ZOOM H2essential Handy Recorder – Portable 32-Bit Float Audio Recorder with 3 Microphones for Surround Recording – Ideal for Podcasts, Music, Livestreams – Black

Simple to use. 32 bit flexibility makes it easy to use. Update the bios for best results. It works well. Positioning is important. Mic quality is good. The RAW option is fine but actually mixing with it was beyond me but I’m not an engineer. I used it to record a brass band in hugely different environments. Ended up using AI to make sense of the results which were good in the end. It’s perfect for recording groups and people, podcasts etc. just think hard about where you can put it.

I initially got the model before this, H2N but that was janky with an old style USB socket, was a little larger, and didn't offer the 32bit float.I wasn't too sure about this model, as it has 3 microphones instead of 5 and the previous H2N has got a great reputation (and is still being sold - even though this new model has been out a while).Recording with this device was extremely straight forward.My memory card I put in the device still had an audio recording from the H2N and I was a bit disapointed at first that it sounded better than what the H2Essentials recorded - However that changed once i got my head around the settings.First - if you want 32bit float - you need to set recording to 96khz and then I also set the format to raw, and turned on the option to include a mix file. That means when Im recording with the front and read and sides - I end up with three files to transfer to the PC. At first these confused me, because pulling the FRONT RAW FILE into a recording app, initially looked like a mono recording on my DAW (one wav to view) but its actually M/S (mid/side stereo).So you can use the Zoom VST and adjust the amount of MID and SIDE for this file to your liking.So you can do this, to both the FRONT RAW and the REAR RAW - and there are other free VST plugins which do a similar thing, so this is not unique to Zoom but of course they have to provide one for their product.Then I was concerned about phasing, and wondered how I should blend those two MID/SIDE signals together, to get the best mix. So then I was reminded of various PHASE VST plugins you can use, and when you put one of these on your master bus - you get a really good view of how the Mid/side Zoom VST is changing the stereo field, and can optimize the sides to get everything perfectly matched.With that the quality of the device really shone and it was very easy to get what sounded to me at least like a perfect representation of what I was hearing when I too the recording.It does have a lot of handling noise - but having now put it on an arm its much better.Sound out of the speaker of the devices is a bit thin and I cant imagine Id use that for very much other than to check Im getting anything at all. Ive tried it with a lavalier microphone, which I nearly sent back thinking it wasnt working - but lavalier at least the Rode mic I used requires power, and their is setting in the H2E to send power to the MicIn.After that the quality of the lavalier was great and was as expected.I purchased this device to record band practise, capture demos and ideas, grab audio to turn into samples - and Im looking forward to it - having better understood exactly what the 3 microphones are doing, and having the 32bit float (so no fiddling with gain, just hit record).

No complaints other than bad body noise when handling but that’s normal

Broadcast quality condenser microphones. The front is stereo & so is the rear. I was confused as to whether the front & back was the left & right. Dead easy & intuitive to use. Just try it with headphones & be prepared to be amazed as you go through the different settings. No SD card included.

Excellent playback

great unit for the money, easy to use

Another perfect device and so easy to set up. 32 bit float. 🥳 excellent device ,with a very professional sound. It’s small but feels pro. Very happy with this .

It's a amazing product. I use it for the ambience at receptions and it does am amazing job.

The best for opera recordings! Not only recording the voice, but also the echo of voice around the room. Podcasting mics have become the standard...this muc is not that! It specializes in recording live performance with an accurate documenting the ambience of the sound in the room even without any editing. The voice sounds warm and not metallic. Light and easy mic to carry with you and conveniently records independently with an SD card.

Great sound. Great recorder.Only problem i see is normal batteries end in like minutes. Better get a usb c to power it and use as a interface.

I record audio for work. I’ve use man small, handheld size recorders. Had been using a Roland R-07, but wanted a recorder with a better screen. The H2essential is slight larger, but still a nice compact size and is very light. It’s mostly made of plastic and not metal.For recordings I use it as a small monitor recorder, so a standalone recording as a backup to my main recording. One of the biggest benefits of this recorder is it has directional speakers and you can select which direction you want to record. Very useful for my purposes. It also provides three separate recordings, a front only recording, a rear only recording and a mixed recording of both. This is very advantageous, as if someone is clicking away on a keyboard near the back of the recorder you can use the front facing recorder and heard voices better.Overall the recorder is easy to use, has a nice interface and the screen is easy to read. I like it better than my R-07 that I have been using for several years.

Che dire, non mi aspettavo una qualità così alta in un registratore così piccolo.Rapporto qualità prezzo veramente alto

Perfecta, es muy superior a la anterior que tenia (Tascam Dr-05x).La grabadora Zoom h2 essential, es muy fácil de usar sin necesidad de estar buscando entre menús y sub menús, tiene botones físicos dedicados y muy bien explicados que conforme entras a submenus cambian de funciones y en la pantalla dice para que funcionan así que es muy fácil usarla, ideal para grabar en diferentes ángulos, el único comentario que haría es que el botón de grabar esta encima así que dificulta poner un filtro normal, claro que una vez que la conoces puedes apretar el botón de inicio de grabación a través de el filtro y parar la grabación con un botón dedicado en su costado. Muy feliz con la compra.