OM SYSTEM LS-P5 Hi-Res Audio Recorder – Advanced Tresmic II 3-Microphone System, Bluetooth Monitoring, 16GB Storage, 37h Battery – Pro Studio Sound, Portable, Smartphone Control

I've got the previous incarnation of the P2. This bad boy doesn't fail to deliver the same level of quality. The initial Tr2 adapter has been done away with and now features a standard screw mount. Now taking two batteries, you'd imagine you'd get twice as much battery life but sadly not. Still though, a potential of 40 hours possible from one charge. In built USB A removed and now micro USB used. Little bit shorter and thicker than previous models but still delivering outstanding performance.

Excellent recorder, very well made and compact, i use it with a Olympus E-M1, works VERY well also ok for sofware updates.

Large review inbound - apologies in advance. I’m speaking from the perspective of somebody who isn’t an expert, but I have a lot of experience with these recorders. I currently own the Tascam x6, Sony A10, Zoom H1 Essential, OM Systems LS-P5, Olympus LS-P2, Tascam DR100 MKiii, Sony M10 & the Zoom H3 VR. I’ve also used other zoom and some Roland products in the past too so I can review this with a bit of experience behind me. I love the size of the unit. It’s very similar to the Sony A10 in size - almost identical. This makes it extremely portable and handy as you can literally have it in your pocket. I wouldn’t recommend it though, as it’s easy for these to slip out of your pocket un noticed and vanish forever, but it’s nice that the option is there and size accommodates for this. The body is plastic, unlike the metal Olympus LS-P2 I own. The P2 is an earlier version of this P5 and I really enjoyed the metal body on that model as it helped reduce handling noise if you are hand holding the unit. Having said that, even though this is a plastic body, it feels robust and of good quality and is durable. It’s satisfying to hold in the hand and the size is perfect. I was also pleasantly surprised that the handling noise is quite forgiving with the unit with careful consideration when hand holding it. Most of these handheld recorders need to be handled with caution if you wish to record via the inbuilt mics. Alternatively you can use shock mounts and tripods to reduce handling noise further. It does supply Plug In Power to external mics too so I have used Clippy EM272’s with this to further improve sound quality. I use this for field recording and there is a fair bit of self noise on this unit. It’s by no means the noisiest I have used but certainly not the quietest either. I’d say it depends on what you are recording as to whether the noise will bother you and what your mic placement is like. I’ve used it to record passing cars, construction work, SFX and rivers etc. The key is to keep the gain low and get as close to the sound source as you can to get the best quality results with the least self noise. Although that does pick up distant bird song you would likely find you’d have to boost the signal in post which would introduce more noise as you boost the signal. In terms of quality, the onboard mics are pretty good and do the job just fine for my requirements. I have a bit of a problem with hoarding these recorders and what drew me to this is the 3 mic array and the “zoom” function. None of my other recorders have this so I was curious to try it out. My thinking is that the zoom function could be helpful in recording certain sounds when you want to minimise other external noise (for example people around you at a beach when you want to focus more on the sound of the waves). It works well in this regard, but you do lose a lot of the stereo sound in the process. However, it does a good job if focusing in on the subject you want to record and removing other noise sources. Of course, a shotgun mic plugged into one of my larger recorders would probably yield better results but this is more convenient, pocketable and doesn’t require extra cables etc. Always use a deadcat when recording outside. It’s very rare that you won’t get even a light breeze that will ruin the audio. It’s always best to have some sort of deadcat on when using the inbuilt mics outdoors. This may be teaching you to suck eggs, but it’s a point worth making for newcomers to these devices. There’s a handy little feature that allows you to set the recorder up pointing at say a river for example and the recorder will “listen” to the sound and set levels appropriately for optimum results. This helps reduce the risk of clipping and can be really useful if you aren’t too confident with setting levels yourself to get a good signal. Just be aware that any sudden noises above the level set would likely cause the device to clip, but it’s really useful for sounds with a generally consistent volume like rivers, streams etc. One thing I have noticed it’s that if you “zoom” in the microphone and then use the feature that sets the level for you the device seems to revert back to full stereo width rather than being zoomed in still. To combat this, I tend to set the zoom and level manually to maintain full control over everything. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to revert back to full stereo width when “listening” but I have yet to find a way where you can use the listening function and zoom the mics in. However, you can do this is you set your zoom and then levels manually. It’s strange that it reverts back and I’m not sure why it does it but it’s just something I have experiences with it. The LS-P5 has a 1/4 socket on the back to be easily attached to tripods etc. this is a welcome change from the P2 that I have because you had to have a little adapter you screwed into the back of the recorder and the other end fixed to your tripod. It was an unnecessary extra step in the process on the P2 and it was also extremely easy to lose this little adapter and have no way of mounting the device. Thankfully, this isn’t an issue with the P5. In terms of recording modes you have lots of options. You can record in MP3 at 64kbps (mono), 128kbps or 320kbps. In terms of WAV formats you can record up to 24bit at 96Khz. You also have the option to record FLAC up to 24bit at 96Khz. You have scenes available that configure the recorder for optimum setup for various situations such as lectures, conferences, meetings, dictation, music or noisy situation. It looks like you can even make your own “scenes” and save these presets if desired. You have an option for a low cut filter which can be helpful for removing muddy bass frequencies or even wind rumble. It doesn’t specify at what frequency it rolls off at though. I’d generally prefer to do this in post and leave it off whilst recording unless really necessary. Similarly “bright sound” seems to have a peak in the higher end that I’d imagine provides a bit more presence. I could talk about these things for ages but I’ll some up with the 16gb internal memory. This is really useful because sometimes SD cards can fail - it’s nice to still be able to record regardless. The Bluetooth control and app have worked flawlessly on my iPhone 14. It’s a really useful feature to have as it allows you to be able to monitor your levels at a distance and amend them if needed without handling the device. There’s loads more I could put here but I think over said enough now. Apologies for the extremely long review. Hopefully this helps and provides some insight. I’ve popped a little river recording video on here so you can hear what it sounds like with the inbuilt mics for this particular subject. Battery life is good. I like that the 2 rechargeable batteries are included and that it can recharge the batteries via the device when plugged in to a USB port. The cable that comes with it for charging and file transfer is extremely short but I don't know why you would require a really long cable for charging purposes. It's also good that the batteries are just standard rechargeable batteries, as opposed to a built in one like the Sony A10 has. Occasionally, I do find myself wondering about the longevity of the Sony A10 as eventually that inbuilt batter will die and there is no way to replace it - Thankfully OM Systems have got that covered though with rechargeable and removable batteries. This is a great combination & has been thought out really well in design stages to ensure longevity of the unit. I have every confidence the Sony A10 will continue for many many years to come, but I do feel they could have implemented a similar power system to what OM Systems have here. I’d say it’s always worth a try, especially as returns to Amazon are so easy to do if the device isn’t for you. Maybe OM Systems can look to get into the 32-bit float market with the LS-P6?

A well made recorder. Works really well. I used to use Sony devices but the quality has not been the same in recent years. This is very well made and well thought out. You will not be disappointed.

Good size, easy to use, powerful

Very small which is a plus, it disappointed with the poor audio quality. It’s not difficult to get your voice sounding good on a phone so why not this? High background noise level

Takes a little time to learn how to make the best of it. Great quality.

It's OK. It's NOT great ! And I mean at this price point you can get a GREAT deice from other manufacturers. Do I regret buying it? No, I still use it for dictation, notes and stuff like this, but for videos, nature recordings and more serious stuff this is not match for Tascam or Zoom that you can get for the same money. They are light years ahead. Sorry.

Tiene una calidad increíble con sus tres micrófonos direccionables. Muy configurable para elegir muchos tipos de formatos y calidades de grabación. Es muy pero que muy pequeño, es lo que más te sorprende al abrir el paquete. Me encanta que traiga pilas recargables, eso es un puntazo que no vi en ninguna otra grabadora. La monitorización con cascos bluetooth también es un puntazo. Tiene memoria interna, que viene genial también en combinación con la tarjeta Micro SD. Cosas que no me gustaron, no se puede monitorizar con bluetooth con la mejor calidad, tienes que bajar a MP3 la calidad de grabación para poder monitorizar inalámbricamente. No graba a 32 bit flotante, cosa que ya lo hacen grabadoras de la mitad del precio de esta. Tiene entrada Micro USB en estos tiempos. El precio, bastante caro. No trae ningún accesorio, salgo el cable micro USB y las pilas recargables. El resto tienes que comprar aparte.

Excellent device for any audio recording project!

I owned a Zoom H5, but I was unsatisfied with it for many reasons. I read a fair bit about the LSP5 enough to convince me that its quality of life features and very small size were quite attractive to me. I tried the recorder for a while. I read quite a few things about it, but I found out other features about this recorder that make me even happier with the purchase. -It records to a max of 24 bits, 96khz. Formats are WAV, FLAC and MP3. -I'm satisfied with the sound. It's "smooth", for a lack of better words. The inbuilt mics have a decent amount of bass, and they're bright without being brittle. Self-noise isn't noticeable. From what I've read, the noise performance is comparable to Sony's recorders. Maybe slightly inferior. I think it's definitely superior to the Zoom H1. -It has 3 microphones with a patented design. It's like having a ORFT and MID-SIDE configuration at once. Stereo recordings have a very strong center image. It has two 3.5 jack inserts, one for external microphones, and one for headphones. This is the only true downgrade from the Zoomh5, but to be honest, I rarely used the xlr inputs. -It's TINY. It's smaller than a Zoom H1. I put it on one of the straps in my travel bag and I recorded everything around me. It was extremely discreet and unobtrusive. -It comes with 2 AAA batteries. One positive surprise is that they're rechargeable, AND, they can be recharged directly with the recorder itself every time you connect it to a usb port. The detacheable panel that covers the battery inserts is connected to the recorder by some kind of rubber lace, so it won't fall off and get lost. -It has an internal memory of 16gb, but it has a micro-sd slot to expand the memory further. -The Menu is incredibly rational and well thought-out. The only odd thing is the inbuilt noise canceling system (not digital, but acoustic), which was placed in the playback section. I don't understand why. -It's bluetooth! You can control it throught the official phone app, which has a fair amount of settings, easy to reach and control. You can also connect bluetooth headphones to it, which is incredibly useful. Except it has a delay of nearly 1 second. It's good enough to check volumes with it, but it's rather maddening when you try to monitor something. I believe this will be fixed in a future firmware update. At least I hope so. If they solve the bluetooth issue, this recorder will become excellent. One downgrade from the ZOOM is the lack of a gain encoder on the recorder, you only get buttons. The app doesn't have a volume control either. But these things can be very easily solved with firmware/software updates. I believe that adding a volume slide on the phone app should be a very easy implementation. All in all, I love this recording already. It doesn't get nearly as much praise it deserves.

Très bien pour l'usage que j'en fais. De nombreux réglages. Mais pour l'usage que vous en ferez, je ne peux pas donner mon avis. La bonnette n'est pas adaptée. Imaginez, avec votre pointure de 41 essayer de rentrer dans du 38. J'avais un de ses ancêtres. Bien sûr, le plastique a remplacé le métal.

Lamentablemente el menú de la grabadora y el instructivo impreso vienen en japonés por lo que no pude hacer ninguna prueba. Puedo decir que es muy pequeña y ligera con una pantalla de display también pequeña y que me recuerda a los teléfonos Nokia. Toda de plástico, se siente frágil y para mis manos grandes es complicado manipular. Por estas razones no me la quedé.