H5 Handy Recorder

****Updated: See negatives section. **** I have owned this device for almost 6 months now. The more I use it the more I am blown away by its capabilities and all the different situations and ways I can use it. I use it as is (no extra mikes) and the only thing I upgraded is the memory card. The mic unit it ships with is incredibly sensitive and when recording there is no delay whatsoever. It still amazes me that technology allows such instantaneous sound reproduction. I think it may pickup the sound of a pin drop. The mic is also very faithful in terms of range of frequencies. At least for me - it seems to record everything I hear and when I play the sound back - the highs the lows and everything in between is there. Stereo imaging is excellent! I've used it for live show recordings using only the included mic and have had mixed results - placement is very important even in a studio-like sound proofed room. I recorded one show with a feed directly from the mixer and I was beyond thrilled with the results. The band I sing with was also happy to have such a good reproduction of the show. My bass player commented that he had never heard bass captured so well and the loved the results. The quality of the playback of recorded sound is also unbelievable. It makes sense that they should include such awesome playback in this device - its the best way to tell if you got an awesome recording or not. It made me realize that my laptop needed an external DAC because the same WAV file sounded positively horrid on it. I had to go back to the H5n to make sure I was not going crazy with how poor the file sounded on my laptop. The challenge now is how to convert the raw files created on the H5n to a media format that does not lose all the detail. I have used it to provide sound to my D610 and obviously - this is way better than the D610s internal mic - not a fair comparison IMHO. The negatives: - The folder structure is so weird! Whose idea was this? Fire them! Ok, too harsh - but do give them a good talking to. Overall, if making a beautiful and easy to navigate and intuitive folder structure will take anything away from the quality of sound and the ease with which this lets you record - don't bother. - The unit allows you to set a backup recording that will record a few DB below the setting you selected. This option is available only for the mic that comes attached and L and R is controlled by one level knob. Don't get me wrong - this is a GREAT feature. It would be an AWESOME feature if it allowed similar backup tracks for other inputs also. The 2 second buffer is another fantastic feature. -I wish I got the H6 now. If this unit is so awesome and opens up so many possibilities - imagine how awesome the H6 must be. :-( You get he point - this isn't really a negative. The negatives, besides the one about backup track recording - are not worth docking it any stars. This is primarily a sound recording device - and that it is phenomenally good at doing. *New negative added after , what, 6 years? :-) The device has become sticky. The rubber like finish it had to give good grip, has broken down into something that just wants to stick to your hands. This despite it being always stored in its case. After it turned sticky I pretty much leave it lying around here and there out of the case. So, I still use it but try to handle it as little as possible. And after all these years, it still functions as it did the day I took it out of its box. Still an excellent piece of audio equipment.

Excellent recorder, easy to set up. The audio quality is high throughout the frequency range, I use it to record my band, and also to monitor our sound from offstage. The mounts on the XYH-5 mic attachment are a little fragile, they're just plastic. More on that later. I love how it has a knob to control the overall gain, and then the body has two knobs for the other inputs. The extra two inputs are pretty handy, because you get the stereo room sound from the XY attachment, and then you can mic your voice and one other thing separately to make it possible to enhance your mix. It's easy to use, but you have to set the time pretty often. I wish it had a bigger capacitor to maintain the clock when you're charging batteries. It maintains it for a little while, like if you change batteries instead of charging. The feel of it is dense and solid, and I like the rounded edges and satin finish. The buttons are flush to the body and have a nice, short throw, but clicky so you know you've actuated it. My only caveat is that the microphone mounting is a little fragile. I had it on a stand that got tipped over, and one of the mic mounts broke. I sent a pic of it to Zoom and they replaced it. But that mount is so fragile, I'd like to be able to put a metal screen around it. Or just have it made of metal. The recorder comes with a foam windscreen, I put that on every time I record just to be safe.

This review is for the Zoom H5 Four-Track Portable Recorder. I can't express just how cool, reliable, and neat this thing is, and I'm not even using it for its intended purpose. I was getting married in the Atrium of a huge cruise ship and trying to creatively recording video/audio of my own wedding since the ship doesn't provide videography services on-board. My plan was to use two GoPros to capture the video, and the Zoom to capture the audio since GoPros are known to have not-so-great audio recording quality. Since one GoPro wound up being defective, I used a single GoPro and iPad to record the video instead. I planted this little sucker on a tripod right in front of the ceremony, and the audio quality was perfect! It was so easy to use I didn't even need to read the instructions. Sometimes I have the need to record phone conversations when dealing with vendors, and since my old recorder didn't allow me to export the audio easily I figured let's see if this device can help since I already own it. Sure enough, I just plug my phone tap into the mic input, set my level so it tops off at 12db, and it records beautifully! There is a slight hum which I can't figure out how to get rif of, but that's coming from the phone tap and not the device so I won't hold that against it. The beautiful thing is I can now take the MicroSD card out and back up my conversations easily! Now for what this is really meant for: I've recorded some musical performances with the device, and the playback is just amazing... it does a pretty good job of capturing the highs and lows as well. So far there is only one negative thing I can say about it, the built-in speaker for playback is absolutely horrid. I'm confused why they would put such a horrible speaker in such an expensive and intriquate device! I'm really scratching my head on that one. Even so, everything else makes up for that oversight, so I'm going to let it go and give it a 5. If I could do a 4.5, I would... but I do like this better than a 4... so 5 it is.

SUMMARY: Solid, affordable recording device that offers lots of features for reporters, audio producer, podcasters. I needed to replace a Marantz 671 that fell off a motorcycle and on to a busy freeway while recording :( Let's just say it after being run over by about a dozen cars, it was well beyond repair. Did the research, went with the H5, and I'm pretty happy, especially considering it's considerably cheaper, offers far more capabilities and sounds at least as good or better as what it replaced. Love the record level dials. Thank you for that Zoom. Operation is fairly straightforward. The menus are less confusing than most, and operated with a little toggle switch that's pretty easy to use. I'm not fully sold on the mic capsules; they are adequate, but not stellar. I purchased the option MS (mid side) mic and was a bit disappointed in the quality of the recording when compared to my Shure VP-88, but then the Zoom mic costs almost exactly 1/10th the price, so... The standard X/Y mic that comes with the recorder is very wind and pop sensitive. And the included foam windscreen doesn't help much. If you decide on this unit, get a fuzzy windscreen. I bought the Zoom model, it fits nicely and makes the recorder look like a smurf. Or Don King. But it does the job, and is a must for pretty much any recording, inside or out. There is an option to add compression to recordings. The 'general' setting is set at a whopping 9/1 ratio, excellent if you want to capture every bit of background noise in your recording, useless otherwise. There is a 'vocal' setting with a much lighter touch that could prove useful, but for the most part, I intend to limit my compression to post. Others have complained about battery life, but I have found it to be pretty good. I've been using a battery-powered external mic rather than phantom power, so perhaps that's why. Biggest drawback for me, so far, is that the machine feeds a monitor signal to the headphones even though it's not recording. Maybe I am just getting old, but more than once I have set levels, checked to make sure things are looking and sounding good, and then failed to hit the record button, only to realize minutes later (or not at all) that nothing is recording. I wish there were a way to toggle the monitor so that you can only hear audio when you are actually recording, which would help pitiful recordists like me. Haven't found it - if it's there and you know about it, please educate me. But overall, a good machine that will serve me well. If I can remember to press record.

I use one of these in a corporate setting for recording meetings in a conference room. I have a professional mic that I can connect to my laptop, but using the H5 decouples recording from my computer and gives me more flexibility in placement. It also means I can do other things on my computer, even rebooting if necessary, without losing the recording in progress. PROS: * Simple operation once you RTFM. The number of options can be overwhelming to a new user, but defaults work fine for most settings. A little time in the manual, and it quickly becomes intuitive. * The little menu wheel with its integrated pushbutton switch is very intuitive to use with just your thumb. * Audio quality is amazing. I honestly thought it would not be very good, with those two tiny microphones, but they are much more directional and of much higher quality than I expected. This isn't the way to record audiophile-level music, but for meetings or similar applications the quality is excellent. * Dynamic range is good. If the person speaking is a little off-mic, you will still get a decent quality recording and can easily amplify their voice in post processing. * Voice activated recording with a retroactive feature so you don't lose the couple of seconds before the recording started. * Can look like a USB storage device when connected to a computer, so compatible with any operating system. No special drivers needed. * Threaded mount on the back of the unit works with a standard camera tripod. * Lots of customization settings, if you need them, but sensible defaults allow you to be productive right away and learn the details later. * Ruggedly built, with a solid and professional feel. I have taken it on about a dozen business trips by train, car, and plane, and have even stuffed it into checked luggage. It comes with a protective plastic shell case, which is nicely sized to the device and not overly bulky. CONS: * This thing gobbles battery power. I invested in a set of 4 rechargeable AA batteries which work nicely. I get about 3 or 4 hours of continuous use, maybe more, on one charge. * It is a little bulky to carry around, but the positive counterpoint to its size is that it is ruggedly built for mobile use.

My first unit, and a heck of a unit it is. Up to four distinct channels, each recorded to separate files in parallel. The two 'X-Y' mics you get on the top of the unit are on a modular connector. You can swap that out for an optional shotgun microphone, or another pair of XLR ports. You could then have for XLR ports, each recording to its on file / track. (The X-Y mics should only be used for back ground noise recording. A running stream, traffic on a highway, kids riding by on their bikes, etc. They are not set up to be something you talk into directly.) The software in the device is efficient and gets the job done. They didn't make it for the new guy to be the easiest thing ever. But it is also not some super esoteric system only savants can make work. A little poking and proding and reading will get you running in no time. This is a quality product and you can feel it. The silver bar you see running the width of the unit in the middle? That is a non-ferrous (non-magnetic) metal bar that is strong and keeps stray things from hitting the gain dials right under them at the wrong moment. The same on the X-Y mic module. They didn't just 'knock out a box to make a buck' here. They built a solid purpose built tool for audio engineering needs. While I haven't used it this way, you can also plug it into your computer via USB and make it your 'audio interface', allowing you to bring the sound from four XLR mics into your computer with just this unit. A great way to record a podcast, or a jam session. Look up Mike Delgaudio / Booth Junkie on Youtube to see a professional voice over artist explain why he keeps his with him all the time and why it matters.

When I first took the Zoom H5 out of the included hard shell case all I could say is "WOW" this thing feel fantastic in your hand. They gave it a slight curve to improve ergonomics compared to the standard square shape of most recorders. The build quality is Amazing. This thing feels very solid. It's mostly made of plastic that is covered in a soft touch rubber type coating that is very nice. The microphone capsule is made out of metal as well as the guard bars over the gain adjustment dials. The Zoom H5 is a recorder that has a very simple design and menu setup that I really like. It's easy to pick up and work with from the start without having to go into the manual to figure out how to do what you want. Zoom really took their time to design the recorder. I love the manual dials to adjust the gain input. They are a huge improvement over other recorders where you have to click buttons. No only is the adjustment silent without "click" noises you can also adjust the levels much faster and you can visually see what you are currently set at. Along with that you also have separate dials for your different inputs. Zoom also added a line output to go along with a headphone jack so you can monitor the audio and output it to your camera at the same time. Another great feature is the ability to input a line level in without a separate line signal adjustment. This is the second recorder to use the new capsule system that allows you to expand the recorder. They have a shotgun mic, extra xlr inputs, and other capsules. Basically this thing rocks! If you want to see more details with full menu/feature walk through along with audio quality tests/comparison check out my video review / comparisons on YouTube. Just search " Zoom H5 Max Yuryev " and it should come up!

I researched this and the other Zoom and Tascam products pretty carefully, picked the H5. It arrived with the battery cover broken. Not an immediate worry, as the two AA batteries fit snugly, but still ... I debated returning it but checked the interwebs for replacement battery covers first. After coming up dry there, I located the number for the US Zoom dealer (hint: go to zoomcorp.com, not zoom.com which will confuse you! <g>) Called them, got a human immediately, described the problem, asked if I could buy a replacement, the human said "We'll just send you one. What's your address?" Well done, Zoom! Another point to be aware of: If you buy one of these, you'll also want to go to the Zoom site and download the PDF of the manual for it. It's got a LOT more detail than the similar but limited version that ships with the H5. I dinged them a star on Easy To Use because of the incomplete manual shipped with it, but it really IS stone simple to use. And if you want to use the unit as an audio interface, definitely check out a few YouTube videos. A couple of them produced the AHA! I needed to get that working.

Good product was worth the money, not worth buying as a portable microphone is you care for quality but works well as a relatively good and easy to use plug in for other microphones. Was well worth it.

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Buen producto y llegó un día antes de la entrega estimada. tenía un precio un poco menor que en tienda.

This is very easy to use. The fact that you can buy various microphone attachments for it AND can plug in two other mics is a huge plus! Overall a very nice piece of kit

This is an amazing portable recorder. Perfect for recording everything on the spot. My use case is that I've attached a Shure SM58 to this and I practice flute so that I can identify my mistakes later. Practicing with a microphone in front prepares us for performing live. This microphone has so many features that I've not yet explored them all. Pros: 1. Well built. 2. Quality pre amp and a built in 48V phantom power. All this runs on 2 AA batteries!!! I've been using it for 2 weeks and the battery indicator is still showing full. 3. You can play karaoke tracks on your phone (connect your phone's headphone jack to this one's line in on the mic module and play/sing on the other two tracks. It's perfect for overdubbing and mixing tracks on the go. 4. For the price, we get 3 simultaneous input sources, headphone monitoring, built in compressor and limiters and a stereo mic for field recording. Cons: 1. The menu systems will take some time to get used to. 2. The joystick controller on the side is a little loose but it doesn't affect it's usage. I can't think of any other cons. I also have a scarlett 2i2 but I don't think I'll be using it that much as this is as good as that interface but is portable and has better pre-amps for the SM58 mic. I've also tested it with condenser mics and it performs brilliantly. You can monitor your recording and the dubbing track simultaneously! It's the best feature.. there's no lag in the monitoring. Instead of buying Scarlett 2i2, people could buy this and they'd have a portable interface and a recorder! Highly recommended.