We bought eight of these, in all, and scattered them around the house so our dogs could communicate their needs (the one that simply says "Outside!" gets a lot of use). Some reviewers report that the audio quality isn't great - and they are mostly correct. As assembled, you have to record sound (probably your voice) through a tiny hole drilled in the side of the button housing. If you have a tiny Phillips head screwdriver, and aren't afraid of taking your toys apart, you can really improve both the volume and clarity of your recordings. Each "button" has a plastic base with all of the electronics attached, the big button that you press to play the sound, and a plastic ring (same color as the base) that holds everything together. Pry off the rubber pads on the bottom of each "button" and remove the screws that are hidden underneath. Hold onto the side of the ring housing and press the button and the base through the ring. -- a little (probably red) little piece of plastic will likely fall out, too; this is the little knob that presses against the recording button on the electronics package. It's not necessary at all -- On the side of the electronics, you'll see a little rectangular white button next to a little silver drum with a flat black surface. The white button is the "record" button, and that black circle is your microphone (notice that it is HUGE, compared with the tiny hole you are "supposed to " speak through). Hold the electronics a few inches from your mouth, press and hold the button, and speak normally. It will likely work best if you wait a second or two to begin speaking, so don't rush. When you put everything back together, you really only need to use two of the screws, there's no need to put all four back in. And you can stick the rubber feet on anywhere ... you don't have to cover up the screws. This makes it a lot easier to change the recording, if you want.
Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]