This is my second H2 because my first H2 was lifted from my unlocked car (my bad). Somebody probably thought it was a digital camera because of the case I kept it in. I shopped for awhile, looking at all the new competitors who've entered the market since the H2 came out. I said "why pay $299 for something I can get for $129?" and the new ones don't even offer the ability to be a USB audio interface for recording. Recording in wav or mp3 format is the same process across the board, period. The FOUR small condenser mic's in the H2 will handle most anything you've got. If not, then you're on the wrong aisle of the recording store.
The H2 is also good with direct line-in recording. The horizontal stereo VU meters have a nice feel, responsive, but not too quick and "flicky". The built-in AGC ( automatic gain control ) and limiters are strictly so-so, but you don't need them except for really unpredictable recording levels. Most commercial recordings these days are all mastered to -3 or zero db, so just set your levels to low, safe readings if you're recording off a radio, Internet or CD. You can always boost the level later, if you need to. The line-in is very clean, provided you don't try to overdrive it with a too-hot signal. Recording a "hot" signal onto your recording medium is a dinosaur left over from the days of tape. You were taught to record as hot a signal level as you could to overcome the high noise floor of tape. With the greatly improved signal-to-noise ratios of digital, you can record to -10 db and get great, undistorted recordings every time. I use either the low or the medium gain setting on the H2, never the high.
As for build quality, the H2 is not as "hefty" as some of the competing models, but a lot of them will not fit nicely in your shirt pocket, either. And I don't know what world some people are living in who say "I'd hate to think what would happen if I dropped it". I own LOTS of gear that I would hate to drop unprotected - laptops, studio condenser microphones, guitars, digital cameras, cell phones, mp3 players - so why all of a sudden is the H2 criticized for not meeting this ruggedized requirement that most of our present gear does not meet anyway? Ridiculous! Just because something is portable does not mean it's ready to go to Afghanistan in your backpack. I made a little case for my H2 out of an old nylon cassette tape case I had lying around. Popped a little foam padding in there (go to an upholstery shop and buy a scrap piece of good dense foam for a few bucks), made a simple cutout (with the same electric knife I carve the Thanksgiving turkey with) for the plastic tray that came in the factory packaging and I'm good to go. Or buy a small digital camera case and that'll work, too. NOW, dropping it is NOT a problem.
The H2 comes with a table stand, a power supply, USB cable, mini-1/8 to RCA, foam pop filter, basic earbuds and a sublimely simple but elegant solution for stand mounting. As for the membrane-style X-Y pad, I haven't had a problem with the first or the second one. Don't mash it - simply depress it lightly and it works great.
I use rechargeable batteries, which is the only way to go with any portable electronics like the H2. There's always the included power supply just in case you have an extended session, but 4 batteries gets you 8 hours of function time. Plenty. It's not an mp3 player or cellphone that lasts for several days. Get real.
It doesn't do change tempo, but I usually load up Audacity or Propellerhead Record with my tracks and use their superior slow-down features and loop editing for lessons and private practice. Transferring tracks to your computer is as easy as plugging in a USB cable and dragging files onto your desktop. I already have a very small mp3 player (Sanza Fuze, an awesome product) to carry finished tracks around in, so I just use the H2 for specific, everyday recording chores. If you think you need more of a "studio" quality setup, go buy all that gear and start lugging it around, setting it up, tearing it down, etc. Otherwise, just turn on the H2, stick it on a mic stand and record a nice, clean stereo recording of your songwriting demo, rock band, choir, music students, praise team, podcast, etc. Thumbs up! Go on the Zoom website and see all the pros who use the H2.
UPDATE 23 Nov 2015: Still using the H2, still love it. Recently recorded a power trio doing old Cream songs in a 14x16 room. Used all four mics at 24/48, got nine great recordings, not a single dropout. Set it on the Low sensitivity and had only one very negligible redline. Battery life is great on this thing! Dropped the front/rear stereo files into Reason to master, EQ, add effects and very happy with the results. The fragile little door to the memory card slot is still there, I'm just careful with it. No problem with the control panel or anything else. A great tool I still use on a weekly basis!
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Customer Review: Zoom H2 Recorder Is Nearly Perfect For Me
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This Item  Zoom H2 Handy Portable Stereo Recorder |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $315.00 | $274.00 | $110.47 | $175.99 | $169.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Friday, May 24 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 23 | Get it May 27 - Jun 7 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 24 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 23 |
| Customer Ratings | |||||
| Sound quality | |||||
| User interface | |||||
| Battery life | |||||
| Easy to use | |||||
| Sold By | Flex Panther | Loyal Firm | Amazon Japan | Firemall LLC | Kellards |
| hardware interface | usb2.0 | usb2.0 | usb | secure digital | usb, sdhc, secure digital |
| memory capacity | 512 MB | 32 GB | 32 GB | 2 GB | 32 GB |
| display size | 1.9 inches | 2.4 inches | 5 centimeters | — | — |
| format | mp3 audio, wav | — | wma, mp3 audio | wav, mp3 audio | mp3 audio, wav |
| battery quantity | 2 aa | — | 2 aa | 2 aaa, 2 aa | 2 aa, 2 aaaa |
| weight | 110 grams | — | 0.32 kilograms | 0.29 pounds | 130 grams |
| mic form factor | Built-In | Built-In | Built-In | Built-In | Built-In |
Reviews with images
Professional quality at a fabulous price
I bought the H2 to use as a field recorder for professional video. I use it independently to record sounds that become part of the foley later in editing. The quality is sensational. I use a simple accessory bar which also holds a Rode VideoMic, (a self powered small shotgun). It plugs right in. The mic faces forward and the H2 faces back so I can watch the recording levels as I'm working. It's a great combination. [...]A few caveats: When I first got the recorder, I would get an occasional loud click in the recording. Easy enough to edit out but annoying. I could not find the cause until someone mentioned it in a forum and said to throw away the 512 SD card that comes with it. I bought a new 1Gb card and the problem went away.The plastic body will pick up any amount of handling. You simply cannot hold the recorder softly enough to get a clean recording. Use the screw-in handle that comes with it. It helps to wrap it in handlebar wrap or foam pipe insulation.The little door that covers the SD slot is very delicate. Mine broke off after a couple months. Since I pull the SD card and use a card reader to transfer to my computer, I didn't mind. It's actually more convenient without it. But, be gentle if you remove the SD card often.Rode's "dead cat" wind screen works perfectly with the VideoMic and you can get clean recordings even in a moderate breeze.I use "open-air" head phones with this setup in the bush so I can follow the direction of the sound source. But if I really want to hear what I'm getting, I use the Sennheiser 280 Pro which blocks out everything else and is super precise.
Top reviews from other countries
Mark Loughridge
Great piece of kit - one or two improvements needed
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2011
H. Hellwig
vielseitig und gut!! für Digitalisierung, Video und Musik.
Reviewed in Germany on July 16, 2011P. Stephens
The Swiss Army Knife of audio recording
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 23, 2011