Zoom h4 [Archive] - Mandolin Cafe Forum

WJF

Oct-12-2006, 9:32am

I've been tracking these things closely since they are tiny, feature packed and at a comfortable price point. Since they only started shipping last week and are in short supply, it's been hard to find reviews but the few I have found sound really encouraging. This could be the Marantz / Edirol killer.

BTW ... The R-09 has plenty of reviews out there and virtually all of them are raves! The only negative I've heard (and this is what kept me from snapping one up) is that the door used to access the memory card, USB connection and batteries is of dubious construction and carries a pretty high potential for breakage, which would at worst make the unit unuseable or at a minimum, involve some duct tape. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

steve V. johnson

Oct-12-2006, 9:35am

Hi Ken,

There's quite a bit of buzz about this one around the net. #Here's what I wrote about it in response to an inquiry on the Irish trad music site TheSession.org:

===============================================

Subject: Re: Zoom H4 - Yet another device for recording music - opinion please

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Looks nice!

It has some serious pro features, like the XLR mic inputs, that the others in the field don't have, certainly don't have at that price!

I'm not sure that I'd use the XLR inputs, tho... I've been using the Edirol R-09 and the mics in that are fine. It can take a stereo input on a 1/8" stereo mini-jack, and I have an AudioTechnica AT822 stereo mic that terminates in a mini-jack, but it's soooo simple to use the R-09 without an external mic that I haven't tried the AT with it yet.

One thing is a little odd about the page on the Zoom... "records to Secure Digital Media (SD) up to 2 GB allowing for up to 380 minutes of recording at CD quality audio" on a 2gig chip? The math doesn't work.

Well... CD audio is 16-bit, 44.1kHz and that audio takes up ten megabytes of storage space a minute in stereo... I get 1 hour and 37 minutes of 16/44.1 on a 1gig chip in the Edirol... Six hours of "CD" audio on a 2-gig chip? Ah... I don't know how they work that out... Unless they figure that some audio that is compressed (like mp3s) passes as "CD quality"... Maybe they have some proprietary data compression algorithm in there...

The exposed mic capsules are a very popular look and a high tech-looking design, but after having used mics, DAT recorders and now the Edirol, they look kind of vulnerable and exposed. I can imagine catching that little open labyrinth on stuff in everyday use... The Edirol's design, in which the mics are pretty much flush against the sides of the case, is
very easy to use in odd places and there is nothing there that catches or snags on stuff in tight or unusual environments.

Having had said all that, Zoom makes good stuff. I have studio pals who prefer Zoom boxes to others that have boutique names and cost loads more.

I am really enjoying the Edirol R-09 and it does really well in resolutions from 128kbps mp3s to 24-bit 44.1 files, and it's a real breeze to use. The only thing wrong with it is that I now make more recordings than I can process (that is, just doing some edits to take out gaps and conversations and making CDs of 'em, tho I sometimes can do quick edits to the mp3s and send them on via FTP sites). I've been working some extra long hours to deliver folks' recordings to them. But the files are very good to work with, and when I put them in ProTools at high resolution I don't find glitches or artifacts at all, so this box will make real good CD-quality audio.

We're just seeing the beginning of these sorts of devices, and already there's a 'flavor' for just about everyone, and the prices will keep on coming down. Pertty soon everybody will have one! Wooohoo!

stv
================================================== ===========================

I hope that this is useful for you...

All the best,

stv

WJF

Oct-12-2006, 9:49am

One thing to note too is that the Zoom units already have a confirmed bug in the way they encode MP3's at lower bitrates. A firmware fix is planned for Nov.1.

Here's a link to a forum posting containing review/commentary from a guy who actually has managed to get his hands on one of these. Sounds promising ... http://www.2090.org/zoom....start=0 (http://www.2090.org/zoom/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=6906&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0)

Regarding the mics ... I think the little "roll cages" around the Zoom mics should protect them ... it also ships with a windscreen that could help to further protect them. The big advantage I see in the Zoom mics vs the Edirol mics is the positioning ... having them oriented in a true X-Y pattern should help to improve the stereo image quite a bit ...

Don Grieser

Oct-12-2006, 9:54am

The other thing about the Zoom is that they say it doubles as a USB recording interface, and they bundle Cubase LE with it. Not sure what kind of quality the converters in it are. It's also capable of 4 tracks not just stereo. Looks like the ancient minidisk might one day get replaced with something like this.

mando.player

Oct-12-2006, 11:45am

I've been following these as well. It's my hope to get one to take to Kamp. The only knock I've heard on the Zoom is that the case "feels" cheap. I'm assuming this means they don't like it's being plastic. I don't plan on being very rigorous with it, so this most likely won't be a problem for me.

The Zoom does do 4 track audio, but it only records in stereo. So the other two tracks would need to be overdubs. In looking through the manual, the unit will allow for 99 takes per track. So you can overdub as much as you want and select the best track.

I've also looked at the Boss unit. It records in Roland's proprietary audio format. This is a compressed format, not sure on how lossy it is. The only reasoning I can find for this choice it to allow for editing on the unit. Copy and pasting sections within a song. It's definitely more geared towards the multitrack crowd than the Zoom. The Zoom seems to be a field recorder with a lot of extras.

WJF

Oct-12-2006, 12:05pm

I've heard the same thing about the construction ... its a plastic case but I've also heard that it is no more flimsy (if thats the right word) than the Edirol R-09 or the Microtrack unit.

Someone also pointed out that the text on the H4 looked as though it would eventually wear off but on the R-09 the text is raised in the plastic but is black on black so kind of a wash between the two there as well.

mandopete

Oct-12-2006, 12:59pm

Looks interesting...

mandopete

Oct-12-2006, 1:01pm

It has two internal condenser microphones and can record 24-bit/96 kHz uncompressed digital audio, or if you're running out of disk space on your SD memory card, save room by recording direct to MP3 with bit rates up to 320kbps. And hey, in a pinch it even acts as an audio interface for recording directly to your PC. Its most amazing attribute is the price, $299

WJF

Oct-12-2006, 1:49pm

I hope this thread doesn't draw too much attention. As soon as I can find some specs on signal to noise ratio to satisfy myself that it will be at least as quiet as the R-09 I'm gonna want one and I'm not going to want to compete with all of you guys to get one!! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

bones12

Oct-12-2006, 5:59pm

I have had the Edirol-09 for several months and it is very nice; it exceeds my expectations and is very small and easy to operate. Doug

steve V. johnson

Oct-12-2006, 6:15pm

WJF sez, "Regarding the mics ... I think the little "roll cages" around the Zoom mics should protect them ... it also ships with a windscreen that could help to further protect them. The big advantage I see in the Zoom mics vs the Edirol mics is the positioning ... having them oriented in a true X-Y pattern should help to improve the stereo image quite a bit ... "

I wasn't worried about stuff hitting them from outside, but catching them on a cable from inside the open pair. Not that it's something that is really likely to happen, but it -won't- happen with a closed-box design.

Stereo imaging re: X/Y is only a concern to me with cardioid-pattern mics. The Edirols act and sound like true omnis, so far, so the imagining is, I find, true.

I don't mean to be an Edirol cheerleader, just to put a bit finer point on the available info.

stv

steve V. johnson

Oct-12-2006, 6:46pm

Don wrote, "The other thing about the Zoom is that they say it doubles as a USB recording interface, and they bundle Cubase LE with it. Not sure what kind of quality the converters in it are. It's also capable of 4 tracks not just stereo."

If the software (Cubase or any other) will see the USB input, any of these little recorders with a USB interface can go straight into your computer. As for converters... if it's good enough for you going to the SD chip, it will probably sound just fine to the hard drive... <GGG>

The four track operation of the Zoom is a really cool feature. When Edirol released the R1, it was clear that they were thinking about folks who write songs because of the effects set included (not something I'm interested in, which is why I waited for the R-09) which seem to be more suited to -creating- music than modifying stuff recorded live on location. I think the
R1 missed the mark, and that the Zoom is much closer to it with multi-track capability -and- XLR mic inputs.

My personal use is for recording live events ("journalism" if you will...) so these aren't features I wanted, but the Zoom is definitely a step further from the Edirol (and the others, too, so far) in features for home composers.

stv

steve V. johnson

Oct-12-2006, 6:52pm

Hey Charlie,

Yeah, the four track thing is definitely set for overdubs. But I imagine that it won't be long before we can hang two extra mics on one of these things and use the two internal ones and have a big ol recording.

As for Roland proprietary recording formats, Roland should have learned their lesson long ago, when professionals the world over told Roland workstation owners that their tracks couldn't make it into any bigger recording studios.... *sigh* Will they never learn? That's another product destined for the dumper.

The Zoom H4 definitely has a foot in each camp, a "field recorder with a lot of extras" is a good description.

Thanks,

stv

Don Grieser

Oct-12-2006, 7:32pm

They've already appeared on evilBay.

WJF

Oct-12-2006, 8:35pm

sliabhstv ... thanks for the info on the R-09. One of my students has one and is thrilled with it and I have yet to read a review anywhere that isn't extremely positive about it. I was all set buy one and then I read a few comments about the door covering the battery compartment being a potential problem. They mentioned a strange design that the thing had and felt that if you weren't extremely careful when opening it that it could break easily.

What has your experience been with that door? As I try to decide which direction to go in and which of these to buy, the H4 is a contender but I'd still give the R-09 serious consideration if it weren't for the "fear factor" regarding that door ...

Amandalyn

Oct-12-2006, 8:42pm

What's the price on the Zoom? Sony has a similar product ,but it's around $900.
I have a Zoom PS-04 palmtop studio, and it's too complicated to operate. The mic is excellent, and I like to use it for just recording live jams, etc. I really don't need all the features it has for recording,, so maybe the new zoom recorder is a better option.

mando.player

Oct-12-2006, 8:56pm

$299 street. Which is $100 less than the Edirol and M-Audio recorders. Both of which do not have XLR mic inputs. The Zoom has these with full 48v phantom power. A big plus in my book.

steve V. johnson

Oct-13-2006, 8:43am

WJF wrote, "sliabhstv ... thanks for the info on the R-09. One of my students has one and is thrilled with it and I have yet to read a review anywhere that isn't extremely positive about it. I was all set buy one and then I read a few comments about the door covering the battery compartment being a potential problem. They mentioned a strange design that the thing had and felt that if you weren't extremely careful when opening it that it could break easily."

"What has your experience been with that door?"

This door has a two-stage function. The first function is that it simply slides away (from front to back) to open the slot for the SD chips and the USB port. I believe that there is a stop, that is, it will onl slide far enough to expose these two ports.

To open it further, for access to the AA batteries, a small button on the door slides sideways and unlocks the door to slide further rearward and then it pops up on a hinge to clear the battery compartment. The batteries compartment has springs at the bottom, so to close the door over the batteries a little force is necessary, then it can be slid back into its slots and the little switch locks again.

I didn't know about this apparatus until after I bought the unit, and I think it's really cleverly done. It doesn't feel fragile to me, but I can see that it could be broken if used without care. I don't find it a problem and it wouldn't have kept me from buying the R-09.

Another really nice feature is that there is a captive 'door' that covers the port for the AC power input, and it's made out of something like 'rubber,' a flexy, soft material, and it has a little tang on the end that snaps in place to lock the door closed.
It's tight and snug and easy to use. A really nice design feature, I think.

I don't mean to be a proponent of the Edirol R-09 over other similar units, there will be a lot of these coming out in the next year or so, and they'll get better, cheaper and smaller as time goes on. There will be a flavor for everyone. <GG> The R-09 suits my needs, but I watched for a year as it was developed and did a lot of thinking about how to use such a device.

I hope this helps...

stv

steve V. johnson

Oct-13-2006, 8:47am

Amandalyn writes, "What's the price on the Zoom? Sony has a similar product ,but it's around $900."

The Zoom only -looks- like the Sony (clever marketing there...). Have a look at the Sony feature set and you'll see that it's
far more 'professional' than the Zoom. The Sony is a really cool device, but really most suited to electronic news gathering and use on film work, IMO. The Sony's mics are really high quality, too.

The price on the Sony will probably come down before the new year but not a whole lot.

stv

WJF

Oct-13-2006, 8:53am

sliabhstv ... Thank You!! Thats best description of the door I've read anywhere and it really helps! Its nice to have a decision thats this hard to make between two units that offer a lot of bang for the buck.

I guess I can move past my concerns about the door and focus again on s/n ratio etc. I know the Edirol has good specs in this area, I have yet to see any on the H4.

Thanks again!

steve V. johnson

Oct-13-2006, 10:19pm

You're most welcome, I'm glad to be of service.

Enjoy research and shopping!

stv

Mark Seale

Oct-20-2006, 10:38am

As for recording quality, how do the Zoom and Edirol compare to the Sony Hi-MD recorders like the MZ-M100?

WJF

Oct-23-2006, 8:18am

I finally broke down and bought an H4. I went back and forth between it and the Edirol so many times my head started to hurt. Finally, the added functionality of having a very portable 4-track unit that also functioned as an audio interface proved to great a temptation to resist.

The unit arrived on Friday and having had a little a little time to play with it, I'm
very happy with it! I tried out the four track and audio functions on Friday ... both were easy to use and worked flawlessly. Saturday I recorded a house concert and was thrilled with the results! The unit is quiet, the recording very faithful to the source material (no mic coloration) and the built in limiter came in very handy for curbing those bursts of audience applause that always caused my prior iRiver/Sony mic combo to clip.

All and all I'm thrilled with this purchase! ... Thought I'd share my experience with those that might be interested here since these units are so new that its a pain finding info on them ...

mandopete

Oct-23-2006, 11:09am

Saturday I recorded a house concert and was thrilled with the results!
Did you use the built-in mic's and if so where did you position the machine? #I have been using my minidisc machine to record these sort of things, but it's on it's last legs and I believe it won't be too long before I'll be shopping.

Spruce

Oct-23-2006, 11:14am

"Sony has a similar product ,but it's around $900."

Not quite....

The Sony PCM-D1 Portable Field Recorder lists for $1,999.95 and streets for $1,845.00 or so....

WJF

Oct-23-2006, 6:27pm

Hi Mandopete ... Yes ... I used the H4's internal mics and am delighted with the results! The unit ships with a "sled" like device intended to allow you to mount the H4 on a tripod. So, for this concert, I mounted the H4 to a "mini" tripod and set it on the floor, center stage probably about 6' or from the performer. One button push to put the unit in 'standby, one more push and its recording ... the picture of simplicity.

And ... not to beat a dead horse but did I mention that I was really happy with the outcome? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Hope this helps!

mandopete

Oct-23-2006, 9:32pm

You're doing a job on me, that's for sure.

BTW - how much memory do you have on yours?

Nice photo's of your Smart mandolins too!

WJF

Oct-25-2006, 8:18pm

Hi Mandopete! Thanks for your kind words about those Smart photos! Lawrence builds a world class instrument and I feel truly blessed to own both of these beauties!!!!

I bought a 2GB SD Card for the H4 ... just the regular Sandisk model. That would give somewhere close to two hours of recording wav files at 44.1K. I'd have less time if I recorded at 96K for sure but i doubt that a live recording would warrant that kind of resolution anyway. I spoke with a Zoom rep before buying the H4 ... I had a bunch of questions to hit him with just to be extra sure before taking the plunge and he mentioned that support for 4GB SD cards was on the product roadmap and would probably be addressed in the near future with a firmware upgrade. Once the 4GB cards are supported, I should be more than completely set.

Its a great little unit. The more I play with it the happier and more satisfied I am with it!!

Spruce

Oct-25-2006, 8:29pm

"Once the 4GB cards are supported, I should be more than completely set."

So that would give you about 4 hours of stereo recording time at 44.1K?

And about how much do the 4GB cards cost?

mandopete

Oct-26-2006, 7:50am

$149 at Amazon.

Spruce

Oct-26-2006, 11:30am

$149 at Amazon.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif

Yikes....

This is getting to be like the old days when a cake of analog tape would set you back a couple hundred bucks...

steve V. johnson

Oct-26-2006, 12:00pm

WJF said, "The unit ships with a "sled" like device intended to allow you to mount the H4 on a tripod. "

Now -that's- nice! The Edirol has a mic stand mount, but it's a special order item and relies on a soft case for the R-09 to hold the stiff, sled-like part to mount to the mic stand. Not as cool as coming with the H4, indeed!

stv

steve V. johnson

Oct-26-2006, 12:06pm

And WJF also wrote, re: 96k recording resolution, "... i doubt that a live recording would warrant that kind of resolution anyway."

The nice thing about doing hi rez recordings when the source environment is dodgy is that your post-production processing has all that extra information to use, so the math gets done a lot farther out on the right side of the decimal point. At the end, when you bring the thing down to CD rez (16bit/44.1kHz) or (shudder) mp3, that information has gotten handled a lot better.

Location recordings are where I actually do want the greater rez, mainly because I'll end up using more 'remedial' processing in ProTools in post production. It does take up a lot of space, tho.

The price for "secure digital" chips is declining nicely...

Thanks!

stv

mando.player

Oct-26-2006, 2:10pm

So how is the jog dial on the unit? This is the biggest complaint that I've heard so far. That it's touchy or fragile. I can handle the plastic case, as I'm pretty careful with my gear to begin with.

WJF

Oct-26-2006, 3:43pm

So how is the jog dial on the unit? This is the biggest complaint that I've heard so far. That it's touchy or fragile. I can handle the plastic case, as I'm pretty careful with my gear to begin with.

I haven't found the jog dial to be a problem at all nor am I concerned that it will become a problem ... it feels ok to me. I tend to be kind of fussy and overly gentle with my gear but I don't think the jog dial would give someone who was less delicate a problem either. In fact, I'm pleased with the construction overall. The fact that the unit was plastic concerned me when I was shopping around but its really no better or worse than the plastic used in the Edirol, M-Audio or Marantz units. I wouldn't recommend drop kicking any of them but in average use I'm sure all of them will hold up nicely.

Sliabhstv ... Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the merits of hi-rez live recordings! Good stuff to consider there that I hadn't really considered. I'll certainly give it a try as soon as those 4GB cards are supported!

jefflester

Oct-26-2006, 4:27pm

I bought a 2GB SD Card for the H4 ... just the regular Sandisk model. That would give somewhere close to two hours of recording wav files at 44.1K.
More like 3 hours. (16-bit)

I guess 2 hours if you are recording 24-bit/44.1k

Adam Tracksler

Oct-26-2006, 7:21pm

how does this unit work for adding tracks? if I am recording a set, can i automatically add a new track by clicking a button? or is it just one long take? can I split up a long take (5 or six sings, that I want to break up into 5 or 6 tracks?

WJF

Oct-26-2006, 10:56pm

The H4 won't drop track markers in the middle of a live recording (none of the units in this price range will) so you're stuck with either stopping and starting between each tune in the set (and running the risk of missing something) or just recording one long file. I opted for recording one file, then I moved it over to my PC, dropped track markers into it using Steinberg's Wavelab and then burned myself a CD from there. No big deal really ... didn't take that long to do and the quality of the recording made the effort worthwhile

steve V. johnson

Oct-27-2006, 10:08am

Re: plastic

I have to confess that I've dropped the Edirol R-09 several times already, once it fell from a shelf in a club while recording.

It has one tiny scratch (that I thought would be much bigger and deeper) from all that, and the only glitch in the recording when it fell from the shelf was the sound of the impact, there was no interruption of the data stream at all. Nonetheless, don't try this with your mini-recorder! <GG>

BTW, I've never had any artifacts in any of the (probaby about 250 hours) recordings I've done with the R-09, at any resolution.
I expect that all of these new generation of recorders are going to be pretty darn reliable.

And they'll just get better and better, smaller and cheaper.

stv

Spruce

Oct-27-2006, 11:52am

"I expect that all of these new generation of recorders are going to be pretty darn reliable. "

That Sony is built like a tank...
But I guess it better be for that kind of $$$.....

WJF

Oct-27-2006, 12:55pm

That Sony is built like a tank...
But I guess it better be for that kind of $$$.....

For that kind of money it should do my laundry too! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

John Bertotti

Nov-04-2006, 8:34am

evanreilly

Nov-04-2006, 1:46pm

I see it on Amazon @ $299.
Link to the $149.00 price??

ab4usa

Nov-04-2006, 4:37pm

FYI for the Edirol owners, I am told that there is an Ooptical jack that will allow me to plug into my home theater system and play back directly! Cable on order.

WJF

Nov-05-2006, 8:03am

I was told you can plug directly into the zoom with an electric mandolin or guitar. Is that true and have you tried it. I was also told you could switch between 24 and 48 volt phantom power. I wonder how it will work with garage band.
For any player still struggling to progress the best thing I've done to help myself is record my practice. This may be a better ticket then a usb mic into a computer. Much more portable.
Physically will it fit in a case? or maybe and external pocket on a gig bag? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

I haven't tied plugging into the combo 1/4' XLR inputs on the bottom yet but have read posts elsewhere from several who have and were pleased with the results. Those inputs supply a full 48V of phantom power if you need it. I'm not sure that you can select between 24 and 49V of phantom power though ... I could be wrong but I don't recall having seen that particular feature mentioned.

I know next to nothing about Macs but would imagine that if you had the appropriate drivers to accept audio from the USB port that the H4 would work with Garage band the way it does with the copy of Cubase LE that ships with it. Thats my guess BUT if this were a primary reason for you to buy it, I would call Zoom directly and confirm. You can find their US HQ by Googling ... they're in NY somewhere and were very helpful in answering some of my questions.

Finally, yes ... the unit is indeed small enough to fit in the accesory compartment of a gig bag or case cover but probably too large to fit in the case itself ... it certainly won't fit in my Caltons or Travelite

Hope this helps ...

mandopete

Nov-05-2006, 10:15am

I see it on Amazon @ $299.
Link to the $149.00 price??
$149 is the price of the 4GB memory card.

John Bertotti

Nov-05-2006, 11:21am

Thanks WJF!

Rick Turner

Nov-05-2006, 11:06pm

My pal Henry Kaiser popped for the Sony machine, and he says it's the ticket for simple pro acoustic recording. Yes, it's way up there in price, but I think if we wait a few months we may see the price drop a bit for the thing to stay competitive.

It would be interesting to be able to compare just the mics independent of the rest of the stuff. And don't ignore A/D and mic preamp quality issues...there are reasons why folks spend thousands on studio mics and preamps.

I'm still tempted to get the Sony machine and simply figure it's the last stereo recorder I'll ever need in my life... I started with reel to reel, wound up co-owning a full live 16 track operation with an 860 lb. Ampex MM-1000, traveled with Sony 770s, Ampex 352s, Ampex 440 4 tracks, and then loving the Sony TCD-5 cassette deck. Still have one. So a PCM-D1 looks good...

Spruce

Nov-06-2006, 12:04pm

"It would be interesting to be able to compare just the mics independent of the rest of the stuff."

It sure would...

Sony isn't all that well-known for their modern mic designs, so it would be interesting to know what their machine is loaded with...

I suspect the H4 is loaded with Chinese capsules, which could be considered an upgrade from a lot of the plug in minidisc mics commonly used...

I just got a Rode NT4, and have a gob of nice compact mic pres, so I might be tempted to go the outboard pre/mic route regardless of what machine I'm recording to...

BTW, that mic orientation is pretty important. #I've spent a lot of time orienting 2 KM84s to get them oriented correctly, so I really like the ease-of-use of the NT4, and (I assume) the Sony and Zoom machines....

Here's a pic of the NT4:

dasspunk

Nov-06-2006, 12:20pm

WJF, would you post a small clip of audio for us to check out? If you don't have space, I can host it for you.

I ordered one of these yesterday... but only found this thread today ;)

WJF

Nov-06-2006, 6:16pm

Dasspunk ... The only thing that I've got so far is a recording of Bruce Molsky that he was kind enough to give me the green light on. I promised him faithfully that I wouldn't post it anywhere and would just use it for my own enjoyment so I can't help you with that particular recording.

That said, I will try to make a recording soon and post here although by the time my schedule frees up enough to let me make an post something, you'll probably already have yours (and you'll be very happy with it I'm sure).

To hold you over, I found a forum thats a little dated now ... a bunch of posts back and forth between the curious and one of the first people around to have one of the H4's. He recorded some stuff and posted it in this thread. The performance isn't my style of music but it will at least start to give you some idea as to what the unit sounds like and what some of his first impressions were. You can find it here ...
http://www.2090.org/zoom....start=0 (http://www.2090.org/zoom/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=6906&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0)

Another sampling of user opinions is here. http://www.taropatch.net/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4279&whichpage=1 Note that it's a three page post. You get to the other pages by clicking a drop down arrow at the bottom of the page. I only mention this because pinhead that I am, I missed that the first time I went there. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Its a great unit and i'm sure that you'll really be happy with it when it arrives and you've had a chance to put it through its paces.

Hope this is at least of some help ...

John Bertotti

Nov-06-2006, 6:21pm

I am curious why the sony is so much more expensive? Is it that much better? Just curious I would never spend that kind of cash on it at my level of ability.

Spruce

Nov-06-2006, 6:37pm

"I am curious why the sony is so much more expensive?"

Pro audio gear is like that these days....

You can spend over 2K on a Neumann U87, or under 100 bucks for a mic that looks very similar, and even (kinda) has some of the same sonic characteristics...

In this case, the Sony is the equivalent of the U87, and the H4 is the Chinese version....

WJF

Nov-07-2006, 1:59pm

The Sony has an aluminum case and built in flash memory so that would account for some of the difference in cost but beyond that I'm not sure if the U87 analogy really applies.

I poked around (quickly) when I was doing my shopping and if memory serves, I couldn't find anything on the Sony that would lead me to believe that either the mic capsules or the pre-amps were of any better quality than the Edirol or Zoom units. Coupled with that is the fact that Sony products initially trend towards the upper end of the price spectrum for "newer" technology and it makes me wonder if that radical difference in price is really justified or just what Sony thinks the market will bear.

All that said, the Zoom unit offers multi-track capability with built-in FX, XLR inputs with 48V phantom power (you could actually use a U-87 with it http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif ) and acts as an audio interface ... features that are useful and that the Sony doesn't have.