Zoom H2n Handy Recorder

i purchased the h2n not realizing how closely it was in price to its big brother, the h4n, so after i realized that, while i was waiting for the shipment to arrive, i thought that i was starting to feel a bit of buyer's remorse, and was considering sending it right back for an h4n, but after using it rather extensively over the weekend, i have decided to stick with the h2n, here's why:Battery life!! The h2n seriously lives for up to 20 hours on just 2 double AAs, while the the h4n has a pathetic 2 hour battery life. That is such a huge difference. I plan on using the zoom mainly for filmmaking, as well as recording live bands. Changing out the batteries every 2 hours would be ridiculous. I also like how the h2n's internal mics are much more protected than the h4n's. Drop the h2n, and it's not a big deal, but dropping the h4n right on it's head could be disasterous indeed.The audio quality between the two seems very, very comparable, with some people actually favoring the h2n over the h4n. It is more portable, looks sexier with that glossy black, and is much more pocket friendly.The only real advantage that the h4n has over the h2n are it's two xlr outputs, but seeing as i don't actually own any high end xlr mics, this is not a drawback for me. I have recorded videos of just the zoom's internal mics grabbing dialogue, and the results are very, very impressive. Play it back on a computer, close your eyes, and you'd swear the person is right there next to you. No white noise to speak of. In the past i have really only used a Rode VideoMic Pro mounted to my DSLR, and so that terrible, hissing DSLR camera hiss has been present in all of my audio clips up to now. I could mix it down using denoiser effects in premeiere, but if you're editing a long project, it can get really tedious applying the same effects over and over. I'd rather just have good sound right off the bat, and i get that with the h2n, plus not having it tied to the camera is a plus for sure, as it allows for a lot more freedom, having it farther away, closer, up, etc.I have also used lavaliers plugged directly into the h2n's 3.5mm mic line in, and while not as crisp as the zoom by itself (i use CHEAP lavaliers) the audio is still leaps and bounds better than the rode videomic pro. As for recording live music, i was playing with the different settings, 2 channel or 4 channel surround, or the xy in front or ms to the front and to the sides. A lot of other reviewers had problems with the drums or loud audio peaking, even with the mic gain on zero, but i was able to place the zoom right in the middle of the band, with an audio gain of one or two, and be comfortablt sitting at averages of -12 db, as the manual recommends. I was blown away by the sound quality it picked up in this case as well. Very impressive.All in all, for my needs, as i don't use any XLR mics, the h2n is in every way preferable to the h4n. I plan on purchasing a camera hot shoe mount for it, just in case i might want it at some point (i wish it had been included in the 30$ accessory pack) but i am fully satisfied with the H2n. Tried it out yourself! You won't be disappointed.

The media could not be loaded. The primary use for this was intended to be informal recordings of band practices. After hearing how well it images though I've got some new uses in mind. I can't wait to record some ocean, or rapids for example. The mics are very sensitive and much quieter than I was lead to believe by some other reviews. Being able to record both x/y and mid/side at the same time is terrific too, although after my first attempt I didn't seem to be able to massage the M/S in post as I'd hoped. It seemed to be recorded with the depth set during the recorder rather than raw. I hope that will be resolved by some more manual studying.One recording is attached (unless blocked)- a few seconds of an old album, recorded in x/y, centered and a couple feet in front of 10'-seperated speakersPROS: Great sounding mic. Flexible recording methods 2/4 channel, x/y, mid/side with adjustable width. I use the 1/4" tripod mount with my insta360 selfieStick to set the height. When connected to a PC it prompts for use as a USB drive (to retrieve recordings) or as a mic (2ch/4ch). Zoom provides drivers that work well, allowing 4 channel capture in cubase for example. The controls are intuitive and well-labeled.CONS: MiniUSB? Come on, that was from 20 years ago. I had to scrounge around to dig up a cable to use. The case LOOKS terrific, but the plastic feels a bit fragile. That could be a good thing though, since I'll protect it (and more importantly, the mics) a bit more than if it felt bullet-proof. The black & white display looks a bit dated, and almost out of place on an otherwise futuristic looking recorder, but is functional. RF noise- I have one (very cheap) wireless TX/RX pair intended for InEarMonitors. The Transmitter picks up a horrible buzz from the Zoom anywhere within a few feet of it. None of my other wireless or wired device pick up anything, so I'll blame it more on the other device's poor filtering or shielding, but it's something to be aware of.

I have NO COMPLAINTS. This works so well for my uses.I am a singer/songwriter and audio engineer and this meets all of my standards.- easy to use- amazing sound quality- tons of cool features like compressors and limiters- multiple polar patterns for precise and quality recordingYou can use this to mic everything from a single guitar to an entire drum set. I recorded a demo for a friend only using the H2n and it worked wonders!I didn’t have access to a board so we used this to record his live drum set. It lacked dynamics, as expected when you don’t mix each individual piece, but it did amazing for a sample track!I use this for recording myself on the go and at home when I want a quick, quality recording.If you post covers or your own music on YouTube you will be very pleased! No regrets whatsoever!Wonderful battery life, and amazing plugged in.I can only say great things and would highly recommend the h2n to any musician looking to record on the go or just to have a great quality, versatile mic.