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I'm contemplating another recorder for my field recording.
For two reasons :
1) The H5 is a bit bulky, more of a "needs a dedicated space in the bag" and not a "can slip in the pocket casually" deal. As it needs the protection case as the mic capsules aren't protected much.
2) It's a bit more expensive than id like for a sort of "lengthy unattended recording", a "can leave in nature or up a tree".

With the Zoom H1n being 60€ now, I'm contemplating getting it as a sacrificial recorder, or for getting two angles (There's a total solar eclipse in 2026, I'm thinking getting like several locations of crowd, wildlife, ETC.. to be a thing, having multiple recorders at different locations would be cool.

I could get a second hand Zoom H2n with accessories for 100€
The H1n new is 60€ (second hand they're like 50€ lol) +15 for the accessories kit (wind shield, box).
I'm intrigued by the H2n for the Surround aspect, and it looks like a sturdy form factor.
The H2n is apparently double the weight of the H1n, but I doubt id be bothered by it.

Any opinions on it all? Is the Surround recording a useful thing, or is it kind of a nice idea but not practical / not useful to anybody (kind of like 3D TVs) etc...

How would surround sound uploads be handled by Freesound? (Is Multi-Track WAV a thing Freesound can handle or would it need to be two mirror uploads?)

Then there's the Zoom H3-VR but I recall hearing an audio comparison and the H2 sounding better. Then it's a Circle pattern vs Sphere, so not an apple to apple comparison, maybe with VR becoming a thing maybe it's a significant difference there in immersion?

IDK, what are your thoughts ? ^^

dit you see this:
https://www.zoom-europe.com/en/field-recorders/zoom-f1-sp-msh-6-bundle-uk-version
great for omni in low budget

user @dibko is using this set
https://freesound.org/search/?q=zoom+msh&f=username%3A%22dibko%22

his recordings sound great

recorder weight 120gr without battery and MSH mic

I hadn't considered it. Thanks for pointing it out!
Seem neat! Owning an H5 already id just need the MSH-6
Though that seems like a Mid side setup (though a compact and practical one!)

When it comes to omni, I'm considering getting a Omni Capsule for my Rode NT5's,

I'm more questioning the use case of a 4channel surround or VR audio, and if it's worth it.
And how >2 channel audio would work with Freesound? (Mirror uploads, or if it can handle multitrack wav)

To answer myself a bit.
I downloaded this 3d sound by Gladkiy https://freesound.org/people/gladkiy/sounds/458625/
And upon importing it in audacity it was indeed 4 mono channels of wav, so freesound does support multitrack wav.

Then it's all over the same question of if surround or even 3d sound is worth the investment. I'm not sure who uses it, and I presume a 360 camera/visual element is important when it comes to that sort of experience.
Perhaps a mono omni is sufficient when it comes to preserving a soundscape of a location (what birds, how much human noise etc...)

Hi Sadiquecat,

I have used both an H1 and an H2n.

The H2n is superb. I've used mine for the last 10 years and I leave it in my backpack permanently because the AA rechargeable batteries last absolutely ages. About 20 hours from a full charge allegedly. I always tape a spare set of AA's but I've hardly ever had to change batteries on a job.

The Zoom H2n is good and tough, but buy a protective case for it and you won't have to worry.

I had A Zoom H1 for a short time but the battery connector broke. You can still power an H1 or and H2n with an externall power bank, just like you would a mobile phone, but the real joy of these recorders is they seemingly go forever on very little battery!

Would I buy a Zoom H1n? No because they now require AAA batteries. I want all my recorders to run on AA's, its so much less hassle that way. So I'd recommend an Zoom H2n.

The most rubbish thing about both units? The plastic 3/4 thread. I can't believe how stupid Zoom were in doing that. The previous model, the Zoom H2 has a metal thread, so does the H4n, H5 and H6. Why did they go plastic? You lose so much functionality when that thread gets ruined!

I think even the Zoom H2 has a 360 recording facility (I'm only 60% sure on that)!

But yeah, thread issue aside, I don't leave home without the H2n!

Hey one_brain_cell,

Weirdly enough the AA, is a major point I hadn't considered. Adding AAA to my checklist/backpack is just another thing to worry about.

The plastic thread is a nuisance indeed! I'll probably have a gorilla pod with quick release permanently fixed.

The H2 can indeed do 360audio. I'm not familiar with all 360audio patterns. Here it seems like it's a 4channel stereo, forward backward left right.

I'm eying one second hand

How's the signal to noise? What kinds of things are you comfortable recording and what would be too noisy?

Thanks!

Yes, having to carry and keep charged different types of battery is a major pain, its one more thing you don’t need taking up your time in the field. I would much rather source a second-hand H1 or H2 for less money and more compatibility.

A colleague swapped me his silver Zoom H2 a few years ago, and even though the LCD screen is much smaller than the H2n, its still a great recorder. I can’t say that I notice too much issue with signal to noise; sure there’s a noise floor, but its not as bad as say, an XLR mic plugged into an H4n.

I use the H1, H2 and H2n for recording interviews and wild-track. Lately for interviews I’ve been using XLR mics into a H4n with a fathead providing a -20db gain boost in the middle, which makes up for the weak preamps on the H4n, but it can be a faff to set up when the interviewee is already itching to get away, so sometimes I’ll have to gauge their readiness with which mic to use.

Too noisy for a Zoom H2 would be an indoor concert. I’ve never had much luck with that, or any situation that goes from being very quiet to very loud!

However I think what’s more effective than any setting or gadget on a recorder is the person operating it. If they can read the environment, eliminate or minimise any nasty sounds e.g. buzzing fridges, buses going by, police sirens, people on scooters, screaming kids or even have the nous to find a better location or postpone to a quieter day than that’s worth its weight in gold. Also, wear headphones always. I know people who don’t and are very bullish about it, and it drives me up the wall!

Thanks for the message! I have ordered a second hand H2N a few days ago, still waiting for it to arrive.

I got a single Fethead phanom for my NT5's. Although I definitely have a hotter signal before reaching the H5. It sadly doesn't improve as much as I hoped. I think my NT5's self noise bumps in before the Zoom H5's pre-amps ? Not sure. It does improve a little but more of like a filter and a extra DB of noisefloor.

Which surprises me because the NT5 should be rather good noisefloor wise, so I'm not sure what's going on.

Anyhow looking forward to getting the H2, and playing with Serround and MS!
Keep you updated

Ah that’s great news. This might be a very dumb question but are you sure you’ve got the right Fethead for your H5? I spent ages making sure I was picking the correct Fethead for my H4n, and the Triton website (and YouTube videos) seemed to confirm that I need the original Fethead as opposed to the Phantom one, but maybe its a different rule for the H5’s. I wasn’t aware your Zoom even needed a Fethead as I’d read that they’d fixed the weak pre-amps when designing the H5 and H6?

I love my H2n. It’s probably my favourite mic, its so versatile. I was recording with it just yesterday. I’m pretty sure if I ever saw one in a shop or on Gumtree/eBay for a good price I’d get another one.

For a very brief moment I thought about investing in the new 32-bit float recorders. I see almost everyone on YouTube tech videos I watch uses them, especially those little block ones that hang off your shirt collar. They virtually guarantee good recordings at the cost of producing file sizes three times the normal size! And I read that if you want to sync the audio with video then you have to downgrade the audio to 24-bit. So the benefit is a great recording. Mind you I do the same; I record everything in .WAV format and then have to drop it to 192Kbps .Mp3 for radio and podcast. So yeah, I’m happy with my 24-bit recorders for now!

So I use Rode NT5's which require Phantom power. So I needed the Fethead Phantom to pass though the phantom power. They're similar but provide 18db of gain as opposed to the 27db of the regular Fethead.
I don't know about the pre-amps change. If it's just providing more gain or cleaner gain. I hear the entire H series, including the new H-Essential use the same pre-amps, but the Zoom F series has better pre-amps.

The 32bit recording is interesting. Personally id want to convert down to 16 or 24bit post processing anyway. 32bit is cool to make sure not to clip, and have appropriate gain in post. (As I understand it it records on two pre-amps settings, one dedicated to high gain another dedicated to low. So physically a weaksignal gets recorded with a decent pre-amp and anything loud gets recorded on a low pre-amp so nothing should clip.
However 24bit provides something like 144db of dynamic range. It's already slightly overkill for many recordings. 32bit may provide benefits while recording for both not clipping and having a dedicated pre-amp (avoiding gain noise floor slightly?) for the quiet part of the recording. I don't think it provides much after the sound is processed and normalized when compared to a 24bit export.

But then 24bit should have enough dynamic range for the grand majority of recordings that isn't recording a snail's heartbeat to a train passing by.
(Then I may misunderstand things, done that before and I'll do it again xD )

I like the form factor of the H2n! Really looking forwards to receiving it! Really looks like a pocketable thing with a decent versatility. I'm not even aware of dedicated surround or ambisonic microphones at that price point! (There are some in the 700€ to 1150 rode NTSF-1 but a all in one mic like that I'm unaware of)
Looks neat for sure!
Hope they release a H2E soon! Not that it should, but knowing it's older than 10yo somehow feels like it's outdated x') (Not that it is, audio hasn't changed much these past 10years other than 32bit hypetrain)

Well I received it, it won't power on by USB nor by batteries.
Tripod thread is broken too but thats detail.
Ports have rusted (blue ish) and the previous batteries seem to have leaked and im fearful it might have gone inside the recorder (the negative battery port isnt well sealed).
So well, i hope to return it :/

Just received a functional Zoom H2n
If anyone has any questions or want some comparisons between it and a Zoom H5 or Rode NT5 setup or other, let me know!

They sent you a rusty old unit? The things people try to get away with, hopefully the accessories are useable with your newer H2n!

So what do you think, have you had the chance to try it with field recordings, and how about the noise floor?

It was a father selling on behalf of his son who didn't use it for some time, he didn't even try it before sending it. They were kind and didn't make a fuss to cancel the payment. So unfortunate but fair game.

The newer H2n also came with accessories But it's good that it's all there.

I have done a few field recordings which you can find here : https://freesound.org/search/?q=%2Bh2n&f=username%253A%2522Sadiquecat%2522&s=Date+added+%28newest+first%29&si_tags=1&si_name=0&si_description=0&si_packname=0&si_sound_id=0&si_username=0&d0=0&d1=%2A&ig=0&r=0&g=0&dp=0&cm=0&mm=0&page=1#sound
Noise floor is okay, I won't say it's good but it's definitely manageable! As you can see I got some good bird recordings. Outdoor rural/city ambiance has wind/background noise anyway.

Small city https://freesound.org/people/Sadiquecat/sounds/737709/)
Rural town https://freesound.org/people/Sadiquecat/sounds/737180/

You can hear the hiss in the Rural Bouriège town. But it's quite okay for a soundscape "picture". Bird recordings were extracted from that long recording.

It might fall short as far as SFX or indoor field recordings of say clocks, pc fan, or specific folly that isn't very loud. As that would be more demanding than a field recording and perhaps lower too.

Another less than ideal thing, is the 360 audio capture isn't equal amongst all sides, the back (screen side) is a little quieter than others. Also it's not an equal capture type from front to back as the back is captured as a XY and the front as a MS recording.
Zooms website states 5 microphones so I thought it would be a true 360 configuration somehow. But it's in fact 4capsules, only they count the figure 8 of the MS as two directions/microphones...
But maybe I'm nit-picking, it's still 360 audio on a budget and decent quality

I was expecting something a tad sturdier, one of the two grills feels a little loose.
Hope that helps!

It’s good that they were nice, understanding sellers. I like the outside recordings, especially the ones titled ‘rural’, even though the background wind noise doesn’t help illustrate its shortcomings, as you say.

I still love it for its portability and long battery life, but I think your audio quality requirements are far more stringent than mine. I probably need to be a lot more mindful of that.

I’ve never had the chance to try a Zoom against an equivalent model Tascam though. I know one or two people would always recommend a Tascam… and maybe that’s because they’re used to the menu system as much as the capsules. I did use a Roland Edirol R-09 for a couple of years before I moved to Zoom and that was a good device (although that’s when I was just starting out in audio so I had no idea about noise floor and was only just learning about setting levels). Devices back then had such tiny readouts!