Zoom H-4N vs. Edirol R-09

Date: April 22, 2009

I have read both the favorable and unfavorable remarks with the R-09. Does anyone have comments on the Zoom H-4N? It has a street price of $349.00 and appears to be a hidden diamond. Thanks all,

Mark Downey

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Replies (10): Threaded | Chronological

Robert Farr on April 22, 2009 5:47

The Zoom is a GREAT machine. I use it at almost every rehearsal. Easy to use. The only draw back for me is that the screen is pretty small.

It was worth it.

Robert

The Cantabile Singers, Boulder - www.cantabilesingers.org

Duane Toole on April 22, 2009 6:24

I have regularly used the Zoom H4 for the past several years. It will record at up to twice the quality of a CD. Locally and on-line it can be purchased for less than $300 (US).

Dean Estabrook on April 22, 2009 6:42

I have been more than happy with my Zoom H4. It does take a few seconds to load, but not a major problem. The sound is really remarkably good, even on the ear buttons which come with it. It does, however, seem to use up the AA batteries fairly quickly ... if you don't have it plugged in, which I almost never do.

Dean M. Estabrook

d.esta(a)comcast. net

Joyce Keil on April 23, 2009 2:28

Can you use it to record during a rehearsal and get instant playback for your students to do some critical listening? My friend got it on EBay for $200

Charles Jonah on April 22, 2009 11:54

Possibly the wrong place to put this but ... Zoom has a newer recorder, the H2, which has gotten better reviews than the H4, has 4 mikes instead of 2 (I don't know why the H4 has 2 mikes and the H2 has 4). I just got one from Amazon for $165 or so and has done an excellent job with the recordings i have made with it so far. The mikes can be used as 2 cardiods at 90 degrees, 2 cardiods at 120 degrees, 2 cardiods, one facing forward and the other back or for 4-channel recording. I normally record in 24-bit mode and set the gain low enough that I dont' have to worry about clipping. I just normalize after the fact.

Also note, the manual says it can be used as a tuner -- will give you the note and how far off from true value of the note and you can set the frequency of your reference A or you can use it as a metronome. As far as i can tell, it will not wash the dishes or file the music -- but it is conceivable that these are undocumented features

Chuck Jonah

Ronald Richard Duquette on April 22, 2009 19:08

I have a small recording company and found myself at a recent middle school choral concert having forgotten some key pieces of equipment to power my AudioTechnica mike (stereo). The band director at this school had an H-2 which we put to emergency use (and with me grumbling to myself the entire time). Results were terrific! Sounded as good as the $400 mike (which I swear by). This may be the way to go - I don't know about any of the downsides (if any), but if you want a recommend, I'm endorsing the H-2.

Ron Duquette

Jeff Collier on April 23, 2009 4:52

Hi!

I bought the Sony PCM-D50 this last fall on Amazon for a little more and it has been wonderful. It has some features that are very nice including a nice limiter for if I get the levels too high, it can be turned on and record in less than ten seconds, and the recording levels are easily accessed with a dedicated wheel. It is also nice that it has 4gb of memory on board.

Daniel Bayless on July 15, 2009 6:47

I have a Zoom H2 myself and love it. It is the most convenient thing to carry, and I am amazed at the sound quality this little thing is able to record--even in a cavernous church. I would highly recommend investing in rechargeable batteries and charger if you do not have an outlet available nearby or don't want to carry the DC adapter as batteries tend to run down quickly.

Rob Henderson on August 11, 2009 20:36

I recently purchased the H2 for my church choir... We're traveling to Europe to sing in a few cathedrals this summer with a sister parish, and I didn't want this FABULOUS choir to go without being recorded for posterity. The sound quality of it is AMAZING for the price, and so user-friendly... It's practically plug-and-play (or plug-and-record).

And it's MUCH cheaper than the H4.

Mark Downey on January 30, 2010 6:30

Can someone recommend the simplest way to record practice tracks for your singers? I am using the Zoom H4n recorder. I can record the parts easy enough, but I always have trouble moving the files to my pc and then creating various tracks. In addition, I am looking for a "user friendly" manual on digital recording. I have read and reread the Zoom manual and I find it so confusing. Thanks in advance for your able assistance.

Mark Downey

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