Zoom H1n unboxing

[Andrew Smith]

Had one that failed me so it was time to purchase a replacement. Was inspecting my new gadget in the presence of an espresso coffee and after the first slurp the light cam on and it occurred to me that I should take some unboxing photos.

Half an hour earlier when purchasing ...

ME (nonchalantly): The previous one only lasted me 8 years
SALESDUDE: Hey, that's pretty good!

:-)

These little recorders have been absolutely brilliant. I first bought them when they came out in 2010 and back then the next cheapest option for me was a $600+ field recorder. The newer model feels even sturdier and will likely have even greater longevity. I'm looking forward to using it.

Andrew

[Andrew Smith]

With the unit comes download licences for LE versions of Cubase and Wavelab. PM me if you want mine.

Andrew

[Bryan Worsley]

I see the H1n uses two AAA batteries, whereas the H1 used just one AA. Do you notice any loss in battery charge when the H1n is turned off ? This was an issue that plagued the earlier H1's due to a dodgy capacitor. Mine (according the serial) is one that came after Zoom supposedly resolved this issue, but a fully charged AA (Alkaline or NiMH) still doesn't last more than 3 days if I leave it in the recorder switched off. I've got into the habit of removing the battery after use (if I remember) and ensuring that I've always got fresh spares to hand, but it's a pain.

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Andrew Smith

Had one that failed me

I had 2 of them fail on me so eventually went the tascam route.

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Bryan Worsley

Any loss in battery charge when the recorder is turned off ?

The first one I had (which was a first gen H1) had this battery draining issue, I believe they solved it with the 2nd gen H1) I learned the hard way placing the battery one day before a wedding in the recorder and have the recording stop recording at the wedding because the batteries where empty.

[Bryan Worsley]

Mine is a 2nd Gen H1. Still, I suppose 3 days is not as bad as those earlier 'bad batches' where the battery was reportedly discharging within a matter of hours.

[Andrew Smith]

One of my old model H1 units did discharge quickly (ie by the time I was going to use it next) whereas the other one (probably the second to be purchased) did not. I've not used the new H1n for anything yet but I've switched it on again and the battery indicator is still full.

Ultimately my mode of operation has been to always put fresh batteries in ahead of using it for anything important. Batteries are less than a dollar and infinitely cheaper than the prospect of losing a recording and the value of the job that it would impact or even a blow to my reputation. For me it's a no-brainer decision.

I guess I'll have to start purchasing AAA batteries now. For whatever engineering reason it seems to be a trend that I have noticed. (Hey, anyone still remember C or D cells? Or even using a Nagra portable qtr inch reel unit?)

The 'failure' I had was from when I pulled the H1 unit out to stop the recording ... and discovering that it wasn't even switched on. Eeeek! I was sure that I had started it and placed the record-lock on. Really did a mind job on me and the SD card had nothing recoverable from the time the unit was running. It was only when it recently failed to power up at all that I knew the unit was faulty (and not me) hence purchasing a replacement.

Andrew

[Steven Digges]

"Ultimately my mode of operation has been to always put fresh batteries in ahead of using it for anything important. Batteries are less than a dollar and infinitely cheaper than the prospect of losing a recording and the value of the job that it would impact or even a blow to my reputation. For me it's a no-brainer decision."

+1 and more on this! No one wants a faulty unit and I would not use a any suspect device unless I knew for sure the problem was corrected. My point is, even with good devices I have seen live events with budgets over six figures fail because the audio guy did not put fresh batteries in a lav pack. That is not going to happen on any of my own productions. Be it a big production or a simple interview. Every battery powered device starts with new batteries and they get changed often. I change them at almost every break even if they read half or three quarters full. I am not going to crash any type of event over a one dollar battery. It is ugly and heads roll because there is no excuse for it.

Kind Regards,

Steve

[David Peterson]

Just get yourself eneloops and charge them before every shoot.

Anyway, as for the H1n I like that they've protected the mics better, that is how my original H1 got broken.

[Bryan Worsley]

Been checking out some reviews of the H1n vs H1.

Interesting that in this one, by Sam Mallery, he ventures that the new big rotary Gain dial on the H1n 'ruins it's use' for remote recording with a lav mic at weddings etc because the setting cannot be 'locked' (like the other controls), and so presents a risk for accidental alteration of the recording level when it is slipped into a pocket.

First thoughts on the new Zoom H1n audio recorder – Sam Mallery

If it is is that easy to nudge the dial, I guess he has a point.

[Andrew Smith]

I was left wondering exactly what his point was after I had been playing around with the H1n unit a bit. When you switch on the 'auto levels' function the positioning and/or movement of that dial is meaningless. The screen interface even tells you words to this effect when moving the dial if auto levels has been switched on.

I can't imagine putting one in to a groom's pocket without engaging auto levels.

Andrew

[David Peterson]

The H1 already got "ruined" for that purpose as soon as the Tascam DR10L came out!

Because it is just as cheap, but because it is purpose built and designed for this use then it is a much better choice than a Zoom H1

[Andrew Smith]

On a side note, I just did a recording duration test with the H1n, inserting two fresh Duracell AAA alkaline batteries and letting it record to a .wav file on the SD card until the battery was exhausted and the unit stopped recording as part of shutting down. Length of battery time was calculated by the length of the recorded files on the memory card.

Essentially, a fresh set of good quality AAA batteries will get you 11 hours worth.

I think that will do it for just about all applications, well in excess of what you would expect to record in a single day without the ability to change batteries.

Andrew