I purchased the H1 Handy on August 20, 2010 simply because of Zoom's product description and the price. Overall, this is one cool, tool!
THE PROS: I took the H1 with me to New Orleans and recorded some sounds on the street...right out of the box! After thumbing through the user leaflet, it is so easy and quick to use.
I was surprised at the impressive bandwidth of the mics. I was recording traffic, loud sounds...and even quiet ambience in a park. Most of my levels were set at 25 to 40 (on a scale of 0-100). It also has a "mark" feature that allows you to mark on the fly for ease of access using the forward or back buttons.
The H1 has decent headphone volume for such a small package. I use Sony MDR-7506 headphones.
Upon returning to my studio, I connected a USB cable (not provided) and was able to open the files into Sony Sound Forge Pro 10. As recorded, with no EQ or Autogain, I had to add about +10db of volume. That's because I intentionally set my record volume low to compensate for noise.
It comes with a 2 Gb SD mini, has a 3.5mm line input and will record .wav and .mp3.
THE CONS: The H1 mics are very sensitive to wind noise. You will need a windscreen or blimp if recording outdoors. Out of the box, I had to use a kleenex tissue in very mild 5 mph/less winds.
Also, when handling the H1, hand movements are easily picked up. But once you settle in, it would work well for an interview recorder.
[4 of 5 Stars!]
