I've had a Zoom H4N that I've gotten a lot of mileage out of over the last 10 years or so. Having recently experienced 32bit recording with their F3 recorder, I was eager to try this out for field recording.
On arrival the first challenge was figuring out how to open the packaging without destroying it. The outer sleeve was very tight, and required pushing something between it and the box and wiggling for a while, just to loosen it enough to slide off.
Once I got inside the box, my first surprise was how small/light this thing is. It is *tiny* in comparison to the H4N. Roughly a small candy-bar size.
It needs 2x AAA batteries (not included). And a micro SD card (also not included).
When you power it up, it starts speaking to you (this was a surprise). Thankfully you can change this to just a beep, or silence as the voice quickly gets tiresome, (though could be useful for those with poor eyesight who can't read the tiny screen I guess).
All the buttons to navigate the UI are quite small and could be annoying for someone with larger hands. I also found it slightly annoying that the menu button was on the side.
I dug out a Sandisk extreme 128G card that I had spare, and tossed it in. It asked if I wanted to test it, and offered a full test, or quick test. I opted for quick. It failed the test about halfway through. I know there's nothing wrong with this card, and it's a genuine Sandisk card rather than a fake, so I was pretty sure the H1 was at fault here. I went to see if there was a firmware update, and there was. (Comes with 1.04 as stock, and 1.10 was available on their site). They don't offer much in the way of explanation as to what it fixes, but I was hopeful. Going through the update process took a while. After telling it to update, you power off, power on, and it flashes a single red LED for a few minutes, with nothing on the screen. The first time I thought it wasn't working, so I pushed the button and the screen came to life with "update aborted!" on it. So I went through the process again, and this time left the red LED flashing for a few minutes. It eventually finished, and had updated to 1.10. I reran the test, and it failed again. I told the H1 to format the card to see what would happen. It finished successfully, and after that, the tests passed. I guess there's something about how OSX formats FAT filesystems that zoom doesn't like.
It's possible that a smaller size SD card wouldn't have had the issues I faced, and things would just work. I do notice that with the 128G card it takes a while just to boot up. I'll probably end up swapping that out for a 16G/32G card later, as that should be ample recording time for my needs.
I've only done a few short tests so far, but it seems to be exactly what I'd hoped. You can record 96k 32bit with this, which is pretty crazy. I've set it to that as default, figuring I can always downsample later to a different target sample rate if necessary.
The F3 would chew through batteries, so far the H1essential seems to be faring a little better, but prolonged use will determine how much better it actually is.
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A closer look at the H1 Essential Zoom Recorder
👌SJF Reflections
From the manufacturer
The World’s Easiest Recorder, Just Got Easier
With the push of a button the H1essential captures perfect audio for musicians, podcasters, filmmakers, and content creators. Simply hit record and discover the power of 32-bit float.
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32-Bit Float MagicWith 32-bit float recording, you never have to adjust levels. The H1essential captures every nuance of your sound ensuring high-quality audio with every take. |
The First Recorders With AccessibilityThe Essential Series was designed with Accessibility for the blind and visually impaired. Navigate the menu with audible descriptions through the built-in speaker or headphones. Creators can choose English, Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Italian or Chinese. |
Loud And ClearThe onboard X/Y microphones capture clean audio up to 120 dB SPL, equivalent to the sound of a high-performance engine. |
Essential For Creators
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The Perfect Practice Companion for MusiciansMusicians can use the H1essential to record every rehearsal, a great way to improve your playing. Features like overdubbing and playback-speed-adjustment are great for writing and practicing. |
Sound Makes the SceneThe H1essential is great for filmmakers. Record and send audio directly to your camera or use it to record sound effects to complete your scene. |
For StorytellersPodcasters can mount the H1essential on a tripod for sit down conversations or use ‘mono mode’ for on-the-go interviews. |
USB Microphone
When connected to a PC, Mac, iOS, or Android device using the USB-C Port, the H1essential can be used as a USB microphone while simultaneously recording to the SD card.
Soft Touch Controls
Recording and rotary controls have been meticulously designed to allow for quiet operation.
Built-In Speaker
Use the built-in speaker to listen to your recordings for quick reference.
Vivid OLED Screen
The high-contrast OLED screen makes it easy to navigate through the H1essential’s simple interface.
Compare with similar items
This Item  Zoom H1essential Stereo Handy Recorder (2024 Model, Essential Series) with 32-Bit Float, Accessibility, X/Y Microphones, USB Microphone, Portable, for Musicians, Podcasters, Filmmakers |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $99.99 | $199.99 | $199.99 | -12% $14.99 List: $16.99 | $7.95 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | — | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 |
| Customer Ratings | |||||
| Portability | |||||
| Sound quality | |||||
| Sold By | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Aenllosi | Amazon.com |
Top reviews from other countries
NoSi
Ich habe mehr bekommen, als ich erwartet habe
Reviewed in Germany on April 20, 2024
