Why is ZOOM so popular when it is such poor quality?

H

Hutchman

Active member
Been testing out some recorders and am amazed at the difference between, say the Tascam DR 100 or DR 40 and the Zoom. The zoom preamps are REALLY noisy.

I'm not expecting them to compare to more expensive brands - you get what you pay for (mostly, BLENDER is an amazing, free 3D app but I'm getting off track!), but the Tascams are either the same price or less for the DR-40. And they have noticeably better preamps.

I can understand if you're recording a concert then the noisy preamps probably won't affect you too much....

....But for dialogue? Why is Zoom so popular? Advertising? Were they the first to come out with such a cheap portable recorder? What is it?
 
4 channel recording capability via external inputs makes it unique. Preamp issues depend on situation and output of mic. Can go line in to bypass them..on the XLR side at least.
 
How I decided to purchase h4n is simple..I usually buy gear at b&h..and I checked the customer review at b&h website for some portable recorder (under 300)...and I find h4n has the best score so far...and I read their review...umm...good..ok..then I buy it...at least I would not go wrong with it...

so what I want to say is probabally many people buy h4n is based on great review on the internet..and once they find a good one..they might just stop doing other research and end up buying it. at least I do not know h4n is worse than dr-100 and dr-40 before..have not done extensive research about them before purchase....
 
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Paul Hudson said:
Early to the game and cheap has been what has worked for them.
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+1, and I'll add to that the features Zoom offered in their earlier models. I had an H4 (predecessor to the H4n). Hated the pre-amps, but loved it for recording line-level in from a mixer. Loved the 4-track recorder/mixer mode for sketch pad work on the road. Loved the internal XY mics for nats gathering. They killed some of its best features with the H4n, and then everyone else jumped in with better technology. I have a bigger recorder, but I keep a DR-40 in my kit.
 
Is there a less expensive way than H4N to add simultaneous 4 track recording to a mixer (eg. SD442) with 4 discreet outs? That's my plan anyway. But then, I ran an AT897 straight into the H4N preamps to boom a DSLR short and results were just fine. Granted, there were no whisper quiet scenes. Before shooting, I did notice more noise when having the H4N internally split the mic to both tracks. I got better results with an ART splitter. That way I could run one channel lower than the other as a backup. Had the remote control on my boom pole so I could start and stop without err..lowering the boom.

What features were killed with the 4N?
 
Hutchman said:
Been testing out some recorders and am amazed at the difference between, say the Tascam DR 100 or DR 40 and the Zoom. The zoom preamps are REALLY noisy.



....But for dialogue? Why is Zoom so popular? Advertising? Were they the first to come out with such a cheap portable recorder? What is it?
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It's all in how you use it. Me, I have a mixer infront of mine, and it's quiet as a church. I let my mixer's pre-amps do all the work.
 
Because most people buying it have nothing to compare it to, other than the inbuilt mic on their DSLRs, and it does sound better than that!

Yes, I'm surprised a trusted company like Tascam isn't more popular than Zoom on this level.

Plus what the previous 2 posts said, don't depend on its preamps, use a field mixer.
 
I've used a Zoom H2 and I've recently replaced it by a Tascam DR-05. Someone (over hv20.com) said it was some kind of downgrading trade, but so far I like it and I don't miss the other functions on the H2.
The main advantage of the H1 (as I see it) is the small size of the device: can be used directly on the talent with Lavs plugged to it. It's also a very affordable/portable solution, but it remains an entry level device. As it's been said, people don't have anything else to compare it to.
Personally, I was fine with the H2, and now I'm fine with the DR-05. I'm using it mainly for two things; a) boom the audio, mic plugged into a JuicedLink preamp then in the recorder and b) camera-mounted, mic plugged in the JuicedLink, then in the recorder and finally in the camcorder as a backup audio, so if something fails, I can always rely on this track.

I don't know much about the H1, but if it's like the H2, the preamp would be noisy. That's why I usually used the Line-In when I was recording audio. Without a preamp is too quiet, but with one feeding the audio signal, once normalized it gave decent results. Not talking professional results, but for hobbyist use, it's enough.
 
In my opinion and I could be wrong (and aside from the affordable price) I speculate the Zooms are so popular because the legions new DSLR video folks unfamiliar with 'the usual' audio equipment manufactures. Not to age myself, but I started with a Teac 3340 R-R.
 
Rick R said:
In my opinion and I could be wrong (and aside from the affordable price) I speculate the Zooms are so popular because the legions new DSLR video folks unfamiliar with 'the usual' audio equipment manufactures. Not to age myself, but I started with a Teac 3340 R-R.
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Well, for me the H4 came up on Ebay more frequently, and I got a unit for under $100 which was my criteria for 'used', and 'last generation'. In addition the instructor at a local junior college where I took a few classes, had one and I was able to test before purchase to see if twas 'really crap'... I think adding a dedicated pre-amp would be good... but I bought an M-Audio Fasttrack Pro for going directly into my computer, and have thought about using it as pre-amp with an external USB batter pack for more mobile recording.

Since I have to fight tooth and nail for 'discretionary funds'... I try to get things 'cheap'...
 
I think it's because a legion of newcomers have never actually heard original master recordings made on a truly professional-level recorder and so have nothing to compare to. There's are valid reasons a Sound Devices or Nagra recorder is 5 to 10 times or more the cost of a Zoom, there's more to it than just the smoke and mirrors or a "professional" label.
 
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Steve House said:
There's are valid reasons a Sound Devices or Nagra recorder is 5 to 10 times or more the cost of a Zoom, there's more to it than just the smoke and mirrors or a "professional" label.
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That's for sure, but on the other hand, if you'll be using it more as a hobby than professionally, how would you justify the price?
Personally, my audio setup is less than 400$ paid for: Tascam DR-05 recorder, 2x JuicedLink CX211 preamp and a Beachtek DXA-4. So far I'm fine as I'm mostly doing shorts with it for online viewing, so no big deal for highly expensive gear.
My 0.02¢.
 
avoid the pre-amp by sending the zoom line level and it is the cheapest recorder around

great match with sound devices preamps and mixers
 
OK I'm in on the party.

I owned the original H4. Thought it did decent audio quality, but the real issue with it was the truly dismal display and user interface, and lack of control while recording. Went to DR100 and it was a huge improvement. Better gain control, much better display and menu interface, dual battery power!!, better construction, more manual (less menu) control. To be honest, I couldn't tell much difference in the audio quality, and in fact, thought the H4 on board mics may have been a little better. I do small video productions. and for that, IMHO, the audio from any of the cheapo recorders is good enough since they are all eqaul to or better than on camera audio. So I am looking for ease of use in the field, and for that the Tascam was an easy winner. Don't know about the H4n since it came later. But splitting hairs about the audio quality is silly compared to the issues of power and ease of use. I have used mine stand alone with XLR mics and also line in via a SD302. The one thing that you simply can't do with the DR100 is use it alone with a dynamic interview mic like a EV-50N/D. It just doesn't have the preamp power to do this which was a disappointment. Since then, I have moved up to a true bag recorder and the DR100 has been relegated to my travel kit for which it does just fine.

Grant
 
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