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Gear / Technical Help => Recording Gear => Topic started by: Ozpeter on September 20, 2024, 10:26:15 PM
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Well I didn't see that coming or hear rumours but I guess it is kind of obvious.
https://zoomcorp.com/en/us/handheld-recorders/handheld-recorders/h2essential/
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1853533-REG/zoom_zh2e_h2essential_multi_mic_handy_recorder.html
This and the upcoming H1 XLR would make an interesting pair of devices to cover a lot of uses (not at the same time but a matter of picking the right tool for the job). Combined cost, around $300.
Added thoughts -
It features a fig of 8 side mic and two cardioid mics (front and rear). They list 9 different ways to configure these. M/S raw is an option. Interestingly the ext mic input can be combined in some way with the internal mics. Exactly how is not really spelt out, but I think that a two track file is created, mixing onboard the front facing mic and the side mic (as decoded m/s) with the external mic. Not sure if the external mic is treated as a mono or stereo source - they illustrate a shotgun being used. How these sources are mixed for recording is unclear. The onboard mixer which controls front/rear levels is for playback only, they stress. I just can't figure that aspect out. My fault maybe! [Edited to add that it looks like they envisage a mono external mic being recorded on one track and the built in front mic feeding the other track, which is logical but not useful for music.]
[Yet another edit - the manual seems to say that the device records the individual sources and a mix thereof. That would be 6 channels...! And at the end of the manual is a surprisingly complex mixer diagram which implies that it does record 6 channels, namely front stereo, rear stereo (source internal or external), and a mix of both of those. Alternatively it can record front mod raw, rear mid raw, and side raw, plus the mix.]
The general feature set is like others in the essentials series, incluing the provision of a trash folder for deleted files. Nice safety feature. Recording can be paused as well as stopped. There is a marker system built in.
It is perhaps unique in not having a record button on the front panel with the rest. It's on the top. Actually in use this could make ergonomic sense.
The device will swim or sink on the basis of the quality of the mics, as nobody will buy it only for external mic only purposes.
I have an H2N and it can be handy as 'a mic that records' and in my serious recording days with larger gear, I always used an m/s pair as the main source, so I like that approach in a cheap portable.
[Now I have just found the manual which should answer the mysteries explored above here -
https://zoomcorp.com/media/documents/E_H2essential.pdf ]
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Even B&H seem to be confused about it, saying in their product video that if you switch to 96K sampling rate, you get 32 bit float. Er - it's a 32 bit float only device at all sampling frequencies. I also think they are wrong to say that the external input reduces to mono when recorded at the same time as the front mics. That depends on the options you choose on the top of the device.
They dnn't mention it (fair enough) but when you record front and rear in mono, you get separate front and rear files which you can mix later, or even turn it into 180 degree stereo recording.
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The H2 in all its incarnations is an amazingly versatile device.
I have always been impressed with the value the H2 delivers at that price point.
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Thanks for posting. So that's two new recorders from Zoom and one from Tascam.
I wonder if Sony has something cooking and if they'll be releasing something new...
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When I lived in St Louis, MO many of the shows I attended and taped with my full rig were attended and taped by a dude with the original H2 electric shaver looking recorder. He would find a ledge or some other spot to place it, hit record and walk away returning at set break to start a new file.
His recordings were often just as good as my AKG or Neumann recordings. That little device was surprisingly good in the right place. I imagine the new one will be even better for folks that just want to hit record.
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When I lived in St Louis, MO many of the shows I attended and taped with my full rig were attended and taped by a dude with the original H2 electric shaver looking recorder. He would find a ledge or some other spot to place it, hit record and walk away returning at set break to start a new file.
His recordings were often just as good as my AKG or Neumann recordings. That little device was surprisingly good in the right place. I imagine the new one will be even better for folks that just want to hit record.
That's what I used for many years, and will still use occasionally for stealth recordings. For the price I paid, I felt I got some pretty good quality recordings, you definitely could do worse than the H2.
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When I lived in St Louis, MO many of the shows I attended and taped with my full rig were attended and taped by a dude with the original H2 electric shaver looking recorder. He would find a ledge or some other spot to place it, hit record and walk away returning at set break to start a new file.
His recordings were often just as good as my AKG or Neumann recordings. That little device was surprisingly good in the right place. I imagine the new one will be even better for folks that just want to hit record.
Hah, yeah, someone reached out to me recently with some questions about getting into taping, they were going to pick up a Zoom H1n and I actually pointed them in the direction of the og H2 on ebay - Same price (or cheaper!) and wayyyy better results.
Seems like this one may be a good modern alternative for ez all in one AUD taping. The main concern with the H2 was it could run kinda hot.
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Still have my original H2 and have made most of my recordings with it. Never really felt tempted to buy the H2n. But if I were still able to go out and record I'd order the new one on the spot.
Ralf
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Well this is out. Curious for perspectives. With 32 bit float and dual ADCs this seems like a hell of a device for the price point. I am curious how a matrix could turn out if it's possible to record the line inputs and the internals at the same time, seems like just an obscene value for someone getting into the hobby. Clamp this thing a few feet up in the SBD cage and bam?
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Zoom have uploaded a video sample of the H2essential in use, and the sound is... not good. But that's because they grouped musicians around it and then reduced it to mono, which is just stupid. I have suggested that they should take it down as it will lose far more sales than it will gain!
https://youtu.be/6PYbf7YIlVM?si=CmjNtBHh_jATJpFI
(But if you think I am wrong and deaf then I will remove my comment!)
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Zoom have uploaded a video sample of the H2essential in use, and the sound is... not good. But that's because they grouped musicians around it and then reduced it to mono, which is just stupid. I have suggested that they should take it down as it will lose far more sales than it will gain!
https://youtu.be/6PYbf7YIlVM?si=CmjNtBHh_jATJpFI
(But if you think I am wrong and deaf then I will remove my comment!)
"Solid Brick Wall" also an interesting song title to select. :-\
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I've just ordered one from Amazon US for delivery to Australia, hopefully in the coming week. Why? I have no idea. Couldn't resist... Watch this space...
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Thanks for your contributions! Looking forward to your thoughts and hopefully some videos as well.
The Zoom promo video of the band playing leaves a lot to be desired, so hopefully you have a better experience.
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Amazon USA tell me that my device will arrive by Friday. They also tell me that it hasn't been dispatched to me here in Australia yet...
Meanwhile a couple of end user reviews have been posted on YouTube. The audio samples are rather thin sounding. I hope that Zoom have not cut corners at the front end as this is predominantly a device more useful for its built in mics than for its mic input. But I would not be surprised if the reviewers had engaged the low cut filter by accident or design. Neither review was confidence inspiring. One stated that you have to select 96kHz to get 32 bit float. The other demonstrated all the mic polar patterns, but with the device constantly set to mono, and he said that he found the whole back and front thing confusing, apparently being unaware that there is no difference in the front and back mics. Someone commented that Zoom should reverse the front and back settings in a firmware upgrade... which would mean that the front select button would be on the new back edge, and vice versa, which of course would avoid confusion... sigh...
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Amazon USA tell me that my device will arrive by Friday. They also tell me that it hasn't been dispatched to me here in Australia yet...
Meanwhile a couple of end user reviews have been posted on YouTube. The audio samples are rather thin sounding. I hope that Zoom have not cut corners at the front end as this is predominantly a device more useful for its built in mics than for its mic input. But I would not be surprised if the reviewers had engaged the low cut filter by accident or design. Neither review was confidence inspiring. One stated that you have to select 96kHz to get 32 bit float. The other demonstrated all the mic polar patterns, but with the device constantly set to mono, and he said that he found the whole back and front thing confusing, apparently being unaware that there is no difference in the front and back mics. Someone commented that Zoom should reverse the front and back settings in a firmware upgrade... which would mean that the front select button would be on the new back edge, and vice versa, which of course would avoid confusion... sigh...
I am using the H4Essential, so it may be different, but they are in the same family, and I use 48kHz and am able to record 32 bit float just fine.
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Did your recorder show up or has it been delayed?
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The first promised delivery did not happen (not even shipped). I called their help line and complained. The second promised delivery is supposed to be on Wednesday coming but it is still showing as not shipped yet (from US to Australia). Hmmm....
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Did anyone test the H2essential at loud metal Shows with internal mics? Will this work?
Think of buying one for easy recording and just hitting rec.
Thanks!
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Did anyone test the H2essential at loud metal Shows with internal mics? Will this work?
Think of buying one for easy recording and just hitting rec.
Thanks!
Off the top of my forgetful head, I don't think anyone here actually has one. One Youtube reviewer mentioned using it for loud shows but did not provide a sample, and may have only meant that he planned to use it.
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The second promised delivery has not arrived from Amazon ( not sent). I have complained... this one will run and run. Huh.
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I would buy one as replacement for my Tascam DR 05.
But with the rec and mic buttons only dimmable
I don't know if this is working for stealth taping.
And not knowing if the internal mics are
able to handle very loud shows....I would have
to go with my Sony ECM 717.
The Roland R07 looks interesting as well.
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It could probably be made a bit more stealthy with a bit of improvisation and gaffer tape or similar, but it's probably not ideal in terms of stealth even so. You could tell security that it's a shaver?!
As for high SPL I don't think it's outstanding in that respect from what I recall of the specs.
Mine is now scheduled to arrive just after Christmas. I'll believe it when I see it...
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A video on the usage of the H2E recorder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zua1npUslEY
I won't call it a review, since Marcel says it's not a review, either.
Some recordings sound better than others. I wasn't particularly pleased with the water recording - sounds mono, but that's probably more related to the environment than the recorder. When Greg and Marcel are talking, the audio was good, but I didn't hear a lot of stereo separation between the two recordings.
What are your thoughts?
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I could have cried when the Roland binaurals were tested - but not compared with the mics of the device itself which would have been a key comparison. Generally without knowing the environments it seemed hard to make judgements about the frequency response of the mics nor of the self noise. The latter I would guess is not a disaster but I do wonder whether the former is a bit thin. If mine ever arrives, then I will know! Stereo image is just fine - obviously depends on the set width or post-processed width. I could not understand why they bothered discussing what best width to record in, when it doesn't matter as the mic source files enable that to be varied as necessary later.
There is another new 'review' at https://youtu.be/lWlN9ENIK4Y?si=E2vaWA_lqz7r5m-g which includes a guitar and voice demo which sounds fine - some post-processing in evidence but why not - the user seems to use if for live gig recording but there's no samples of that sadly.
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At last my H2e has actually been dispatched by Amazon, arriving by 7th Jan. Watch this space...
Meanwhile at https://youtu.be/wqae2VHXhx4?si=n88rgK85oMe1jOwz there are some rather good samples, all recorded in various parts of a railway station, unprocessed. To my ears they show that this device is fine for ambience recording (though the tests don't prove or disprove system noise levels). Low frequencies seem as expected, which was my greatest concern after hearing other samples.
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Got myself one for Christmas. It indeed records front as stereo and rear as stereo as well as a stereo mix of both at the same time. When using an external stereo mic the internal rear mics are turned of. There are seperate stereo channels for front, line and a mix as well. There are three files in the folder. Think this great for that price.
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Got myself one for Christmas. It indeed records front as stereo and rear as stereo as well as a stereo mix of both at the same time. When using an external stereo mic the internal rear mics are turned of. There are seperate stereo channels for front, line and a mix as well. There are three files in the folder. Think this great for that price.
Excellent! Mine is now scheduled to arrive on 3 Jan. I may have time next day to do a short initial comparison with the H2n sound quality, for YouTube. Maybe I will also test vs the H1 XLR with the Superlux stereo pair, as a more demanding reference point.
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At last, mine has arrived and I've spent about half an hour out in my suburban garden with it, on a beautiful summer morning with no breeze.
It's small. It fits nicely in the hand if you wanted to walk around with it, ready to grab ambient sounds without looking like someone walking around ready to grab ambient sounds. Subjectively it is heavier than I expected when I saw it, but having said that, it's light, if that makes any sense. The colour display is small but sharp and clear and bright (brightness is selectable and it can dim night down after a settable time period). Buttons on top are likewise fine to see on a sunny day but can also be dimmed.
Appearance is kind of matt black for the most part. I will probably take a black felt tip pen to the 'Zoom' logo and to the black silver bars below the grille. Maybe a bit of black insulation tape on the battery cover which has some lettering on it. Overall it looks quite classy.
Handling noise - well, just don't handle it. There is probably no capsule suspension whatever. But I attached one of those folding tabletop tripod things to the base to make a small handle, and holding that with a non-fidget grip made it ok for using in the hand.
Recording quality - self noise isn't something my ears are good at hearing these days, but recording suburban garden 'silence' seemed fine to me. On replay I could hear little sounds I didn't notice while recording. I would rate it as 'no disaster' in this respect. And at the price, what can you reasonably expect? If the stuff you record actually needs very low self noise equipment, go pay for it.
Frequency response - well, I had the feeling from some YouTube reviews that it's bass light, and it's certainly not bass heavy, but again, no disaster I would think. Probably there's enough there to tweak with a bit of EQ later. There's enough LF to hear the effect of the LF cut settings beginning at 80Hz, if you see what I mean. I will test the sound against other devices as soon as I get the chance.
I did do a comparison with my Roland binaural in-ear mics. Although I am not at home and don't have much gear with me, doing that comparison was helped by the neat feature which allows you to record external mics on the 'rear' stereo channel while recording the front facing built in mics to the 'front' channel. (Four channel recording). Then when you replay, you can use the simple built in mixer to mute either channel to compare during playback. (There's a certain amount of button pressing required to achieve that but it's better than nothing). The Roland sound was, as I suspected, a bit fuller right at the bottom end (as shown when a noisy sports car drove past on the adjacent road). As far as I could judge there wasn't a radical difference at the top end. The fact that its mic input recorded the kind of sound that I would expect from the Rolands indicates that any lack of LF in the device is at the mic end rather than the preamp end - as you'd expect. A nice touch when playing back is that the display shows the waveform of the two stereo files one above the other, with the source labelled (so you can see whether the rear channel came from the internal mics or external).
A factor in the sound might be due to the front and rear mics being labelled as hypercardioid. I believe that piclup pattern tends to be thinner in sound than cardiod or omni. Unless you pay a lot.
There is a comprehensive "export" function which allows you to choose bit depth, normalisation, and whether the export goes via the mixer or not. So having recorded the front internal and the plugin mics you can export with either muted (or mixed to your liking) and with the output format selected. This is kind of handy if you had no other way of doing it, but the device cannot play back files in its 'export' folder (nor in its 'trash' folder). So you can't check the result on location. Time to export with normalising is probably real time, or not much quicker, so again, handy if really needed but otherwise, wait till you are in front of your DAW.
But that exemplifies what a remarkably full-featured this device is, at the price. In my pro recording days (classical music) I usually had a device with me which I could deploy if all else failed, in other words in the event of mic, cable, mixer or recorder failure. If I was still doing that stuff, I think the H2e would be a good candidate. Takes up almost no space in the bag, sets up in seconds with no need to set levels, very nice stereo image which could include the rear as well on its separate tracks to include more or less ambience and applause in post production, and with an appropriate lead it could take the output from a mixer if the recorder had failed, and so on.
I may have time tomorrow when home with all my gear to do a quick comparison with the sound of the H2n which might interest some people. Meanwhile I am now able to answer questions if any.
[Edited to add that this thing may be small but it has a total of 15 buttons on it...]
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I'm planning on recording the Winter Dance Party in Clear Lake later this month, and am trying to decide between this and the H1Essential. The H1E is much smaller, so clearly an advantage there for being able to get through the door, but obviously I'd like to get the best quality available. My position most likely will be where the red box is:
(https://i.imgur.com/4HllApo.jpeg)
My thinking is with the H1E, the mics look like they point straight up, so I can get the sound from the overhead speaker. But, if I go with the H2E, I may be able to just set it in a side pocket of a small backpack and set it against the small speaker to the left. Problem is, I'm not sure what all comes out of that speaker, I'm not sure if it's the full sound, or just low end/high end, etc.. I currently have a Zoom H2 and Tascam DR-03 that I had debated trying to use, but I like the idea of 32-Bit float (and no external mics) being that close, and most likely having to just push record and not be able to monitor throughout the sets. To be clear, I am not expecting to get pristine sound from this position, but hopefully something listenable. I will be there with a group of friends and don't want to spend all 3 nights on my own in the middle of the venue trying to get the best sound like I would with other concerts. The other thing I'm not sure of is there much of a difference in quality between the H1E and the H2E?
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I suspect the issue of physical format and ease of placement will be more important than difference in inherent sound quality from the two devices. There could be differences, but probably not radical in this particular situation. I will be testing the H2e vs the H1n later today, I hope, and uploading the result to YouTube. That will just be a test in the lounge from a good quality hifi turned up reasonably loud. But I don't have the H1e.
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By the way, the basic frame of the H2e which runs up the side, across the top where the record and other buttons are, and down the other side, appears to be metal rather than plastic. And that frames the metal grille that occupies the top half housing the mics. The lower half panels and battery cover are plastic. The overall feel is about as robust as you would reasonably expect. It doesn't come across as plasticy.
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By the way, the basic frame of the H2e which runs up the side, across the top where the record and other buttons are, and down the other side, appears to be metal rather than plastic. And that frames the metal grille that occupies the top half housing the mics. The lower half panels and battery cover are plastic. The overall feel is about as robust as you would reasonably expect. It doesn't come across as plasticy.
So probably more difficult to sneak in than the H1E I would suspect. I'm thinking I will probably go with the H1E and test it at a show beforehand to make sure there aren't any major flaws I can't live with.
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If you can sneak one of them in you can sneak the other in. It’s not that tricky. Neither is undetectable so you need to be creative.
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If you can sneak one of them in you can sneak the other in. It’s not that tricky. Neither is undetectable so you need to be creative.
I have zero knowledge in this area but I suspect the H2e is more metallic and, perhaps, more detectable? But if both are detectable, well, you could say the H2e is your shaver... :)
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https://youtu.be/E-t9im-oUDU?si=YKtDWhFFnbIlyj4Z
I ended up making a Zoom H2e test with eight different audio recorders which somehow came to hand. As it involves so many I have also made a separate thread out of it.
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If you can sneak one of them in you can sneak the other in. It’s not that tricky. Neither is undetectable so you need to be creative.
I have zero knowledge in this area but I suspect the H2e is more metallic and, perhaps, more detectable? But if both are detectable, well, you could say the H2e is your shaver... :)
I've said my H4e is an assistive listening device, and an emergency response radio.
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Even the pr2 can be detected if they crank up the sensitivity. Think like a magician. Distract, confuse, give them something else to find. Lots of strategies work.
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Even the pr2 can be detected if they crank up the sensitivity. Think like a magician. Distract, confuse, give them something else to find. Lots of strategies work.
That's right...just take it out with your keys/wallet/phone before you go through the detector. Clearly it's not a weapon...
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Something that has just been drawn to my attention is that the Zoom H2essential does not have dual a/d converters. This, I imagine, would limit its overall dynamic range. I have to say I have not yet encountered any problem in that area but my tests have not focussed on very loud sounds. Yet.
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I have just uploaded two more tests of the Zoom H2essential.
The first only lasts a minute and attempts to identify why the sound from this recorder can sound a bit thin if not fixed during editing. I recorded a short bit of speech just using the centre hypercardioid mic. Then I recorded speech delivered by addressing only the left side of the device (which looks like an odd way of doing things). I then processed this stereo recording so that the output only comes from the left hand recorded channel, brought to the centre.
The difference in frequency response of the two samples is significant.
Actually I could have improved the focus on the left side channel by setting the device to record in MS, then discarding the mid component, and then bringing the left channel to the centre. The way that I did this test will actually include some spillage from the centre mic, I suspect. But it wouldn't be much due to it being a hypercardioid capsule.
https://youtu.be/dk_2qWVz7xo
The second test is a relatively crude walkabout with video, past a fountain on an industrial estate and then towards the adjacent noisy highway. Finally I walked back to the fountain through some trees beneath which were some crunchy leaves. It shows the H2e in use for ambience capture. Despite the question mark over how its 32 bit float files are created (not from dual converters it seems), the recording seems very detailed to me, with system noise not being evident (to my old ears). A considerable amount of normalisation was required - the natural level in the files is quite low, and the way the system is configured it clearly anticipates much higher levels than I encountered in this recording.
https://youtu.be/R2WogNTzB7Y
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I couldn't resist doing the job properly - although it took me ages to work out which VST plugins to use in Reaper to do the job.
In this short test, I recorded myself with the H2e set to MS mode. Then I decoded the MS to LR in Reaper. I spoke first into the rear centre of the H2e, which was set to 120 rear only. Then I turned it through 90 degrees and spoke into the left side of it.
In the upload, what you hear first is the original recording, decoded from MS to LR in Reaper.
Then you hear it again, but when I was speaking into the centre, I muted the side mics in the MS decoder, leaving only the center mic audible, in mono.
Finally, for the part where I spoke into the left side of the H2e, I muted the centre channel in the decoder, leaving only the side mics audible. But that leaves you listening to the fig of 8 capsule only, in stereo, with the left channel out of phase with the right channel. So I muted the right channel and centred the left channel, and that leaves you listening to just the left side of the fig of 8 capsule, in mono.
https://youtu.be/S8N1OiHQsOA
Once again this test reveals a significant difference in the audio quality between the centre mic(s) and the fig of 8 side mic. Ideally this recorder should always be used in MS which should enable different EQ to be applied to the capsules later, for instance, bass lift for the centre capsule only. It's a pity that Zoom didn't build something like that into the preamp at the outset.
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Another test. This time you hear the noise of an Australian possum outside the window at 4am. At least the H2e is very quick to set up and record when one has been woken up by the little monster. Also there are some thunderstorm recordings.
Using this test you may be able to judge how significant system noise is. The environmental sounds are quite significant - cooling system running in the background, suburban background rumble, and so on - but those environmental sounds change a bit in the first three clips, but I was careful to up the gain of them by the same amount, 30dB, so if you can hear system noise it should sound the same on all three clips even though the environmental noise changes. Personally, I can't hear it. But I'm old. However I can hear the subtle sound of my breathing in the first clip, about two feet from the recorder a bit to the right hand side, and I was lying on a sofa, so not breathing heavily. It's not covered by any system noise, and it would have been extremely low level. In the spectral display in Audition I can just see the regular bands of the breathing.
One of the thunder recordings was actually reduced in level by normalising, in other words, it was into the red straight from the 32 bit float file. But when normalised there was no clipping visible on the loudest clip when I zoomed right into the waveform. Even if it's only a single a/d converter design, it seems to work fine for this kind of use.
https://youtu.be/b_br3qyCEFU
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For info - Zoom have confirmed that this device does NOT use dual ADCs so the 24 bit converter is simply writing its 24 bits of data to a 32 bit float file.
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I just did a bit of testing of the H2e vs the H2N to see how well the H2e with its kind-of 32 bit float functionality compares with the H2n. I recorded a short passage of rock music into the H2N line input, with the output from the amp adjusted so that the level on the H2N meters was not quite over the top. The H2N input level was set to zero (which does still allow a tiny bit of sound through). Then I did the same with the H2e, being careful to input the same level from the amp (simple enough, I just made sure the volume knob wasn't moved). The H2e has no gain adjustment.
The H2N replay and waveform display was fine. The piece of music has one quite distinct maximum peak and the waveform at that point was rounded not flat.
The H2e replay sounded dire at first and the displayed waveform was just a solid lump! However, normalising it brought it back to a recognisable waveform display, but - it was still flattened along the top, and the peaks were flat not rounded.
The moral of that is that if you want to record from an amp under circumstances where it could be really loud, the H2N seems to be the better option to avoid clipping, if you set its gain to zero. The signal that the H2N coped with caused the H2e clipping light to flash all the time, showing the input was saturated even before it got to the single AD converter.
I then tried recording a test tone into the mics of each device, using the H2N first, and adjusting the level of the tone so that the H2N clip light did not quite come on. This time the result was better insofar as the H2e recording, though initially being about 17dB over the top in the editor, was fine when normalised, with rounded peaks. The test was slightly crude but it gave me reasonable confidence that mic recordings with the H2e would not be clipped before the H2N clipped.
Note that the mic configuration of the two devices is somewhat different but I'm quite confident that the test was valid.
[Edited to add that I tried the tone test into the mics of the M2 device at an even higher level - sorry neighbours - and that was fine, but it is rated as capable of handling 135dB at the mic. I then cranked it to stupid level which did lead to a slightly mis-shaped waveform (but not clipped) but frankly that could have been the speaker not coping, as I saw it kind of jump when I started playback. Same as the lady across the road jumped too...]
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I just came across a recording of an orchestra made with the Zoom H2essential - it is so unusual (imho) to find acoustic large ensemble recordings using any portable recorder. Personally I would rate the sound in this recording to be, well, no disaster - perhaps a bit bright but that's a characteristic of this recorder. I think I would have boosted the bottom end a bit, but the sound doesn't seem to have any unpleasant peaks and suchlike. Very wide stereo image. Worth skipping through by anyone interested.
https://youtu.be/JcEgTGeMJKE?si=9tpMNoo690G6mhXJ
The second half features a brass band, which is kind of peaky kind of thing to tackle - just being able to plonk a tiny recorder in front of it and have no concerns over level is worth the modest price of the device. (Sure, the analog end could get saturated but I don't hear any problem in the bits I have played). And self noise isn't obvious to me, although I admit that my elderly ears may not be the best tool for judging that...
[Further investigation of the channel shows there are a number of recent concerts where the H2essential is listed as the audio source. While I can see some mics at the back of the stage, more clearly evident in the choral concert, they don't seem to be placed as if intended to record these ensembles. I have asked in a comment for more details about exactly what was used. Fascinating. Well, to me anyway...]
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Here's another video from a different channel, where the H2essential was used at the front of a chamber performance stage (you can see it there) and an H2n was used as a spot mic on the piano. Again, I find the results to be surprisingly good and could be tweaked a little to add to the bottom end according to taste. Apparently the XY configuration was used in the recorders rather than MS.
https://youtu.be/P-TevXJWXOc?si=bH0QnefKSQtuAxEJ
There are some moments of silence between movements where I can't hear any significant system noise.
I have heard from the uploader of the video involving larger scale performances that indeed the H2e was used without external mics. The levels were somewhat processed afterwards for the purpose of the video, including the use of a limiter effect, which means that the original dynamic range was greater than that in the video.
After all my years of running cables trip-free through concert halls I am quite jealous to see recordings being made without any cables at all!
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I just came across a video where someone who runs a substantial business recording classical singers in London has reviewed the H2essential from the point of view of classical singers making their own demos. Clearly he has enough business not to worry if some potential customers adopt a DIY approach.
Anyway, he has done a unique test of the H2e where he compares it with a recording made with an expensive AEA R88A stereo ribbon mic at the same time (into an unidentified recorder). The subject is a soprano with piano accompaniment. He acknowledges that the Zoom is a bit brighter/thinner, but then he applies some eq (and a touch of reverb) and compares again, and the result is quite persuasive. Given that he can claim to know what he is talking about, it's good to hear that overall he's impressed with this very cheap device.
https://youtu.be/W1NLVLp0qMA?si=X_rCuJdLYvvdaUKC&t=515
The comparison is at the 8:35 mark - the link should take you to that spot.
I've contacted him at his company to thank him for the video - and to point out that the H2e doesn't have dual ADCs which his introduction kind of implied that it does. But that shouldn't be an issue unless the H2e was placed stupidly near to the soprano.
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Good for him doing more with less.