I got an H2 today. I find that the levels on the front-side R and L mics are noticeably imbalanced, one higher than the other. If I switch the "L/R position" setting ("player" vs. "listener"), the imbalance switches sides. (L is higher in the "player" position, R is higher in the "listener" position.") The rear mics don't seem to have this imbalance, or at least not as much.

I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem. Thanks.

Incidentally, this is my second unit. I sent the first one back without even using it, because it had dust or marring on the inside of the display (i.e., inside the unit).

I have noticed this imbalance problem on my H2 as well, though being somewhat of an amateur at recording, I've been assuming it was due to positioning the unit incorrectly. It's good to hear someone else report the same problem. I've seen it in cases where it sure seems like I have a point source exactly centered 2-3' from the front of the unit, yet the levels are visibly unbalanced both on the LCD and in the recorded waveform.

Please let us know what Zoom says, if you call them, and I'll do the same.

Are you satisfied with your H2's recording of high frequencies? I haven't had time to do any formal tests yet, but in listening to the recordings I've made so far on a good home theater audio system, it sounds like the the high end begins to roll off above 14 KHz or so, even sampling at 48 KHz.

I've been using the medium gain setting and have been leaving the fine level adjustment at 100%. All effects are turned off.

Mark, thanks. My experience exactly ... I thought at first it was a positioning issue, but then did several tests to rule that out.

I agree ... the high end isn't great.

....

Did anyone get in touch with Samson?

The high frequency roll-off you guys are experiencing seems to only occur when recording in mp3 mode. Here's a quote from a posting in one of the H2 forums:
"High frequency cutoff at about 16kHz in mp3 recordings even at 320kbps can be seen in tests but this may not be a significant problem with most sound sources. If space on the memory card is not a problem, don't use mp3 settings - you can easily convert from wave format to mp3 in your PC later."

The above quote came from over here --> How To Get The Best From Your Zoom H2

Hmm. I hear the roll-off and I've only ever recorded to 16 and 24-bit WAV files. Thanks for the link, krypt0. I'll see what I can dig up on more relevant forums.

As for the mic imbalance problem you guys seem to be experiencing, you might try loading the latest firmware for the H2 which is available here --> Zoom H2 Firware Upgrade

I have no idea if this will resolve your problem (I kind of doubt it will), but it's something to try anyway.

This seems to be the generally recommended "best practice". The L/M/H gain switch is the true sound level adjustment and the fine level control is a digital adjustment that takes place after the sound has been converted to digital. Apparently, adjusting the digital level control up or down can distort the audio signal and introduce noise thus leading to the general recommendation that the digital level be left at 100% and the gain switch be set to L or M whenever possible.

It's interesting to note that pictures of the level meters in the H2 manual consistently show the L and R channels at very different levels (see page 18 and page 21 for example). This makes me wonder if the display is just very inaccurate and there's nothing really wrong.

Incidentally, I don't own an H2 (I own an H4), but I've been thinking about buying an H2 which is why this thread captured my attention.

Not in my case ... I only recorded in .wav mode.

I have the latest.

I didn't rely on the meters. I uploaded the .wav files and analyzed them on the computer. The imbalance in levels is very clear, comparing the waveforms for the R and L channels ... as well as being easily audible in the playback, listening on either the H2 or the computer.

I'm giving up on the H2 ... sending this second one back and trying something else, not sure what yet.

Thanks all for your input.

Dang, sorry about your troubles Mike. I own an H4 and so far, it's been very good to me. You might try contacting Samson support before giving up on the H2, but whatever you decide, I wish you the best.

The introduction of the H2 was delayed for about six months. This thread makes me think they haven't worked out all the bugs yet. I haven't noticed any imbalance on the H4.

Below are links to a couple of threads in a Zoom forum where others are discussing L/R level mismatch problems with the H4 -- so it looks like the problem isn't isolated to just the H2.

Thread1

Thread2

[Is flabbergasted that there is actually a Zoom FORUM. ]

An interesting point in one of those threads is that a Zoom rep told one guy to make sure that the unit isn't tilted, as that can mess up the signal or something. I've just been plopping mine up on my music desk and not paying any attention to its orientation. Guess I'll start being a little more vigilant.

Hi Monica,
I think that comment about tilting the Zoom just meant that for best results, the Zoom should be aimed properly at the intended sound source (rather than tilted away from it). The Zoom doesn't care which way it's tilted, it'll record whatever it's pointing at.

There's a forum for everything now. I'm sure there's even a forum for left-handed panda breeders. Well, maybe not left-handed, but there's gotta be a panda breeders forum somewhere.

a forum for left-handed panda breeders...REALLY, do you have the link?? jk

Did anyone ever talk to Samson regarding this issue?

I received my H2 a couple days ago and did some prelim tests on it. From what I can tell, the L/R levels are balanced. I placed the the H2 about 6" away from the piano with the lid on the short stick with the H2 near the first big bend of the rim (so fairly close to the hammer line). I'll be experimenting more once I get home it find better placement. I found the sound a little thin - so either I need the mics further away to gain some room ambience or need to play around with adding some reverb in post productioin....

Did anyone ever talk to Samson regarding this issue?

I didn't. I sent it back (see above).

Santa brought me a Zoom H2 and I have been trying it out. Yesterday, I took it to church and recorded most of the service which included my organ prelude, hymns, service music and an oboe and piano offertory. I am amazed at how well it does sound(especially the pipe organ). I was able to download to my Mac iTunes am pleased with the results. Granted, I bought it to upgrade from my '70s cassette recorder that I used to use to record rehearsals and make rehearsal tapes. I haven't figured out how to edit and if anyone knows, I would appreciate knowing how to cut out stuff(ie. the sermon yesterday,JOKE !!). Some place I read that the H2 is the equivalent of a point and shot camera which was what I was looking for.

RickG

Download for free, AUDACITY.

Play around with it after reading the intro.

Make sure that you SAVE the original as a file (like MP3 or WAV) so that you can go back to it.


I know that there are a lot of things that can be done.

Normalizing helped so that things did not sound distortedly loud

Cutting out sections

Putting in silent noise at the beginning and ending.

You can also undo what you just did if there is a mistake.

Etc.

Have fun! LL

Thank you, LL,
I will try that. I have read about AUCITY.

Audacity [in case you have difficulty finding it]

Much easier to use than the supplied Steinberg Cubase

Mark,
Sorry, typing on this H-P laptop is not as easy for me as my Mac Mini. Yes, I did try Audacity and still trying to learn how to edit. Thanks for all the help. I also have found that Zoom H2 forum helpful.

Just got a Zoom H2 - I've done a few recordings to test the various .wav vs. .mp3 modes, and have not noticed any channel imbalance. Great sound on the default .wav format without any adjustments to input level or anything else - couldn't be easier. I tried and tried direct recording with the computer and Audacity (using a Logitech USB microphone); it was a nightmare.

Btw, the H2 came with software version 1.10, and their web site says the newer 1.20 version's major difference is support for the latest Mac OS version, so I didn't bother with it.

Too bad it can't make my playing sound better!

Well, I took a look inside my H2 and I can see how the left/right balance could easily be off.

Not surprisingly, the H2 uses a significantly cheaper design than the H4. The four mics are mounted on a piece of molded plastic that has thin plastic posts on top oriented at 90 and 120 degree angles. The mics sit rather loosely in these posts and are held in place by two dabs of epoxy each.



There is no secure fit or obvious "right" position for the mics. So the accuracy to which your mics are truly oriented at 90 and 120 degrees (and are not tipped upwards or downwards) depends on how careful the person who manufactured this assembly was. As you can see, the angles of mine don't visually look quite right (should be 120 degrees on the top, 90 degrees on the bottom, as measured between vectors perpendicular to the front of each mic):



Given the XY orientation, a centered sound is probably nearing the edge of each mic's pickup pattern. Therefore if the mics are oriented slightly wrong and the source is not far from the H2, you might see a difference in levels, right?

Rather than cross my fingers and exchange my H2 for another one, I think I'll just try regluing the mics at the correct angles and see what happens.

Replacing the mics with better ones looks like a fairly easy job, too.

Also interesting: my H2 has an obvious bit of rework on the front side of the PCB:



I'll bet discovering the problem and making this fix is what delayed the initial H2 shipments for so long. H2s shipping now probably already have a revised board that includes this fix.

Very cool, Mark!! I *never* would have had the nerve to open up my Zoom or any device. That's hilarious to see a piece of tape on the circuit board. Makes me wonder what's lurking inside all my electronic devices.

Let us know how the re-gluing of the mics works out for you.

No luck. It wasn't the angles- one of the mics is a dud and simply records at a lower level than the others. The problem always followed the mic when I tried plugging it into different channels' connectors. The other three mics all record at a consistent level.

I'm going to try and get Samson/Zoom to exchange the H2 for another, though it's tempting to just buy two higher-quality mics and install those.

Lesson learned: with the H2 and other inexpensive digital recorders, within the return period, be sure to test all functionality and check that the onboard mics record at the same level.