Zoom H5 4-Track Portable Recorder for Audio for Video, Music, and Podcasting, Stereo Microphones, 2 XLR/TRS Inputs, USB Audio Interface, Battery Powered

Product Information

Once connected, the user can choose to use the H2n as an SD card reader for file transfer or USB microphone for direct recording or live podcasting.

The Zoom H5 is a digital audio recording device that saves audio onto a Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) card – the same kind of card used with most digital cameras. Optional accessories: PCH-5 protective case, SGH-6/ SSH-6/ EXH-6/ XYH-6/ MSH-6 microphone/input module, ECM-3 extension cable, HS-1 hot shoe mount, WSU-1 windscreen, APH-5 accessory pack.

XLR combination inputs to give the user additional inputs to their compatible Zoom recording device. To silence this subject once and for all, multiple sources from the music creation department actually told me that cables do make a difference, and studios do rely on different cables for different jobs. You can quickly switch between using the XY mic and the XLR inputs by pressing either the L/R buttons or the 1 / 2 buttons at the front. It does not pick up subsonic rumble, which makes it fairly good for a microphone, as that can be quite annoying in a mic.

The matched unidirectional condensers are housed within a specially designed shockmount that employs rugged external mic wires and rubberized material to minimize vibration and handling noise. It features a system that allows the supplied XY microphone capsule (XYH-5) to be swapped out for another interchangeable Zoom microphone capsule. If you’re doing a solo or online interview podcast, then get yourself a Samson Q2U and that’s all you’ll need. It can supply phantom or plug-in power for condenser mics, or accept direct connections from synths, keyboards, drum machines, or +4 dB line-level mixers. It can be processed in post to sound much better, but if you need the best quality, I suggest checking out Zoom F6, which I will review soon, and which I found to be considerably better sounding than H5.Zoom H5 vs Zoom H2n (280 USD vs 170 USD) – Big money needs to be invested for improvement, but the difference between H2n and H5 is vast.

This number can vary a lot, depending if you will just use the XY mic, or if you will have something connected to the Line In, or use the XLR inputs, and if you will need the Phantom Power. Two AA alkaline batteries give up to 20 hours of continuous operation; or an optional AC adapter may be used. The H5 utilizes the same high-quality, low-noise preamps as our flagship H6, ensuring great-sounding recordings in all sonic environments. External microphone signals are processed by powerful microphone preamplifiers, which offer an equivalent input noise of -120dB, freely selectable phantom power (12, 24, or 48V), and -20dB pad.The sound quality was quite a bit better than my smartphone, a Xiaomi Poco F2 PRO at that moment, so all in all, I have been happy with the performance of the Zoom H5 for this too.

headphone output, which also has a volume selector, but it is rather weak in performance and a bit noisy. The MSH-6 Capsule contains dual mic elements - a forward-facing, unidirectional mic (the 'Mid') and a side-facing, bi-directional mic (the 'Side'). Recording features including tone generator for calibration, auto-record, pre-record, self-time record, overdubbing, and one-touch record button make recording quicker and less challenging; whilst playback controls include consistent pitch speed control for easier transcribing, voice emphasize filter, and stereo bouncing functionality. If no SD card is inserted, one audio file of up to one minute at 96 kbps MP3 can be recorded using the built-in memory.The front facing panel of the H8 has most of the main switching and controllers including six rotary input gain controllers, each with associated PAD switch and active indicator.