ZOOM seems to understand what users need., July 23, 2014

Out of the box, it should take but a few minutes to configure the unit to your preferred format. One push recording, with a separate gain knob for the mic and one knob for each of the XLR inputs at the bottom of the unit. With the 32GB SanDisk “Class 10” SD card I have installed, my unit takes almost exactly 10 seconds to “cold start” from powered off to ready to record, which isn’t too bad. For the price, the fidelity is–in my opinion–outstanding. Compared to the ZOOM H2n, the noise floor is markedly lower, especially at high gain settings. The standard X/Y mic in the H5 has impressively good dynamics and solid stereo imaging. Even fitted with a windscreen (which I suspect partially negates the shock-mounting of the X/Y capsules), it is pretty easy to hand-hold this unit and get serviceable recordings. And with proper “Neutrik” connector-style mic preamps–which can be used as individual mono inputs or as a stereo pair–this unit is very viable for working with external microphones, although I’ve not used the H5 with an external mic enough to get any sense of how long a mic requiring phantom power can be sustained with just two AA batteries.

If you’re already familiar with the H2n, you’ll find yourself in familiar territory. The display, menu system interface/layout, and file-system structure of the H5 is virtually identical to the H2n. While this unit inherits the fidelity and much of the versatility of the ZOOM H6 (including full compatibility with its line of mic attachments, e.g., the SGH-6 “shotgun” mic), it does away with much of the “project” file weirdness and mixing functionality that many people found unnecessary (or just plain frustrating) in the H6. But the H5 does not come packaged with an M/S mic, so you will need to factor this into your purchase decision when ZOOM finally gets around to releasing it as a separate accessory.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also complain about a few things:

I thought very highly of the orientation of the display on the ZOOM H6, even though I did not care for its colour screen. It remains easy to see when holding the recorder away from your body toward a sound source using the standard ZOOM mic attachments. However, the H5 follows suit with nearly every other recorder, sadly, so the display really can’t be seen well enough to monitor the signal when holding the unit toward a sound source. It’s a minor niggle, but I wish the H5 had the same display orientation as the H6.

Recording standalone, the unit handles everything up to 24-bit at 96 kHz. But as an audio interface tethered to your computer, the unit caps out at either 44.1 or 48 kHz; and in Stereo mode, will only run at 16-bit. (N.B. It was pointed out to me that the recorder *will* record in 24-bit at least in Multitrack mode, and indeed it does!) This limitation is also present in the H2n, and I fail to understand why. (Windows 7/8 doesn’t need special drivers to record in 24-bit.) The good news is that this unit can be easily powered off the USB bus of your laptop or desktop computer. My hope is that ZOOM will address this matter ASAP, and enable I/F Stereo mode recording in 24-bit.

Like the H2n, apart from a display backlight timer, there is also nothing akin to a power-saving mode in the H5. This means that even when the recorder is in “Hold” mode, the recorder will remain on rather than going into “Standby” when sitting idle (i.e., not playing or recording). While the battery life on this recorder isn’t bad at all with lithium batteries, control over the backlight brightness would be helpful at night, as this screen is much too bright for my taste. As I did with my H2n, I ended up taping a small sheet of Rubylith over the display.

Speaking of the USB interface, I dislike the location of the mini USB connector on the H5. On the H2n, the location was appropriate given the orientation of the unit, especially when mounted on a tabletop tripod. But with the H5, I really feel the USB connector should have been placed at the bottom of the unit so the connector and cable could run with the XLR connectors. As it now stands, the USB cable juts strangely out of the side of the unit. No, Sir, I don’t like it!

Accessories:

If you record out of doors, a proper “fuzzy” is a must. I use a Rode “Dead Kitten” windscreen, which fits snugly and comfortably over the H5’s X/Y mic attachment with or without the basic foam windscreen that comes with the unit. I also recommend a quality hand or neck strap, as handheld recorders are much too easy to fumble & drop. (Olympus offers a nice set of wrist straps for their voice dictation recorders, and Garmin makes a stellar “quick-release” lanyard for their eTrex line that works nicely with the H5.) I also recommend…

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Great Interface, July 11, 2014

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Great build quality and performance!, July 17, 2014

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