Grundig Digta 7 Review

I had a chance to test out the new Grundig Digta 7 dictation machine for a couple of days and have to say, I came away impressed.

Grundig, as you may know, is a German company that has been around since 1945 producing high quality audio products.  They produced their first dictation machine, the Stenorette, in 1954.

The Digta 7 is slightly larger than it's two most formidable opponents, the Olympus DS-5000, and the Philips DPM 9600, but is encased in a comfortable, softer outer layer, that makes the dictaphone a joy to handle.
 
Additionally, there is a small "touch pin" in the slide switch that sits either slightly proud of the slide, or recessed into it, depending upon the position of the switch.  This feature makes it easy and intuitive to use the Digta 7 without having to look at the device.

The display is large and easy to read, with a good contrast for visibility in all lighting conditions.  The button layout is also intuitive, and the recorder boasts all of the features that you have come to expect such as insert, overwrite, encryption, and many more.

The included DigtaSoft software has also undergone a revamp, making it slightly easier to setup, albeit still a bit more cumbersome initially than it's rivals.  Once setup, however, it is simple and functional for daily use.

Another feature of the software that I was able to test was it's integration with Nuance's Dragon NaturallySpeaking.  I ran a recording of 5 paragraphs of a legal settlement document through my existing Dragon Legal recorder profile, and actually achieved 100% accuracy on the first run through!  This alone solidified in my mind the quality of the microphone element, for which Grundig is well known.  Also contributing to the accuracy, is the fact that the Digta 7 employs the .ds2 audio format, which is ideally suited to speech recognition applications.

The premium set, which  was the model I tested, includes a docking station that can charge a supplemental battery, as well as the one that resides in the recorder.  This should assure no downtime due to battery drain. Of course, with the standard Lithium-Polymer rechargeable battery and it's ability to record 25 hours of dictation, this should not be a concern.

Perhaps the most impressive new technology, however, was Grundig's inclusion of an accelerometer on the Digta 7.  This will sense the acceleration of the recorder should you drop it, and automatically save the recorded data prior to impact.  This feature is a Grundig exclusive, and a technological wonder.

The end result is that Grundig has introduced a very high quality machine  to the American dictation market that has long been dominated by Olympus and Philips.  I would personally not hesitate recommending this dictation recorder to any potential customer.

Additional information, and specifications on the Digta 7 are available at American Dictation Corp., a national leader in dictation, transcription and speech recognition technology.