Zoom H2 Portable 2-Track SD Recorder

Brilliant Stereo Recording. Uses SD (Secure Digital) or SDHC cards only.

Overall User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10

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"Zoom H2: the hottest mini-gadget in my toolbox!"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
Features galore. You can tweak every imaginable setting. Just download the catalog from the manufacturers website and see what I am talking about. I am extremely pleased in this department. Not only can I record the live ambiance of a show with the H2 but I can also decide to INSTEAD record the output from my console via 1/8" to RCA cable. The sound was extremely crisp! Not only that but with a 4GB card I am able to record a 4+ hour show. With an 8GB card 8.5 hours! Just for kicks I tried to hyped "Lithium" batteries for this unit and after 9 hours of recording the power meter is still at full! This is extremely convenient for me as it lets me turn it on and GO without additional power cables, etc... SWEET!

Quality:
The unit is made of standard plastic. The Mic grill is metallic. Only time will tell if the button will hold up to extended use. The build is very light in weight which I love, but being that it is plastic some users may decide for a heavier product that may seem more durable. In my case I felt that it was just right. I bought a small camera bag where I put all of its accessories and keep it free from scratches and the bumps of the road. Its perfect! The light build may contribute to the sensitivity of the mics picking up sounds from your hand rubbing against the body of the unit, etc. But that is expected from any sensitive mic. Thankfully the unit comes with not one but TWO stands/adapters. One "tripod" style stand and a hand-held microphone for hooking up to your favorite mic clip on a stand, etc.

Value:
Unbeatable value for feature set, size and ease of use.

Desirability:
Well, not necessarily a "sexy" piece of equipment, however its sexyness is based on sheer practicality!

Sound:
The sound of this product is exactly what I was looking for in recording concert style ambiance. The sound is very responsive capturing good detail from the crowd at a live event. I use it mainly as an "ambiance" recorder in addition to recording my full mix live via another device. I am able to put the two together at home and come up with some very snazzy sounding demo CD's, mixtapes, etc. No other product out there could help me achieve this at this price point.

Ease of Use:
I thought I would have to fumble around with settings and crazy menus, etc. NO! Everything that needs to be accessed the most is available from the front buttons! If you need to get in the menu to tweak other settings such as limiter/compressor settings or file type, etc, the menu is not only straight forward but the front buttons make it super easy to browse. 2 thumbs up on interface design!!!

Support:
No support necessary!!! The manual is extremely well written with plenty of graphic samples that get you going quickly and answer any questions just as fast as they come up. Take a look at it on the manufacturer's website to see what I mean. The unit works just as expected so unless I find any problems later on I will be looking for firmware updates and so on. Did I mention that the unit I received is compatible with 8GB SD cards? the SDHC format is set to reach 32GB so I am pretty sure the H2 will be able to handle it.

Overall:
This piece of equipment should fit my needs for over five years for sure, and that is understated. There is no part of it that will be outdated any time soon, as long as it lasts and its reliable. It is fast, expandable in storage capacity and feature filled. On an 8GB card it records up to 3 shows of 4+ hours each in uncompressed WAV 44.1Khz 16bit format (which should be around for quite some time). I don't see what could get better about it in the next 10 years.

48 of 48 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"The sound quality of the ZOOM H2 is truly amazing and exceeds the recording quality of many, if not all, of my other recording e"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
The unit comes with a small tabletop stand, an adapter that allows it to be mounted on a mic stand, a windscreen, a 512mb SD card,usb and stereo Y cable,a set of earbuds and an external power supply. The H2 runs on 2 AA batteries. The H2 has the versatility of recording in MP3 or wave formats and several recording qualities. The unit even has a built in tuner and metronome.

Quality:
The H2 is made of a rather lightweight plastic and I'm not sure how it will fare over the long run but as long as you take reasonable care of it and don't drop it, it should be ok. The fit and finish are good and it has the appearance of a 1940's style microphone. The mics are well protected.

Value:
Based on the great sound quality of the H2 I feel that the unit was worth the price paid for it. If you are looking for great sound quality at a reasonable price, check out the H2.

Sound:
The recordings from the Zoom H2 are excellent. The sound is clean with no background noise or hum. Acoustic instrument recordings are amazing with true reproduction of the sound of the instrument.

Ease of Use:
Very easy to set up and begin basic recording right out of the box. You may want to read the manual(well written) to get deeper into the features of the H2. I did find the screen small and somewhat hard to view if your eyesight is not the best. Otherwise, the layout of the control buttons is good and easy to use.

Support:
N/A

Overall:
I would have given the H2 a 10 except for the plastic construction and small screen but it appears a lot of design effort went into its sound reproduction quality which is the main reason I bought it. So far I am more than satisfied with it and am still amazed by the sound quality.

73 of 73 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"Great MP3 Recorder."

Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
 
 
 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
I really wanted the MP3 recording so that I could get lots of time when practicing with others, or going to workshops. I think this will work great. On the negative side, you can not normalize the volume of MP3 recordings only wav files. Normalization takes a good while, then converting to MP3 was took quite a long time. It would be nice if you could do some kind of overdubbing. Another nice feature would be a slowed down playback. The tuner worked well.

Quality:
It is light weight and plastic, but what do you want for this price? If the buttons hold up, it will be fine.

Value:
Really a good value!

Desirability:
This is a great addition. If you had these features combined with a slowed down playback like Tascams guitar trainer, you would have the ultimate device for learning music.

Sound:
I finally got one of these after waiting for about 3 months. I was surprised how good it sounded when recording acoustic instruments.

Ease of Use:
Easy once you figure out that you have to press the record button a couple of times for it to start recording. I think for the few buttons that it has, it is pretty good, but you still have to read the manual to get started

Overall:
I don't see anything else right now that does what this does for the money.

11 of 11 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"An easy-to-use. dependable recording system for little money."

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
It accepts 1/8" microphone plugs which the H4 did not do. It has more features than I'll ever use.

Quality:
Don't know how the plastic switches will hold up in the long run but they are working well at present.

Value:
I think it is well worth the $200 price.

Desirability:
I've used several different recorders during the past 15 years. This is the simplest and the most dependable.

Sound:
This sounds better than did the Zoom H4 which was more expensive and more complicated. One must take care not to overload the microphones.

Ease of Use:
The handling is quite easy. Haven't tried all the limiters and other features but will get to that eventually. The manual is very clear.

Support:
I contacted Zoom many months ago to check the microphones in their H4 model. I felt they lacked treble. It took about TWO MONTHS before they sent it back with a note that there was no defect!!

Overall:
This recorder is fine except for one problem. None of my stereo mics produce adequate volume in recording. I assume a mic preamp would be required. It is fortunate that the internal mics are as good as they are.

12 of 12 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"Simple and reliable digital audio recorder for long mic or line stereo recordings"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
 
 
 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
It has more than we need, but the features are nice. It works great with both a PC and MAC (we sometimes use both to download the mp3s)

Quality:
Cheap feeling plastic, but it holds up well to our use, so no real complaints. I keep it in a separately-bought hardshell case to prevent it from getting banged up.

Value:
I'd rather have fewer features at a lower price.

Desirability:
I like the compactness, but the plastic feel doesn't do much for me - I bought it purely on ease of use and function.

Sound:
I bought one for recording music and sermons at our church and it works great. I returned an H4 which had a faint buzzing noise in the recording whenever the LEDs came on. This one is silent with no input.

Ease of Use:
It wasn't too hard to get it setup and working. I don't like the standby mode - when I turn it on, I'm ready to record - I rather not have the intermediate standby mode: Once I accidentally forgot to pushed the record button twice, I pushed it once and thought I was recording only to find out I recorded nothing. Other than that, it is really easy to use for recording. Be careful to plug in line in into the correct input, not the mic in if running from a board. Also, once I ran out of card space (I have a 2GB card) - it does tell you how much space is remaining, but it is really hard to read. Now I just delete files every month to be on the safe side (we use it every Sunday, about 100MB each time). I would like to see some kind of warning like only '2 hours left' or something in big letters.

Support:
Haven't had to deal with anyone. Product works solid.

Overall:
Not likely to replace. I would need a big screen with a easy to read time remaining before I would consider replacement. I would prefer something more solid feeling. I would prefer not to have to navigate/scroll through 20 menus to enable USB file copy mode.

6 of 6 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"The New Beetle of Portable Digital Recorders!"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
Way more stuff than I need. The tuner isn't bad, but isn't close enough for classical work (I use my ears, anyway). Different mp3 bitrates are great. 96KHz WAV would be nice if it meant anything with the signal/noise ratio of devices like these. It doesn't. Really, the 24/48 setting already slightly exceeds the analog capabilities of the unit. 90 / 120 degree mic patterns are nice. Played around with others, but not enough to say much beyond that you can record out of both sides of the thing at once. Would have been GREAT -- awesome, even -- if they'd have included even the most rudimentary multitrack feature on this thing (like the h4), but no other unit does, so you can't fault Zoom too much.

Quality:
Worst aspect of quality: Plastic slider switches (like mic LMH) don't have clear detents -- these feel like they came off a toy. The membrane switches feel fine -- if they last. I don't have much experience with these. Don't know if a plastic film will help. Mics aren't shock-mounted (see handling noise above), but otherwise nothing feels like it'll fall apart. It's lightweight and plastic, but it's compact, sans protrusions.

Value:
$100 less than an Edirol R-09, and I can't think of any advantages the R-09 might have. I haven't used and R-09 myself, though.

Desirability:
It's about the right size -- small enough to one-hand operate, just big enough not to be too tiny. Nice enough aesthetic (preferable to the H4). Mic configuration features are cool. The fact that you can make good stereo recordings AND transfer to computer (unlike the old Minidiscs) is the best thing, really.

Sound:
Sound with the built-in mics is very, very good for built in mics. I recorded a full orchestra rehearsal with surprising fidelity. Cello practice/lessons also come out well, as do random sound effects (running water, etc.). Records in a variety of stereo patterns and pseudo "surround sound." That said, my ADK cardiod condensor ($150 mic) through an $80 tube preamp delivers warmer, clearer sound (though in mono) with more dynamic range. Haven't used the tiny mic inputs, but I have my doubts about them from stuff I've read. The line-in, however, is very clean. There is handling noise when pressing buttons, but I suspect this would be true of Edirol R-09 and all other similar units as well. Mic "H" gain is too noisy to be much use. "L" will need a really loud source. "M" sounds good for most stuff.

Ease of Use:
Easy, easy. A couple of tiny things I'd change, but not much.

Support:
No experience, so I give them a neutral "5".

Overall:
I paid $190 for this new. If the mics were decently shockmounted and the switches more solid, I'd have paid another $50 no problem. If they implemented a very basic 4-track on top of that, another $30-$50 on top of that. I hope the membrane switches last (they feel better than I expected, but still...). Oh! and the headphone output could be better (louder!). XLR inputs? Yeah, but then we'd be making it into something else...

10 of 10 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"Buy this Device"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
great accessories. use them all. mostly though the handle that slips into a mic clip for use on a stand. great. I'd say the least useful feature was the included memory card. but that is to expected. I immediately got a 4gb card. I've used it to record didgeridoo, guitar, band, nature, crystal bowls, gongs, vocals, drums and the list goes on. It works great on everything. again just need to pay attention to the settings, like any recording.

Quality:
While at first it is for sure a plastic device and it feel like thin plastic (it is) the H2 was not intened for Toys R US. you drop it you break it, you bought it. It is $200 they had to cut cost somewhere. so if you are rough with your tools then this may not be your best choice. Having said that, I haven't broken it yet and I've had it for almost 2 months. I got a Pelican water tight hard case for it to travel in. a worthwhile $20 investment. I live on an island. lots of water all around. I've take in out on boats, recorder the ocean,still works great.

Value:
worth every penny. $200. after dumping a bunch on the mini disk I have been cautious of spending money on the next great tool to hit the streets. the technology is moving so fast the big investments only server the manufacture and their share holders. remember all the money you spend on Adat recorders? that came and went pretty fast. so save your money for other things and get this one.

Desirability:
fine looks good, feels great, I would even take it out on a date, to record the stories that is.

Sound:
I can not say enough about this product. I had a sony mini disk for years and while the sound was good the tool was slow and frustrating. the sound on the h2? I have read mostly great reviews by other users. the ones that didn't get the sound were, in my opinion the ones who didn't know how to use the tool. when the settings are optimized the sound is top. I can use what i record in studio production. much can be used in final edits. unless you have a real need for something like the h4 where you can plug directly in, this the one. I tell every one get this tool.

Ease of Use:
Very easy for me to use but then I'm a tech toy junky. I have had to give lessons to some of my musician friends though. but they are probably challenged with tuners as well. :) the window is small and for those of us that have been around for a while a pair of reading glasses can make for a much smoother and easy session. not to mention recorded. That would be my only thing a larger screen but then that would make the whole device larger and it is so the kind size for in the pocket, guitar case, etc... so deal with the little window.

Support:
have had not need for support thus far.

Overall:
I think because of its low cost there is probably some planed in wearing out of the control pannel and light panel and such. I hope to get a good 5 years out of it though. but even if I had to buy another one in less that 5 years its still a better value that one of something else at twice the price. If it fits your needs

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"Great for recording speeches and presentations."

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
 
 
 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
Surprising amount of features. Captures to wav or mp3. Bought a 2GB SD card for it (comes with 512MB card) for more recording time. USB file transfer is slow (USB 1.1), but you don't need to install drivers like with a USB 2 device. Not only is the H2 useful as a USB mic, but you can use it as a USB audio out via the headphone jack. Found it to be a reasonable audio interface for editing with much better audio I/O than my Dell laptop.

Quality:
OK fit and finish, but not sure how durable the plastic will be. Wish it had a case of some sort-- comes with a drawstring, unpadded pouch that holds only the H2 (no base or cables).

Value:
Lots of features and good sound for the price. Would buy again.

Sound:
Very good sound for the price. Absolutely on par with $100 mics. Clean A/D. The AutoGainControl function works very well also. Using it to record corporate presentations and have had to do very little normalizing afterward.

Ease of Use:
Haven't used the manual yet. Menus are reasonable, but membrane keypad is a bit clunky. Given the price, it's a reasonable tradeoff.

4 of 4 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"Zoom H2 - A great value with excellent design and a rich feature set."

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
Accessories package is quite useful, but it would have been nice to include a couple of batteries. Although this is more than I would expect at this price point, it would have been GREAT if they could have included a custom carrying case. Feature set is fantastic, certainly more than I am likely to fully utilize. Again, too much to expect at this price, but the ability to save custom settings profiles would be huge! The inability to adjust gain for Line In or Ext Mic inputs is a negative.

Quality:
Very nicely engineered, fits comfortably in your hand or jacket pocket, and looks pretty cool. It would have added hundreds of dollars to the cost of the unit to put it in a metal case and provide a larger display. The mic screens are metal (a pleasant surprise), and the placement of the various switches makes sense. I would expect this unit to hold up reasonably well with a moderate amount of care, but would not take it white-water rafting or expect it to survive a drop from 10 feet onto a cement floor.

Value:
When Sony came out with a handheld digital recorder at $2000, it hoped it would not be long before someone engineered a decent consumer-level device to perform the same function. IMO, Zoom has hit the bulls-eye with this item. There's maybe one other product like this at this price point, but the buzz around this unit was so great, I didn't even consider it.

Desirability:
Clean design, very "sexy". Moderate "tech" look, which suits my taste. Could have gone more "tech" with squarer look, thinner case, more exposed mics and controls, but still a very nicely designed unit.

Sound:
Sound is very good and seems to capture the ambience of the recording situation quite well, with very good stereo separation. I detect a tiny bit of background noise, especially with medium and high mic gain settings and the first compressor setting, but have found that the Normalize function is great at maximizing signal, thus minimizing the effective background noise.

Ease of Use:
Interface is very intuitive, but if you don't read the manual you might not make the most of this device. The manual is concise and well-written, but it would be nice to have more detail about the various compressor and limiter settings.

Support:
Have not had to contact support.

Overall:
I see no reason to replace this item. I have a 16-channel portable DAW for more serious recording. This one I can just stick in my pocket and go.

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"Zoom H2 - good on its own, but has a very interesting sense of time when aligned to other audio streams."

Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * <