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The ME-51S stereo microphone can be plugged into the earphone/microphone/remote control socket to give fantastic quality stereo recording. Also includes a 3.3 foot extension cable with tiepin-clip. The recording level indicator for the right and left channels is visible in the LCD display during recording.

This external microphone is very handy. I use it to record myself while I'm practicing with my chorus. It came with an extention cord and clip that allows me to start the recording then place the recorder in my pocket while I have the the microphone clipped on my shirt. This leaves my hands free for "performing". I love it and am glad I got it through Amazon.com because I didn't have to go back and forth driving from store to store to find what I was looking for.

Good sound quality. If you are using it for outside recording, be prepared to pick up every noise.

This Olympus ME-51S Stereo Microphone was purchased for use with an Olympus DS-30 Digital Voice Recorder to record my college lectures to be offered on my Website and via podcasting services, including Apple iTunes, Yahoo! and PodBlaster. I wanted high quality audio recording equipment to give a professional sound to my presentations, and the DS-30 had already been doing well with its own, built-in stereo mic. Unfortunately, some of the rooms in which I lecture have the acoustical qualities of a haunted house, complete with unfortunately troubled, noisy souls dedicated to howling incessantly.

Hence, I bought the microphone to clip onto my tie so I could attach the recorder to my belt with a belt-clip case available from Olympus. The DS-30 has three recording modes: "lecture hall," "conference," and "dictation." (The DS-30 also has four recording quality levels, including "XQ" stereo, which I always use.) With the microphone, I was able to take the gain down from "lecture hall" to "conference," which cut the ambient noise level considerably. I was somewhat worried that the microphone being so close to my tie would cause occasional rubbing sounds as the mic hit the fabric, but in more than 50 hours of recording so far with the mic I have noticed that only twice while preparing the lectures for broadcast.

The microphone comes with three feet of lead wire, so there is plenty of cord to loosely wrap the wire to the back of a tie, drop it down a shirt, and then bring it back out at the bottom to take over to where the recorder is attached to the belt (if you want to do it by such a complicated method to avoid having wire flapping about).

I was also concerned that the microphone would not have the same audio quality as the built-in mic, but that has not been the case: the quality of sound being recorded with the ME-515 is exactly the same as that from the original, built-in mic, which detaches with a simple pull, allowing the jack from the ME-515 to be inserted with ease. I should caution that, even though the jack goes in easily, make sure it has gone in all the way. Once, I apparently didn't push hard enough, and the jack went in only partially, so I ended up with a really weird audio recording that ran mono instead of stereo, with the mono switching randomly from left to right.

In summary, the Olympus ME-515 is a wonderful complement to any of the better Olympus stereo digital audio recorders with which it is compatible, including the WM and DS series. The microphone is unobtrusively small, lightweight, smoothly attractive in shape, durable, and ready for use right out of the package. I have used it now in well over 50 hours of recording, and I carry it in a simple little pouch alongside my Olympus DS-30. If you want a stereo microphone for your better Olympus recorder, this is the one. You will not be disappointed with the audio quality you get from it.

I was looking for a microphone that would extend the range of my Olympus digital recorder and also increase the quality of the recordings. This stereo microphone delivered in both categories. I am very pleased.

This mic is so sensitive that I can't use it as a lapel mic without getting high frequency crackle. I've even covered most of the mic with dampening material and clip it on just above my waist. I've tried every setting on my Olympus WS-300M, a recorder for which this mic is recommended, but cannot get rid of the crackle while using the mic clipped to my body. (The voice recorder records cleanly with its built in mics, though at a much lower volume.) I think this mic is really engineered for setting in the center of a conference table.

If anyone knows of a better stereo lapel mic for Olympus voice recorders like the WS-300M and its family, I'd love to hear about it.