Zoom makes some fantastic portable recorders for musicians and anyone with recording needs. With so many great models, how do you know which one will work the best for you? We recommend looking at the following two models:
The Zoom H1 and the H5.
To help your search along we’ve analyzed four categories to provide product information to you, as well as our overall recommendation. The four categories we looked at are: overall product dimensions, input/output options, shared features and unique features.
Overall Product Dimension
The Zoom H1 has overall product dimensions of 1.7” w x 5.35” D x 1.22” H. The overall weight is .13 lbs.
The H5 is larger, with an overall product dimensions of 9.1” x 3.4” x 6.6”. The overall weight is 1.8 lbs.
Input / Output Options
The Zoom H1 has a stereo, 1/8” mini mic/line input phone jack. It also has a 1/8” line/headphones output stereo jack and a USB port.
The H5 has dual combo XLR/TRS inputs. Each one of these inputs has their own gain control knob. In addition, there is a secondary mini 1/8” phone jack and a USB port.
Shared Features
Since both the Zoom H1 and the H5 are made from the same manufacture company they have a number of features they share. Some of these features include unidirectional microphones, support of WAV and MP3 files, backlit LCD display and free download licenses for Steinberg’s Cubase LE music production software and WaveLab LE audio editing software.
Unique Features
Just as they have a number of shared features, the Zoom H1 and H5 also have a number of unique features.
The unique features for the Zoom H1 include the following:
- Built-in X/Y microphone
- Able to record directly to a microSD card
- Low-cut filter
- 99 marks per recording
- Tripod mount
- SD card reader function
- Auto level function
- Included features:
- 2 GB microSD card
- 1 battery
- Steinberg WaveLab LE
The Unique features for the H5 include the following:
- Dedicated line out with adjustable volume
- Separate headphone out
- Built-in speaker for fast access playback
- Chromatic tuner
- Metronome
- Low-cut filter with compression
- 99 marks per recording with voice memo capabilities
- Advanced shockwave case feature
Overall Product Recommendation
After reviewing the four categories for the Zoom H1 and H5, the overall product recommendation goes to the H5.
The H5 has similar input and output options to the Zoom H1 so the overall product recommendation comes down to the features. The H5 comes with a number of additional features that are essential to have for recording, especially for music recording.
The H5 comes with a chromatic tuner, metronome, compression and voice memo capabilities. In addition, the separate headphone out jack makes it easy to listen to the recordings.
The main selling point for the overall product recommendation, however, is that the microphones are housed in an advanced shock mount casing with rubber external wires and is comprised of rubberized materials. This is a great feature to protect your investment on a portable digital recorder.
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