What fits in the palm of your hand and is capable of creating a high-resolution 5.1 surround sound recording of the world around you? Nope, it’s not the Zoom H2—it’s the newly redesigned Zoom H2n Handy Recorder. This new model has some big shoes to fill for such a compact recorder, because its older brother was one of the most popular portable digital recorders of all time. But the H2n is outfitted with such an impressive list of new features and capabilities that it seems destined to carry the H2 legacy to new heights.
There’s a lot to like about this little gadget: you should get about 20 hours of battery life from two alkaline AAs, five built-in, studio-quality microphones, four different recording modes (standard stereo, 2.1 surround, 5.1 surround and the video production-friendly Mid-Side mode), 1.8” backlit LCD screen, multiple “active microphone” LED lights, a redesigned graphical user interface, a more ergonomic control layout, a built-in reference speaker, and other improvements. The complete list of updates rattles on and on. If you want the full details on the H2n (and to learn how its new Mid-Side mode benefits HDSLR shooters and video production), check out this InDepth article.
The H2n is due to hit B&H’s shelves in September, and it will include a 2GB SD card and a copy of Steinberg WaveLab LE 7 (Mac and Windows compatible). An H2n accessory kit, which will be available separately, called the APH-2n is in the works as well, and it will include a travel case, a wired remote, a table stand, an AC adapter, a foam windscreen and more. Zoom has firmly established itself as a portable digital recording maven, and this new model will likely be its best-sounding recorder to date.
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