The Zoom H4n Handy Recorder:
After two months of hands-on use of the Zoom H4n Handy Recorder I thought I would write a quick review. This unit is truly one of the best deals on the market right now when it comes to personal digital recorders, it has solid construction, good quality built-in condenser microphones, a large bright back-lit screen, easy to use buttons and a nice rubber grip. The sound quality is very good, I use it for producing home demos of classical and steel string fingerstyle guitar music and aside from going into a studio it is the easiest way for me to do so with a professional sounding result.
I have compared it side by side with its sister unit the Zoom H2 and although the H2 produces a nice recording the H4n is definitely superior in sound quality and overall features. The only unit that I have tried that I think out competes the Zoom H4n is the Sony PCM-D50 which is at least 0 dollars more and aside from a slightly better overall sound quality, doesn't offer comparable features (such as the two real XLR/quarter-inch jacks on the Zoom, SD-Card).
Likes:
I love the feel: Compared to the old Zoom H4 this unit feels like a real piece of equipment, solid rubberized outside with a nice heavy feel. Some of the other units like the H2, Edirol, and Tascam feel like toys compared to the H4n.
The screen: Big, bright and easy to read, whats not to like!
Adjustable microphones: I didn't think that this would be a big deal to me but after having the Zoom out to a few concerts (one rock show and one symphony performance) being able to adjust the range of the microphones is a great asset!
SD-Card slot: This was a no brainer, why limit yourself to a hardware specific format like Sony does, right now I have a 16GB card in the zoom and SD cards are cheap and easily accessible.
Included accessories!: The H4n comes with a mic clip which is essentially just a microphone handle that screws into the tripod mount (another great thing to have) so you can use the zoom with any standard microphone, I can't tell you how well this works in a studio/live setting! THE CASE!!! It's just a simple plastic case big enough for the recorder to fit in but it has already saved my butt... while walking out of my apartment down the concrete stairs the zoom slid out of my laptop case and bounced all the way to the bottom, because it was in this simple plastic case, not a scratch!!
Battery charger: Throw in some good rechargeable batteries and it'll always be ready to go when you are.
It just plain works! I love it when on those rare occasions I buy a piece of equipment that actually enhances my music making and the Zoom is definitely one of those items. Whether I am recording a whole piece of music or just small phrases to play with my interpretation the zoom makes recording a much more enjoyable and simple process than sitting in front of a computer screen trying to juggle a mouse and an audio interface.
The Dislikes:
Yep, there are definitely some dislikes.
Long boot-up time: It takes upwards of a minute to boot up and be ready to record, not a big deal but definitely a bit of a pain.
No guard on the microphones: I would not want to see what happened if the zoom came off a table and hit the floor with the microphones first. This is why you should ALWAYS use the mic clip or a stable tripod, and keep it in the case when transporting.
Menu navigation: This one is a tough one for Zoom, they've included so many features that when you want to navigate to get to some of them it becomes a bit cumbersome, but if like most of us all your doing is recording sound it's dead simple.
Handling noise: This is common for all recorders in this arena, thankfully if you use the included microphone clip you won't hear anything.
Other than that, so far there is nothing else that I really don't like about this unit, and more than whats been mentioned here the I really do like! I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to do high-quality recordings for a very reasonable price.
Cheers and I hope you found this useful,
Rob
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