Zoom H5

I work as a radio producer and I wanted to get my own gear to do some independent productions. I haven't had the chance to explore every possibility with the H5 but I've tried it in both field and studio like environments and it's a well built device with tons of functions and nice sound. It has a rugged feel to it and fits well in my normally sized hand.

The x/y capsule that comes bundled does a good job, the preamps are pretty silent and it captures details very well. But, as with all condenser mics, it's very sensitive to wind and p-pops, so foam/fur windscreen is a must. The shock mounts on the x/y capsule works well and brings the handling noise down.

I've tried the H5 with a Sennheiser ME64, a hot condenser mic, and it works beautifully - the noise floor is almost gone.

The battery-life, the possibility to pair it with up to 2-4 external mics, the durable construction and the reasonable price makes it a good buy!

On the other hand, with an even lower noise-floor - the H5 would be even more versatile when it comes to external mic options.

As the title says this is a great entry-level recorder. This is my first recorder and it serves me well. It's handy to have with me and be able to whip it out if I hear something I like. I have used the H4n and the H5 is superior. The H5 has gain-knobs instead of buttons like the H4n (you hear the clicks when push them). The removable microphone capsules is also neat, you can buy an XLR-capsule so you have a totalt of 4 inputs.

The only gripe I have with it is that it has a bit of a noisy preamp, nothing extreme though. I'm studying audio-production right now and I'm becoming more and more nit-picky. At the end if the day, you get what you pay for. All and all I think it's a great recorder!