below…
What lapel mics would you recommend to use with the Sony ICD-ux570 for outdoor walking interviews?
My go-to lav mic for the ux570 is the Giant squid microphone.
I reviewed it here.
What to you mean by TRS mic input. What is a TRS microphone?
Check out this post on interview microphones.
What software, if any, is good to transcribe interviews using the UX570, Dragon (Pro or Standard) or something else?
For manual transcription, I recommend F4 – that’s what we use.
There’s a plethora of speech to text cloud services – and I recommend using an cloud service as opposed to Dragon etc.
They are better and probably cheaper (not sure how much Dragon costs and from my experience it’s not much better than the speech to text that comes with your Operating System).
And most of the cloud services use Google, Microsoft, IBM or Amazon AI. How good they are is dependent on the engine they are using. Recommend you try a few of them and find one that works for you.
I intend to use this to record my lectures. At what (maximum) distance can I sit for the recording to be good enough to understand the lectures again?
Also, since it is a classroom, the background noises of students talking will be present. Will the mic be too sensitive to those disturbances too?
It’s really hard to say because there are so many variables; classroom acoustics, recorders settings, lecturers etc.
I have some great tips on recording lectures in this post.
Thanks for this review, very helpful. Can this device record one single recording for as long as the battery and memory lasts? Some of the specs on retail sites state that it can only record for one hour at a time. Thanks!
Yes Nigel, with the UX570 you can record for as long as you want. The limiting factor is memory, and there’s a setting to switch to MicroSD memory if the inbuilt memory fills up. The recorder will also charge while recording, so you can connect it to a power source and as long as you have enough memory (and this recorder supports 256GB MicroSD cards), you can record indefinitely.
I have recorded 22 hours of continuous recording using my UX570 using the internal memory.
Keep in mind that the WAV file format has a max file size limit of 4GB, but the recorder will instantly start a new file once you hit this limit, so your recording will be split up into 4GB files. And mp3s have a max file limit of 1GB.
Your review here and YouTube videos have been so helpful – Sony should reward you for that! I have purchased this recorder for my doctoral studies. As a requirement for a class, we are to record Zoom meetings and use a backup external audio device to record the meeting. I purchased a Y splitter so that I can attach my earphones with mic and the UX570 to the computer (Macbook Pro). To connect the UX570 to the Y splitter, I used a 3.5mm to 3.5mm (male to male), gold plated with two rings. Strange thing is that I can get the UX570 to record the audio of my interview participant, but not my voice. Is it possible to get it to record both of our voices? Or does the Y splitter prevent that? Of course I could ditch the earphones with mic, but I find that I am shouting at my screen when I use the built-in mic on my computer. Also, using the earphones reduces other noises. I appreciate any advice you would be willing to give. Thanks again!
I answered a similar question in this video.
Just swap the phone for your Macbook and near the end I talk about connecting earphones.
If you are still stumped, let me know the specific Y splitter that you have and I’ll let you know what else you need to get.
I have the ux560 model that I love but want to have a backup for. Is the ux570 an actual improvement? Should I get a ux570 instead?
Thanks.
Ted, check out this post comparing the UX560 to the UX570.
Does it have voice activation
It does, but it’s not very good.
Can you charge the ICD-UX570 without using your computer – for example in a USB wall outlet?
Yes, you can charge it or power it using a USB charger.
Using settings MP3 192kbps STEREO, screen off. I’m only getting at most just barely 6 hours of continous recording. While my 560 can recording 15 hours straight. This 570 is my second unit. Does it need to be charged and left in charger for 3 hours even when the recorder shows FULL charged? I have contacted Song support about charging and was told when recorder shows FULL, it is fully charged. But, I am not getting anywhere near the 22 hours recording time.
My guess is you have a faulty unit.
With my UX570 I get 19.5 hours with very similar settings, and 17 hours while it is connected to 6 external boundary microphones.
So, you should be getting the same battery life as your UX560.
I own a UX570 and I can concur that the USB is the weak point. It has been a great recorder, which I use frequently. I accidently dropped the unit the other day and the USB connector stopped going in and out. The unit itself is very light, so there was no damage to the recording functionality, but the USB switch to retract and extend the USB Connector stopped working. I ended up opening up the unit and found that one piece of flimsy metal with a couple of springs is what is used to move the connector in and out. The metal had bent in the fall and a small circular piece of metal that slides up and down the lever mechanism had popped out of it’s very shallow seating. I managed to reposition the thin metal to re-incase the circular part, but not before it cost me $225 to buy another unit in Australia, because initially I didn’t think it was repairable. Eventually I found a website that showed how to remove the back, which is hidden under a thin rubber back rest. Be aware of the USB-Connector and as soon as it’s pulled out from the computer, ensure that the connector is retracted.
I feel your pain! When I got the UX560, I thought that the battery was going to be the key determinant of the performance of the UX560.
But no, it was the slide out USB that broke – it’s a poor design has so many failure points.
I wrote a post about with a few tips on how take care of your UX560 and UX570.
Isaac,
Great review! I own the 570 and wondered if you could help me craft a solution. I go on long walk/runs with my dog and often find myself entering the flow state. As a non-fiction writer, great moments of clarity and subsequent thoughts seem to effortlessly stream across my mind while doing low stress tasks; walking as mentioned, cleaning the house, cutting the grass, etc. I want to record myself speaking these thoughts and then convert the speech to text. The people in my neighborhood will think I’m crazy, I know!
My questions are: do I need a lapel mic or something else like a rode wireless mic? I’m slightly concerned about wind and nature noise. I utilize an iPhone, so I’m not even locked into the 570, if a different mic recorded directly to the phone is a better option. I just can’t seem to find a mobile (walking/jogging) microphone recording and then automated speech to text solution. I do not mind editing and proofing, I just don’t want to speak for 45 minutes and then have to transpose that same recording by listening and typing it out.
Yes, a lapel mic is probably your best option. This post has up to date information on ux570 mic recommendations.
And also get some windshields for the lapel microphone.
Hi there,
I want a voice recorder for my 87 year old father to record things about his life, and I want to be able to easily transcribed into text. I am NOT techie. Is there a recorder that will do this without also buying software? What do you recommend?
Thank you!
For a recorder, you probably want something that is easy to use for him. Maybe look at the Olympus VN-541PC, or a Sony. Can’t say for sure as I don’t know how much mobility/dexterity he had in his arms. I’d buy a few recorders and try them out with him and find out which one he prefers. Then you can return the rest. I’d be interested to find out which recorder he choose…
I’d recommend human transcription – if you want to turn his recordings into book etc. If you want to use machine transcription, I’d recommend an online service – their output is better than software.
All the best!
Hi Isaac, I’ve found your reviews really helpful as I’m about to replace my 12-year-old Sony ICD-AX412F that has given great service—but the internal memory seems to be failing, and I have to trust it 101 percent for interviews. So, the 570 looks the likely candidate.
Your review makes it sound just the job. However, I wonder what you make of this comment in a user review on Sony’s site?
“The screen off time/sleep/power off are confusing and when active will cut out even in the middle of recording which is bad. But if you switch them off the battery drains too fast even when on Hold. Ideally it should (or there should be an option to) go into sleep when hold is on.”
Thanks again for your clear, honest, and useful reviews!
Are some of the functions on the UX570 confusing. They can be. There are options that seemingly do the same thing but are in fact different – and the naming of the functions is not intuitive. The sleep and hold functions do offer useful functionality to advanced users – although personally I never use them.
I do use the screen off timer – which turns off the screen after a set time. I find that it minimizes the recorder being distracting when recording – we are so used to screens that we want to pay attention to them when they are on. And it does also save the battery life of the recorder. The screen off timer does not power off the recorder when recording or during playback (listening to a recording using the recorder).
The power off function powers off the recorder after a set time. It does not power off the recorder when recording or during playback. Only powers off the recorder when it is not in use – to save on battery life.
The sleep function will power off the recorder when it is active/recording. And this may be why it is confusing. I tend to think of it as a function that switches off the recorder when conducting unattended recording. That is, when you want to step away from the recorder but want the recording to end after a certain duration. And it defaults to OFF when you turn on the recorder.
The hold function, again not the best naming, serves as a lock function that stops you from inadvertently pressing the buttons. But it does not turn off other functions- they will work regardless of the hold function. Pressing any of the buttons on the recorder when the recorder is on hold will turn on the screen and reset the screen off timer.
So, I can understand the source of the confusion – but if you take time to understand the uses and limits of each setting, you can get a lot of use out of the UX570.
Hope that helps.
Hi Issac,
I am about to enter into round of focus groups that need to be held and recorded outside, although admittedly in quiet woodland locations. There will be 8 participants in each group and I think this recorder would be excellent but I am a little worried about capturing the voices of all the participants.
In addition, some of the participants may feel a little uncomfortable with microphones that are obviously microphones!
Firstly, do you think the internal mics would pick up clear sound at around 3m in either direction, which would negate the need for external mics and if not, what external mics would you recommend in that particular, outdoor situation?
David, this is a unique scenario. Will the participants move during the FG?
Hi Issac
Thanks for taking the time to write up this thorough review. I just started a medical practice and I have an old school secretary helping me to get started. I brought this dictaphone but she insists on a footpedal/switch. Can you advise which to use that is compatible with the software. Also once I have a small amount of money I would like to invest in software that can help her. Would you have any experience with digital software that can transcribe medical terms and is very user-friendly?
Thanks so much for your expertise
Compatibility of footpedal is determined by the transcription software – speak to your software vendor and they’ll let you know the pedals that they recommend.
Digital software that can transcribe medical terms?
Not off the top of my head – we use F4, but that’s an academic transcription software.
I have very little experience with medical transcription.
Hope that helps…
Isaac
What settings do you recommend to set it to get a clear voice recording?
It really depends on your location. Check out the FAQ section of this post.
This recorder outputs WAV and MP3 audio files which are compatible with the iPad Pro.
I just bought one, the Sony ICD-UX570, and I found the usb a little bit wobbly out of the box. Is it normal?
Yes, that’s normal.