Zoom F6 or H6 - Which One for You?
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- Опубліковано 11 вер 2024
- I've recorded audio for many videos using the Zoom H6, it's a terrific tool with decent audio quality, lots of features, and excellent battery life. But Zoom recently released the F6 recorder with a new level of capability. The F6 combines very low noise preamps with dual ADCs and 32 bit float recording, and the combination nearly eliminates any issue with setting input levels.
I've found this capability to be a real benefit to my projects. For my hula show videos I no longer worry about the drums clipping while the chanting is down in the noise floor. With the F6 I can recover those extra loud and extra quiet parts in post in a way I never could with the H6. When I'm shooting "look at me play guitar" videos where I'm the whole video crew as well as the talent I never lose a track that I played well but set levels poorly.
Still, there are trade-offs and that's what this video is about. Besides the extra cost of the F6 there's the attached mics that make the H6 so handy - using the F6 means bringing mics, cables, mic bar, mic clips, and some kind of mic stand. The H6 has XLR&1/4" combo jacks so I can plug my guitar pickup directly in - the F6 needs some kind of adapter to attach a 1/4" plug to the recorder.
So which of these recorders is right for you??
To the point.
100% agree.
I love my F8N for it's possibilities and sound quality.
But I also love my H4N pro for great 2/4 channel recording without carrying tons of equipment around while I'm hiking in the mountains.
Thank you for your honest opinion.
You look like a very nice guy to me.
Agree - I have H4n H6 and F8n - but H6 is what I mostly use unless I’m using ambisonic mics - love the mics that come with the H6, especially the MS mic. I had the F6 briefly and the sound quality was spectacular. May get the F8n Pro as it now has the same 32-bit processing. But even if I do, the H6 will still get a lot of use!
@@MarkHarmer
I thought about the F8N pro but I will not buy it. The sound quality is the same to the F8N and I don't need the 32bit because I have never ruined one of my recordings ever with the F8N. The sensitivity and the amount of usable dB is more than I need.
I think I will buy the F3 because it offers all I need, it is small and I can connect this little recorder directly with the mic and the camera on one tripod.
For me it is the perfect solution - one camera, one stereo mic and a small powerful two channel recorder on one tripod.
@@nosecondlost Yes - I think you definitely have to go with whatever your use is. I used the F6 on a piece of paid work, and I thought the sound quality was better than the F8n, although I didn’t have them both at the same time unfortunately. Otherwise I could’ve done a good comparison. I only didn’t like the F6 because I found it very fiddly to use. And I didn’t quite trust what I was monitoring! And 8 channels is barely enough for the sort of stuff I do, so six was really not adequate.
Just purchased a H6. Not sure what I’m doing, but found this video really easy to understand. Thanks!
Thanks, glad to hear that you found the video useful.There's a bit more H6 content in this channel, and over on my slack key channel I have a playlist of recordings I have made with the H6: ua-cam.com/video/HJN9MazwGwM/v-deo.html
What kinds of recording are you planning to do?
Fran
Thank you Sir! Useful information for me and I appreciate your gentle peaceful energy. Heartfelt. Subscribed. Thank you!
Thanks for visiting and commenting. I'm not sure why so many UA-cam presenters feel the need to shout, it just makes me want to turn them off.
Fran
Nice to see you back with your useful comparisons, thank you! :)
Thanks for stopping by. I've been ignoring gear for a while but the new recorder inspired me to start up again. More soon I hope.
Fran
Thank you very much for the excellent comparison, you deserve a lot more viewers!
Thanks for visiting and commenting. I don't really worry about how much attention I get, I'm just trying to help out as a way of repaying all the help I've gotten from people over the years.
Fran
I usually take 2 cups and stretch string tightly between them for my sound, But this is aFantastic video so thank you for posting
I certainly appreciate your comment. I'll have to try your technique - I'm assuming you use disposable plastic cups, right? Or do you prefer paper cups for a warmer sound? (grin)
Fran
Thanks for the nice, concise comparison. I have two H6's and they've been workhorses. But I agree - the noise floor on the H6 is frustrating as I want to record nature. Two big gripes with the H6 that make me think of upgrading. One - your batteries die in the H6 and you lose your clip - EXTREMELY POOR DESIGN ZOOM! You get around this by having the recorder plugged into a USB power supply (Note to Zoom - why not have the F6 have option of being powered by USB?). Two - Noise floor and gain. I've tried doing nature stuff with gain all the way up and it's barely enough to get quiet sounds and the noise floor is OK, but clearly there. Your review makes me think of making the jump to the F6 again -
I would certainly be saving up for an F6 or something similar (look at the F3 if you only need two inputs) if I were doing nature recording. The extra sensitivity and much lower self-noise would really make a difference.
If you are using the H6 attached mics that would be another significant source of noise. The F series require external mics, but that's an opportunity to really reduce noise, and extremely low noise mics are not necessarily expensive. The Rode NT1 is one that I've seen recommended by nature recordists and it's pretty reasonably priced.
Fran
@@homebrewedmusic Thanks for the tips - yes I know a good mic is definitely part of the noise floor. I've used mics like the Neumann TLM 102 on the H6 and it's sounds superb. I like and own some Rode products but I've mostly been a sennheiser man. At work I use the venerable 416, but personally I only own the ME66 which gets the job done, but mediocre sound.
Re: "One - your batteries die in the H6 and you lose your clip - EXTREMELY POOR DESIGN ZOOM! You get around this by having the recorder plugged into a USB power supply (Note to Zoom - why not have the F6 have option of being powered by USB?)". -- am I missing the fact you cant power from a power bank?
@@rurban01 The F6 can be powered through its USB-C connector and it also has an attachment point for Sony NP batteries.
Fran
Thank you! This was very helpful!
Thanks for taking a moment to comment.
Fran
Very useful. I just bought the h8 zoom and it's being delivered tomorrow. I heard you mention the class of preamp on F6. I can't seem to find what class the H8 preamps are. I'm going to search your cannel. I am not yet 100 percent sure about the H8 yet but I'm going to give to go. I have Tascam DR40 and a Tascam DR600 mkii. I'm am a full time musician entertainer in NYC on Broadway but since things are all shut down I'm doing my 2nd love. Audio/Video taping bands, duos and comics and screen plays. Lots of little films too. Anyhow I'm glad to have found you channel. It's great. I'm subscribed.
I don't know for certain but I believe the H8 uses basically the same preamps as the H6. The most noticeable difference between the H and F preamps is the EIN or Equivalent Input Noise, with the F series about 7 dB quieter. This is probably not an issue unless you are recording a very quiet source or use mics with low sensitivity.
Fran
@@homebrewedmusic Yes sounds good. Thanks for the answer.
very, very helpful. Saved me from buying an f6. Thanks so much
Great advices, thank you !
I record mostly quiet sounds that require a lot of gain, i.e., rain falling or songbirds at a distance. I keep debating between the F6's ability to record low volume sounds vs its bulk (with its need for a mic and XLR cable) against a self-contained Zoom H8. How quiet would you say the Zoom's preamps are in comparison?
The spec that tells the self-noise is the EIN - Equivalent Input Noise. The specs I found on the Zoom site indicate that the H8 EIN is -123.5 dBu or less (A-wt) while the F6 is -127, so about 3.5 dBu quieter. The self noise is also affected by the microphone and I would expect that you can find a mic with lower self-noise than those attached to the H8.
Also, you now have another option, the Zoom F3, which is a smaller, lighter, less expensive version of the F6.
Fran
Excellent comparison :)
Glad you found it useful. Thanks for stopping by.
Fran
I have an H6 and love it. But I'd totally get an F6 for the 192 KHZ 32 bits. Also for 5.1 recording which is why I even got the H6 in the first place the H6 is a bit more of a pain. You first need the EX H6 and an external box to power the 2 other condencers. The F6 can power them all. As it has 6 XLRs down the sides.
I haven't experimented with 5.1 or any other format beyond stereo, but I can see that the F6 would be a better tool for that kind of capture.
Fran
@@homebrewedmusic Yep. For starters the sound would be more like the Sound-Devices $4000 833 recorder. Then next like I said the whole thing with the EX h6. But I'm not saying it can't be done. Just saying it looks like 5.1 with the H6 is more trouble then I wana bother with. You could do quadrophonic well enough though. Also though it doesn't have the mode if you can get the volumes right on point meaning get them all exactly on 5 for instance I suppose you could do ambisonics.
Nice review!
I think I will get the H6 since this one is a little more high end above my needs.
The H6 is a wonderful tool, I've shot a lot of videos using it for audio capture. Here's a playlist from my slack key channel with H6 recordings: ua-cam.com/video/HJN9MazwGwM/v-deo.html
I run into a very specific problem that the F6 helps prevent - guitarists for some reason tend to hold back a little when I ask them to give me a level check, then during performance they whack it and I get clipping, especially if we're plugging in a pickup. And the result of a clipped DI recording is nasty! The F6 lets me recover those situations. Hopefully you won't have to deal with any issues like that.
Fran
Very helpful and honest. Thank you.
Thanks for visiting, it looks like the F6 is winning here, I don't think I've used the H6 for a single recording since I got the F6.
Fran
Great and helpful video, with an in-depth review of both. Thank you so much for recording!
Thanks for visiting and commenting. I'm still learning about the F6, it's a terrific tool.
Fran
very useful and clear, thanks!
Thanks for visiting and leaving such a kind comment.
Fran
Thanks! H6 for now and F6 later on
Enjoy your new recorder!
Fran
Very useful video, thanks.
Thanks, glad you found it helpful.
Fran
I have been using both of H2n and H4nPro with different level setting, and just ordered F6 to avoid severe level setting problem.
Your solution of using two different recorders at different levels actually uses the same concept as the F6!! Very clever, but the F6 has the added benefit of quieter and more accurate preamps. And of course it's more convenient to only deal with one device and one set of batteries.
Thanks for visiting and I hope you get a lot of good recordings on your F6.
Fran
The H4NPro has the same pre amps as the H6.
They changed the amps when Zoom made the update from the H4.
You should not get better results with the H6.
thank you so much for this video
You're certainly welcome, and thanks for visiting and commenting.
Fran
Big Mahalo Braddah Fran!
Hi Fran, awesome video. I'm a bit late to the game but looking to buy myself a zoom recorder, and because I want easy field recording capabilities and am not much of an audiophile to worry about the 3db difference in noise floor, I am pretty set on investing in the H series. It seems like it's between the H8 and H6 for me, at 400 and 250 or so dollars respectively, because those are the two that have a sufficient amount of tracks for me, and I was wondering if you knew how much the H8 is an improvement on the H6 and whether that 150 dollars is worth it (it may not sound like much a lot but I am a student haha). I don't necessarily need the extra tracks but if the noise floor or other features are a big enough jump I would love to go big. Thanks!
I believe the audio performance of the H6 and H8 are quite comparable. As far as I can tell the extra cost of the H8 is due to the extra inputs. If you're not going to be using the extra inputs I think the H6 makes more sense.
Zoom announced a 32 bit version of the H6. It doesn't look like they bumped up the preamp spec but they did add the dual adc/32 bit float capability. zoomcorp.com/en/us/handheld-recorders/handheld-recorders/h6essential/
Fran
Nice video!!! 96kHz 32bit Floating Point - DIstortion Free No Clipping Recording - Makes F6 worth the buy!!
I have to say I haven't used my H6 since I got the F6. I'm just having a hard time letting go of my old faithful recording buddy.
Fran
@@homebrewedmusic - I traded the H8 for an F6 - 96kHz 32bit float - no clipping did the deal. Miss adding tracks multitrack as the H8 can do. F6 is built fort making amazing live performances simultaneously recording 6 XLR tracks. It's worth it.
i just received it today, is amazing but i noticed a problem :( we all know that when we zoom i the wave form it affect the line out and the recording, BUT if you set the Zoom and start recording then any changes on the zoom will affect the Line out only, not the recording, in my case i need this feature as i record everything coming out of the DJ, so i would set different zoom level when people dance than the level at speeches time and i don't want to keep stop and starting the recording!! anyone knows any thing about that??
Awesome sir. God bless you
Thanks for visiting and commenting. I'm always gratified to hear that someone found this stuff useful.
Fran
Great video. Thanks!
Thanks for commenting, I'm glad you found the video useful.
Fran
Hello! Just for recording a live band performance, does the preamps make that difference? Zoom F4 or Zoom H6?
I would say that the low noise of the F series preamps is mostly useful for acoustic recordings so if you're talking about recording an amplified band you might not get much benefit from the F4. But the F4 is discontinued and the newer F series devices with the dual ADC and 32 bit float provide both low noise and high clipping point and that can be very handy for recording louder sources.
Fran
zoom f6 it's not compatible with Mojave sistem? because my mac don't find it
Hello! I am also considering f6 to replace my h6 for podcast multiple audience. Do you think it is worth to buy, or not, incase i should do the audio and video edit by myself? Thank you🙏🏼
If you experience issues with setting gain on your H6 then it might be worth switching to an F6. If you have no issue with self-noise and/or clipping, the H6 is doing the job.
Fran
I check out some of the music on your channel. Fantastic.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy the tunes. I have a channel devoted to slack key guitar music: ua-cam.com/users/franguidry
Fran
@@homebrewedmusic Oh yes a subscribed last week Fran. Looking forward.
Also don't forget that though the F6 you have to use with externals only it has anotehr advantage over the H6. When using an external mike. The F6 at least you can put on your belt thus you have it on your person and you can use a stereo mic like the Rode NT-4 or the Ambeo mics or an Audio-Technica AT-8022 like I have. Again I want it for it's sound and that for what I wana do it has all 6 XLRs on it. To be honest I really should get the F8N for 7.1 and if you wana put up with the same EX H6 problem as the H6 you could even do 9.1 surround sound. But I'll wait til something like that comes that can do 32 bits. The F8N doesn't.
Thanks for sharing your insights on these two devices. I agree that it will be interesting to see how Zoom moves forward with their various recorders. I hope the market responds well to their F series products and those capabilities migrate to the H series.
I just noticed that at least in the US the F4 is discontinued. It still appears on the JP site but not on zoom-na.com.
Fran
Oh that's interesting. Could it be the Japanese are using it more or something? I thought the F6 would replace the 4 but not completely so if it's still a thing in Japan. My friend Neal Ewers was just celling his F4. I considered it for a bit but then I said na man it's just almost a professional H6. It's still got that EX H6 problem for having all 6 XLRs and also I said remmembber self the F4 like the H6 can't be used hands free. Oh and it doesn't do 32 bits. But yeah I did think about it for a bit because he was also giving an extra battery sled and me thinks an extra charger as well. Also again the quality. I love how though I can't say the following with full confidence as I've not heard none of the F recorders with the Rode NT1-A but they almost but almost butt ever so closely almost sound like Sound-Devices's 4000$ 744-T recorder. Man I'd love a 744-T. Meh since all I have for now is my AT-8022 the 722 would do. The new H8 does sounnd better then the H6 a bit cleaner and crisper but again I can't fully judge in that which 1 is for you way as I've not heard it with the Rode NT1-A. Why the NT1-A you ask? because it's the only mike well other than Neal's C414 that I've heard on that 4000$ 744-T. But again with the c414, the question would be which version Neal has and has demoed with the 744-T. Hmmmmmmmmm, I've also heard a lake on the 744-T and birds with the Newman KM-140 mics. So those would be other 1s I'd have to hear on these new recorders to be able to give my full judgment.
Hi, I enjoyed your video. May I enquire which DAW and video editing software do you use?
Thanks for visiting and commenting. I've been using REAPER for audio (and some video) for many years. After a bit of exploration I wound up with Edius for video editing but I have occasionally thought about switching to REAPER for all my video work, since the stuff I do is not very complicated. Nearly all my video work is either techie stuff on this channel or my slack key guitar clips on my other channel: ua-cam.com/users/franguidry
Fran
Many thanks for your reply and advice.
What USB Power adapter is compatible with the h8?
Sorry, I have no idea about the H8. According to the North American Zoom site: "DC 5 V/1AUSB bus power" so a decent quality USB adapter that puts out 5 volts and 1 amp.
Fran
If I've planned to buy Zoom SSH-6 and Zoom XYH-6 to match with either Zoom U44 or Zoom H5 is better? My purpose is to do ASMR. Thanks for sharing!
Sorry, I know nothing about the U44. I see at the Zoom site that the preamps are the same as the H5/H6. So the choice would be whether you want to record to a computer or to a standalone recorder then transfer to the computer later. The quality should be the same, although if your computer makes a noticeable noise the H5 would solve that problem by allowing you to record in a quieter space.
Fran
I hear white noise in this recording.. what device is this coming from?
I took the easy way out and just used camera audio for that clip, something I rarely do. So that was coming from Lumix GH5 built-in mic.
Fran
@@homebrewedmusic Good grief! :-)
@@ThinkscapeVideo Well what'r'ya gonna do (grin)?
Fran
Which one do you suggest for recording a good quality music , zoom H6/8 or an audio interface plus condenser microphone?
That depends on the audio interface and specific mic. There are such a wide range of these at different price points so the budget would be a big part of the evaluation.
Compared to the cost of the H6 the mic and interface (and cable and stand) would be low budget low performance items, so I would probably go for the H6, due to its greater flexibility.
Fran
@@homebrewedmusic I mean something such as focusrite solo/ 2i2 package or also presonus bundle. They both include interface, mic and cable for example presonus 24c and its package microphone and cables. The audio interface got depth and sample rate of 24bit,192kh ,compared with Zoom H6 of 24bit, 92kh !!!
@@s.mortezanabavi708 As far as I'm concerned any sample rate above 48 khz is wasted space and results in no audible improvement. But looking at the specs of the Focusrite package they claim EIN of -128 dB which is better than the H6 or H8 by a few dB, so that's a win for the Focusrite. The package only provides one mic, so no stereo recording, and there's no spec for the mic so we don't know the self-noise, frequency response, or polar pattern.
Fran
really good thanks! although, you've convinced me I need to spend more money :D
Sorry for the budget impact - you might want to visit my slack key channel and listen to some of the videos I've recorded with the two different systems. You might find that the less expensive option does all you need.
But if you're a gadget addict like me it's hopeless (grin).
Fran
I'm really up in the air over which one to go with. I'm interested in live streaming "crystal singing bowls" which have quite the frequency range, very high highs I love that the F6 will not clip and it's a big draw for me as I'm fairly new to setting gain etc...also that the noise floor is much quieter from my research. However the H6 is tempting at the price point, though I have some room to spend more. I like that the H6 can overdub though I think that I've read reviews that said it's tricky to navigate. Maybe I can live with out as its more for me fiddling around with and isn't that what post is for anyhow? I like the exterior x/y mic for live streaming on the fly. Wish the F6 had something like. Not crazy over the noise floor level of the H6 but I'm not a professional however I would be live steaming for clients who pay for my services so I want to give them the best value and not have clipping while playing live, one less stress to worry about. Oh boy oh boy! Great review!
Sounds like the new Zoom M4 is just what you're looking for. This is a new unit that combines the handheld attached mic configuration of the H6 with the low noise preamps, dual adc, and 32 bit recording of the F6. Check out zoomcorp.com/en/us/mictrak-recorders/mictrak-recorders/m4-mictrak/ and if you're sure you don't need or want external mics, the M2 zoomcorp.com/en/us/mictrak-recorders/mictrak-recorders/m2-mictrak/
Fran
@@homebrewedmusic is it possible to live stream through a H6 or F6? Thank you I'll look at the Zoom M4
@@scourneene Hmmm, I think of live streaming as a video function, so I'm not sure how the F6 or H6 would facilitate this. Either of them can be used as an audio interface so they could deliver audio to a computer for live streaming.
Fran
@@homebrewedmusic ya have been hoping to live stream (audio) with a H6 or F6
Hi, like the H6, does the F6 have an overdub recording facility? Many thanks
No, unfortunately there's no overdub function.
Fran
Thanks for clarification on this point.
Good video can u show some comparision betweeen both
Thanks for visiting. I should have included comparison recordings I suppose. I'll put that on my to-do list. I can tell you, though, that the H6 self-noise is just a bit more than the F6, especially noticeable is you have low output mics.
Fran
I design engine control systems and want to record signals from two knock sensors, and the ignition trigger. Presently I'm using a Sony TCD-D7 DAT, but it's only two channels. I would like to have three channels minimum. And separate outputs of course. And no ALS or AGC. What should I look at? Thanks very much.
The F6 is one of many multichannel recorders available these days. Zoom produces several recorders with four, six, or eight inputs. Sound Devices is another maker of similar equipment and there are others.
I have no idea what your requirements are in terms of frequency response, self-noise, and dynamic range, but the F6 is excellent in all those measures.
I'm not sure what you mean by separate outputs. The F6 (and the other recorders I mentioned) will create separate recorded tracks for each input, but separate outputs during recording are not available in many of them.
Fran
@@homebrewedmusic Thanks very much for your quick reply.
What video camera are you using these days?
Oops, missed this one. I really like my newish Lumix GH5 but I still have two GH4 models as well. These are lighter and have great battery life but lack IBIS stabilization and some of the higher resolution formats.
Fran
What is the dofference between the F and H models?
The H series have built-in or attachable mics. The F series don't have mics but they have mic preamps with lower noise and wider frequency response. Some of the F series offer 32 bit float recording which gives a phenomenal dynamic range. The combination of very low noise preamps and very wide dynamic range make it easier to capture usable audio in difficult situations.
Fran
Hi anyone tried the new H8 against F6? Better pres then H6?
Thanks
I haven't tried the H8 but reading the spec sheet makes me think the preamps and a/d are the same as the H6.
Fran
@@homebrewedmusic thank you so F6 is far better
@@amati56 The F6 has preamps with lower self-noise and more advanced a/d conversion, but the H8 might have features that match your needs better. I've done many many recordings with the H6 that I considered a success. Here's a playlist of videos using the H6 XY mic: ua-cam.com/play/PLKRxWcC_Lftc8b15ouCB_F3v1nnFucsWk.html
Like any recorder or camera, a lot depends on what features you need and how you use them.
Fran
@@homebrewedmusic I record claasical music live concerts always with condenser mics now I use Tascam 70d 4 xlr I need two more mics for somd new projects
@@amati56 The biggest advantage of the F6 is the 32 bit float recording mode which prevents damage from clipping.
I shoot "look at me play guitar" videos where I am the camera op, sound engineer, director, and artist, often with a second player in duet. The F6 solves my problem of getting the right audio level which has been a problem in the past.
I also shoot videos of hula shows with recorded music, live singing, and loud drums all intermixed along with audience reaction, so it can be very hard to get my levels right. Once again, the F6 headroom solves the problem and makes my project a lot easier.
Does this sound like something that would be a benefit to you?
Fran
great video.... thanks for sharing. Tried to respond to your CAD/Rode/AT comparison to get the key... but was unable. could you put me out of my misery? :) Thanks
Sorry, I need to get my email stuff together. Hit me at fran.guidry@gmail.com and I'll shoot the info back to you.
Fran
@@homebrewedmusic got it! thanks so much! Enjoy your weekend
godtier video
Thank you for visiting and commenting.
Fran