What is the best handheld digital recorder...

What specs do you need?

I used to own a Zoom H4n... but I found myself only recording line level and using the microphones. My own tests and some online tests I watched seemed to confirm that the much (much!) cheaper Zoom H1 is almost as good at these two functions, so I sold the H4n and bought that instead.

I strongly recommend the H1. It's so cheap, it's possible to have a spare (or two).

waloshin said:

I will prinarly use it for hobby use, recording nature and stuff and ofcourse I want very high quality sound.

Click to expand...

OK, but do you want to use external microphones? Do you want to have phantom power available for those externals?

The Zoom H4n is probably the class leader that everyone uses - but it's mics are the same as the cheaper H1 and the H1 also records at up to 96/24 WAV, which is as high as you need.

If you want to use internal microphone, the H1 is a bargain.

The specs on these two look really similar in terms of recording format, expandability etc.

The Sony looks like it has better build quality - but I don't like the fact that the microphones are internal to the body.

The Sony also costs 3x more.

You really need to go read some reviews - compare reported battery life. Also search for both models on YouTube - plenty of people post up their own reviews and samples of recordings.

You can't go wrong with either. Personally I like that the H1 provides all the quality in a much cheaper package.


Edit: To answer your question about recording quality of mic/macbook vs a dedicated recorder...

The a to d chip is likely to be better quality in a dedicated recorder, and you'll also be able to record at 24 bit, which I'm not sure you can with the MacBook. 24 bit is good, since you can set the level control to give you headroom (stop the sound from clipping) yet still get low noise/detail from quiet signals.

waloshin said:

So between fhd sony pcm m10 and the zoom h4n what recorder has better internal mics and a/d convertor, and what has a better noise floor?

Lastly what would be a good mic for the sony that would be better quality then the internal mics for $100 or under.

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There is no "best" mic. Some are better for different purposes. You need to know how far away to the source from the mic. in the 6 inch to foot range or more. What ambient noise is there, in other workrs do you need a very directional pattern. What is the sound level

What form factor, hand held, on a boom or stand. lav mic?. Overhead mic in a room. Is this for use outdoors, might is get wet? Does the preamp supply phantom power?

What type of nature sounds do you want to record? There are some mics that are made specifically for such purposes (e.g. recording bird calls). I used a great Marantz portable recorder for field research in biology. It worked great, but was not cheap... and it was kind of large too...

But, the type of sound you want to record will determine the type of mic you need, and to a lesser extent the type of recorder...

http://www.wingfieldaudio.com/portable-recorder-reviews.html

http://www.wingfieldaudio.com/portable-recorder-sound-samples.html

http://www.theatreofnoise.com/2010/09/revisiting-sony-pcm-m10-versus-olympus.html

Olympus has a new one coming soon -- looks to be the LS-11 with HD video added onto it:
http://www.yourtechreport.com/2011/05/05/olympus-jumps-into-portable-video-recorders/