Zoom H2essential: Swiss-army knife of handheld recorders launched with 3 internal mics and 32-bit float audio

Among Zoom’s ultra-popular lineup of handheld recorders, the H2n (curr. $125 on Amazon) had always stood out as an underrated, overpowered jack of all trades, thanks to its multi-mic setup, which enabled a range of useful pickup patterns to select from. Now, as part of the newly updated 'essential' range, Zoom has launched the H2essential (or H2e), featuring not only 32-bit float audio and a higher-res colour LCD, but also a new 3-mic array and pickup configuration. But first, here's a brief introduction to 32-bit float audio and its advantages.

What is 32-bit float audio?

With conventional 16-bit or 24-bit audio, setting the right gain prior to recording is critical, otherwise one risks either losing the quieter parts of the recording, or getting ‘clipping’ or distortion when the audio gets very loud. With 32-bit float audio, the effective dynamic range is huge, thus eliminating the risk of losing portions of the recording that are too soft or loud. Instead, one can always adjust the levels of those sections later on, before converting to 24-bit for the final mix. Needless to say, 32-bit float is extremely handy for filmmakers and for outdoor recordings in noisy, unpredictable environments. Read more about the technology here.

The H2e houses three internal mics: two cardioid mics facing front and rear, and one bi-directional one covering the sides. A new top-mounted button interface allows selecting either one or both the front and rear mics, as well as the stereo width, between 90°, 120° and mono. This opens up a total of nine pickup patterns for scenarios including capturing solo musicians, ensembles and interviews or podcasts.

One can even combine the front mic with an external mic (via the 3.5 mm input) for ambient recordings and sound design. The onboard mixer helps adjust the individual channel levels. Further, a mid-side recording mode enables adjusting the stereo width in post-production.

The 1.3-inch full-colour LCD allows monitoring the waveforms of the individual channels. There are also dedicated buttons for accessing the mixer, applying a low-cut filter, and adding marker points in the recording for easier editing.

The H2e can be connected to a computer as a USB mic (or audio interface, if you connect an external mic and headphones to it) for streaming, video calls or for music making, and can even record onboard its microSD card (SDXC up to 2 TB) while being used thus. Similarly, it can be connected to a smartphone via USB-C or to a camera with the 3.5 mm headphone output.

For added practicality, Zoom has fitted the H2e with a small speaker, for quickly previewing recordings, and a standard tripod mounting thread. The portable recorder can be powered off two standard AA batteries for up to 11 hours (or 4 hours if combining the onboard mic and an external one), as well as via USB bus power.

The Zoom H2essential handheld recorder is priced at $170, and will start shipping by late October, although pre-orders can be placed on Adorama and B&H Photo among other retailers. For simple XY stereo recording, the Zoom H1essential is a simpler device available for $100, whereas the Zoom H4essential, for $200, offers 4-channel recording through adiitional XLR inputs.