My 1 Year Zoom H4n Review
Hey there, and welcome to my 1 year updated Zoom H4n Review. I’ve wrote a few other reviews on the Zoom H4n in the past but it’s been a year so I thought I’d let everyone know how it’s been going!
Since purchasing the Zoom H4n at the beginning of March 2010, the amount of different things that I’ve used this recorder for has been really quite surprising. I bought it originally to use as a way to record my practice sessions (guitar) and have since used it for voiceovers, capturing my student recital, skype microphone, interview/lecture recorder and even to capture noises outdoors to use in an “art-music” project. Not to mention a great number of pretty professional sounding demos on my Classical Guitar.
Every now and then you grab a tech gadget that actually helps you out more than it is just cool to look at and the H4n is one of these products. To put it as simple as possible, “This Thing Just Works”. And that’s the truth.
So what do I like most about the H4N?
Personally I love the quality of sound that you can get with this recorder. That is definitely number 1. It captures really lifelike sound that is perfect for recording guitars/band practices/concerts or interviews that you can then easily drop down to your computer with the ease of a memory stick.
When you combine the great sound with the simplicity of use, thats when you get a real winner. I’m not very “techy” when it comes to recordings. I have friends who like to get down into the nitty gritty of frequencies and all that but NOT ME. I just want to turn on, press record and go. This is exactly what the H4n does.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure you can spend hours or even days tweaking the on-board settings and mic placements to get the perfect sound you’re after if that’s your thing. But if you aren’t into all of that stuff this thing will make an excellent recording right out of the box.
I also really like the construction of the H4n. It feels like a real piece of equipment, not some toy. It’s solid, it’s got some weight and the rubberized coating looks and feels very cool. So far I’ve managed to drop it off my desk (just the once!) directly onto the mics and no damage done! Amazing really.
It also came with some really good accessories like the microphone clip and a simple plastic case which just makes life easier.
What about what I don’t like?
Honestly, there isn’t very much that I don’t like about the Zoom H4n.
It takes a long time to boot-up! We’re talking close to a minute. That’s kind of a pain in the butt sometimes but nothing that would make me not recommend the unit.
I would’ve really liked to see a screen around the mics too. They got this right on the first H4 but for some reason decided against it in the H4n release. Apparently it would be too hard to position the adjustable microphones with a protective screen but I don’t really buy it. They could’ve made it big enough to protect the mics and still get your fingers in there to move them around.
Other than that there really isn’t too much to not like about the H4n.
1 Year Later
So after a year, it’s still going strong and I’m still very happy with my purchase. If you’re looking for a good portable recorder that is a notch above the cheaper voice recorders than I would highly recommend looking at the Zoom H4n Digital Recorder!
Hope you enjoyed my review!
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