The H5 provides four tracks of simultaneous recording and, like Zoom's flagship H6, it can use all of their interchangeable input capsules, allowing you to choose the best microphone for every recording situation. The flexible and powerful H5 provides everything you need to create multitrack recordings, audio for video and state-of-the-art podcasting, broadcasting and electronic newsgathering.

Louder. Closer. Cleaner.
X/Y recording allows you to cover a wide area yet still capture sound sources in the center with clarity and definition, making it ideal for all types of live stereo recording. The XYH-5 X/Y microphone capsule included with the H5 provides two matched unidirectional condenser microphones set at a 90-degree angle. These are housed within an advanced shockmount that employs rugged external mic wires and rubberized material to isolate the unit from the H5 body and thus minimize vibration and handling noise. The design of the XYH-5 also allows the H5 to handle louder sounds than any other Handy Recorder model: 140dB SPL, to be precise—equivalent to the sound of a jet aircraft from less than 200 feet away-enabling you to capture sounds louder, closer, and cleaner than you ever could before.

Ins & Outs
In addition to standard transport controls (stop, play/pause, record, rewind and fast-forward), the front panel of the H5 offers dedicated record arming buttons for each track, which double as mute switches during playback. A Hold switch disables all front panel buttons to prevent accidental operation during recording. The H5 can be attached to a camera strap or, with the use of the optional Hot Shoe mount (sound separately), mounted directly to a DSLR or camcorder.

The H5 also provides everything you need to connect with the outside world. Dual combo XLR/TRS inputs that can handle both mic- and line-level signals allow you to connect external microphones and line-level devices like mixers, portable music players, effects processors and electronic keyboards—even electric guitars or basses equipped with active electronics. Each H5 input has its own dedicated gain control knob, located beneath a protective bar that prevents accidental movement during handling. The supplied XYH-5 X/Y capsule also provides a secondary input for connecting stereo mic- or line-level signal via a mini phone jack. The H5 supports a +4dB (professional) input level and utilizes the same high-quality preamps as Zoom's flagship H6, ensuring great-sounding recordings in all sonic environments.

There are lots of output options as well. A dedicated Line Out with adjustable volume allows you to send a stereo audio output from the H5 to the mic input of a video camera or other device without the need for an attenuator cable. In addition, there's a separate headphone output with a dedicated volume control. You can use both outputs simultaneously to route audio to your DSLR while monitoring over headphones. There's also a built-in speaker for fast access playback, and a USB port which allows the H5 to be used as an audio interface for your computer or iPad.

Power and Storage
Just 2 AA batteries—either alkaline or rechargeable NiMH—are required for power. When using alkaline batteries, the H5 will operate for more than 15 hours, even while recording continuously. You can also use an optional AC adapter to power the H5 without batteries. The H5 records directly to SD and SDHC cards up to 32 gigabytes. Maximum recording time is dependent upon the card size and file type; for example, a 2GB SD card can hold approximately fourteen hours of stereo 320kbps MP3 files, three hours of stereo 16-bit/44.1 kHz WAV files, or an hour of stereo 24-bit/96kHz WAV files.

File types
The H5 can operate in two different modes-choose stereo for two-track stereo recording, or multitrack for four-track recording (in either stereo pairs or individual mono tracks)-and it captures audio in the two most commonly used file formats: WAV and MP3.

The WAV files recorded by the H5 can be 16- or 24-bit, with sampling rates of 44.1, 48 or 96kHz*. They are automatically time-stamped and thus Broadcast Wave Format (BWF) compliant, allowing for precise synchronization in video post-production. MP3 files, while slightly lower in fidelity, are much smaller than WAV files and are thus easier to email and post on social networking sites—allowing you to quickly and easily share your creations around the world.

*96kHz sampling rate available in stereo mode only.

Signal Processing
The H5's onboard effects allow you to add polish to your recordings. Compression and limiting compensate for fluctuations in input level, while a low-cut filter helps eliminate wind noise, blowing and other kinds of low frequency rumble. There's even an onboard metronome and chromatic/guitar/bass tuner.

Other features
But the list of H5 features doesn't end there. There's playback looping, pitch change and variable playback speed (without pitch change) to help with phrase training. A pre-record function that keeps the H5 continuously recording in the background, keeping the previous two seconds before you hit RECORD.