Product Comparison: Zoom H2 vs Zoom H2n

Advertiser Disclosure

This site is a free online resource that strives to offer helpful content and comparison features to its visitors. Please be advised that the operator of this site accepts advertising compensation from certain companies that appear on the site, and such compensation impacts the location and order in which the companies (and/or their products) are presented, and in some cases may also impact the scoring that is assigned to them. The scoring that appears on this site is determined by the site operator in its sole discretion, and should NOT be relied upon for accuracy purposes. In fact, Company/product listings on this page DO NOT imply endorsement by the site operator. Except as expressly set forth in our Terms of Use, all representations and warranties regarding the information presented on this page are disclaimed. The information which appears on this site is subject to change at any time. More info

Zoom H2 Handy Portable Stereo Recorder

Check Price

Best Pick

Zoom H2n Handy Recorder

Check Price

General Specifications

Brand

Zoom

Model

H2n

Origin

China

About the Product

You're looking at the Zoom H2 — without question, our hottest, best-selling portable recorder. Let us tell you why. You want three things from a portable recorder and the H2 has them all: speed, sound, and flexibility. We'll dive into all that later, but here's what it comes down to. When you've got the Zoom H2 with you, you're ready to instantly record anything, anywhere, and at awesome sound quality. This is the easiest way to capture band practice, your next great song idea, a podcast, an interview... name it. Everyone needs an H2.

The H2n Handy Recorder is the only portable recording device to come with five built-in microphones and four different recording modes: X/Y, Mid-Side, 2-channel surround and 4-channel surround. Other advanced features include automatic gain control and onboard MS decoding, plus effects like compression, limiting and low cut filtering. You can even use the H2n as a multi-purpose USB microphone!

Key Specs

Maximum Recording Time

50 hours

34.56 hours

Voice-Activated Recording

Yes

Recording Quality

96kHz, 24bit

Number Of Recording Modes

What customers say about "Key Specs"

Zoom H2 Handy Portable Stereo Recorder

Great sound quality, even without editing. Good surround sound. It captures left/right just fine.
Can record in WAV or MP3 format at different frequencies and bit rates all of which influence the file size. For me, the 64kbps, MP3 format worked the best providing over 20 hours on the supplied 512MB card.
Awesome voice quality. When I played a sample recording, my wife was awestruck, really. She just couldn't believe the quality she was hearing.
The internal mics are terrific at picking up all ends of the spectrum -- from low bass notes to crisp high frequencies off of cymbals or guitars.
There are no specs for this device (frequency response, S/N ratio, etc.) like for the venerable H4n. I really don't know just how good this device is.

Zoom H2n Handy Recorder

First of all, the recording quality, with the built-in microphones, is nothing short of amazing. The quality is far beyond anything I have ever found in the little hand-held Olympus and Sony memo recorders.
The sound quality and clearness of the recording was amazing. It took a little practice to learn all the controls, but it was worth it.
All 5 mics on this piece record in great quality. All of the settings and options are very easy to use and maneuver.
I started capturing sound with the Zoom H2n for an outdoor concert video. The capture was amazing and I've since used it for every single video I've produced.
I even used it for recording a Lamborghini Gallardo, and it worked amazingly well. I would recommend this recorder to anyone who is looking for great sound at a good price.

Size & Weight

Height

4.3 in.

4.48 in.

Width

2.51 in.

2.66 in.

Depth

1.25 in.

1.68 in.

Weight

3.88 oz.

4.59 oz.

What customers say about "Size & Weight"

Zoom H2 Handy Portable Stereo Recorder

Nice size to hold in hand if you are interviewing a person. It comes with a stand too.
Light weight, portable, and does what it says.
It's light weight, fits in a shirt pocket and records to a different file every time the record function is turned on.
It is light weight and portable. It does have many functions.
It has a little weight to it, so it seems like if it fell of the desk it would be ruined.

Zoom H2n Handy Recorder

Some may feel it's bulky but I really like the size and shape and that it sits upright to capture the best possible sound.
It is well made, light weight, and has so very many features.
I like the feel, the size, and the range of recording options available.
The weight feels good, but the plastic shell kinda feels cheaper. I'm paranoid that I'll drop it and it'll smash into smithereens.
The only down side I can see so far is its size makes it a wee bit too large to conceal where the minidisc fit into any pocket. Still, I like it a lot.

Features

Display Type

128×64 pixel graphic LCD with backlight

Pixel graphic LCD with backlight

Computer Compatibility

Yes

Cue Marker Function

Yes

1-Touch Recording

Yes

Supported File Formats

WAV, MP3, BWF

WAV, BWF, MP3

Integrated Speaker

Yes

Interfaces

Mic/line input jack, Line out 3.5mm jack, SD card slot, MiniUSB

Mic/line input jack, Remote jack, Line/phone output 3.5mm jack, MiniUSB, SD card slot

Extras

High-pass filter, Compressor/limiter, Metronome, MP3 post encoder, Normaliser

Five built-in microphones and four recording modes, Analog-type input gain control, Internal mixdown, Up to 99 marks per recording, Built-in effects, MS decoding, Variable playback speed, Data recovery function, Mounts directly to tripod, mic stand or DSLR

Cue Marker Function
Integrated Speaker

What customers say about "Features"

Zoom H2 Handy Portable Stereo Recorder

Different recordings modes - 2ch stereo, 4ch. The stereo quality is phenomenal for a non-professional like me. She was just blown away by the sound.
You can adjust the gain with the flip of a button from Low, Medium and High. This is to reduce or increase the recorded sound (in layman's terms) depending on how strong or weak the source is.
You can attach an external (more powerful) microphone, if needed. I haven't found this to be necessary so far.
Stores files right on the supplied 512MB SD card. I found a 1 GB card for 10 bucks.
Power cable is too short and can never be used, so make sure you have batteries.
I ran out of 2 AA batteries with about 4 hours of recording. But the adapter can come in handy in situations where you need longer recording time.
The display is puny and a lot of menu options! Hard on the eyes if you frequently want to change settings, etc. I found I don't need to use the menu that often, so this is a smaller negative.

Zoom H2n Handy Recorder

The sound is so clear and the setting to adjust the microphone frequency works great when I start singing extremely high!
It captures a very large range of frequencies very clearly and evenly, and accurately captures subtle timbral differences between different instruments.
This is a fantastic recorder. I use it for voiceovers and a variety of voice recording for radio and the web. The sound quality is excellent. The variety of pickup patterns also helps with field recording.
The pickups sound great, and offer four different patterns to work from. The unit sips battery life, and is ready to record in seconds after a month or more of sitting in my gear bag.
A wonderful little handheld recorder, and to date the only one I could find that did Mid/Side stereo.

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

1 year(s)

Certifications

FCC, CE

Other Information

Manufacturer

Link

Manual

Download