Topic: Zoom H4n vs. Sony PCM-M10

[Nielsen81]

Well, the topic says it all.

What to choose, if you have to buy some gear and want to go between one of the two mentioned recorders?

Thanks
Nielsen

[jbell]

M10 without a doubt!

[voltronic]

Seconded on the M10.  Far more reliable, better quality recorder.  The only advantage to the H4n is the XLR inputs, but there are better options in that department if that's what you need.

[hoserama]

They're not really comparable. M10 is an outstanding two channel recorder, while H4n is a mediocre (I say this as an owner of one) four channel recorder.

Zoom H6 is a significant improvement over the H4n, but it still has its own issues.

[Nielsen81]

Since I'm gonna record live shows, and therefor will "add" some external microphones, the soundquality will only rely on the quality of the mics, right?

But as I understand, the M10 is easy to deal with?
I checked out both on Youtube today, just to figure out how they worked. One thing came to my mind, when hearing that the settings on the M10 could sometimes be switched by accident (is that true?), and that is: Is there some kind of plasticbox or anything, you could store it in, while having it in your pocket recording, so no settings were switched by accident?

Thanks for your answers so far by the way

[beatkilla]

http://www.sonicstudios.com/tips.htm#pcm_m10

[Sebastian]

I use gaffer tape to secure all switches that I don't want to accidentally change, including the "rec level" wheel.
The button layout/menu structure of the M10 are a bit unintuitive at first, but I got used to it quite fast. Now, the M10 is my go-to recorder for low-profile recording. It has literally never let me down. That's something I can't say of any other recorder.

[nulldogmas]

I use gaffer tape to secure all switches that I don't want to accidentally change, including the "rec level" wheel.

This. Though I have to say, I've almost never switched any of the switches by accident, or moved the gain wheel when I didn't mean to. (And if you do switch any of the switches, it's immediately apparent on the screen.)

[fmaderjr]

Since I'm gonna record live shows, and therefor will "add" some external microphones, the soundquality will only rely on the quality of the mics, right?

Absolutely not. Almost nobody on this site regularly relies on the built in mics of any recorder, but there are recorders available that many here feel are excellent & others that many feel are mediocre at best.

Things such as how much clean gain the recorder provides vary greatly among recorders and, although I don't know if I could hear a difference, others favor that ADC of one recorder over another. Also how loud a signal a recorder can accept without distorting is exremely important and varies greatly among recorders.

The Sony M10 is highly rated at all of the above and also has tremendous battery life.