Zoom H2 Portable Audio Recorder Review
Digital Audio Recorder With Four Channels and Tons of Features
May 22, 2009
Portable audio recorders are fast becoming a very popular and very niche accessory for musicians as well as business professionals. Far more than just a microphone with some memory attached, the Zoom H2 portable audio recorder provides many of the features and capabilities of more expensive, digital audio recorders, but all in a package that easily fits into a coat pocket.
The box is packed with accessories that help add to the overall utility and convenience of the device, but does it really make sense to invest in a Zoom H2 when its big brother, the Zoom H4n, is only a hundred dollars more and includes many additional features? The answer to that lies in how and where the device is to be used.
Real World Review of The Zoom H2 Portable Audio Recorder
The H2 was put through its paces in an elementary school instrumental music classroom over a period of one week. It was used to record rehearsals as well as solo instrument lessons in an acoustically imperfect classroom space.
The audio quality, especially when set to WAV mode, was quite accurate and recorded many nuances that the director had not noticed during class. It took a while to get the hang of using the gain selector on the side. The initial recordings were far too loud and distorted due to the proximity of the performer to the microphone. Later tests adjusted the gain to a lower level and were much more acceptable.
The included microphone stand adapter and tabletop stand made setting up and positioning the Zoom H2 very easy, while the fairly compact size allowed it to be carried from place to place inside the teacher's music bag. While the H2 can fit into some people's pockets it is too thick to be considered comfortable, and with no carry strap to speak of the Zoom H2 began to feel a bit awkward to carry after a few days of use.
Still, the Zoom H2 is one of the most popular and respected portable audio recorders on the market, and the experiences of the reviewer mimic the impressions given by other owners of the device. It does the job and does it well with more than enough options to make most musicians happy.
Pros:
- Easy to use, easy to set up
- Multiple microphones allow for great flexibility in recording groups of all sizes
- Microphones can be set to record in two channel stereo or four channel surround
- 90 or 120 degree recording patterns
- Excellent audio quality with very little distortion
- Useful variety of recording formats and bit rates (MP3 and WAV)
- Relatively inexpensive
Cons:
- Although the unit is fairly small the thickness of the body makes it feel bigger than it is.
- Includes only a 512MB SD Card
- Wind screen (although it works well) makes the unit look rather silly
- No on board speakers
Street Price: $200
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