Thanks, Richard.

The convertor for generating phantom power would certainly seem consistent
with the 1/4" inputs not having the same problem. I'll have to test the
XLR inputs with a few mics when I have time.

I agree the menu system is clunky, but I quickly got used to it. There are
menu "shortcut" buttons on the H4n, which get you directly into the
sub-menus, but I find its just as easy to go through the full menu as it is
to switch from the shortcut buttons on the front to the main menu scroll on
the side.

Best,
Tim


On Mon, Apr 15, 2013 at 2:44 PM, Richard L. Hess
<[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> Hi, Tim,
>
> I don't recall where I read it and I could be wrong, but it sounded to me
> that the noise was being introduced by the DC-to-DC converter that was used
> to generate the 48 V phantom power. I tried a DC-DC converter once in a mic
> circuit and quickly realized that off-the-shelf units were FAR too
> noisy...it was for the Sennheiser MKH-804 that I came up with an alternate
> scheme for powering and I've posted that in in my blog.
> www.richardhess.com/notes/ search for MKH-804.
>
> The menu system on every Zoom (except the H1 which has dedicated switches)
> is annoying--the H2 has a teeny tiny screen. The H2n's is a bit better. I
> am used to the H2 and either I use my reading glasses or a pocket magnifier
> I've taken to carrying.
>
> I'm not saying I've tried everything, but the Zoom H2 was a pleasant
> surprise overall. Similar in concept to a good digital camera compared to a
> digital SLR system.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Richard
>
>
> On 2013-04-15 11:29 AM, Timothy Wisniewski wrote:
>
>> I love my Zoom H4n, just be sure to hold on extra tightly when recording
>> bodies of salt water (as discussed on this list a few months back).
>> Interesting, and a bit worrisome, to hear Richard's comment about the XLR
>> inputs. I haven't had a chance to test them (the built in condenser mics
>> sound great), though I have used the 1/4" inputs for digitizing, which do
>> not seem to suffer from the same reported problem. Overall, I find it a
>> great versatile low-tech solution for digitizing as well as recording. I
>> agree that its a bit bulky as a portable device, especially if you don't
>> carry a bag with you everywhere like I do. Some have also complained
>> about
>> the menu system being difficult to navigate.
>>
>> Best,
>> Tim
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Apr 15, 2013 at 5:05 AM, Don Cox <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> On 15/04/2013, Richard L. Hess wrote:
>>>
>>> Peter,
>>>>
>>>> If you don't want to have the iPhone for the sake of a
>>>> phone/PDA/browser/whatever, I would not go the iPod Touch route.
>>>>
>>>> The Zoom H2 takes about a minute (or a bit less) to boot. The H1 is
>>>> faster. I don't recall about the H2n. I would think the Tascams are
>>>> faster, but we've heard issues with battery life on at least one of
>>>> them. I agree about the handling noise on the H1, but it, too, has a
>>>> tripod socket. I would make sure that any machine I bought had a
>>>> tripod socket. I carry a now-discontinued Rowi "clamp pod" to clamp
>>>> the Zoom to a variety of things from lecterns to others' mic stands (I
>>>> also have a wad of folded over duct tape that I use to avoid
>>>> scratching things).
>>>>
>>>> A Gorillapod would do that job too.
>>>
>>> One unit that was well received a little while ago was the Olympus,
>>>> but I do not know the current status of Olympus or the unit.
>>>>
>>>> Sony also makes units, but they tend to be more expensive than the
>>>> Tascam or the Zoom.
>>>>
>>>> One thought about instant on is that with the 20-hour battery life of
>>>> the Zoom H2n, you could turn it on when you entered the "possible
>>>> recording zone" and then take it out and double punch the record
>>>> button and you're in (the first punch puts it in record standby with
>>>> the meters running...at least that is how the H2 works).
>>>>
>>>> Whatever you do, do not get a "voice recorder" or "dictation
>>>> recorder". Make certain it will give you WAV and MP3 files. I normally
>>>> record WAV though for long things I have used MP3 on occasion.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Regards
>>> --
>>> Don Cox
>>> [log in to unmask]
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
> --
> Richard L. Hess email: [log in to unmask]
> Aurora, Ontario, Canada 647 479 2800
> http://www.richardhess.com/**tape/contact.htm<http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm>
> Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.
>



--
Timothy Wisniewski, M.L.I.S.

Visual Materials Archivist
Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
5801 Smith Avenue, Suite 235
Baltimore, MD 21209