Olympus LS-10 I need a little help with this old recorder.

[Niels]

I had to return both my Roland R-07 and the Sony A10 that replaced it due to manufacturing faults, leaving me without a dedicated recorder for too long.
I love the modern remote control convenience of both and will probably get one or the other when I get over my irritation with their sloppy QC.

In my search for a temporary substitute I fell over a cheap, like-new Olympus LS-10 which I grabbed.

I can't really get my head around how amazing the tactile feel of this metal device is. And it is as if the control layout and UI logic was designed with me in mind.

Anyway, there is one function I don't understand: The microphone input has a Low and High Sense setting (applies to both internal and external microphones).
I can't really understand the implications on recording quality of these settings - as in which provides a cleaner result?
Is "Low" attenuating the signal or is "High" boosting it?

The manual is not of much use. And I don't really understand the data I can find on the internet:
One source says (http://hthfiles.com/pdf/ls10_brochure.pdf)
Input Level
MIC SENSE HIGH-59 dBv
MIC SENSE LOW-39 dBv
LINE IN jack input-6 dBv

AviSoft (https://www.avisoft.com/recordertests.htm)
Provides 4 different scenarios for this recorder.
See attached image

I understand the aviSoft data as; I am better off using the "Low Sense" position with a high input level setting, rather than a "High Sense" position with a low input level setting --- is that correctly understod?

Obviously I am illiterate when it comes to these numbers.
Can anyone help me here?

Thanks in advance

[GLouie]

The factory instructions are a little better.

The switch is for microphone sensitivity. HIGH makes the mic input more sensitive, better for soft sounds and/or low output mics. With loud sounds/high output mics, you could overload the input preamplifiers. LOW is normal, 20 dB less sensitive.

I have this recorder and still use it; it's quite good at what it does. But I use a DR680 for more important stuff and XLR mics.

[mjwin]

You're not alone in your praise for this little machine.  This has been my go-to pocket recorder for the past 10 years! The ergonomics are great & nothing currently manufactured comes anywhere close in terms of low-noise specs.

But interpreting the specifications in a meaningful way can get complex pretty quickly, so don't worry!  The Avisoft figures are based on measurements of an actual sample & they're a useful comparison between devices as Raimund Specht has a clearly defined test procedure  which he follows closely.  The (reputable) manufacturers specs tend to be worst case. i.e. every sample will meet the spec. So there will always be a discrepancy between the two sets of figures.

As a simple rule,  GLouie has already said very succinctly, "low" sensitivity is for loud sounds, eg, speech, music, etc. "high" is for when you need max gain for very quiet sounds.

I can't really understand the implications on recording quality of these settings - as in which provides a cleaner result?
Is "Low" attenuating the signal or is "High" boosting it?

In terms of quality & cleanliness of signal, it depends on what you want to record.
Ants walking on a leaf - you want lowest noise, max amplification & you're not worried about overload, so select "High" sensitivity and use your most sensitive  mics (EM172).
Music  - Noise isn't an issue, but possible overload is. So use "low" sensitivity & your least sensitive mics (CS10EM). Adjust the level control so that the levels are peaking  at around -12 to -6dB

Both settings are amplifying the signal. It's just that the "hi" setting gives you 20dB more gain, Think of it like a gear change.

[Niels]

@GLouie & @mjwin

Thanks to both of you! I'll do a little field recording over the weekend to get more familiar with the recorder.

Your input is much appreciated, thanks!