OM SYSTEM Olympus TP-8 Telephone Pick-up Microphone,Black

This doesn't really need my review since it has 1400 reviews but here it is. I knew about these for a few years and didn't get one, but I'm glad I got one now and it's a tiny investment that will be really useful once in a while. It's easy to record the soundtrack of any streaming video on a computer. (I use a Windows app called iSound, but there are lots of options). Once in a while I have a call that is audio dial in only. You can record by leaving it on speakerphone and putting a small recorder by the phone, but I generally don't like speaker phone and I'm frequently typing during calls to take notes. Here's my set up. I have a tiny but high quality Sony recorder (UX560). Put on an external headset (earmuff style not earbuds) and start your call. Put the tiny Olympus TP-8 in your ear and plug into your recorder (for me UX560). That's it. One tip: I used the small earbud tip here, on the TP-8, normally I use a medium tip. Since it fits under your audio earpiece, why not make it as tiny as possible. It's not like a normal earbud where you might need a snug fit or might want to maximize sound isolation. Quality is quite good, and good enough for autotranscription (eg Otter.ai is one.)

This works great. As a newspaper reporter, I do telephone interviews, and this is perfect for that. You just plug into the mic input on your recorder (I use a Sony recorder, but I think any brand would work), and then put the earpiece in your ear. And of course put the phone up to that ear. It records clearly with no static or anything like that. Just be careful not to plug it into the headphone output, because you'll have a whole recording of just you talking without being able to hear the other person. Been there, done that, had to call the person again and re-interview them. Not fun and kind of embarrassing! I've actually owned 4 or 5 of these through the years, and I always buy this brand because I know it works so well. It's not that they tear up (though I have had one where the earpiece tore up, but that was several ago). I usually lose them. Of course you should always check laws in your state, but where I live, you can record phone conversations as long as one of the parties (me) knows the recording is happening. Some states might not be like that. But I do (usually) tell people I'm recording them. In addition to telephone interviews, I've used this when I'm making a call to a help desk to get help for computer problems, etc. That way, I have a recording of exactly what they tell me to do, without having to jot incomprehensible notes while I'm talking to them.

This is a review for: Olympus TP-8 Telephone Pick-up Microphone, I need to record some of my conversations over the phone. If someone is making a "verbal contract" with me, I need to have a "copy" for small claims or other court if need be. If you "sign" a contract you need a copy of that which you signed. How do you sign a "verbal contract." How do you get a copy of a verbal contract? Lawyers say you need two other witnesses to testify to a verbal contract if there's no other proof. Really? How's that going to happen in all cases. Am I going to have to pay these "witnesses" to appear in court? What if I can't reach one or both of the witnesses. People do move. People even die. How can I prove a verbal contract in a way that can be presented to a Judge or Jury or 3rd party arbitrator? That's where this Olympus TP-8 Telephone Pick-up Microphone comes in so very handy that it is actually vital. I won a case in small claims court because of a phone conversation recording I had made with this thing. The Judge accepted the recording as evidence and I won my case for breach of contract by the other party largely because I had an audio record of the vebal contract with all detail. These things do eventually wear out. It's like all things with wires...the wire eventually breaks somewhere. I recently got another TP-8 and I can feel that the wire is much stiffer than older models used to be. There must be thicker less flexible conductors in there. I like that. Also, the insulation is tougher than it used to be so I think the old soft pliable insulation might have been vulnerable to cuts and abrasion. There is a TP-7 Telephone Pickup watch out because but it is MONAURAL. If you plug it into a stero jack you'll only get a left sided recording and the right side of your recording will be silent. This TP-8 has a stereo jack so it records to both channels...but...it does not record in stereo. It only has one microphone so it can't really record in stereo. But, it does feed the same sound into each of the left and right channels equally. It sounds great. Excellent audio frequency range for what it's designed to do. I think part of the reason I won my case is because this telephone pickup recorded so many background sounds in the periphery of both sides of the conversation during the moments the contract was agreed upon...it was obvious that I had not "doctored" the recording because there were too many real life background sounds. I just could not have "doctored" a fake that sounded as real as that which was captured by this telephone pickup. I always keep a spare because it has become vital and you never know when it will break because it gets some rough treatment as I stuff it into my pockets or into my briefcase or suitcase. Coupled with an Olympus voice recorder, it's awesomely useful. Get an Olympus that is powered by two AAA batteries instead of just one battery. Those with two AAA's will operate continuously well beyond a 14 hour work day non-stop. You can sit at your computer and edit out the segment where something happened that you need to archive. The recorders using only one AAA are compact but will exhaust their battery in about 8 hours or less. And....get an Olympus recorder that has self-charging capability. You put 2 Eneloop standard AAA batteries (not Eneloop Pro) in there and it will record continuously over 17 hours to an MP3 of 320kbps or a WMA of 192kbps or something less than those resolutions if you wish to really save file size. Then you plug the Olympus recorder into a USB port and it recharges the AAA's in about 3 or 4 hours tops all ready for another 17 hours plus for recording. You can recharge Eneloops about 2000 times according to their marketing hyperbole. I don't know about 2,000, but I know that they last for years in my devices and I recharge them over a hundred times a year. (Eneloop Pro batteries only tout 500 recharges and they degrade quickly over a couple of years. Avoid Enelop Pro. Get Eneloop regulars.. And Not Enellop Lite batteries either. Eneloop standards (currently white with blue letering). Olympus audio recorder, Eneloop batteries, Olympus TP-8 telephone pickup. With that combination, youre all set. Olympus recorders have great built in microphones and you can, if you need to, put the recorder at your ear and smash the recorder to your ear with your phone...but...the TP-8 is much more comfortable. Sometimes you don't have the TP-8 with you so gently smash the recorder to your ear with your phone and it will work. Just be mindful to have the microphones of the recorder placed reasonably close to the phone sound. The Olympus will pick up your voice no matter what as long as you don't have the mcrophone muffled with a pillow or something. The TP-8 is the same. It will pick up your voice no matter what as long as you don't have a pillow or something smashing the phone to your ear with the TP-8 pickup in your ear because that would muffle extraneous sounds and in this scenario, your voice is an extraneous sound. Lose your voice on the recording...lose your case in court. Great combination. Then, when Judge Judy says, I would like to rule in your favor if you only had proof. Well..then...you pull out your Olympus and she will smile...because you made her life easier. Judges like that, I think.

If you are bothered by either telemarketers of foreign "Computer Repair people" and wish to document this illicit and annoying phone call or an actual legal or suspicious caller; this device works well with yout digital voice recorder. I have used this for many calls. The jack plugs into your recorder and the ear phone goes into your ear. The earphone is actually an earphone/microphone so that "Both sides of the conversation"are recorded with no distortion ,hissing or tones issued so that the other person may be made suspicious. Legalities and authorization may be an issue in your jurisdiction. Also works great as a quick lapel mike,it is that sensitive and will plug into most digital voice recorders such as Zoom H1,H6 etc with gain control options of the device used. Remember also, it is a TRS plug and will not record using smartphones and Androids as they require TRRS male plugs and proprietary possible recording software in order to work.

Major PROs are: 1. Nothing complicated (no software, no battery/power). 2. Works with pretty much any phone. 3. Works with any recorder (voice recorder, PC, etc.) as long as it can provide phantom power to the microphone. One tiny CON I can think of is that you can't switch ears while using a normal handset/phone with this. However, you can use it with a stereo headset, like the generic "call center headset" in the photo (obviously not included) for long calls. You obviously can't use anything that will go into the ear canal, such as an earbud. I'm using mine with an old Roland R-05 recorder. Back in those days, devices used standard batteries (AA batteries), rather than built-in rechargeable battery, and I liked that.

Seems to work pretty good-HOWEVER the cable is very thin and very flimsy, NOT durable at ALL. the Oly 853 has a special setting for telephone pickup using this TP-8 as it will capture both sides of the conversation easily and clearly. it utilizes a special in the ear ear bud that has both a receiver pick up as well as picking up your side of the conversation. Advice: check local laws regarding legality of recording of a phone call.

To begin, let me state that I am using this exclusively with an Olympus WS-803 voice recorder. I have no idea how it might or might not work with other devices, other than what I've read from others. But for the Olympus device, it is ideal for the purpose I bought it for... specifically, to record telephone conversations without any electronic interference, or indications of recording to the person on the other side. Note, in several states, you are not legally permitted to record a conversation unless both parties to the conversation are aware it is being recorded. Check, first. If this is an issue, a simple "I'm going to take some notes and keep a record of this call" statement made prior to the meat of the discussion is adequate... if they object, they'd need to hang up at that point. No need to go into any further detail with them. In other states, it's only necessary for one party to the conversation to be aware that the conversation is being recorded. In that case, there's no need to do the above, though it's polite to do so in any case. (Note... in NO STATE is is legally permissible to record a conversation where neither party is aware the conversation is being recorded, unless there is a court order and/or warrant authorizing that.) Also note, if there are multiple parties on a call (say, with "three-way calling" or multiple extensions used at one or both ends) the same rules apply... either only one party needs to know, or every party needs to know, depending on location. OKAY... enough legal talk. On the to the device itself. It's a very simple device. It's a microphone which you wear in your ear like an earbud headphone. It will pick up your voice, and also (assuming that the phone is held up to that same ear) will pick up the other end of the conversation. The quality of the recording from the other end of the call depends greatly on the quality of the telephone, as a result. If you want the best possible audio recordings of both sides of the conversation, this is not what you want. You'll want a device which is actually installed into the phone line. However, such devices are (a) somewhat inconvenient, (b) somewhat expensive, and (c) not nearly as "stealthy" as this device (that is, they can be detected by the other end of the call). I use this to record conversation with people relating to rental properties, business arrangements, medical discussions... anything where either (1) you might not remember everything, (2) you can't stop the conversation and ask, repeatedly, for the other party to repeat things, and perhaps most importantly, (3) when someone says "trust me, I don't need to put it into writing, my word is my bond." I have mine out right now to use to record a call from my medical specialist's office (expecting a call-back within minutes). This is purely for my own reference... since I often can't quite recall a particular medical term which is used by the healtcare professionals I talk with, and I hate having to "figure it out later." I've used it to record "verbal job offers" in the past, where they promise that what they say on the call will get put into writing later (several times, the written version wasn't what was verbally offered, I've found... whether that was malicious and deceitful or simply a matter of honest mistakes is debatable, but having the recording makes it moot!) I also used it to record a conversation with an insurance agent (representing the woman who ran into my wife's car)... which saved a lot of time later when the agent tried to change the story. Ronald Reagan used to say "trust but verify." That's a good way to look at the world. I'd simply add "trust but also keep good records." This inexpensive little device makes that a lot easier.

The TP-8 telephone pick-up is a compact device with good sensitivity to the audio signal. I also have the previous version (TP-7) and notice no difference in performance between them. I just wanted to have a spare on hand. They are good for phone interviews. The recordings are of decent quality but are not intended for broadcast although they could be used as such in a pinch. I recommended this device on a journalism listserv, and one reader wrote to me to complain that the recording was picking up only his side of the conversation. After some trouble shooting with him, I said that I didn't want to be facetious, but just to cover all bases, I asked if he was using the device in the same ear as he was using the phone. That was the problem. (Even so, It's odd that the device wasn't picking up the other side of the conversation, given that there was nothing between his two ears. -- I apologize to him if he reads this posting. I'm sure we've all made an equivalent kind of obvious mistake more than once. I have.)

Un po' costoso, è ottimo per lo scopo per il quale è stato concepito, permettere di registrare mentre si parla al telefono. Ovviamente quando lo si usa non è possibile usare contemporaneamente gli auricolari o il vivavoce. Utilizzato più volte per questo scopo, funziona benissimo anche quando l'ambiente è rumoroso, ad esempio perchè ci sono altre persone in ufficio. Piccolo e compatto, lo tengo in una tasca della custodia del registratore. Il livello di qualità è all'altezza del marchio. Consigliato a chi ha questa necessità, per effettuare registrazioni ambientali non è l'ideale e ci sono altre alternative.

A lot of the reviews here don't mention using a PC to record. Well, let me tell you that this thing works like a charm when plugged into a Windows 10 PC. You can simply plug this thing into the microphone input of your laptop or desktop computer, then launch the Voice Recorder app on Windows 10 and then click on the Record icon to start recording. This microphone is basically an omni-directional microphone that picks up sound from all directions. I also use this microphone for online Skype and Zoom meetings and it works very well. If you want to do the same, just make sure to set the microphone input to be the primary input device in your Windows 10 Settings->Sound.

Utilisé sur un dictaphone Olympus WS-853 -qui comporte d'ailleurs un mode préréglé pour l'enregistrement téléphonique-, le TP-8 restitue clairement la conversation. On entend l'interlocuteur mais aussi sa propre voix. Testé sur un téléphone fixe sans fil puis sur un smartphone, c'est parfait. De plus, les différentes tailles d'embout permettent de trouver celui qui convient le mieux à sa morphologie. La qualité est au rendez-vous et je recommande sans hésiter.

Trusty little microphone, works well when paired with my Olympus voice recorder to tape phone calls. Sound quality is decent - better on the caller's end (the user's end can sound a little muffled in the recording, especially in a noisy environment). Love that it's portable and good value.

Does an amazing job. Quality of voice from both sides recording is as good as you recording directly. Great innovative product. Would highly recommend.