All In the tests

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As soon as I started using the H2, I realized that navigation between menus was quite easy. Seriously, anyone can figure out how to use the menus in 5 minutes. On the other hand, it would be a good idea to read the manual thoroughly for mic positioning. The H2 seems to be very stable, I didn’t have any crashes or rebooting issues while testing it. Plus, updates are regularly released by Zoom, therefore I suggest you visit their website.

One annoying detail: when you need to change the batteries or want to get to the SD card, you have to unscrew the stand since it blocks access.

To give you a preview of the H2’s possibilities, I took the H2 along with me to my group’s rehearsal. It’s still the best way to test the device!

The first extract was recorded in the rehearsal room, around 25m2. The sound, recorded in 16 bits and 44,1 stereo is very good and precise. One should note that the mics are very sensitive and therefore you’ll need to turn the sensitivity down or you’ll get distortion. The next extract was recorded in the same conditions, but this time 4-channel mode was activated (actually both stereo mics together). In addition to the louder volume (due to the number of active mics), you can hear more precision in the recorded sound.

In mp3 mode, tested here in 320 kbps (the best), the sound is virtually perfect also. Nevertheless, during tests in 96 kHz/24 bits, I experienced some pops in the sound, giving the impression that there was a buffer issue (the typical noise). This is no doubt due to the speed of the SD memory card that comes with the device.

Overall, its sound is really clean and usable for recording ambiances. When the mic preamps are too high, there’s a slight hiss, which is understandable is this case.