Over the years we have used many recorders in hopes of picking up EVPs at some of the most haunted locations in the US. When choosing a recorder for EVP always comes down to preference. There is no specific recorder that will guarantee the capture of EVP, and I have found the more you use your recorder for EVP capture the more in-tuned your recorder becomes over time to the phenomena.
Types of EVP
Class A EVP: A word or phrase that is clear and easy to understand. Everyone agrees on what is being said.
Class B EVP: A word or phrase that may not be recognizable by every investigator. It may be unclear or hard to understand.
Class C EVP: A word or phrase that is very soft and faint. You need headphones to hear it clearly. Even then, it may be hard to understand what is being said.
Class R EVPR: This audio can be played in reverse and you can still understand what is being said.
Best EVP Recorders
The following list contains the best EVP recorders for paranormal research. We have tested all of these recorders and can confirm that they work well. If you have a recorder that records excellent EVPs and is not on this list, please let us know.
Olympus VN-3100PC / VN-4100
Features USB port, 3.5 jack for an external mic, 3.5 jack for headphones, Indexing capabilities, records over 100 hours of audio on the lowest setting, 20 hours on HQ. Overall a great recorder, we have over the years picked up some of the clearest, and most compelling pieces of audio evidence with this device. Although the recordings can at times be a little noisy, the noise seems to benefit the device for EVP recordings due to the fact that EVPs seem to pop out more.
Price $20 usd
Panasonic RR-DR60-IC
The RR – DR60 is a recorder that only operates in voice activation mode. Rumor has it that when Panasonic produced this recorder numerous complaints were received by users that they were recording disturbing “ghost-like” voices on the recorder. Although some groups and researchers swear by this device, we have found that while you can record many unexplained voices on the recorder the quality of the EVP is almost always class B or lower.
Due to the device’s age, it only features 60 mins of playback, and it does not feature a USB port for downloading audio. Due to the pricing and the other restraints on this recorder, we don’t believe that it makes it suitable for long investigations or weekend-long ghost-hunting trips. However, if you are running around on a location, we recommend the recorder for EVP because it can facilitate almost real-time communication with the dead. Price $3,000 usd
Sony ICD B16
A classic for a digital recorder, we have captured some of our best evps on paranormal investigations using this recorder. The recorder does not pick-up evps at the high rate of frequency as the RR-DR60 but the evps tend to be caught clearer and with less back ground noise. The cost on seems to fluctuate a lot, and like most of the older recorders supply is limited.
Zoom H1
he Zoom H1 is one of the most popular recorders not only in paranormal research but also in music production. We have found the device does an excellent job picking up evps, and at times has even captured class A EVPs on investigations. When shopping for these devices we highly recommend purchasing one with a built-in mic instead of purchasing an external mic, as the main issue we find with external mics is that there seems to be interference from other equipment such as cell phones or audio monitoring devices nearby. Price $150 usd
Marantz PMD661
This is a great recorder for paranormal researchers looking to capture quality audio evidence. The Marantz features one of the best mics available on most digital recorders today, and it also features a USB port for downloading audio. The device also provides some nice options such as low-cut filter and adjustable gain, which allows you to fine tune your recordings so you can find that sweet spot for getting clear evps without too much background noise or hum. Price $400 usd
Finding the right evp recorder
These are just a few of the digital recorders that paranormal researchers and investigators have used to capture evps. We suggest researching different models and finding one that suits your needs, budget, and experience level before purchasing any recorder for paranormal investigations.
In addition, it is important to remember that capturing evps is not only about the recorder but also about the environment you are recording in and how you interact with the spirits during an investigation. Good luck on your journey, happy hunting!
