Topic: New OM System LS-P5

[Sebastian]

Here's a link to the iOS app:
https://apps.apple.com/en/app/dvr-remote/id1611091737

Interface looks clean. All the features that I need are there on the first screen.

I guess I'll order one to test and maybe keep as a backup/replacement for the Sony A10 (which is ridiculously hard to get here in Europe).

[mountainhop]

i really cant recall another recorder that recorded directly to FLAC. maybe some other olympus that i never heard of

[mountainhop]

One concern is according to the specs the internal mics seem noisy (60db signal to noise for the center mic, and 57db for the stereo mics.)

i wonder if thats rated at the industry standard 1 Pa/94 dB. most condensor mics are in the 65-80 range of S/N at that standard

obviously concert volumes (and max SPL of mics) can get a bit higher than that

[Sebastian]

i really cant recall another recorder that recorded directly to FLAC. maybe some other olympus that i never heard of

Me neither. On the other hand, this is the feature I could most easily live without. Converting WAV files on the computer doesn't really take that long these days. Also, according to the manual, there is a hard 4 GB file size limit for FLAC files after which recording stops. WAV recordings just start a new files after 2 GB. The 4 GB limit is probably never reached in our recording scenarios, but it is still something to be aware of.

Anyways, I have placed my order. Should be here by Saturday or Monday.

[aaronji]

The maximum file size for a WAV is 4 GB. Most recorders do split them at 2GB, though. Some exceptions include theMarantz PMD620 and 661 and the SD MixPres, which all record to the 4 GB limit.

Curious to hear your reviews!

[Sebastian]

The maximum file size for a WAV is 4 GB. Most recorders do split them at 2GB, though. Some exceptions include theMarantz PMD620 and 661 and the SD MixPres, which all record to the 4 GB limit.

Yes, that is a technical limitation in the file format. However, I don't see a reason why the recorder can't just start a new file after reaching this limit - like it does for WAV files. That seems like a somewhat arbitrary design choice.

[aaronji]

Yes, it is very strange! Still pretty curious about this one, though. Olympus usually has good build quality.

[drgary]

Mine arrived today.  My first impression is that t is small and light, much smaller than my my 14 year old LS-10.  So far without reading the sparse instructions it was not as intuitive to operate as I expected.  However, I'm confident that by tomorrow that opinion will change after I've spent more time working with it.

[Ozpeter]

There are some tutorial videos online - YouTube - made by Olympus themselves, for people who find a picture is worth a thousand words!

[mountainhop]

i really cant recall another recorder that recorded directly to FLAC. maybe some other olympus that i never heard of

Me neither. On the other hand, this is the feature I could most easily live without. Converting WAV files on the computer doesn't really take that long these days. Also, according to the manual, there is a hard 4 GB file size limit for FLAC files after which recording stops. WAV recordings just start a new files after 2 GB. The 4 GB limit is probably never reached in our recording scenarios, but it is still something to be aware of.

Anyways, I have placed my order. Should be here by Saturday or Monday.

my only concern would be the extra processing power perhaps causing buffering/writer errors. jsut one more link in the chain to fail. a 4GB 2 channel flac at 24/96 is close to 4 hours so it would serve most needs. still i think the auto-start new file is superior (if its seamless!!!)

[Sebastian]

I have received mine yesterday. Here are my first impressions from a taper's perspective, with comparisons to the Sony PCM-A10.

Things I like:

• Build quality feels really good.
• The LS-P5 is as small as the Sony PCM-A10 (maybe even a little thinner) and it seems to be lighter.
• The removable batteries are a big plus over the A10's fixed battery.
• The iOS app seems to react to user input a little faster than the Sony A10 app.
• FLAC recording is an awesome feature. See below for the caveat.
• My non-scientific tests at home indicate similar sound quality to the A10.

Things I don't like:

• Pre-recording time is only 2 seconds. I've learned to love this feature with the A10 and that unit's 5 seconds of pre-rec time turned out to be just enough for me to react when the show starts. The LS-P5's 2 seconds are too little. Also, the pre-recording has to be started consciously using the F2 function button under the LCD (or via a seperate button in the app). Pressing the big red record button starts a normal recording without the pre-recording feature.
• Pre-recording does NOT work when recording to FLAC. This is a real bummer.
• The Bluetooth connection is lost when the iPhone is locked or switches to another app. It automatically re-connects when the app is opened again, but this can take anywhere from 1 to 5 seconds. This is a major disappointment and renders the Bluetooth functionality almost unusable for me!
• When the app is idling for a few seconds without user input, the iPhone turns off the screen and the Bluetooth connection is lost. The A10 app prevents this from happening. This would have been a nice workaround for the Bluetooth disconnections.

I'll take the unit out to a show next week (or maybe the week after that). The Bluetooth connectivity is a big disappointment, though. I'm thinking about returning the recorder because of that.

[Ozpeter]

Thanks for those observations.  i suspect they will get a similar reaction from others concerning bluetooth and will hopefully fix it in the app or firmware.

[vwmule]

> The Bluetooth connection is lost when the iPhone is locked or switches to another app. It automatically re-connects when the app is opened again, but this can take anywhere from 1 to 5 seconds. This is a major disappointment and renders the Bluetooth functionality almost unusable for me!

I've had the same happen with the A10. I had to go back into the phone bluetooth menu and reestablish a connection. The app came back to life. But I've also had it appear as the recording wasn't happening (the timer was at zero), even though it showed levels. Checked the recorder and sure enough it was recording. After restarting the app -- or waiting a bit, I can't recall -- it did show the correct time.

Just a warning to those who rely on the app.

[Sebastian]

I've had the same happen with the A10. I had to go back into the phone bluetooth menu and reestablish a connection.

The LS-P5 does not even show in the phone's native Bluetooth menu, so there's no way to pair it from there. One has to do this via the app. That might also be the reason why the connection is dropped the second the app is closed.

[Niels]

One thing that is useful for future readers would be if these mini reviews were accompanied with information about firmware version and app version.

Functionality often evolves as updates are delivered and it is sometimes difficult to understand an issue if people are talking from the perspective of different firmware or app versions.